A Dissociative State
Martin A. Samuels
Neurology November 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1093/med/9780197751152.003.0045 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A man in his 70s, generally healthy, who was defrauded |
| Key findings | Argues that the man's trance-like compliance with a fraudulent instruction, resulting in a $27,000 Bitcoin deposit, illustrates dissociation as a stress-induced defense mechanism along a spectrum of suggestibility. Contends that dissociation can be adaptive by helping individuals forget trauma, unlike PTSD where memory intrusions persist, and links such states to brainwashing, urging that they be understood without stigmatizing terms such as gullibility. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter presents a case of a man in his 70s who, despite being generally healthy, enters a dissociative state triggered by a fraudulent computer message and a commanding voice. He follows instructions to withdraw $27,000 and deposit it in a Bitcoin machine, while his wife observes his trance-like compliance despite her protests. The chapter explores dissociation as a stress-induced defense mechanism along a spectrum of suggestibility, referencing work by Herbert and David Spiegel and the historical use of hypnosis in psychiatry. It highlights dissociation’s adaptive role in helping individuals forget trauma, contrasting it with PTSD, where memory intrusions persist. Finally, the chapter links dissociation to phenomena like brainwashing and emphasizes the importance of understanding these states without relying on stigmatizing terms such as gullibility.