NCJ Number
201901
Journal
Journal of Trauma Practice Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: 2003 Pages: 1-16
Date Published
2003
Length
16 pages
Annotation
In this article, the author describes how the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center affected her Manhattan Psychotherapy practice.
Abstract
The author describes herself as a full-time clinical psychologist specializing in trauma, dissociation, and bereavement. Her practice is in Manhattan, and as such, was greatly impacted by the attacks on the World Trade Center. She describes driving to work on September 11th and seeing the first plane hit the World Trade Center. She then turns her attention to describing how the events of September 11th and their aftermath affected her patients, many of whom suffer from dissociative identity disorder (DID), characterized by disturbances in memory, identity, consciousness, and perceptions of the environment. Her patients responded to the attacks in numerous ways and were physically affected by both the trauma of the event and by simply trying to get into Manhattan to keep appointments with her. The author discusses the difficulties faced by individuals with DID and also explains her use of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) as a treatment technique. The author discusses the impact of vicarious traumatization and the importance of professional self-care, especially for those on the front lines of psychological trauma work in the aftermath of September 11th. References