title: Uncomfortably numb: new evidence for suppressed emotional reactivity in response to body-threats in those predisposed to sub-clinical dissociative experiences.
abstract: Depersonalisation and derealisation disorders refer to feelings of detachment and dissociation from one's "self" or surroundings. A reduced sense of self (or "presence") and emotional "numbness" is thought to be mediated by aberrant emotional processing due to biases in self-referent multi-sensory integration. This emotional "numbing" is often accompanied by suppressed autonomic arousal to emotionally salient stimuli.
  
  
  
  118 participants completed the Cambridge Depersonalisation scale [Sierra, & Berrios, 2000. The Cambridge Depersonalisation Scale: A new instrument for the measurement of depersonalisation. Psychiatry Research, 93, 153-164)] as an index of dissociative anomalous experience. Participants took part in a novel "Implied Body-Threat Illusion" task; a pantomimed injection procedure conducted directly onto their real body (hand). Objective psychophysiological data were recorded via standardised threat-related skin conductance responses and finger temperature measures.
  
  
  
  Individuals predisposed to depersonalisation/derealisation revealed suppressed skin conductance responses towards the pantomimed body-threat. Although the task revealed a reliable reduction in finger temperature as a fear response, this reduction was not reliably associated with measures of dissociative experience.
  
  
  
  The present findings significantly extend previous research by revealing emotional suppression via a more direct body-threat task, even for sub-clinical groups. The findings are discussed within probabilistic and predictive coding frameworks of multi-sensory integration underlying a coherent sense of self.
authors.affiliation: a Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre , School of Psychology, University of Birmingham , Edgbaston , Birmingham , UK.
authors.forename: Hayley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dewe
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , University of Warwick , Coventry , UK.
authors.forename: Derrick G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , Lancaster University , Lancaster , UK.
authors.forename: Jason J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Braithwaite
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D003861:Depersonalization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dissociation; anomalous experience; depersonalisation/derealisation; embodiment; skin conductance responses