Posttraumatic polarization in psychiatry and law

Psychological trauma heightens and rigidifies the penchant of humans for dichotomizing others into allies and enemies. With today's "adult delayed recall" controversy a case in point, traumatized individuals tend to unite into tightly knit in-groups that resemble cults and to denigrate others as enemies. This process creates new enmities where objective interests otherwise clash only minimally. The trauma response is reinforced by the neurobiology of avoidance and reenactment. Among all protagonists, polarized beliefs are mutually shaped by suggestive interactions that resemble hypnosis. The end result is to reenact and perpetuate the trauma response on a large scale. In the contemporary milieu, this process presents a formidable obstacle to cooperative problem solving. Discussion focuses on strategies by which clinical and forensic psychiatrists can help to master this obstacle. These strategies include balancing interests, extending the role of informed consent, and overall, striving to mitigate the unwitting reinforcement and transmission of the trauma response.