Jules Lee

Expository Writing
Dr. Evans
24 January 2017
Stigmata Non Grata

One of the most confusing and cryptic areas of study is the study of the human mind, also

known as psychology. In a world that is surrounded by billions of people, society tries to

generalize human behavior into certain categories, and thus psychologists can categorize what is

healthy and what is unhealthy. But Martha Stout, a clinical psychologist, discusses a topic that

touches on both sides with her piece, When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It Was Friday. Her

piece narrates the stories of multiple patients she encountered, explaining both their stories and

the physiological effects that occur when suffering from a condition known as dissociation,

usually brought upon by traumatic experiences. One of the main points she tries to clarify is how

dissociation is present in both normal and abnormal behavior, but distinguishes the difference

between healthy and unhealthy dissociation. Stout asks the reader to understand that when it

comes to those who have dealt with dissociation, they can be successful, well-mannered people

and can blend in well with everyday life. It is crucial to understand that those who suffer from

dissociative occurrences have aspects of normal psychological processes that are exacerbated

due to past trauma; a patients desire to face and overcome the trigger of such aggravation makes

him more heroic than the average person, as they must face their past demons head on.

One of Stouts main points is that many of those who are dissociated can blend in well

into society. Unlike mental disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the symptoms of

dissociation are not highly abnormal. Stout defines dissociation as continuing to act, but without

self-awareness (Stout 423). Through this definition, it can be assumed that one wouldnt be able

to determine if a person were dissociated or not just by looking at him or her. Stout first

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discusses a patient named Julia, a successful, well-respected member of the community. One of

Julias therapy sessions included a conversation pertaining to one of her dissociative events. She

laments the fact that none of her coworkers could tell that she was in a dissociative state, I dont

understand any of it, but the thing I understand the least is that apparently I go about my business

during these times, and nobody notices any difference in me. At least, no one ever says anything

(Stout 431). In this instance, the reader is forced to see reality from Julias perspective. It

portrays her loneness, because though Julia feels like its such an impacting change in her life, it

doesnt affect anyone elses in the slightest. Since the majority of people cannot notice or

experience such dissociation, they do not give it any thought. This forced perspective is Stouts

way of trying to make the reader understand just a fraction of Julias isolation and detachment

from the real world. Yet, this is only just a taste of what people with this affliction go through,

and cannot be easily read or imagined. The only way to recognize occurrences of dissociation is

only if one has actually experienced it for himself. This is further explained by Seth, another

patient of Stouts who saw someone in a dissociative state at a company soft ball game. Similar

to Julia, Seth is astonished at how everyone except for him cannot tell that his teammate is away

from reality, You mean, another person, besides you, might not have known she was

dissociated? Absolutely. Im sure someone else might not have known at all. Its just that I

looked at her, and I saw me. It was like talking to somebody who didnt have a soul (Stout

435). Stout is able to correlate this story with the term fugue, which is defined as a state where

one would continue to carry out day-to-day activities... [and] allows certain intellectually driven

functions to continue (Stout 432). Since a fugue is considered a more extreme type of

dissociation, it is interesting to note that still nobody was able to tell a difference of behavior.

Seth also mentions an interesting fact when he explains that it wasnt her actions that gave away

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her dissociated state, but her eyes. This reveals that to understand someone in a dissociative state,

we cant just look at others at face value. It is only a coincidence that those who are dissociative

act more towards the normal side of the spectrum. To understand the mentally ill means

delving into their past and their experiences. Only psychologists such as Stout can understand

this perfectly because her line of work requires an intricate reflection of a patients stories.

The second argument Stout makes is that those with trauma related illnesses are results of

normal processes that were skewed due to the traumatic event or events they suffer through. One

of the main points Stout attempts to discuss is that the dissociative events that her patients

experience are due to some sort of stressor that was introduced. Connections to this stressor are

what cause these somewhat normal people to enter a real that causes the mind to linger from

reality. Stout gives an example of how traumatic events can be provoked from harmless

perceptions through Beverly, a woman who watched her sister die by a speeding car. If she hears

a blast from a train or something related to that speeding car, she starts to panic, Beverlys brain

contains, effectively, a broken warning device in its limbic system, (Stout 422). The key word

Stout uses is broken, because such a warning system is necessary for everyday life. Back when

humans were in a primitive stage, those who had fine-tuned warning systems were able to

survive, therefore reproduce. Since that still lingers today, it still gives us automatic drives to

avoid venomous snakes or poisonous spiders. But a traumatic situation like the one Beverly

witnessed stresses that alert system, and anything related to such an event causes the same

feelings that were displayed that day. Such trauma also causes imaginative processes to change

because we can almost always relate something to the traumatic event. An understanding of

symbolism and abstract concepts allows a stretching of such thinking so that one can connect, a

train blast for instance, to the noise of a speeding car. These concepts are able to stick with the

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mind into adolescence; the result is that childhood traumas can be triggered in the adult mind.

Though it may be more socially acceptable for children to act in a strange way, todays culture

demands that adults act through certain mores that must be followed. If there is fixation on

trauma that occurred in childhood, it creates a scenario in which the childhood trauma becomes

the present, and so the adult mind becomes lost. Intense stress on Beverlys mind molds the way

it works, and so a process that is innate can be molded into a way that causes her to act against

the norm.

Finally, Stout states that those who try to overcome their dissociation are exponentially

stronger and heroic than a regular person. As an introduction, Stout uses the analogy of living in

a house that is dark, and that to fix the electricity, one must sabotage the fuse box, but risks

burning the house down. She adds, The person who suffers from a severe trauma disorder must

decide between surviving in a barely sub-lethal misery of numbness and frustration, and taking a

chance that may well bring her a better life, but that feels like stupidly issuing an open invitation

to the unspeakable horror that waits to consume her alive. And in the manner of the true hero, she

must choose to take the risk (Stout 421). Stout is absolutely correct when explaining such an

ordeal, as not many are able to face the demons that lurk in the past. Usually, people are afraid of

physical creatures such as insects, clowns, or tiny spaces, and in most cases, the direct course of

action is to avoid or escape such things. But the story is different when it comes to trauma

survivors. One cannot run away from the pain that they endure, and to face it means suffering

through more misery as they risk becoming consumed by such a fear; its like getting sucked into

a black hole. There is no escape, only a path leading to pain and suffering. Such a feeling where

there is a palpable pain but no physical injury is considered shin pan, a pain of the heart that

does not involve the actual physical organ (Stout 435). Stout mentions this Eastern medicincal

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term because it is the best way to describe such a feeling. Science and facts cannot accurately

describe the thought process of the human mind. Conquering this sort of emotional agony is

much harder and arduous than healing a physical wound. Much strife is involved, and those who

confront past traumas run the risk of stumbling into a more dissociative state. But the only way

to truly conquer their trauma is to fight their fears, a feat only the courageous can achieve. With

the support of their peers and enough time, they can finally be able to find closure.

Stouts chapter is not only a piece that explains the physiology behind dissociation but it

also elaborates on how those who have faced trauma are individuals who experienced more than

many can imagine, and their ability to push through the hardships of daily life is what makes

them so admirable. Her analysis of dissociative patients displays how though they may seem

normal, their circumstances are truly abnormal. Stouts patients face such high levels of

separation from reality, yet it is astonishing that they are still able to function relatively well.

Though they were put through trying circumstances, they still stand resolute and ready to find the

necessary means in order to live happier and healthier lives. Those who suffer from trauma that

was wrongfully or unintentionally inflicted upon them should not suffer for the rest of their lives.

Just as every person does, they deserve the right to happiness and closure, and through the proper

process, they can be successful. It is evident that with the proper help, survivors of traumatic

experiences can be successful and integral parts of society.

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 Works Cited

Stout, Martha. "When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It Was Friday." The New Humanities Reader.

Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. 420-37. Print.