Advances in dissociation research and practice in Israel

This essay covers the field of dissociation in Israel as reflected in publications by Israeli contributors and their collaborators both in the Hebrew language and in the international literature. With 140 references, this article covers the 24-year history of the field in this Middle Eastern country presenting documentations on dissociation in indigenous Middle Eastern culture, dissociation and the trauma of the Holocaust, a discussion of the "memory wars" in Israel, a portrayal of Israeli training programs in the field, an account of writing and publicity on dissociative disorders, a report on the process of acceptance of the concept in Israel and the development of advocacy in the field, as well as information on controlled Israeli research and clinical publications on dissociation. This literature review seems to indicate that dissociation is a useful paradigm that has aided Israeli scholars in the understanding of disavowed experiences in a variety of contexts.