Traumatic Human Movement in the Rorschach and the Assessment of Disturbed Mentalization

Abstract: Human movement response (M score) is a main variable in the Rorschach and an indicator of psychological strength, reflecting the qualities of mentalization and representation. However, consistently high frequencies of M scores among trauma victims raised a need to understand better the quality of these responses. In this study, we aimed to explore the characteristics of Rorschach M responses of individuals suffering complex trauma. We paid attention to M responses that include trauma-related content and/or thinking disturbance and propose to consider these responses as a potential new variable of traumatic human movement response (trauM). This exploration is illustrated by the analysis of M responses in the Rorschach of two traumatized girls. The first case describes trauM responses that reflect posttraumatic intrusions and dissociation. The second, a longitudinal case study, describes trauM responses that reflect developmental damage and assist in evaluating growth from a state of reduced mental abilities to a more organized state of self. The trauM is conceptualized as reflecting traumatic mentalization. Its usefulness in the assessment of both symptomatic and developmental effects of trauma is described. Further empirical research is needed to validate the trauM and to evaluate its importance in trauma assessment.