The Problem

This proposal initially addresses the problem of traumatised children (5 years+) suffering from forms of dissociative amnesia (DA). These involve disruptions of memory, awareness, identity, and perception. When one or more of these is disrupted, it traps children in an unhappy present. Because, “being able to
remember past events and planning for the future go hand in hand”, (T. Zentall,U. of Wisconsin, 2007), “their visualisations of future events will be disorganised and emotionless” (E. Maguire, Wellcome Trust Centre, 2007).

“Our awareness of self, time and distance is developed within the context of early awareness and reliability which becomes the foundation of future understanding of knowledge.” (H. Geddes, Therapeutic Care Journal. 2016).
Aspiration, without reconciling the past seems impossible.
The scale of the problem is indicated by Young Minds (2016):
• 1 in 10 children (5 – 16 years) have a mental health disorder.
• 1 in 12 -15 children deliberately self-harm.
• 72% of children in care have behavioural/emotional problems.
• 95% of imprisoned young offenders have a mental health disorder.
The loss of direction, belief and hope is reflected in the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report (2012):
‘Mental health problems in children have wide-ranging effects, including impacts on educational attainment and social relationships’.
The London School of Economics (2012) concluded that ‘poor mental health has a strong association with educational outcomes and of being “not in education, employment or training”.

The Solution

The solution involves the production of a ‘Double-Helix App’ and a training course in its use.
The ‘double helix’ is an interactive tool (developed over 25 years), designed to record life events on one helix and the underlying narratives on another. As confidence grows, it is possible to access memories in greater numbers/details and build meaningful interpretations. Reflecting on the sequence and
relationship of these leads to understanding and articulation of one's legacies of experience.


Brian de Lord

DOUBLE HELIX APP