FRONTLINE: secure attachment and traumatic life events.

Abstract

I first became interested in the effects of a traumatic life event during my residency at Columbia in New York City. I was on the pediatric consultation liaison service and was asked to consult on an eight-year-old girl referred by the ophthalmology inpatient unit. “Hysterical Blindness” was noted on the chart when no medical reason could account for the sudden loss of vision. Maria* was a beautiful child who did not seem distressed in any way during my interview (“Belle Indifference” I observed).