“I” Movement: A Reflective Account of Navigating Identity Within the AIP Model
- Aug 22
- 1 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Reflective Practice Article · Open Access
Rachel C Rashkin
Independent Clinical Psychologist, Israel
Corresponding author: Rachel C Rashkin, Shootpsychology@gmail.com
Perspectives on Complex Trauma, Volume 7, Issue 1 (2026)
Published: August 2026
Abstract
This article explores the impact of adolescent identity formation following conversion to Orthodox Judaism. Through the lens of the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model (Shapiro, 2001, 2018), it integrates a deeply personal narrative with clinical reflection, examining how conversion at age thirteen functioned as an adaptive coping strategy and an attempt to preserve attachment relationships, while also risking a trajectory toward identity foreclosure (Marcia, 1966). Rather than framing the experience in terms of pathology, this account suggests it may be understood as adaptation under relational threat (Bowlby, 1988; van der Kolk, 2014). Clinical implications are considered for trauma clinicians working with adolescent identity conflict, belief systems, and meaning-making under conditions of developmental stress.
Keywords: Identity conflict; relational trauma; EMDR; Adaptive Information Processing; attachment; reflective practice
Cite this article
Rashkin, R. C. (2026). “I” movement: A reflective account of navigating identity within the AIP model. Perspectives on Complex Trauma, 7(1)
Permanent article URL: https://www.complextraumainstitute.org/post/i-movement-a-reflective-account-of-navigating-identity-within-the-aip-model
Copyright and licence
© 2026 The Author.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
Published by the Complex Trauma Institute.
ISSN 2635-0807