Abstract
Traumatic childhood experiences can lead to the development of dissociation as a repair mechanism and, as a result, to fragmented memories. In narrative interviews, this fragmentation manifests itself as traces found in language expression. In this article, case studies are used to show how dissociation as a result of past and present trauma can be expressed linguistically and what support interviewers can offer during research. Only by recognising trauma-related inconsistencies can the life stories of traumatised people be understood beyond collectively potent tabooing. In this way, researchers can avoid reproducing socially significant taboos or processes of denial in an academic context