Eli Somer, Ph.D., is a full clinical professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Haifa School of Social Work. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and hypnotist and an Israel Ministry of Health certified supervisor of psychopathology and psychodiagnostics training. Prof. Somer has been treating survivors of trauma since the mid-1980's, himself a son of Holocaust survivors and a combat veteran of 2 major middle-east wars. Somer has also served as reservist mental health officer (captain) and commander of a front-line combat stress treatment unit of the Medical Corps of the Israel Defense Forces.
As an academic, Somer has written over 150 scientific publications in the field. He has identified a phenomenon he termed Maladaptive Daydreaming and his current research focuses on this excessive and distressful form of fantasizing.
Eli Somer was founder and scientific advisor of Trauma and Dissociation Israel (TDIL). He is co-founder and past president of the European Society for Trauma and Dissociation (ESTD) and past president of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). Eli is currently involved in the establishment of the International Society for Maladaptive Daydreaming.
Somer is the ISSTD recipient of the Cornelia Wilbur Award (2000) for his outstanding clinical contributions to the treatment of dissociative disorders and the recipient of ISSTD's Fellow status (2001) for his excellent contributions to the field of dissociative disorders. Eli Somer also received the President's Award for outstanding leadership twice: from the ISSTD (2006) and from the ESTD (2012) and in 2014 the ISSTD awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been listed twice as one of the 10 best clinical psychologists in Israel.
