How to Identify and Treat Dissociation (Even When It’s Subtle)
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with Peter Levine, PhD;
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with Peter Levine, PhD; Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD; Stephen Porges, PhD; Bessel van der Kolk, MD; Thema Bryant-Davis, PhD; Kathy Steele, MN, CS; Janina Fisher, PhD; Bethany Brand, PhD; Pat Ogden, PhD; Ruth Buczynski, PhD
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This presentation was excellent, so many great nuggets of information from so many skilled clinicians. I feel privileged to be able to access this! I love the framing of dissociation as being a way to hide from yourself or erase yourself, your emotions, experiences, etc. My patient with DID sees herself as “crazy” or “broken” and is embarrassed by her experience of an part/alter taking over. This framing feels more compassionate and non-clinical, and I’m wondering if it will help us to move into exploring in a non-shaming manner what the goals, fears, etc her different parts might have. I would like to know more about how to respond if/when a younger part shows up.
Thank you for this informative broadcast. I really enjoyed watching x
I have a question- not addressed (yet). I wonder if women – perhaps men- use “seduction” as a defense especially in sexual assaults. I’ve met women who either used sex to defuse a life- threatening attack (mostly intimate partners or stalkers), or who “segued” a rape into a more intimate encounter- ie with pillow talk. I hate using these words and I am in no way inferring rape is anything but rape. It seems to be a mental flight in some ways to reduce the horror, but in some ways it is the woman taking what action she can to feel some power. Again- words are failing me here. I think it’s different than the please/appease, or cry for help, or submit/collapse. I’m not aware if- in the animal kingdom, sex is ever used for anything but mating. So is sexual aggression a uniquely human phenomenon? I’ve heard there is one breed of ducks that force sexual activity on females of the species. It’s a haunting question- because the women who’ve used their bodies to reduce harm or change the rapist’s perception seem to have a very high shame and self-accusation level. Porges has said that in the Stockholm Syndrome, the hostages are able to produce vocal and facial expressions that show high energy and optimism, which lead the captors to trust their captives more. Any research on this, and has the component of sexual arousal been included in studies on the Polyvagal System? Ugh. This may be quite a can of worms.
When I was held at gunpoint and threatened with rape (age 15, 50 years ago), I talked my attempted rapist out of it by remaining “calm” (to outward appearance) and suggesting that there was no need to hold a gun on me–if he wanted sex we could have sex. Very blasé. But I felt strongly that the man (who was much bigger and stronger than me) needed me to be frightened in order for him to be excited. I was, in fact, terrified that he intended to murder me after raping me. He ended up letting me walk away. Did I use sex to defuse a life-threatening attack? Did I take some action in order to feel in control of the situation? I do not have any shame around this. What is your point?
That is a good topic because many females with DID experienced early childhood or teenage sex abuse. It is a complex topic that probably would need to be handked only for actual practitioners to avoid misunderstanding. The parts of a DID client involved in sex attacks are often even further split into fragments. Each one needs to be acknowledged.
I noticed your other comment about empathy, that is also a good take-away because empathy iverly-expressed by a therapist can be very damaging to child parts. I have worked with DID clients and also trauma clients. It is important for the therapist to maintain professional boundaries and be aware the clients have to learn to meet their own needs for self-care. Clients have to become their own parents, not the therapist. It is important for the therapist to keep the focus on the client’s adult part or self, and not to get lured by child parts. In the past, therapists have been professionally and emotionally damaged when they allowed themselves to have relationships with various client parts. The persecutor or protector parts of DID clients sometimes try to derail therapy by sending out child alters or seductive alters to confound 😖 and distract the therapist. It is not easy to treat DID clients. Therapists should have supervision and not go it alone.
So fantastic how each of these therapists has found their way through years of trial and error how to become aware if a cx is manifesting symptoms of DID. Each has a fabulous perspective and offered unique, thoughtful, innovative and creative ways to sensitively work with these cxs. I appreciate their generously sharing with us. You may not find a lot of their realizations and methods in books. Practical tips that are groundbreaking, A roadmap for a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of DID and what is needed for each client. Thank you!
Karen, Dr. Janina Fisher’s book, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors, offers her readers a very in-depth understanding of the Inner Family Systems approach, along with examples from case studies. I bought the book, as did my CBT counselor, and was able to implement Dr. Fisher’s methods to begin my healing process using IFS. A few months ago I got connected with an IFS trained counselor and learned some more helpful tools, but the book provided a great foundation that I built upon by incorporating elements from my Christian faith, vestibular movements, mindfulness, and yoga/stretching.
It is a revelation to me to learn that physical symptoms can be a form of dissociation from emotional pain from trauma, particularly childhood trauma; I had kind of fathomed this but not as fully.
I need the reminder that dissociation is about safety and the need to ensure client safety every step of the way.
I am interested in more information about the need for a client to complete an action s/he was not able to complete at the time of the/a traumatic event and methods for helping clients complete such impeded action(s).
“I am interested in more information about the need for a client to complete an action s/he was not able to complete at the time of the/a traumatic event and methods for helping clients complete such impeded action(s).”
thank you Linda. Great comment. Me too
Loved the session. Key takeaways for me was noticing client’s posture ( collapsed and confident) and try to integrate the collapsed one into the confident one. Using the sighing breath was another one. Questions to ask when u notice disassociation was also very helpful. I look forward to the next session. Really appreciate this content. 🙏
I’m a clinical psychologist. I appreciate your comments about DID especially the very real problem that comes with mis-diagnosis. I find that even when asking the questions that are suggested, the missed time being the most obvious, people might not be aware of the other dissociated parts of their personality. If there is no co-consciousness then they might not hear voices. They may explain away much time loss related difficulties because of their Complex PTSD symptoms or other symptoms (extreme fatigue, drug use, etc). Other health-care professionals and mainstream media are complicit in maintaining the denial and shame associated with a DID diagnosis. THAT shame and denial are very hard to work around to get an accurate assessment, and work with.
Appreciations to Dr Brand for noting persecutory/ protecting parts have reasons to fear/ resist grounding. Seems clients in dissociative state do not have clear sense of time- where or when they are- so grounding into “ the present” feels more like grounding into trauma time- there’s no difference between then and now. Time is very blurry. Also when there’s depersonalization/ detachment from body- feeling like a ghost in a dream- the client may have “escaped” from the body to cope with intense physical pain. Grounding back into the body in the present- is not experienced as in the present time and place, and it can be experienced as coming back into the body in extreme pain/ fear/ shame. It is not pleasant or a relief to “ground”. One of the presenters spoke of grounding into an object in the room, non-personal, which can kind of work, except the client tends to remain not attentive to the “I” who is having this experience. There are many difficulties, and each client is so different. Also appreciated Pat Ogden’s value on being matter-of-fact and not empathetic as much. I have clients that cry when being shown kindness- they say it hurts too much- don’t be nice to me!
Wendy, I believe that there is work that needs to be engaged each day by the client in order to be able to engage the healing process with a therapist. My counselor encouraged me to continuously express messages of self-compassion and love, as often as was possible, throughout each day. I also learned from Dr. Janina Fisher’s book, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors, to regularly remind myself and my parts that “Here and now, we are safe. Here and now, we are well. Those traumatic things happened a long time ago, and I am an adult now.” I have expounded upon that message in many ways, incorporating elements of my Christian faith and the part Christ plays in taking on the shame so it is no longer ours to carry. Each of my parts wears a “robe of righteousness” provided by Jesus that neutralizes the shame and protects us from it. Etc. Daily vestibular movements of some type have also been an essential element for my parts emerging and connecting with me via new neural pathways that are created from consistent, daily intentionality with the process. Dr. Fisher’s book is a great resource which I highly recommend!
Lovely to include Christian spirituality in your self-care. Dr. Fisher’s book sounds so caring and insightful. Thank you
Presenters: Thank you for all your contributions! I will be using posture experimentation; being more matter of fact with clients, instead of “soothing”; asking “what is your fear of getting grounded”; and actualizing keeping a relationship with adult client, not child.
always great content! how do you introduce new interventions like these with a long term client? without destabilizing or compromising the relationship (i.e. trust, why are you doing this now?)? especially when so many trauma folks are sensitive to change
Hi, I missed what Pat Ogden said about the counter intuitive way to work with dissocit. 4 steps? Could someone fill me in please?
someone else may want to add to this, if I’m understanding you’re question: She talked about moving b/t defensive or child state, and upright adult state postural, and finding a comfortable place for client to be to integrate parts; she also talked about being more matter-of-fact instead of sympathetic or “soothing” when client begins to dissociate, eg. naming it, somewhat (my understanding); identifying ideas of judgments of self as “thoughts” for clients to observe. If clt says, “Oh That makes me a horrible person”, replying, “that’s a thought, what happens when you have that thought”. Let’s ask the part that is sad, what that is like….She also asks, “HOw much of you is here right now” Percentage wise, and what can we do to make you feel safe to be here right now.
Hope this helps!
Certainly, there is normal and pathological dissociation. I attended the 7:00 pm session due to the client-load of my day and my last client (30 yr old female) shared with me that she had sex with the person she terms “boyfriend # 2″.
She explained that during that intimate act, ” I left my body and went somewhere else”. While exploring her thoughts and feelings regarding that relationship, we also discussed the dissociative defense she implemented.
I do quite a bit of diaphragmic breathing with the clients that I journey with. I will incorporate the sighing expression presented by Dr. Fisher.
I was working in a women’s shelter many years ago Valma and one of our staff members took an emergency call. I heard her take a sharp intake of breath as she grab the car keys and three hours later when she sat down she has had a big sigh .
I realise that she hadn’t breathed for the duration of the crisis management.
I created a big poster with an accompanying colouring sheet that we coloured during the staff meeting. The poster had the word “Breathe Deeply. Let it Go” and was a visual trigger and reminder to take that breath .
It became a useful resource as a program tool in our groups and also appeared on the bathroom wall, the refrigerator and anywhere else different staff members thought appropriate. Some of us even had it as our screensaver ! 😝
The staff member and I often reflected on that sharp intake of breath she took that day and how her exhalation was a turning point in our well being journey as a Team and the importance of regulating the breath consistently, especially in a crisis setting.
Thanks for sharing your story Velma.
*Apologies for typo of your name Velma.
Hello, just a person who is really struggling and has been doing lots of meditation and mindfulness to understand more about why I am being hijacked by my brain. I know that thoughts are not facts, but still a continuous battle. with poor sleeping making it worse. As my favorite instructor, Tara Brach, says “get out of your head because you are behind enemy lines.” Hoping to become less fragmented and more integrated. Looking forward to the next sessions. Julie in Buffalo, NY
Julie, I can relate to being hijacked by one’s brain. I have used Dr. Janina Fisher’s book, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors, as a roadmap for creating my own Inner Family System. My CBT therapist was not familiar with Dr. Fisher’s methods, but she read portions of the book, and she constantly reminded me to offer self-compassion and love to my parts to neutralize the self hatred and shame that they were experiencing. I learned from Dr. Fisher to regularly tell myself/my parts, “Here and now, you are safe. Here and now, you are well. I am an adult now, and that trauma happened a long time ago. I can help you to step out of those traumatic memories.” These daily inner messages were necessary for the creation of my Inner Family System, where my unburdened parts live in harmony with each other and I continue to invite still burdened parts to join us on this journey towards wholeness. Keep persevering! It takes daily intentionality and an ever-evolving self-management program that takes into account the various elements that help to ground your parts. Never, ever give up. Whenever I start to have negative, discouraging thoughts, I recognize that as communication from a part, create some space between us so that I can stay regulated, and help guide that dysregulated part onto my regulated pathway using coregulation techniques. It takes time. Be patient with yourself and give yourself and your parts lots of grace.
Hi Diane-
Thank you for taking the time to send a reply. Yes, daily self-talk certainly helps. I will look into Janina’s book! My Best, Julie
Great insights. It’s also been a reassuring confirmation on our practices and an excellent refresher of all the techniques to use so we can protect and support children in a hospital environment while equally vulnerable parents are in the room. Often we see physical symptoms from emotional and physical trauma. Thank you. I will pass this link on to my colleges. I’d be interested to know how many psychologists are using tapping now with trauma clients.
Tapping is a wonderful tool for taking things slow and letting it be client led. I also love how versatile it is and that it can be used in combination with all of the techniques mentioned in the video. I use it extensively in birth work and even when a woman is laboring. This work SO desperately needs to be brought into birth work as there are a million ways a laboring person can be triggered into disassociation and most of the time the care providers have no idea!
Such an excellent refresher! What really stood out for me was to remember to honour my own experience with the client. Just today I was teaching a new client a body calming technique (sensorimotor) and noticed I was so tense I was having trouble breathing. Afterward, the client mentioned he was having trouble getting a deep breath. And that’s when the light went on for me–it was his experience I was connecting with! I was sorry I hadn’t realized it sooner, or I would have asked him about it and tried something different.
Thanks again for this!
I worked under supervision towards license 30 years ago when memories were repressed. Haven’t worked now in decades- been working on my recovery. Can’t afford a therapist. Been learning on my own. This is amazing to me- So much progress in the field!! Everything that was said about structural dissociation was ME!!! I have a non-profit, SEASCAT.org or survivors of child abuse & trauma. I’m working on getting my books published while I’m still alive- well past life expectancy. And when you said structural dissociation is often misdiagnosed as personality disorder-LOL, well the title of my bio is “The True Story of a Malingerer”, one of my many diagnoses. And, of course, I’ve often been diagnosed BPD, but then who hasn’t? I sign posters I make and sometimes my posts themselves as Connie/ConnieJean. Connie Jean was the one still hiding in the back of the closet while I worked my way through college. About 15 or 20 years ago she demanded to be counted and now most people know me as Connie Jean.
I really appreciated todays session and my biggest take away was noting some of the absolute gems of insight and how I can transform them into my work as a trauma-informed content creator for domestic violence shelters and healing programs.
In womens shelters we colour my theme-oriented Mandalas in peaceful, safe settings and explore some of the core modules of life coaching. The addition of trauma informed “MedARTations” is a really important development.
An example of a couple of todays practitioner inspired Affirmations for my new work (The Courageous Women’s Coaching and Creativity Book) are:
“I Go Slowly. I Take My Time. I Walk My Healing Journey at My Own Pace”
“I Have a Curious Nature. I Enjoy Learning and I Am Safe to Explore New Information”.
As both a professional in the area of domestic violence and having a lived experience of violence and trauma I am very attuned to “crystalised” information in order to incorporate it into fun, relaxing art and creativity practices.
This is not “art therapy” (which is a very western paradigm) but a process of reconnecting and reclaiming with the innate creativity we knew as children and can leverage for the journey of healing and empowerment.
Thank you so much for you generous, knowledgeable and transformational work!
I would love to know if any of the practitioners we met today engage with the hands and creative processes as part of the clients journey.
I am a huge fan of Carl Jungs words:
“Sometimes the hands can solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain”
I find that professionals who enter the healing and recovery services have often disconnected from their own creativity and are not able to facilitate it as a tool for others.🙏🏼
ps I have no idea how an image from my blog many years ago became my profile photo for this comment. 🙂
* I see in the posting information section there is a request not to advertise our products, so I should just put out that the reference to the book I am creating my original post is only a project in development and not something for sale .
thank you
I am walking this road of trauma recovery and have used my arts and crafts skills extensively in my healing process. Thank you for reminding me to mention this as I encourage others who are not as far along on this path! I just graduated as an OTA and am praying for God to open the right door for me to utilize my training and skills to help others heal. Not sure yet what that will look like…
Very effective format and presentation. I am so much more aware of elements and complexity of DID and cues that assist in diagnosing and treating the disorder. I am impressed with the clarity and organization of the webinar.
I have a client that I have struggled in helping her to move past her shame. I never thought about the possibility she may be dissociating! I am going to be watching more closely for the signs and will then have new strategies to try. Thank you for the opportunity to gain new knowledge that hopefully will help this client!
I am applying the information gained from these trainings to add tools to my toolbox so that the emerging, differentiating, unburdening and integrating process that I apply when being curious about my parts and helping them to become regulated in a harmonious inner family system can become more streamlined.
I’m a Bereavement Counselor and a Hakomi Counselor. Loved the idea of always breathing and sighing with a client. Lots of great information here, very well structured, easy to follow and easy to use these ideas and suggestions. Quite a few holes got filled in today. Very useful program.
I appreciate the inclusivity of your series. I am not a practitioner. I am a client that hasn’t had much understanding and/or relief from my symptoms through the VA. The Doctors in this short hour spoke more to me than a year of hospitalizations, programs and medicine that has taken me away from my family. This gives me a hope that I can know myself again, and return to the world.
I’m not a therapist but have C-PTSD and Quiet BPD (which seems to be not recognised, but I have it), am 57 and only found all of this out last year, so I’m on a very steep learning curve.
I just want to thank you so, so much for the wonderful work you are doing, to heal trauma and to educate the world. I feel so supported by your care and expertise, and the compassion and dignity with which all of the presenters treat their traumatised patients/clients.
Also, I missed the first session but this session on dissociation was so skillfully crafted, the best I’ve seen.
Thanks again,
Michele
I really appreciated the comment about how being too empathic can trigger a part of the client that is not ready to be regulated. I also liked the graphic of the tightrope being pulled between attach and defend. These helped me explain behaviors I have witnessed, instinctively responded to, but did not cognitively understand.
Such a gift to get practical, real life advice from seasoned professionals.
This is a fantastic benefit to me and to my practice! Thank you!
Thank you … I have tears as I realise how we do often miss the cues not only in therapy but also in everyday life 😘
Glad that Kathy Steele, talked of both hyper and hypo reactions in the nervous system – hypo is one part that is most often forgotten
I run a trauma informed kickboxing program and many of my clients have worked with a therapist to identify they have dissociative tendencies. I loved the simple inquiry around “are you here with me now” and “what percentage of you is here now”. So useful to have in the toolkit especially when teaching online so it may be difficult to get a sense of their nervous system and view their full body language 🙏
I am not a therapist…but due to personal situations, much of this is useful to me. I have a therapist and will discuss. Thank you so much.
An aside: I recognize the sessions are for therapists, who generally would have more income. As an interested party on a limited income, even your generous offers are out of my reach…and of many.
Thank you for this valuable work. I have watched other sessions and they have been helpful.
Thank you for the incredible depth and breadth of sharing. So many takeaways – one that sticks out is the under-diagnosis of dissociation and tendency to view these patients as personality disordered which results in stagnant or deteriorating symptom states. Perhaps our understanding of the overlap between these conditions will expand more and more over time, but I feel this is such an important piece in helping traumatised clients move forward. Thanks again.
Distinguishing between Dissocation and DID was very useful to learn for me. And it was really nice to hear the way all the speakers are normalizing the discussion around these topics. This education is such a gift.
How do I identify the dissociations as presented in trauma based BPD versus trauma based DID? How does this inform my work with the client?
Yes …
Great thoughts and very informative thanks
That was a great webinar. I could relate to a lot of the situations and feel in future I could handle things a little bit differently. Thank you.
you do such a great job…thanks
the idea to ask
what problem r they trying to fix w/ not so great behavior Rachel Selikoff
So many excellent takeaways. The definition of structural dissociation and push and pull btw the attachment system and defense system. Looking for paradoxes and contradictions and being aware of terminal ambivalence. What is happening when we feel helpless, or confused, or wanting to rush, fix or run away ourselves. The importance to not override posture and movement but bring them together. “Spaciness” as a part to be acknowledged and not shamed based on how we ask about it. Not asking the client to do something physical that we ourselves are not doing with them. And loved the part on understanding empathic contact and resonance from Dr. Odgen, how it can trigger unmet attachment needs and that it’s not always received as the compassionate approach that is intended.
Several of my neurodivergent clients have mentioned how they don’t trust medical professionals any more because they feel that doctors never believe them when they have physical conditions and are sent away unhelped an told it is probably “stress related.” What Peter Levine said gave me an epiphany and “connected the dots” for me. The autistic experience in inherently traumatizing (Thema Bryant Davis mentioned that marginalized communities experience another layer of trauma…well, the autistic community is certainly marginalized! Also, Dr. Ned Hallowell and John Ratey stated in their latest book ADHD 2.0 that students with ADHD receive 20,000 more negative comments and messages about themselves than their neurotypical peers. This is probably a form of interpersonal trauma!
I am not a practitioner. I have a dear friend who has been struggling to deal with her dissociative condition. I can’t treat her; but I can listen which is most of what I do.
The presentations have helped me to gain better understanding, perhaps to listen better (more authentically and knowledgeably). I look forward to following the rest of the program.
Thank you.
PS: I am now a “Gold” member.
Going slow – I am often tempted to get the work done faster
Thank you so much for this great presentation!
I also want to thank everyone who has posted commentaries, they are very useful to get an insight of what moves us as psychotherapists and clients, to read your experiences helps me improve my practice and broad my perspective in my own journey.
I am looking forward to next week session!
Greetings from México City!
Today’s talk made me realize that a nurse’s personal experiences with trauma and the witnessing of medically assisted dying may be a component of massive crisis in nursing in Canada, Thousands of health care workers are being fired by hospitals and some Provincial Colleges of Nursing are going to revoke nurses’ licenses to practice if not fully vaccinated against convid this fall. I keep hearing interviewed nurses saying that they will give up the profession they love to protect their right to have control over what is injected into their bodies. Some have said they are willing to die to protect the right to fully informed consent for medical interventions. There isn’t a day in my life where I had the physical stamina to do what this generation of health care workers have been doing for almost two years. Health care workers are not robots. I watch the rising statistics on every social problem imaginable and I think “Humpty Dumpty, sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again”. So many people are being traumatized that instead of certified trauma counsellors, each community will choose who is best suited within their community to do trauma counselling. That’s the way they do it in isolated Canadian Indian communities.
I am not getting the assisted dying crisis in this situation … please elaborate …
In addition to high Covid-related mortality, Canada is experiencing an increase in MAID, which stands for Medical Assistance in Dying. It has recently come to light that veterans suffering from PTSD who request psychological help are being told to look into MAID. An investigation has apparently begun to look into this appalling situation. Nurses are being traumatized themselves at witnessing so much death while working under conditions of severe staff shortages. In my province, over 4000 healthcare professionals were terminated by the government for refusing experimental vaccines. Seven out of ten provinces have now rehired those they fired because the staffing shortages are so acute. Foreign nurses are even being brought in to help alleviate the problem.
Lovely to include Christian spirituality in your self-care. Dr. Fisher’s book sounds so caring and insightful. Thank you
Not going straight to those younger parts was a great validation for me. Unblending is also very strategic while dealing with conflicting parts. Pat’s remark around compassion was a warning sign for me as I tend to have a very compassionate approach. Of course, I will keep that in my practice but will definitely be more alert when it comes to dissociation.
The work all of you are making accessible to the world is incredibly helpful, and deeply appreciated. Feel my heartfelt gratitude. I have learned immensely from it.
Thank you I can really relate to your presentation & information as a survivor conscellor and facilitator of our trauma program @ heal for life how important it has been thru my own experience of healing that changes everything so personally for me in everyway my health my brain my happiness my body my mind my spirit SELF in coming Home …
Again another very helpful and practical session strategies that assist with my work with clients. We are so lucky to have access to these amazing educators
The examples given regarding the 3 red flags were excellent and clarified specific client behaviours for me. This will refine my awareness of other ways clients may express behaviours associated with dissociation. I also liked that Dr Fisher didn’t hold with the concept of secondary gains as I think this risks judging the client.
The information about hearing voices was really illuminating and I can see how normalising hearing voices for clients can reduce the fear of disclosing such experiences. Thank you for such important training.
Yes! I have always felt that the very, very common belief in our profession that clients are getting secondary gains from many behaviors is quite judgmental in many or even most, cases. Even accusatory in some circumstances. I too applauded Dr Fisher’s saying that, Kathleen!
I have taken so many things away from today especially the techniques that can be used. This teaching has helped me see the need to be more aware of cues I may have been missing as signs that a client is dissociating and this rang a bell regarding a new client so now I will be watching for more signs that I otherwise may well have missed. Another part that resonated was that being too empathetic may actually be more unhelpful than helpful as I had wondered about this. Such helpful information to have.
I’m not a clinician. Just a loving, concerned and alienated dad, who refuses to be pushed away from his kids. Im trying to better understand how trauma leads to dissocistion, Because my daughter has to live under her moms roof, with a completely negative and abusive relationship with her dad, and and accept and relay to therapists stories about being abused by her dad. These stories my daughter made up to appease a parent were all made up, are evidence of a devpmensation into paranoid persecutory delusions. These co-cobstructed stories became the focal point of therapy under moms roof. Which was for the purpose of securing custody, child support and dividing dad and his fiancee from the kids. Nobody understands what has happened, but better understanding how trauma causes dissacociation makes me even more terrified for the kids mental health implications in that home. Thank you for the info. Feel free to reach out if you have any advice
(347) 992-0141
You sound like you are the victim somehow. This is not info to share on a public forum unless you have an agenda. And you are a social worker??? frightening
That is a big divide … I feel for you 💗
I very much appreciate the guidance of this course. I have been finding that talking of parts is very helpful to clients to understand that a part they may be struggling against had a positive intention or protective function at some time, that is perhaps no longer necessary in it s extreme form.
Very helpful. I appreciate the information about tracking the client’s nervous system.
Thank you for the style (or format) of this presentation.
LCMHC North Carolina, USA
So so true about the misdiagnose of personality disorders for DID. Could do an entire segment on how dissociative symptoms play out and end up getting wrongly identified as a personality disorder.
Also appreciated the mention of what to do if client has negative response to an empathic response from therapist.
I find DID and personality disorder can co-exist at times. Not mutually exclusive.
good point. I was thinking that some men diagnosed with other labels also have DID or PTSD. especially Vietnam era vets before TX or treatment was available