Category: Dissociative Identity Disorder

The definition of dissociative identity disorder (DID) is that people living with it have alternative selves, or alters, that are parts of themselves caught in trauma-time. These alters have differing tastes, thoughts, and emotions and fulfill many roles.   One such role of alters is the gatekeeper, of which...

Accepting oneself with all your flaws is part of being mentally healthy. However, often survivors are their own worst critics picking themselves apart and holding themselves back from experiencing life to the fullest.   This article will focus on self-compassion and how to become more self-accepting.   A Refresher:...

Most people recognize the fight/flight and freeze from articles they have read or television programs. Fight/flight/freeze occurs when you feel endangered, whether or not that danger is real. However, many have not heard of the fawn response to complex trauma.   This article will focus on the fawn response,...

No one is harder on a survivor of complex trauma than the survivor. Survivors feel they are a burden, are unable to have a voice for themselves, or feel shame. Also, survivors often lack trust in who they are and believe no one is trustworthy.   This article will...

People living with dissociative identity disorder are prone to many phenomena you may not have heard about. One of these experiences is known as dissociative fugue.   This article will focus on dissociative fugue, its symptoms, causes, and treatment.   What is Dissociative Fugue?     Dissociative fugue or...

Betrayal of any type is unacceptable, especially that experienced during or upon discovering one has been traumatized as a child by someone you love. This trauma is the basis for the formation of dissociative identity disorder.   This article will focus on betrayal trauma, what it is, how it...

Everyone experiences stress at one point or another in their lives. Perhaps you face a new boss at work or a medical problem of your own, or a family member. Countless incidents cause stress.   Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) deals primarily with trauma experienced in early childhood. CPTSD...

Dissociation is a normal part of the human experience. Road hypnosis, where you travel distances without remembering doing it, and hyper-focusing on a movie in a theater are only two examples.   One of the most well-known characteristics of dissociative identity disorder (DID) is dissociation. The things people living...

Some of the ideas I’m going to share in this piece may be controversial. I appreciate the difference of opinions of those who read my work and wanted to give you a heads up.   Recently I have been receiving emails from distraught mothers and therapists facing a new...

Resiliency, to summarize, is the ability to bounce back from difficult circumstances. People living with mental health challenges often have high resilience to the opposition because they have grown resilient through trial by fire.   This piece will focus on what is going on in the brain with resiliency...

Dissociative identity disorder is a controversial diagnosis that, despite all the stigma and discrimination, is slowly becoming better understood in the world of psychiatry. Dissociative identity disorder (DID) was once known as multiple personality disorder. Why did they change the name? Wasn’t the old name sufficient? This article will...

A friend of mine, MJ Schier, recently had the experience of being hospitalized for a medical condition. Before she went, she made up a file of information to share with her doctors and caregivers while she was in the hospital recovering. She asked me to share this with you....