What Is It Like to Get Diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder?
As many of us who have DID know too well, finding a good therapist who will give the proper diagnosis is hard. We are often misdiagnosed with a myriad of different conditions, such as bipolar disorder, schizo-affective disorder, or borderline personality disorder. This article will break down what...
Psychotherapy
Most of us have heard of psychotherapy, with a percentage of that number being in treatment. What drives people to see a therapist? What is therapy? Why and when should you see a therapist? This article, piece one in a series about psychotherapy, will attempt to answer these...
Healthy Attachment of Therapists and Their Clients
Normal or appropriate attachment is a therapist who shows interest in your problems, is sensitive to your feelings, seems pleased to see you (but not in a selfish way), and respects you. Normal attachment allows you to feel valued and safe. This article shall focus on attachment styles...
Do You Have Unrealistic Beliefs About Therapists and Psychotherapy?
In my experience, one of the greatest obstructions to healing is having unrealistic and unfair expectations of what a therapist does and what one can get from psychotherapy. These unreal beliefs lead to frustration, anger, and not following through with treatment. In this piece, we shall take a long...
“Normal” is in the Eye of the Beholder
In this article, I am going to examine the differences between the realities of one living with the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder and those whom we in the DID community call singletons. Also, using my own experiences in therapy, I’m going to talk about how I discovered this...
Surviving Treatment
I have often told people that surviving the treatment for dissociative identity disorder was as hard as surviving the trauma that caused it. I thought I’d write a piece explaining what I mean by this statement. Entering the Flames of Hell Somewhere in late 1989, when...
It’s Time for Therapist’s to Reexamine Their Thoughts on Their Client’s Ability to Get Well
Therapist's need to believe their client's can and will heal...
Escaping from the Cage of Childhood Trauma
I’ve spent a lot of time trapped in my own morass of emotions. True, the traumatic things that happened in my childhood first put me in the quagmire of self-pity and fear I have lived in, but later in life I chose of my own volition to remain there....
Solitary Confinement?
My brother and I have been discussing a very interesting quote made by the late Tennessee Williams which reads as follows: “We are all sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins, for life.” He brought this quote to my attention because he said after speaking with me and...
Sometimes We All Need A Special Friend
Shirley J. Davis Living with any type of chronic illness, be it physical or emotional, is extremely difficult. Living with the effects of a mixture of both is not only highly traumatic, but can be very dangerous. Such is the case for a friend of mine by the name...
Changing The Dance of Grieving the Childhood that Never Was
Shirley J. Davis Content Advisory: Post contains information about child neglect and strong emotions and the content may be triggering to some individuals. * * * * * * * After reading this article through again, I decided it desperately needed not only some editing but also a note...
The Trauma of Losing a Therapist
Shirley J. Davis Recovery from a severe mental condition such as Dissociative Identity Disorder is not easy. It takes many years of psychotherapy, patience and a lot of guts. I know, because I have spent the past 27 years doing just that. I was extremely fortunate to have met...