Hi,
I’m trying something new today — a blog poll.
I’m not quite sure how they work yet, so other than asking people to click their answers… I can’t really explain it yet. This will be new for me too!
Update — sorry, my poll isn’t working — but your written responses and comments would be greatly appreciated!
However, I am very interested in knowing whether or not you all have found therapists to be effective in understanding dissociative disorders, and whether or not you have met any therapists that could appropriately treat dissociative identity disorder.
Part of my clinical work as a trauma therapist is to teach other therapists about how to work with DID / dissociative identity disorder. Your opinion matters to me in that it helps me to give appropriate feedback to other therapists. Your opinions can be included in my presentations to other therapists.
We have spoken about the importance of trauma specialists in other Discussing Dissociation blog posts. Please refer to that article for more detailed information about my own personal opinion on the topic.
[polldaddy poll=1188749]
Please feel free to add additional comments here in the blog as well, especially if you’d like to explain something further in response to the survey questions.
Thank you so much for your participation. I appreciate it!
Warmly,
Kathy
Copyright © 2008-2018 Kathy Broady MSW and Discussing Dissociation
I’ve looked more than half a year and have contacted more than 40 therapists. Every time I’ve said that I have a dissociative disorder (I haven’t mentioned that I’m DID) I was rejected. Even in hospitals many therapists are not experienced in the understanding and treatment of dissociative disorders. However, I haven’t given up to search for a good thera..
I’m so infinitely grateful that in the end I have found a thera with a special education of dissociative disorders and she knows very well in the treatment of DID.
As for myself, I have been with the same therapist for 5 years. He is the only T that I have talked to. I am lucky in that he didn’t immediately refer me “out”. He could have, he thought about it, he discussed me with his T, but he didn’t do it.
I think you might be asking the wrong question: Does your T know enough about DID? Maybe the question should be: What can you learn traveling the same path with a person suffering with DID? Or: Do you believe in DID and are you willing to be taught by one.
Mr.S has told me that to treat me effectively, he had to “strap on a seat belt and go along for the ride.” In the beginning, he tried all the “normal” treatment procedures, none of them worked and in fact, the situation worsened. He recently shared with me that he had discussed my case with his T and together they had been trying to devise a good treatment plan. He told me that most research and treatment styles state that the therapist is to avoid giving the “person” of the dissociative state (or alter personality) recognition and speak only to the “core” person. He realized after a couple years of shared frustration that this wasn’t going to be possible.
When he decided to “put on his seat belt” and he followed where I lead, I began to heal. Twice he actually set up an appointment with my most troubled alter and she had her own session. I don’t remember it but my life gained sunshine after that day, and I believe her’s did, too. Mr.S believes now that the alters need to be heard and they need a bit of their own therapy in which their issues are the topic, not just another person trying to tell them to cooperate, or integrate with each other.
Mr.S often says he has learned a lot from me (and my alters). He has never appeared prideful that his ability as a therapist is what put me on the road to recovery but has shown his willingness to listen and learn what my particular situation was screaming to say.
Mr.S has also told me that from his research about DID, everyone’s case is different and he has concluded this also from his own experience with me and other DIDs who come to him. So it would make sense that there is not and cannot be a simplified, strategic, method that “fits all”.
My personal opinion is that professionals struggle to find adequate “labels” – I understand why they do that, they need a common language. However, from what I’ve studied in school, from Mr.S, and from blogging – once those labels are assigned, the therapists start trying to “fit” everyone into one. This isn’t a duck-shoot. You cannot grab one of us and stuff us into “one of three” categories. It’s as frustrating for us as it is for you.
Kathy, it’s a lot like I just categorized you by generalizing all therapists into duck hunters, when you might not be that way at all. There are a lot of people who suffer with DID, but we are all uniquely defined, and different. (I’ve used that before, just recently, but it’s true!)
I’m off to check out that poll…
I think there is such a range out there… Some therapists still refuse to acknowledge that it exists. some think you are a lost cause and hospitilization and heavily sedating meds are hte only option. Some just don’t know anything. some try hard but don’t know enough. And some are awesome.
I’d say in the field in general there is a very long way to go.
Thats hard to vote on….
I happen to have an experienced DD T now. Found her thru ISSTD.
Previous T didn’t know. She tried, but kept not really ‘getting’ it despite my efforts.
DD are SO friggin confusing at best.
Confusing to have, confusing to treat.
I think you gotta have a certain kind of a mind to be able to work w/DD.
Cuz as a T you gotta be able to think so broadly. So in a multitrack way.
I wish there were more out there who could treat DD’s.
I agree that there is a long way to go in training.
My T does training as well as clients.
So there is training going on out there.
Ones
I agree with Ivory. “Knowledge” about DD/DID is a far second to basic therapy skills. If the therapist has good skills and is able to deal with the “therapy roller coaster”, then that’s what you need. Paul.
A good T is a wonderful thing.
But some specialized knowledge is needed IMHO for treating DD’s.
Now a good T can do research and attend seminars etc and then w/clients become an experienced DD T. GOOD!!!
I think alot of wasted time or even serious harm can result from T’s who *think* they know bout DD’s.
They are very complex disorders at best, utterly bewildering in some cases. Generally very challenging. Boundaries are SO important.
Its just very different the average short term therapy.
My old T, was a very good T, but she wasn’t willing to invest the considerable time it would take to learn how to work w/DD’s.
I was sad to leave, but I knew we were going in circles alot. I kept feeling misunderstood. I made HUGE gains in therapy w/old T, but I came to a point where I needed a DD T.
Now I have a DD T and she teaches ME about DD’s rather than the other way around. She recognizes things my old T couldn’t. I feel safer w/her cuz she knows the implications of suggesting certain things. She warns me ahead of holidays etc She moves carefully.
I didn’t teach her this stuff, she already knew.
She ‘gets’ alot of stuff.
Ones
my current therapist doesn’t seem willing to learn about did. i have been seeing her for about 8 months. she once told me she liked research and data so i found her a lot about did. she never read it. she said “if you ever find anything interesting pass it on to me though”. she doesn’t let me talk about the things that happened. she says we need to focus on what is happening in the present. none of the others will talk to her now. in therapy i only talk about day to day things and how to cope with them.
my ex therapist helped me and the others a lot. i saw her for nearly four years before she got sick. she had to stop working and then she died last year. my current therapist often makes comments about how unhealthy it was for me to see my ex t for that long. she thinks i was too attached to her.
it isn’t safe for me to do did work with my current t but it does help with day to day things. i am learning to be a better parent and trying to learn to control my outbursts a bit better. it is hard because most of the time i feel like i am screaming inside and i will lose all control of myself at any moment. my t is helping me learn to use positive self talk for my anxiety. i don’t think it helps though.
muffledones,
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that I teach my T about DID. What I meant is that from what I read and from what my T has shared about normal treatments for DIDs, there are modalities and methods that are standard for all. He no longer tries so much to fit me into that as much as he treats where I’m at at the moment, i.e. where I lead.
Sorry for not explaining it well enough the first time.
Monalesa, I hope you can find a new T some time. Sorry that the one you have isn’t working out too well. Searching is hard, and there are no perfect T’s out there. But there are good ones. Its good you are learning stuff w/the T you have. But mebbe like me, you will need a more specialized T at some point.
I am glad your learning to be a better parent, its hard I know. I try so hard too. I really don’t want to be a source of hurt to my kids 🙁
That must have been really hard w/your old T that died 🙁 Sorry.
Take care.
Ivory, thanks for the clarification. I agree, many modalities can work, its kinda the framework and details that are diff w/DD’s.
Even my present experienced T, who teaches bout DD’s is kinda feeling her way thru as to how to treat me. I have been w/her for a year now, and we still are working out what works and doesn’t work.
But for me anyways, I can sorta trust that she understands bout DD’s and how conveluted the thinking can seem to be when its comming from diff parts. I think she gets it…..
LOL, I got major trust issues.
And you explained it just fine!! Its just this is a bit of a hard topic for me, cuz it was real hard at the time to make the descicion to lv my old T. But I feel that I did what what best.
I am glad you wrote! more info for all is good 🙂
do you guys think MC is another level as well? Meaning T’s need training on DID. Do you think they need more training even above that for MC work? I would think so, but wondering what everyone else thinks
Gobbies
not sure what MC means?
MC= Mind Control