Say what??
Yep, you heard it right!
The FORUM is ready!
Our DID Community FORUM is ready!
The Community Friendship FORUM is ready!
To be clear, the first half of the Discussing Dissociation Community Forum is ready — the Community Friendship Area.
The Community Friendship Forum is the place that DID survivors have to mingle and talk and share and listen and support and help each other. This is a private, not-visible-in-public forum, where you and your system can talk with other dissociative survivors in the privacy of a membership site that is not visible to the pubic or to search engines.
You will not have to use your legal name for posting, and frankly, I would prefer that you didn’t!
The Community Friendship Forum is a version of peer support. This side of the Forum is a place to build friendly relationships with other DID systems who deeply understand the complexities of your journey through the dissociative healing process. Peers supporting peers, survivors hearing survivors. This level of support is helpful because other DID Systems know what you go through, feel, and experience better than anyone else!
At the same time, the Community Friendship Forum is managed, monitored, and moderated by myself, and the Client Care Team. There is a whole group of us who will be paying attention to what happens in the Forum, and we will be available to step in should there be any kind of difficulty. It’s important that you know this Forum is a safe area for you and your insiders, and we have done our very best to help with that as well. And of course, if we discover additional and necessary safety adjustments, I will be happy to incorporate those as need be.
The second half of the Discussing Dissociation Forum will be available soon, hopefully later in 2019. The second side of the Forum will be structured differently, more educational, more guided, more specialized. I will be much more involved on that side of the Forum, and be contributing on a regular basis. The “Premium Forum” is different from the Friendship Forum, but both are important.
But you know… most of the hard work of putting all the bits and pieces together has been already been completed, so it shouldn’t be tooooo complicated adding in the second half. (At least that’s what I think now! 😉 Ask me again in a few weeks, lol. 🙄 😉 )
Anyway, let’s get back to what is ready now, now, NOW!
The Community Friendship FORUM is ready!
It is! It really is!
First, take time to read the MASSIVE Forum Information Page that answers a lot of the questions you have been wanting to know.
It’s a giant page, with all kinds of information — probably more than you cared to think about! From that page, if you are still interested in joining the Forum Community, you may click on the “Get Started Here” buttons and meander your way through the signup process.
You’ll go through a bunch of steps, and click through a lot of different pages, but stick with the process, keep your browser open. Don’t close your browser window!
After you answer all kinds of questions, you’ll eventually end up at the Forum.
Please remember — for right now, the Forum is new. It’s already busy, averaging about 1000 new posts per week! I have posted a few things as well, but this is the Friendship Forum, so most of the content will come from you. I know how excited you have been about the Forum getting started, and I’m quite sure that it will stay busy for a long time!
UPDATE: The Forum has been open for a few weeks now, and WOW! The response has been incredible! There are already hundreds of posts written by the Forum Members each week and lots of active conversations on more than 175 topics. You are welcome to join in and talk with others who can truly relate to you.
The Community Friendship Forum has:
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An active posting community who writes approximately 1000 new posts each week
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A quiet, calm, soft visual appearance
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Open availability 24/7, every day of the year
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Friendly supportive conversations between DID survivors
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Helpful information and genuine understanding
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Fun, giggles, pleasant, cheerful exchanges
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Challenging questions and motivational topics
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The ability to offer support between your therapy sessions
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Hundreds of topics of conversation at this point in time – with many more to come!
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Professional Mental Health management and Client Care Team support
Pricing Info
And because the Forum is new, the CHARTER MEMBER price — the price offered to the brand new members of the brand new Forum — will be the lowest price ever offered for this Forum.
For the first few weeks of opening, the earliest Forum Members were able to sign up for the Charter Member price of $29 USD per month, or $299 USD per year.
Unfortunately, the 25% discount period for Charter Members** in the Community Forum has ended.
The price has now increased to $39 USD per month, or $399 USD per year.
** You may still catch the Charter Member pricing for second part of the Forum, the “Premium side”, which will be opening soon.
Pricing Info is explained HERE.
Click any “Get Started Now” button to read additional information needed, prior to pricing is offered. Keep clicking, and follow the process. I promise — you will eventually see the pricing options before needing to make a purchase. If you need time to think about whether that price is suitable for you, you can come back to the pricing options at a late time.
The Premium Forum will have a separate pricing structure from the Community Friendship Forum, but we’ll get to more of those details another day.
Yes, of course, you will be able to easily upgrade your membership to the Premium Forum when it is ready. And anyone who joins the Premium Forum will be able to see and interact with all areas of the Friendship Forum.
So be watching your email!
And be ready to join!
This could be the perfect gift for your DID system.
This daily support with dissociative peers who truly understand could become invaluable to you and your insiders.
I know that you have been asking me for a new DID Forum for a very very long time, and I am genuinely happy to offer this newly created resource for you.
It’s finally done, and it’s finally ready….. whew!
Speak with you again soon!
Warmly,
Kathy
Copyright © 2008-2019 Kathy Broady MSW and Discussing Dissociation
We think everybody should join the forum!! It is worth every penny!!
Kathy is the nicest person we have ever met in our life and she works so hard to help pepol. And she has the biggest heart of anyone we ever did know.
The forum is such a safe place to talk.and find other pepol like you. Even tho i am 11 i think its wonderfol!!
Rylie
How does everyone afford this? I struggle so hard just to keep a place to live, sacrificing everything I can just to meet expenses of cheap housing. I don’t understand. Oh well, not meant to be it seems. Nothing new there.
Crazy4 years,
We dont buy new clothes or get our hair or makeup done. We dont hardly ever shop. We save the money for the stuff thats the most important. Like therapy. Like kathys forum. Like books.the forum be sooooo worth the money,
Ryliw
Kathy, I have a new email addy. I think. LoL. How do I get back in to the Forum???? Help a Gma out here. I’m working on me. LoL
Us Plus
oh kathy, please NOT ANOTHER METAPHOR.. 😛
please try to control yourself. 🤓
Kathy are we doing ok on the forum?
Yes, of course, Lori! Y’all are doing great!
In fact, the whole Forum group is doing really well. I’ve been very impressed with how the conversations have been growing and developing. It’s new there, a new format, a new-to-each-other group of folks, so of course, it will take time for everyone to feel comfortable, and connected in — (there is a lot to take in at first, hey!!) — but it will soon become familiar, and the others posting will feel more familiar to you… and that can become a good thing.
I’m very pleased to see a second community growing. Now we have TWO ! Here, AND there. 😀 YAY
It’s a little bit like Discussing Dissociation is becoming multiple, hey?!! OOOOH, gosh, I could write a whole metaphor about that…. must think about it more!!
Cheers,
Kathy
I say someone is Jealous of Kathy ability to listen and make us feel welcome . I also think this person or persons are feeling hurt. So they’re trying to lash out . So maybe it would be helpful if we send them a big hug. Tell them it’s ok to be upset. It’s not okay to hurt others just because you’re are hurting /sad , or mad.
we do not like it when pepol attack kathy ether!! 😡
kathy is for REAL
she is the safest person we have ever met
she also has the bigest heart ❤️
we would not ever ever listen to someone who ws trying to get us to stay away from kathy
if someone said to stay away from a certain place we would go right to it to see for our selfs becuse that person is obvieously being mean and trying to keep people awy. so they are the 1 not being safe.
DONT LISTEN to internet trolls who say to stay away from kathy. there just being mean and obveiously dont no kathy at all.
your forum is a wondrful place kathy. thank you for what you be doing there, 🌼
Beware everyone, please- There are some mean trolls on other free forums right now saying to not to register for Kathy’s forum, claiming to be know-it-alls who know everything there is about DID, forums, and the internet.
There is a troll who is warning people to not register for Kathy’s forum, saying that it’s just like every other forum out there, that its not safe. This person is a very dark person who has a dark agenda and for some reason is trying to keep people away from the benefits of this website.
They have purposefully blocked people from responding to their posts who do not agree with everything they say, and they have blocked people who want to tell the truth about how good Kathy’s forum is, and they delete replies that say Kathy’s sites are good. Meanwhile they continue to spread darkness and hatred for who knows what reason.
Kathy I just wanted to warn you, and the readers out there to please be sure to stay away from people who are trying to cause problems for you, who clearly do not know you or your forum at all.
Just please watch out, everyone. I know Kathy is genuine and she is who she says she is, and she CAN be trusted. It makes me really really angry and mad when mean people attack her.
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for the heads-up. It makes me “really, really angry and mad” too when people attack Kathy. The DD website is sacred space to me and I do not tolerate anyone who tries in any way to tear down, disrespect or spread hurtful/false information about Kathy, Laura, the Client Care Twins (Claire and Alex) or our community here. That is just not acceptable to me … period.
So, in response to the outsiders who wish to threaten this space from the safety of their anonymity and distant refuges, I am giving you a heads-up folks — do not try and enter here with your darkness. We are a blazing light of respect and caring and we will shine our laser beam of truth into your darkness. We do not fear the truth here or the compassionate support of others. We are a multiple of multiples and we stand together against the false words of bullies.
Now, that having been said, I would like to say that I sincerely feel sad for the individual or individuals who are spreading this hateful rubbish. They are obviously very tortured and ill folks who have not received (or perhaps accepted) the kind of psychological treatment that they so obviously need. So, while I wish them to hear that we will not be pushed around here, I open my heart to them that they might find healing and I send them positive, compassionate energy to this end. There is always a hand up here for folks who want to climb out of the abyss of hateful ways.
Bottom line for me – I am not fearful in the least of trolls here on the blog or on the forum. Compassion, love, support, understanding, truth and healing are kryptonite to these folks and we have an abundance of all of these attributes of caring here. For folks taken in by their negativity elsewhere … well … one quick stop by the Discussing Dissociation website is all that they need to see the truth. If others are troll groupies and choose to believe their lies … well … no loss to us because they would not make for happy, supportive community members here.
Peace and love dear friends.
ME+WE
12/28/18
i saw that.
my first thought was if i didnt already belong to kathys forum it would make me want to go sign up right away
i dont need some troll thinking they can tell me what to do 🤨
I am having a great time at the forum. Its nice to see people have a private place to talk, and theres so much going on there, and good topics already started.
⭐️ It is definitely better than any forums for dissociation I have come across, and I have been to quite a few. ⭐️
Nice job, Kathy and Laura. 🙂
Glad ya’ll won’t be leaving us still left here at DD “alone”…..we wish we could get to where ya’ll are now…but not feasible at all at this time…..maybe before too long…..was just scared we were being left behind…….was just scared……
We also have joined the forum. It will take a little bit of time for us to get use to it. I went with the user name Live United. Listed all
Of us that have commented over here.
I have a lot of questions about DID. I have recently realized that my boyfriend has DID but he has not been “diagnosed”, only by me but I don’t need anyone to confirm it for me because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Once I saw this, I knew that’s what it was… I don’t know if he knows it. I think he probably does or maybe one of them does but I need to know how to approach it with him and I need help myself on how to deal with it. It’s almost a relief to see there is a reason for some of his behavior and I’ve made a couple comments to him but I don’t know where to find any information or someone who can advise me. I really haven’t seen much info here about support for those of us trying to love somebody who doesn’t even know it, or pretends not to. I don’t even know. But I’m discovering there are more alters than I probably realized and things are more clear to me everyday. I just don’t know how to move forward in the best way with him. Any suggestions or websites? Other forums too? He’s 48 years old and confused a lot, struggling I think. No one has ever noticed the alters, but me. please help
Hello Brenda,
First of all, I want to say how wonderful it is that you care so much for your boyfriend that you have sought out information on DID and have written here. He is a lucky fellow to have such a thoughtful and compassionate partner. That is a huge plus for him right there.
For you, I think that the best thing that you can do for yourself is to read up on DID and learn as much as you can so you can understand what your boyfriend may be experiencing. There is a ton of information here on the DD website and folks here are always willing to listen and help where we can. DID can be a very complex and painful condition to live with (both the DID person and their loved ones) but it is doable. I just want to be clear here that you have to remain as safe and grounded for yourself as much as for your boyfriend. So please do be gentle and caring with yourself as well.
As to how to approach your boyfriend about the possibility of DID, I am not sure what to say here because I am not a professional and I would not want to give you any advice that might cause you or your boyfriend any problems. If he does have DID, then he really needs professional help. This is not something that he can tackle alone even with your help. This is something that requires a trained professional to deal with. In that regard, I would like to suggest that you consider booking a telephone session with Kathy for yourself (information about consultations is linked to at the top of each web page). She is the expert who would be able to best guide you in how you might move forward in assisting your boyfriend.
We are here to talk to any time that you want. My thoughts and best wishes are with you Brenda and your boyfriend.
ME+WE
12/23/18
Hi All,
Thanks for the clarification about the two forums Kathy. I am sure that I had read something about that before but my memory is not so good … hahaha … surprise, surprise. I read things here on the DD website a million times and still find something new about it all every time. What a wonderful gift to have – the joy of being surprised with life each and every day.
Hum … but I am getting off topic … I really liked your explanation Kathy of the pricing of the forum – that it is approximately a dollar a day. I had not thought of it that way. Being Canadian, I was hit with a big exchange rate (and fee for the conversion) but still it costs less than a daily medium coffee at Tim Hortons (our homegrown coffee shops that are everywhere in Canada). Actually, I asked for the year subscription to the forum as my Christmas present from my husband. He is always trying to find something that I really want and need and … well … the forum was the perfect gift. Thank you for helping him shop this year … hahahaha. 😉
I am a bit overwhelmed with all of the activity on the forum already. I was trying to read and get myself grounded in the format and folks have been just diving in and posting — LOTS. And, all of the new voices — how incredible and daunting and exciting and … just WOW. There are just so many folks who have obviously been craving a private space to speak their reality.
What I have observed so far is a bunch of folks many, many of whom are well-grounded in their work and systems enjoying having the opportunity to just talk about life with DID. Certainly there is some support and talking over issues going on but there is a whole lot of this is what life is like for me as well. It is so nice to feel “normal” talking about life with DID. Not necessarily always in crisis and need but just talking about being multiple with folks who really know what it is like. That kind of support is priceless for me right now – non-judgmental acceptance of who I am as a multiple. I know that I have that here on the DD website (and I will most certainly continue participating here – this is sacred space for me) but I really like the idea of just chatting in more-or-less real time on the forum.
I have really enjoyed the forum so far Kathy even though I have not written a word there yet. Yes, I can see your shocked faces out there folks. I am still sick with a ferocious cold and seasonal commitments that are probably not good for my health right now but … tis the season to be exhausted.
Try and keep it merry and bright dear friends. That is my seasonal wish for you all!
ME+WE
12/22/18
Oh ME+WE, I’m so glad you are participating in the forum this year! I was looking and looking for your name, and I’m so glad that you said something here, because I was thinking you’d decided not to do it. Not that participating here would go away for me, but you know. It’s just nice to hear from friends.
I’m sorry you have a cold. I hope you get better soon and get some rest, however much you can get. Take care of yourself.
MultipleMe
12/22/18
Hi MultipleMe,
So happy to hear that you and Lori have signed up for the forum. Funny but it feels like I am walking into a room full of strangers there. So glad that I will see faces that I know. I am a bit nervous about the whole thing. Not sure why but, it took me three years reading here to start to post. I won’t wait three years on the forum but I may need to watch a little bit first.
ME+WE
12/23/18
hello Me+we
I feel the same ways also. It is different and I’m trying to navigate it.
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays which every one fits you best
Thank you for telling me this Lori. I was feeling rather silly about my shyness (old stuff to be sure). We will get the hang of it shortly I am sure!
Merry Christmas to you as well!!!
ME+WE
12/14/18
Just wondering Kathy, (or whoever can answer) Is the premium forum more expensive than the one quoted in the latest email? The peer one is totally unsuitable to us these days as we just don’t have the time, energy or will to support others who are at the beginning stages and we would benefit more from more direct question specific answers from those with more yrs to their healing than us or you T’s who’ve seen it before and can offer more in depth responses… I feel like I’ve done my time in the newb stages and peer support forums lol.
Just wondering tho, once its up and running, if that premium area will be more than the peer one? Any idea how much more? The peer one is already costing $417 per year for an aussie! I cannot fathom getting that much help or support from other survivors. But like i said, i’m not in that headspace anymore. And i know you have heaps of ppl you have to pay now to be able to even run the forum and those wages have to come from somewhere.
Hey Astrie,
There are several reasons why there is a community / peer support level forum as well as the premium / educational / therapeutic forum (haven’t finalized the name on that one yet). But someone’s stage of healing isn’t the difference between them — at least not how I see it. The difference is more about how involved Laura and myself will be in terms of offering therapeutic guidance, presenting DID education, answering individual questions, etc. Dissociative survivors at any stage of their healing will be invited to participate in the Premium Forum. Laura and I will be happy to offer guidance and helpful information to any dissociative system who wants to be there.
And, when we looked at the survey questions/results, there were significant percentages of folks who wanted one Forum type but not the other, for various reasons, with significant percentages of folks interested in both types of Forums. So in honor of those interests, we decided to offer both types.
The Community Friendship Forum is doing really well so far — and certainly not necessarily full of folks early in their healing process. We’ve got lots of members who have been working on their dissociative issues and system healing for many years of time. There is a lot of sharing going on, and the community has most definitely been wonderful so far. This is mid-way thru’ on the 4th day and already 600 posts have been written. I’ve been impressed!
Yes, the Premium Forum, will of course, be more expensive than the Community Friendship Forum, because it will require much more direct time and involvement from Laura and myself. As you know, Forums can eat up hours and hours of time (every day after day after day….!), but we have come up with some ideas that we hope will be economical for y’all, and not drain the life out of us. At least that is the hope! Because yes, in the Premium Forum, Laura and I both expect to be more involved with answering questions, presenting information, showing specific therapeutic techniques, etc. I know there can be hundreds of questions that need to be answered, so… doing that in a way that can be manageable for everyone is the balance we’re looking to find.
And of course, having a whole team helping to manage the Forums (Laura, myself, the computer girl, the Client Care Team, moderators, just to name a few), helps each of us to carry the load without any one single person having to manage the WHOLE thing. It adds to the expense of building Forums, of course, but will also help to manage the quality of the Forum, and the longevity of both Forums. At least that is my hope.
As for costs… right now, the Community Friendship Forum is available at less than $1 per day for the year, USD of course. A dollar a day isn’t very much — not for a 24-hour resource that is specialized for the dissociative community. The price will go up next week, yes. The Charter Member price is the lowest price that the Forum will be offered. And while y’all feel this might be expensive, I guarantee that DD receiving one dollar a day per Forum Member does not even begin to cover the hundreds of expenses that have gone into making the Forum possible!
The other way to look at it, for the $417 AUD that you quoted, that amount is about an average one week of rent in Australia. SO… a full year of Community Support being equal to one week’s rent is not excessive. At least not from MY point of view anyway! 🙂
The Premium Forum monthly fee hasn’t yet been announced. I’ll say this — the Charter Member price will still cost significantly less than one individual phone session with me. SO… no matter what…. getting a 24-hour/full year of DID speciality resource each month is bargain price, compared to the amount of time and effort the Premium Forum members will receive in exchange from Laura and myself.
The balance has to be between the amount of services survivors need-want-require, and the amount of time-energy-resources required to provide those services.
hmmmm… this is a lot longer response than I expected, lol. Hope it helps to sort out more of the differences!
Cheers,
Kathy
Sure did thanks! Clears heaps up for us 😀
I understand the costs involved and i have nothing but praise for you taking the initiative to even do this! it’s a mammoth task and you definitely have our praise there!
But upon further investigations inside and weighing up the pros and cons, i just don’t think its something we , personally, require anymore. We don’t need constant support (or even once a month) and we have built a stable and healthy support network and are doing very well even without a therapist. Our interactions with other DID’ians are limited for a reason nowadays- we just have such little in common anymore and we aren’t interested in putting ourselves in a situation where we could get hurt and/or used as we have been dozens of times before by survivors… So when we do need help i think a phone consult with our local sexual health counselor (who are free for everyone in Australia and who are trained trauma therapists) and or you guys if they don’t help is all we really require. For us, being unemployed, with bills and a mortgage, $417 is already too much to afford for something we won’t use, something that will invariably trigger us, and will very likely get burnt out from (we’ve gone extreme into the hermit zone these days LOL) So Sorry to say it, and sorry if this is super blunt LOL, i’m filtering through about 4 different people as I type this. But we’re going to have to pass.
HOWEVER- I will say this- back in our earlier years when we were finding our feet this place would’ve been a god send and you are doing an amazing job setting it up for everyone who can afford it. And even moreso- keeping this blog space running for those who can’t afford it but who still need help. We wish you nothing but the best!
Merry Christmas!
Congratulations
We read the email about signing up for the forum, but it never said how much the early bird cost is nor what price it will be later on. We would like to join the forum, but we need to know the price.
From MyCircleOfLife
MyCircleofLife,
Thank you for your interest in the Forum! And thank you for being on the Early Bird List because you got the “early bird” email too! I will be sending a similar email out for everyone on the newsletter lists, but I did want to honor the folks who signed up for the Early Bird Notification first.
So…. the information you are looking for is connected to the big giant information page that is linked in the email. The information page is just tooooooo long to send as an email, but the link in the email goes straight to the page. I think it’s a blue colored link — click on that.
And after you read everything at the giant information page, to get even more information, please click any of the “get started now” buttons. That process will take you through several additional pages, and as you go thru’ the steps, you will eventually see the price structures. I promise you will be able to see the pricing options without having to make a purchase. So you will be able to get that information first, and then think about it for as long as you need to.
It sounds more complicated than it is… but just keep clicking “next”, “next”, “next” until you see the pricing options. 🙂
Thanks for asking!
Warmly,
Kathy
Your new forum is really, really cool Kathy. thank you
IF I can afford it,
I would definitely like to chat to some other people with DID. I’m the only person I know …
Hi Helen,
I just wanted to say, I hope you can afford it too. Like really, really. Cuz it would be great to chat with you too. I went to a conference on DID once and it was amazing to have people there that I already knew from the forum and also to meet up with people after the conference with DID was cool too. So affirming. I highly recommend joining a forum, if it’s safe and you’re system is all in agreement. I wanted to jump right on in there, but I’m taking a step back to really make sure that we’re okay with it and all that.
Hope to see you there! But there will still be people around here on the blog too! So either way, see ya around.
MultipleMe
12/18/18
Hello hello!!!
If you signed up for the Early Bird Forum Notification List, and did the survey, you will be getting an email TODAY.
It might take an hour or two to reach everyone out who signed up for Early Bird Notification, but y’all are getting notified FIRST !!!
The FORUM IS OPENING TODAY !!!!!
AMAZING, but TRUE !! YAY !!!
Kathy
Sounds enticing but how do we know that we are getting sound advice for our$? I know we will hear from others who suffer… get to talk about our issues. I would really like to get to the root of my issues so I can HEAL. I did not have a traumatic past and don’t know why I suffer w DID. I have anxiety which is the only thing I can think of to trigger switching
YAY! Happy 10 Year Anniversary AND Congratulations on the new Forum!! Our hope for you is this forum works like you intend, and you (and all your helpers) find great satisfaction in bringing to the world a safe and exciting new way for multiples to find community and friendship.
AWESOME! We are really happy for you Kathy!
We 💖 you KathyBear!
Yay! Congratulations on your new baby Kathy! Look forward to reading some more details. Merry Christmas to you and your teams and families! We hope you have a wonderful festive season and Santa finds you all!
Woo hoo!
Looking forward to joining!
Really happy for you and really proud of you Kathy. ♥️ It took a while but you did it!!
We’ve had the worst of luck with trying to join any DID type forums or groups, whether it’s on Facebook or separate websites. Things just end quite badly or there’s too much drama lol. If we can financially afford it, then maybe we can try joining ☺ we’re friends with another DID system who we’ll try to refer to it and here 😊 it sounds and feels a lot better and safer joining this forum if it’ll be more private from trollful eyes and words. Thank you 💜☺
Can’t wait to get the email