Quick Thought to Consider: I had a conversation this week that reminded me of a very important "thinking spot" for trauma survivors with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Which is worse -- being multiple? Or being dissociative? With multiplicity, you are leading a life combined with lots of others inside, making everything a plural existence. Being dissociative -- in the way that I am … [Read more...]
Do Dissociative Trauma Survivors Actually Lose Time?
One of the diagnostic criteria for Dissociative Identity Disorder is experiencing amnesia or lost time. While losing time may seem like an obvious hole in your every day life, it really might not be as obvious as it seems it could be. For dissociative trauma survivors, the sliding of time is a normal everyday way of life. It just is how it is, and time feels very different for DID survivors than it does for other … [Read more...]
Hopelessness and Despair
Some days just feel too hard. Those days feel like you just can’t make it through… Those are the days when you wish you could curl up in a ball, and sleep or stare all day long… Or hide away forever… Ever had a day like that? Ever felt like your problems were just toooooo big? Or tooooo never-ending? Or tooooo all-encompassing? Ever felt overwhelmed with hopelessness? Or … [Read more...]
Believing a Lie – the Foundation of Dissociation
What makes it difficult for trauma survivors with Dissociative Identity Disorder to know the truth? How easy is it to trick someone with DID with a lie? When are survivors lying to themselves? When does dissociation block out information to know the difference? When does pain, especially emotional pain, become the deciding factor in what survivors believe, regardless of truth? When does the viciousness … [Read more...]
Introjects – What are Introjects?
I am frequently asked “What are introjects?” Most DID trauma survivors have introjects as part of their dissociative system, but there is a lot of confusion as to what introjects actually are. There is even more confusion about what to do with an introject when you find one. Introjects are alters -- an inside part of your system. They are a specific type of insider, but they are an inside part … [Read more...]