You probably thought I was going to talk about kids, or children, or babies. And I might. But first, what about newborn puppies? This post is partly for fun -- because you know I just can’t resist sharing more pictures of my puppies ! But to be fair, I do have a few thoughts related to trauma issues when I look at these pictures. I am starting to think that I might just have to make a “puppy series”. :) First, … [Read more...]
What Did Your Mother Teach You?
Mother’s Day. Mother's Day is a hard day for a lot of dissociative trauma survivors. It’s a day full of mixed emotions, painful longings, unhealed heartbreak. It's so complicated, especially when you think about how important mothers are to their children, and what their behavior teaches their children. Mother's Day hurts the people who were hurt so much by their mothers. Mothers are a complicated subject, … [Read more...]
Protecting Your Therapeutic Relationship and the Therapeutic Community
There are thousands of clinical therapists in the world. However, of all the therapists in the world, only a few work with trauma and PTSD. Of all the trauma therapists, only a few work with the areas of sexual abuse and severe trauma. Of those therapists, only a few work with dissociative disorders, DID/MPD and DDNOS. Of the DID therapists, only a very few work with issues relating to … [Read more...]
Depression and Dissociative Identity Disorder, part 2
Welcome to the second half of “Depression and Dissociative Identity Disorder”. The first seven tips have been previously posted. At this point in time, I will continue with the list of tips for how to specifically address chronic depression for trauma survivors with DID: 8. As the memories surface, feelings will also surface. Expressing genuine emotion is key to working through depression. Crying tears of … [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...]