Creating a collage is another way of allowing your internal system parts to tell more about themselves. Pictures can be a powerful way of communicating. And a collage - a collection of pictures - can tell a lifetime of stories. Most trauma survivors were repeatedly told by their abusers, "Do not tell". Violence, threats, abuse, and pain often accompanied these rules. How many times did you hear "don't say … [Read more...]
Working with Difficult and Destructive Alters
I'm going to take a slight detour in the internal communication series and write a little about working with difficult alters. It is crucial to work with these internal parts, no matter how challenging and hopeless things seem in the beginning. Your therapy and healing will never be resolved unless you approach the issues connected with these difficult insiders. And for that matter, the whole process of … [Read more...]
Internal Communication – The Core of Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder
Continuing with the topic of Internal Communication, I ended the previous article, Overcoming Instability Issues and Unsuccessful Memory work with this list of Dissoci-ACTION steps: Focus first on relationship building with your parts. Get to know them. Talk to them. Learn their names. Overcome your fears of who they are. Appreciate their strengths. Develop friendships with them. I … [Read more...]
Interviewing a new Therapist – Questions to Keep in Mind
It appears that several of the readers of this blog have gone through the wringer in terms of finding a good trauma therapist. When you are interviewing new therapists, in addition to clarifying that they have the skills and training it takes to provide proper treatment for your trauma issues, it is also important to ask about their approach to trauma work. Make sure their views match or blend with your own … [Read more...]
Are Specialized Trauma Therapists Necessary?
What advantages are there to having a trauma therapist specializing in Dissociative Disorders? I am writing this post in response to a question asked by BehindtheCouch. BTC wrote, “do you think that a “trauma client” (ie one with PTSD or a dissociative disorder) should necessarily be treated by a specialised “trauma therapist” or, in your opinion, could any therapist who has the skills … [Read more...]