The goal of therapy is to reduce dissociation and integrate the functioning of the mind. Whilst many therapies are advocated empirical evidence is lacking.
The goals of treatment for dissociative amnesia are to relieve symptoms, make sure you and those around you are safe, and “reconnect” you with your lost memories. Treatment also aims to help you: Safely deal with and manage painful events. Develop new coping skills and life skills.
Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) often follows a practice-based psychodynamic psychotherapy approach that is conducted in three phases: symptom stabilization, trauma processing, and identity integration and rehabilitation.
Dissociative Identity Disorder Treatment Goals
"Reconnecting" all existing DID alters into one, well-functioning identity. Allowing the person to safely express and process painful memories. Developing new and healthy coping skills. Restoring functionality.
Phase 1. The first step in treatment aims to reinforce the safety of the person with DID with a focus on more serious symptoms like self-harm or suicidal ideation. In treatment, a licensed mental health expert helps the person with DID to replace any harmful coping techniques they use with healthier options.
There is no cure for DID. Most people will manage the disorder for the rest of their lives. But a combination of treatments can help reduce symptoms. You can learn to have more control over your behavior.
Answer: Famous people with dissociative identity disorder include comedienne Roseanne Barr, Adam Duritz, and retired NFL star Herschel Walker. Walker wrote a book about his struggles with DID, along with his suicide attempts, explaining he had a feeling of disconnect from childhood to the professional leagues.
There are a variety of triggers that can cause switching between alters, or identities, in people with dissociative identity disorder. These can include stress, memories, strong emotions, senses, alcohol and substance use, special events, or specific situations.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is the most controversial of the dissociative disorders and is disputed and debated among mental health professionals. Previously called multiple personality disorder, this is the most severe kind of dissociative disorder.
Billy Milligan is one of the most famous cases of DID. He was the first person in the United States with this disorder who was found not guilty of his crimes by reason of insanity. During the trial, many psychologists argued about the existence of DID and assumed it was a ploy rather than a valid disorder.
For many people, dissociation is a natural response to trauma that they can't control. It could be a response to a one-off traumatic event or ongoing trauma and abuse. You can read more on our page about the causes of dissociative disorders. Dissociation might be a way to cope with very stressful experiences.
Dissociation involves disruptions of usually integrated functions of consciousness, perception, memory, identity, and affect (e.g., depersonalization, derealization, numbing, amnesia, and analgesia).
Many times, people who are dissociating are not even aware that it is happening, other people notice it. Just like other types of avoidance, dissociation can interfere with facing up and getting over a trauma or an unrealistic fear.
Dissociation Symptoms
Memory loss surrounding specific events, interactions, or experiences. A sense of detachment from your emotions (aka emotional numbness) and identity. Feeling as if the world is unreal; out-of-body experiences. Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide.
A therapist using CBT may help the person by encouraging them to monitor their periods of dissociation. During these episodes, the therapist will ask the individual to become aware of common themes linked to the dissociative symptoms to find the people, places, and things that seem to trigger the disconnection.
There are five main ways in which the dissociation of psychological processes changes the way a person experiences living: depersonalization, derealization, amnesia, identity confusion, and identity alteration.
Periods of dissociation can last for a relatively short time (hours or days) or for much longer (weeks or months). It can sometimes last for years, but usually if a person has other dissociative disorders. Many people with a dissociative disorder have had a traumatic event during childhood.
Psychotherapy. Treatment for DID consists primarily of individual psychotherapy and can last for an average of five to seven years in adults. Individual psychotherapy is the most widely used modality as opposed to family, group or couples therapy.
Psychodynamic theory suggests that in dissociative disorder traumatic events are repressed. In this model, memories are forgotten because they are so aversive. Dissociative disorders involve unusual ways of responding to stress. Extremely high levels of stress hormones could interfere with memory formation.
Competing theories of dissociation have cleaved along two fault lines: One that zeroes in on the traumatic antecedents of dissociation, called the trauma model (TM) and another, called the sociocognitive model (SCM), with a broader focus on social, cognitive, and cultural determinants of dissociation.
The skills taught in DBT -- distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness -- can also be helpful for people with dissociative identity disorder (DID). But that doesn't mean that DBT is the best choice for treating DID. As with any type of therapy, there are pros and cons.
There are five main ways in which the dissociation of psychological processes changes the way a person experiences living: depersonalization, derealization, amnesia, identity confusion, and identity alteration.