Category Archives: Understanding DID
Achieving Co-Consciousness: Trauma Work
Most people would agree that working through the traumatic memories of abuse and neglect is one of the main pathways that lead to co-consciousness. However, trauma work does not stop once a memory has been shared with the therapist and its meaning has been interpreted in a new way. Trauma work also means to restore …
Achieving Co-Consciousness: Healing Narcissistic Self-Parts
In general I have a great aversion against labels – certainly against psychiatric labels that put a person into a defined box. Labels often have a stigma attached to the, for example DID, borderline, bipolar, or narcissistic. I am going to use narcissistic self parts here because if anyone wants to read up on this …
Achieving Co-Consciousness: Self-Acceptance-And-Love
On the first glance people may ask “What has co-consciousness to do with loving yourself and accepting all the different parts of you?” My answer to that is “Everything!” If there is a part of you that you dislike, are afraid of, or even feel disgust for, you will stay away from that part ‘full …
The Body Pays The Price
Leonie was very tired. Her shoulders have dropped and her head had fallen forward resting on her chest. Unable to muster the strength needed for balancing her head upright on her fatigued body, Leonie feels the floor opening and becoming a vortex inviting her into the never ending downwards spiral. She hears a seductive whisper …
Thoughts about DID, Diagnosis, and Parts
You might have noticed that I started telling the story of Anna, a person with multiple parts to her personality. If you want to know how Anna’s parts came to exist, and why, you will find many books, websites, and articles that talk about DID and alternate parts. I am getting a bit tired of all these clever explanations like the one in Wikipedia: “a single person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities (known as alter egos or alters), each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment.
Finding A Safe Place – Part 2
Before Molly and Caretaker went up the stairs that had been hacked into the tree trunk Caretaker made sure that all the entrances to the tree were securely closed. Up in the crown they stepped onto the wide landing from which solid wooden doors led to the rooms. Here Muma awaited Molly and took her …
Finding a Safe Place
When the woman turned around and started walking back to the house, Molly starred at her in disbelief. She wanted to call out to her ‘Don’t leave me here, please Mammy, take me with you’, but she couldn’t make a single sound. Caretaker had quickly put his hand over her mouth and hissed ‘Quiet. No …
The Leap Of Faith When Starting Therapy
Trusty knew better than to waste time when he traveled to the little seaside village of Shelly Bay. His dark eyes concentrated on the narrow road winding down the hill that enclosed with loving arms what was once a little settlement but had become a township with many new houses, businesses, and shops. He didn’t …
The Ebb and Flow of Integration
Anna has been in therapy with me for 3 years when she and I came to understand that it would not be necessary to come weekly anymore. She had been diagnosed with DID many years ago. Some of these years she’s been with other therapists, some of them barely surviving (in) the public mental health …
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