Dissociation and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Dissociation is a response to severe and sustained childhood trauma. Where actual escape is impossible the mind can fragment into different self or feeling states, as a survival mechanism.  DID is thought to be found in 1% to 3% of the population in the UK and are gradually gaining more understanding and acceptance within the wider mental health community. 

Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders exist on a spectrum and can often include experiences  of flashbacks, sleep disturbances and nightmares, out of body experiences, eating disorders, unexplained somatic or physical symptoms, panic attacks, ‘zoning out’ or dissociating, for periods of time. Additional experiences include: 

• Depersonalisation: your body is not real;  you are outside of your body or your body is floating above. 
• Derealisation: the world is removed or unreal from you and things in the world appear unreal.  
• Dissociative Amnesia: you can’t remember experiences or important information that can be distinguished from ordinary forgetting.

Therapy can help you to manage feelings of distress in day-to-day life so they are less disruptive,  the ability to function can be developed and sustained and symptons are reduced. Therapy can also help you understand how what has happened to you in your lives  impacted on your mental health, emotional experience and expression and relationships.