Dissociative Disorders

What is a dissociative disorder?

A dissociative disorder is an ongoing condition where a person’s consciousness becomes detached from certain experiences, thoughts, emotions, memories, sensations, or even aspects of their identity. Most dissociative disorders are caused by childhood trauma and abuse, starting early in childhood. Dissociative disorders were once thought to be rare, but research over the last 20 years approximates that roughly 10% of the general population has a dissociative disorder.

What are some possible symptoms of a dissociative disorder?

It depends on which dissociative disorder it is, but some more common symptoms would be amnesia or poor memory recollection of childhood, depersonalization/de-realization such as feeling outside of your body or difficulty recognizing yourself in the mirror, temporary loss of knowledge, blackouts (not caused by drugs, alcohol, or medications), and having thoughts, emotions, impulses, or behaviors that don’t feel like yours. It is important to note that this is not an all-inclusive list. Dissociative disorders are very complex and very difficult to detect. A diagnosis should only come from a professional who specializes in this area as it requires extensive testing.

What are some treatment options for dissociative disorders?

Since dissociative disorders almost always derive from early childhood trauma, the best treatment options should be trauma focused as treating the trauma will treat the dissociative disorder. Some of the two most common trauma treatments for dissociative disorders are Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy or Brainspotting. Since treating dissociative disorders also involves parts work, usually incorporating Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy or ego state therapy into the trauma treatment is needed. There may be other therapy modalities that may be useful for treating other aspects of dissociative disorders such as the use of somatic therapy or hypnosis.

Sources:

Sar, Vedat, Epidemiology of Dissociative Disorders: An Overview, Epidemiology Research International, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/404538

If you think that you may be suffering from a dissociative disorder, please reach out to us to see how we can help!