Two Philosophies or Approaches to Treatment of DID and Different Stages of Treatment

Two Approaches or a Third Option of My Own Design with the Help of My First DID Therapist

The first approach called integration is the eventual merging of all alters into one solid concrete personality. The second is newer and more holistic in my eyes even more realistic and focuses on becoming co-aware, developing strong coping mechanisms, dealing with trauma in the system, and getting rid of maladaptive coping mechanisms. Or my first really good therapist I’m currently waiting to find a new one since I moved back down south but she combined the too because she saw I was reluctant to be alone all the time which I felt intigration would eventually lead me too and also scared of some fragments and alters maladaptive coping strategies.

Be sure when you talk to therapists to see which if not both of these approaches they are willing to work with you towards. In my personal experience I believe a combination is best but it’s up to you and what you and your system and therapist come up with as a plan.

Stages of Treatment

There are 3 of Treatment depending on the approach choosen.

1st Stage

Is building trust, safety, and a safe environment for the whole system. As well as for the clinician to see and make sure DID is the proper diagnosis by meeting and seeing switching occurring. It’s centered on building trust between clinician and client, adaptive rather than maladaptive coping mechanisms, and addressing any behaviors such as suicidal ideation, self-mutalation, bulimia, anorexia nervosa, or addiction issues that could get in the way of the second stage. Also it is a time to treat any co-occuring conditions such as Bipolar, BPD, Major Depression, Autism, Learning Disorders that any alters in your system might have. Safety, stabilization, and symptom reduction. Development of Co-Consciousness is a main tenet of this stage and along into the second stage and third if chosing to keep a few alters around for company like I plan on doing.

2nd Stage

Memory work this is usually done doing psychodynamic or EMDR or and DBT combinations or a variety of different avenues your therapist can add or subtract to find the right one for your system. Memory work is the use of reconciliation between client and traumatic memories.

3rd Stage

Is either integration of all alters to a final fusion into one Identity or the fusion of some parts into other parts so there are less parts in a system then say anywhere from 2 to 5 in a system of 15 is example of fusion.

I was starting stage two in Ohio but my therapist quit to finish her doctorate and I moved back to South Carolina to get on disability and back into college so I will have to restart at Stage 1 because of some of my symptoms. But that’s not always the case.