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Understanding Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Disorders involve disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity and/or sensory perception. When one or more of these functions is disrupted, an individual may experience problems with relationships, intimacy, employment, and a personal self-care.
Dissociative Disorders originate from the emotions generated by surviving experiences that the person experiences as overwhelmingly stressful - such as traumatic events, war, and physical or sexual abuse and neglect, accidents and disasters. Dissociation is actually a healthy human coping mechanism that disconnects, or separates traumatic memories from a person’s normal awareness, thus shielding him or her from the intolerable pain or fear associated with the trauma. These traumatic memories may resurface if triggered by something in the person’s surroundings, or they may remain buried in the mind and emerge instead as physical, emotional or behavioral symptoms.
Some Symptoms of Dissociative Disorder can include:
- Amnesia (loss of memory and/or loss of time) for certain experiences
- Depersonalization – feeling present, but completely disconnected from yourself and others.
- De-realization (This involves perceiving the external surroundings as unreal, such as seeing objects change in size, shape or color.)
- Identity disturbances, either feeling like you have no identity or feeling like there are several identities
- Depression
- Severe Anxiety- shaking, isolating, fear of going certain places or doing certain activities.
- Addictive or compulsive acting out with drugs or alcohol, food, spending and/or sex.
- Repetitive avoidance of healthy relationships, intimacy and/or repetitively choosing destructive relationships.
- Chronic under achievement, under employment etc.
Treatment for Dissociative Disorders at The Life Healing Center
At Life Healing Center, working with Dissociative Disorders is a daily challenge. At any time it is not unusual for a significant percentage of our patient population to be healing from a Dissociative Disorder. Our treatment model combines intensive individual and group therapies along with specific education about their problem and the path to healing. Treatment is individualized for each person to address his or her unique experience and challenges. Clients participate in daily depth-oriented core therapy groups, along with skills groups that incorporate Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). EMDR, Art Therapy, Equine and Somatic therapies are also integrated in the treatment of Dissociative Disorders.
The therapeutic group work offered at Life Healing Center encourages our clients to work together as a healing community. This community-based programming provides a chance for clients to experience the nurturing support that they have often longed for but could not access or accept. And our intensive Family Weekend offers an opportunity to promote healing and growth in their primary relationships.
