Books/education recommendation?

I am still relatively new with the DID diagnosis and I feel like my world is shaken. Everything I thought was "normal", now I am questioning. Are there any books/websites/whatever that people have found helpful in explaining some of this? How it REALLY is...not how the media makes it?

Hi alittlebitnutty

I am new to this too and I can honestly say that the first thing I came across that has been amazingly helpful is the PODS website. It stands for Positive Outcomes for Dissociative Survivers, it is run by Carolyn and Rob Spring. Carolyn has DID and writes the most amazing things. She explains how things have been for her, both before she understood what was happening, during and since but there is such an amazing real spin on her writing, that is down to earth, she really helped me understand what was happening to me. The website is full of information and suggestions for reading and grounding and lots more. I am uk based as is PODS so I have been lucky enough to attend one of their day workshops which I would absolutely recommend, and I am currently waiting for the next one, they also have a website, facebook account, linked in, and they write and distribute a quarterly magazine. They have a helpline and will answer e mails too. Sometimes I find the writing a little triggering and have to come back to it but for me its triggering because it helped me feel less alien and alone, it has helped me with acceptance too. Rob is a counsellor and he is the one that answers e mails and runs the phone line. Together they make a great team and everything is really positive and makes perfect sense they way they explain it.
I hope this helps make things less shaky

Hi alittlebitnutty,

Welcome to the forum. There are really good people here.

You're smart to realize that the media doesn't know and doesn't want to know about DID. That's why there are forums. One thing to remember is that everybody's experience of DID is kind of different. Some of the stuff you read may not fit you. That's ok. We all have to get to be experts at taking care of our own systems. We are all healing from where we are not from where the book says we should be.

Iain

It's also cool to let your parts post too.

The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization by Van der Hart; Nijenhuis; Steele. 2006

This could be a challenging read if you're highly dissociate and have trouble focusing, but it covers quite a bit. The theory of structural dissociation as presented in this work will help you understand the mental processes underlying DID. Be aware it's still a theory about dissociation but it's a solid one.

Good question. I Recommend Dissociative Identity Disorder Sourcebook by Deborah Haddock This book is an excellent introduction for patients, family/ friends and clinicians. A few chapters are particularly excellent. Understanding the parts of the self, the brain and dissociation and the effects of trauma. Fairly easy to read as well. Good luck.