DID Treatment

I'm full of questions today. There's a chance I can have counselling for free through a charity. But the counsellor would be fresh out of training with probably little or no experience of dissociation in general or DID. I'm wondering if it's a good idea or not. I'd have no choice over which counsellor I was assigned to. The upside would be that I'd have total confidentiality, they wouldn't be discussing me with my doctor or the mental health team or writing reports/letters to them. So I'd have no repercussions if I walked away because it wasn't working out.

Here's my questions:

1) Do you think this ^^^ might be useful at all or just a waste of time?

2) Does anyone know what happens to DID if it's left untreated? As in, does it get better/worse or stay the same?

3) Is there any point getting "bits" of DID treated? Like if I got a new memory or lots of flashbacks of a particular time in my life, is it worth it to work on just that one thing? Or would trying to do that be likely to cause more problems than it solved?

4) Do any of you have therapists that you talk about your problems but not the different parts of you? Does it help to just ignore the whole "parts of you" issue?

Thanks for your answers. X

At this point there is no knowing if this counselor would be helpful for you or not. You'll have to try and see how it goes. The counselor will need supervision.

Kerry H wrote:2) Does anyone know what happens to DID if it's left untreated? As in, does it get better/worse or stay the same?

Generally it stays the same, then it may get worse. Dramatically worse. If you feel okay as you are now, you don't necessarily need therapy.

Kerry H wrote:3) Is there any point getting "bits" of DID treated? Like if I got a new memory or lots of flashbacks of a particular time in my life, is it worth it to work on just that one thing? Or would trying to do that be likely to cause more problems than it solved?

The focus of therapy always is on whatever is causing problems for you.

Kerry H wrote:4) Do any of you have therapists that you talk about your problems but not the different parts of you? Does it help to just ignore the whole "parts of you" issue?

Some of us conceal our DID, knowingly or unknowingly. Ignoring the DID does not help.

Good luck!

1) Do you think this ^^^ might be useful at all or just a waste of time?
I would try it! What have you got to lose? It seems you would be interacting with someone without much training, but for me someone willing to learn who has a natural empathy and instinctive support skills and with whom you click could provide real benefits.

2) Does anyone know what happens to DID if it's left untreated? As in, does it get better/worse or stay the same?
I'm sure it depends on the person but I have evidence for myself that unhealthy habits become solidified over time and are much harder to dislodge. I personally believe it's a horrible idea to let DID go untreated for any long period of time, but that's just me. I think you can do a great deal of work on your own. Admission of the DID, your alters and the abuse that spawned both are a start. Opening up communication and comradeship with your alters is a huge key. I think it's theoretically possible that guidance can come from within if you really educate yourself and remain very open along the way.

I offer an analogy of someone with a war wound of shrapnel stuck in a leg. The person could just leave it there and it might not get any worse. It certainly wouldn't get any better by itself and it could cause serious problems later. An individual could learn to perform the surgery on themselves, keep everything antiseptic, and remain conscious the whole time. They might well succeed. But why do it alone if there are other options, including help from a trained professional? The analogy suggests removing the effects of the trauma, not removing alters! Okay, the analogy may be harsh but you get what I'm saying.

3) Is there any point getting "bits" of DID treated? Like if I got a new memory or lots of flashbacks of a particular time in my life, is it worth it to work on just that one thing? Or would trying to do that be likely to cause more problems than it solved?
DID therapy is a long process. I don't think anyone's experience or the literature suggests otherwise. Any work you do in a supportive environment is likely to provide benefit, like chipping away at a block of marble to create a work of art, that is, a healthy you. Therapy can evolve organically during the therapy sessions, based on what happens there as well as outside therapy. Or therapy can be more or less focused on specific issues or traumas, ones you want to address or ones that arise and demand attention. In my case, I did the first with sporadic results and we are now moving toward the latter situation. I suppose the only problem could be if you recalled a nasty trauma you had no previous awareness of and suddenly lost access to therapy.

4) Do any of you have therapists that you talk about your problems but not the different parts of you? Does it help to just ignore the whole "parts of you" issue?
I suppose this depends on the person, but personally it would be ludicrous for me to ignore the alters, their perspective, and the traumas they and I endured. In 1992, a bad year economically, the mantra among Bill Clinton's election staff to keep on message was "It's the economy, stupid!" After years of looking into depression, confused sexuality, and other issues as if they were the ultimate source of my problems, my own mantra now is "it's the DID, stupid!"

A "fresh" counsellor may not have the experience, but she may have the willingness to learn about YOUR DID system, and how it works, and what s/he can do to help YOU. I think it def is worth it for you to be honest and I would try and be honest about everything, parts and all. What Una+ said is correct it is not always necessary to even get counselling as a DID system, but, taking into account your last post, about the raging depression you are feeling at the moment, I think would be beneficial to have somewhere safe to take these things.

Looking at it from a different angle. If this counselling service don't feel they are able to treat you, they can push the CMHT to give you what you need by writing to your GP or something.

Looking at it from an even diferent angle. Have you thought about contacting Remy Aquarone? I know I throw his name around a lot to people in the UK but he *may* be able to work with you and your current mental health team, and/or this counsellor, and find some help that will work for you.

Just some thoughts,

Bourbon

Thanks everyone. I will give it careful thought. In an ideal world I'd get a private diagnosis and have proper therapy for as long as it takes, with someone who knows what they're doing. But there's more chance of me winning the lotto (even though I never buy a ticket!). I like the schrapnel analogy, I feel that letting the mental health team near my DID is like asking my 10yr old neice to sort out the scrapnel using an unwashed blunt rusty knife with half the blade snapped off that she'd found buried in the garden x

I feel that letting the mental health team near my DID is like asking my 10yr old neice to sort out the scrapnel using an unwashed blunt rusty knife with half the blade snapped off that she'd found buried in the garden x

Ahhh! That sucks!
I hope you find someone at least 16 to do it next time.
(aplogies ahead of time if I'm offensive).

Don't worry, you didn't upset me, it made me smile. X