Treatments that Help

I know there are many different forms of treatment for DID. I have gone through a 30-day visit in a hospital that specialized in it (Dr. Colin Ross), a few visits to week-long hospitals with no treatment (Colorado has no choices for help if you don't have insurance), just medication, intense therapy and a new class I'm taking, DBT. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, by Marsha Linehan.

Has anyone else heard of DBT and the effects it has on DID? It was first created for those with Borderline Personality Disorder but I was suggested to take the class (6 month class) and it has DRASTICALLY changed my life from this time last year. I know, with me, sometimes I feel more stress, more flashbacks come in and so forth depending on what is going on in my life, but this class has helped me cope. I'm taking a second 6-month session now and things just seem to be getting better. It's not 'all over' but I do feel like it's more in control than it was...definitely!

I just wanted to share that. I have been 'hospital free' this year and it's been amazing for me. I was suffering from SI issues with an alter and suicidal ideations and it just seems I'm finally climbing out of the hole. I don't feel I'm integrating - just maybe a better word - COOPERATING which has been my ultimate goal.

I'd love to hear other treatments that have worked. I'm finally down to only a few medications and I'm off many that I was depending on last year to simply function.

I hope a success story helps others. I know it always helped me when I could read there were options for me - always felt there were none.

Would love to hear opinions or other ideas,

Cat J.

Dear Cat,

Thank you for sharing. That was very uplifting and i am so glad for you.

Best wishes,
Stolen

PS: I had never heard of that therapy before, by the way. Something to research. Intergration is not our goal either.

well, i'm glad i could bring some benefit to someone. i've always heard it takes 6 months to change or conform a new habit. that is the reason for the 6 month term in this class. it has been teaching me basic life skills that i completely had no idea i was missing!

- emotional regulation
- distress tolerance
- mindfulness
- interpersonal effectiveness

also, we fill out diary cards and i hate to say it, but i'm enjoying actually having homework

there's a site that i go to that outlines some of the program called dbt self-help... http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/dbt_skills.html

Hi Cat,

Were you at the Colin Ross Institute? If so I'd really like to know what you thought of if.

I've never heard of DBT for DID. I know that it was designed for borderline disorder. Some did people have borderline features and so it would make sense to use DBT. Do you have borderline features/alters?

So glad that you found it helpful. Would really like to talk to you. Feel free to reply back to me or e-mail me via the "PM" (private message) feature on our board!!

Look forward to reading your posts.

Regards,

mo

i was actually at a place in dallas called 'timberlawn' and yes, it was colin a. ross' hospital. i actually got to do some cognitive therapy directly with him and it was excellent.

i don't have issues with bpd but did. i have dealings daily with two that do have bpd and it's interesting the differences and the sameness we all have.

i'd love to email you and will do so tomorrow when i have more time. i will gladly share my experience...as i think that's the only way others can gain knowledge!

-cat

what i thought of it - forgot to add:

i think as someone that was just finding out it was extremely informative but for so long after my 30-day stint i felt that a hospital was my ONLY HOPE. i searched and here in colorado there just isn't one. and for someone w/o health insurance it's more hopeless...so dbt was the answer for me and it really spurred on some healing.

i met others that were really mature in their knowledge during my visit and some that just found out, like me, and were standing in confusion. it was an awesome experience i won't forget and the cognitive therapy was interesting and yet also made me feel vulnerable.

i have fond memories of the place - and new knowledge when i left. so i say my experience overall was good because i found some light where i felt there was none.

-cat

DBT is great! I have been helped with it since I have been in it (4 months). It teaches coping skills one at a time and then you practice them and keep track in a group. I dissociate (a lot) and some of it did not help the dissociation but I got a ton of grounding articles from my class. These do help with dissociation.

well, that's awesome to know. in my town it seems our DBT group has gotten smaller due to funding. it's quite cheaper than a hospital but can be hard to get into if you're dealing with trying to get funding w/o insurance.

i'm writing an article for our local paper to promote the class and tell others how it's helped me (w/o revealing too much about my personal diagnosis) so maybe that will get the word out. i'm pretty excited about writing it - just got my computer back up after moving (took a week, not bad) and settling into the cabin.

i'm enjoying catching up on emails but hope to get to writing very very soon. i should probably schedule it for my own good or it might get lost by the wayside

-cat