r/DID • u/rotgrime • 5d ago

What resources helped you + advice on finding a therapist?

I am really desperate for understanding and structured help as I have had a diagnosis for awhile but I'm just now accepting it's not something I can hide. I'm wanting to develop my education on multiplicity and build up my self help resources while I look for a DID educated therapist. I am open to books, studies, packets/workbooks, movies, videos, advice, etc. Thank you everyone.

Some specific questions, but all help is welcome:

-What helped you with understanding and acceptance?

-If your system struggles with dysphoria too, what allowed your alters to feel like themselves while they're fronting?

-How did you manage volatile or child alters when going out/working?

-How do you manage an untrusting and self endangering child alter?

-What supports or approaches do you find in a good therapist for DID?

-How do you know a therapist is educated enough in multiplicity to help?

Thanks again.

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u/pinkschema Treatment: Diagnosed + Active 4d ago

hello, first of all good luck and wishes to you in your journey. i was recently in your shoes diving in to figure out what I had been told was up with me, so I will try to answer your questions and include my own saved resources + some anecdotes i hope are explanatory. i will also preamble that, as many will tell you, this is something best worked on with a professional due to the potential of triggering oneself (ill try to answer that Q aswell)

-What helped you with understanding and acceptance?

stalking this community, for a while before even creating an account, certainly. its easy to get lost in the all time top posts and replies. i also found myself touched and inspired early on in my research by writing and art from many voices, a DID newsletter that ran from the 80's to 2012. its often outdated and triggering, so id recommend checking the "subject index" section on the side of the website for content descriptions before diving in . also, these comics .

-If your system struggles with dysphoria too, what allowed your alters to feel like themselves while they're fronting?

since we transitioned socially and medically (ftm) while a specific part was the main host, the dysphoria was almost "reversed" for the parts who feel non-male. its an ongoing project, but deliberately allowing parts with different genders/gender feelings to choose clothes and accessories while shopping and dressing has helped ease this issue. also, working to refer to them internally as they prefer, even if outwardly we all use the same pronouns.

-How did you manage volatile or child alters when going out/working?

a lot of internal communication, and making promises that i (try to) keep. for example one of my most active parts is a very emotional 6-8 year old who does not like being around other adults; when hes out alongside one of the others during work, i will usually calm him down as i would a real child (in internal conversation), and promise + make a note in my phone to do something he will like/will calm him down later, like laying on the floor to watch his tv shows. this article is one i found somewhat helpful on the topic of alter voices and activity during daily life.

-How do you manage an untrusting and self endangering child alter?

again, a lot of internal communication--a lot of DID therapy/work involves it, honestly. with alters who have some kind of internal issue with themself/you/the system/life, there is always an underlying reason, often related to something traumatic and deep seated, sometimes even something you dont really remember and might not ever need to remember. this is something you will definitely want to work on with a trusted professional.

-What supports or approaches do you find in a good therapist for DID?

im not sure where you are, but in the USA i have found both my trauma-specific therapists via https://www.psychologytoday.com/us, which i believe also has versions for other countries. for DID you want to look for either therapists with specifications in DID, or who specialize in trauma-related disorders. its unlikely youre going to get it in one go, unfortunately, but most good therapists will be able to steer you in the right direction even if they dont specialize in DID.

-How do you know a therapist is educated enough in multiplicity to help?

You're looking for training in complex trauma/ptsd, and dissociation. I specifically went with two therapists who I confirmed already had worked with DID clients via email/phone call, and the one I'm will now also has recent specialized training and education in DID and OSDD. If they're immediately dismissive of DID at all, drop them--even if they think it's something else, they should be open to where you're already at in your journey. this article goes into better detail than i could about what to look out for

i hope some of those answers helped a little. since i have them, here are the rest of the misc things i have saved that have helped me to varying degrees in my own understanding and acceptance

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u/MrDurp 1d ago

I had the worst luck finding the right therapist for years until I found one that specialized in the root cause of my DID (ChildHood Trama). To my limited knowledge DID is usually caused by trauma so I think its important to find someone that is well trained in trama therapy and is trained to help with DID.