What Is Dissociation?

Find a therapist to treat dissociation

Dissociation is more common in trauma therapy than many clinicians realize.

Dissociative responses are often the mind’s way of protecting itself from overwhelming experiences.

Recognizing dissociation can fundamentally change how trauma-informed therapy is approached and delivered.

Developing greater understanding of dissociation can expand a therapist’s confidence and effectiveness.

This post is Part 1 of 3.

“I treat trauma, but I don’t treat DID.”

As a psychologist who has spent more than two decades working with complex trauma and dissociation, I hear this sentence more often than you might expect. Each time I hear it, I know something important is being missed.

Most therapists who say this are highly skilled clinicians. They care deeply about their clients and often have extensive training in trauma treatment. The issue is not competence. The problem is a misunderstanding about what dissociation actually is and how commonly it appears when working with clients who have experienced trauma.

Many clinicians still believe that dissociative identity disorder (DID) is something rare or extreme. As a result, they assume they can simply refer those clients to a specialist and continue treating trauma without needing to understand dissociation more deeply.

The reality is that dissociation is not limited to DID. It exists on a spectrum, and it can appear in subtle ways that are easy to miss if clinicians have not been trained to assess for it.

Clients........

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