You may wonder if dissociation is always wrong, or if it is always an indicator of a problem. In this final video of the 5 part series on dissociative identity disorder and multiple personality disorder issues, I talk about the difference between normal dissociation and destructive dissociation.

In this series I have been talking about the type of dissociation which became necessary in order to survive abuse, and how when there has been a pattern of abuse, learning to disconnect and dissociate has been the only escape and the only place that feels safe. Dissociative identity becomes a relief and an answer for these people. It becomes the coping method they use to deal with life itself.

Is disconnecting always a problem? I give a few examples of normal disconnect such as we see when watching young children involved in their play. Even as adults we can disconnect or dissociate in a healthy and normal way, for example when caught up in the excitement of planning a vacation but as long as we can still come back to the present, live in reality and be able to carry out our responsibilities, this is not a worry.

Have a look at this video as I wrap up this 5 part series on multiple personality and dissociative identity disorder. I hope that you have enjoyed it and please feel free to comment or post your questions in the comment form.

With You in Mind,
Norm Quantz

It is important to understand how control works and how it contributes to a person’s struggle inside to be one or to be whole. The alters serve the purpose of representing the personality who sought freedom or escape from the situation that was out of their control. The alter personalities also keep the person from living as one whole person. Even when a person attempts and desires to live as a whole person, they are not able to because they don’t realize how insidious the control is in their life.

This video is part three of the series, and I give an example of how the mixed messages of one aspect of control, when disguised as nice, can lead to dissociative identity and can cause a person to develop alter personalities in order to cope. When someone in your life uses the tactic of “nice”, there is an expectation that you have to be nice back. This is the kind of abusive control that plays a number on a person’s brain. It becomes difficult to attribute the nice person’s behaviour as abusive and this can lead to believing that it is really YOU that has the problem.

This type of abusive control is mind bending. Have a look at this video as I continue in this 5 part series about multiple personality disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder. I invite you to leave your comments or questions if you wish.

With You in Mind,
Norm Quantz

If you would like to view the previous videos in the series, click here for part one, and here for part two.

In this 5 part video series, I talk about some of the aspects regarding Multiple Personality Disorder or Dissociated Identity Disorder, as it is more recently called. In this first video I look at the cause.

If you or someone you love suspects that you have this disorder, or if you have been diagnosed with Dissociated Identity Disorder, there is hope. I have had success in my practice on the road to healing this condition, by taking a look at the power and control trail in the client’s history.

In this video I explain what I mean by a power and control trail, and how abusive power and control that undermines your ability to be in control of your life can cause dissociation, multiple personalities and dissociated identity disorder. I introduce the idea of how dissociative identity begins, and how it continues.
In part two of this series, I will discuss discovering the purpose of the alter personalities.

Please feel free to leave comments or post your questions as we take a look at dissociation and MPD over the next couple of weeks.

With You in Mind,
Norm Quantz

Using online video therapy as the model that I use in my private practice, in this video blog post I talk about the effectiveness of online counseling therapy in the case of a client who had dissociative identity disorder.

Sometimes the dissociative clients are afraid that they won’t get help unless they are in person with the therapist but the clients that I have helped in my online conference room have found these fears to be false. There are in fact certain advantages to not being in person with the therapist.

There is a different kind of safety and comfort level present here and clients often find it easier to express themselves within it because there is no physical threat in this environment. That is one less threat to worry about.

Other added advantages of using this medium is the ability for the client to text their story or even a portion of it if it is too difficult to speak of. Drawing diagrams or pictures on the whiteboard takes the place of paper used in “in person” sessions.

I have had “in person” clients who have transferred their sessions to the online medium, and they report that the using the conference room enhances their experience of therapy. In conclusion I would have to say that in my experience, online counseling therapy for dissociative identity disorder is very effective.

I am interested in your comments regarding using an online environment for the treatment of DID.

With You in Mind,
Norm Quantz

The subject of dissociation and dissociative identity disorder in terms of how people cope with life is quite broad and often misunderstood by general public.In this video I describe how dissociation might begin, how it becomes a necessary escape and how it becomes a hindrance to personal growth.

Dissociation is used to cope with the pressure going on in life when it is too painful to accept the reality of what is going on in life and dissociation becomes an option people use to escape. The danger is when that escape becomes a way of life. When dissociating starts to take over a person’s life; when they live more in the dissociative time rather than in real time, that becomes a problem. The dissociative self starts to control how they respond to the world around them and they get confused as to whether it is the real person responding to it or if it is the dissociative self responding to it. It gets to the point that they live in the other persons world, as another entity.
When people who used the coping method of dissociation, or have dissociative identity disorder are able to realize the way that it started, how necessary that it has been for their survival, and how it became a way of life, it is much easier for them to go back to that foundation and re-establish it differently.

Understanding the dissociation that is occurring at the moment and where it has its origin, enables them to eventually realize that they don’t have to live in that coping method but that they can live in the reality of the moment and move from coping to conquering, owning their own power and living whole and free.

I would love to read your comments and feedback regarding the information in this video.

With You in Mind,
Norm