Pro Dissociation vs reality-based healing-based

In my most recent posts I said my path was “reality–based, healing based” not “pro – dissociation” style. What are these?

Pro dissociation stands for promoting dissociation. This style treats dissociative disorders as a lifestyle rather than a treatable health issue. It encourages a dissociative person to form attachments / relationships with their disorder, symptoms, problems, and behaviors. It encourages a dissociative person to be more dissociative aka let their alters out to play and express their self / encourages engaging with the dissociated insiders, seek out being and having more traumatized issues and more dissociative-ness. And encourages the misuse of therapy techniques to further the dissociative -ness. Instead of full healing / integration, it promotes integration as being nonexistent or a choice. dissociatives learn how to live forever as if their mental disorder, and its symptoms, problems, and behaviors are their identity that they must form acceptance of and attachments to, work together as a team with, instead of the reality that they have treatable mental health issues.

In many locations within the real mental health world pro dissociation is considered a mental health cult / cultish because those who break free from this style after living in it a while….can… end up with the same issues that those who undergo political indoctrination or have survived / broke free of religious cults have. Many who live the lifestyle struggle to get and or are unable to get a dissociative disorder diagnosis due to pro dissociation styles many times rely on fantasy, fantasy play, story time, imaginary characters, which goes against the diagnostic criteria for dissociative disorders.

With pro dissociation styles the attention, purpose and praise is always focused on the dissociation, regressing and adults trying to rewrite, recapture re-invent childhood. Seeking out, locating, forming relationships with the disorder, symptoms, problems, and behaviors. The more someone “allows” their self to be so vulnerable as to dissociate, let their insiders out to talk with the therapist and those around them, the more praise and attention they get.

Many locations around the world in recent years, have made state, federal / nationwide and mental health laws protocols and ethics against pro dissociation styles in one way or another. for example, it is illegal / unethical in many locations around the world for treatment providers to call out, force out, or otherwise coerce / bribe or entice / trigger a dissociative person to dissociate, especially for such things as fun, games, letting insiders out to either play or express their self or engage in childish behaviors. In most locations around the world treatment providers are now required to treat a dissociative person as the biological one human one gendered, one bodied human adult rather than humoring and or humiliating adults by treating adults like children or non-human / little people representations.

Since 2022 here in the USA, treatment providers who hadn’t already done so, have been phasing out their pro dissociation styles of therapy and replacing them with reality-based healing-based styles conforming to real life standards that mental disorders, are health issues not a person’s identity. I am not DID I have DID kind of distinction.

In reality-based healing-based styles a dissociative person does not get indoctrinated into thinking of their dissociative-ness as people, fictional characters, family units, tribes/ clans, “systems” etcetera that need to be accessed, communicated and engaged with like the pro dissociative styles do.

Instead, they are treated as one person with “less than one” personality – the trauma elements of their ….own… personality have been dissociated aka repressed /removed from their conscious awareness through the brains function called flight fight fawn freeze response. Theres no need for accessing, communication, engaging with what’s dissociated because though some with DID may……feel….. like they are other people when experiencing dissociation, the reality is that they are not other people.

integration of those trauma elements of a person’s own personality will happen naturally not forced, coerced, bribed, enticed, or triggered and certainly not by humoring the adult until they are ready to grow up or humiliating the dissociative by treating an adult like a child or non-human manifestations.

Parts therapy / IFS is not done until …..after…… integration has begun and the person has the ability to do the first step of remaining grounded not dissociated consistently. And they understand that the process is not meant for locating more and more trauma, more and more dissociative- ness. It is for understanding and being able to handle knowing about those already integrating into awareness trauma elements of their own personality better. it teaches much needed skills such as grounding, self-nurturing and self-care among other much needed skills and tools.

In reality-based healing-based styles integration is not a choice and does exist. It’s the brains normal function of remembering. Bringing what was stored in the unconsciousness to the surface and permanently storing it in the conscious awareness. The more a person knows / remembers about their trauma history, trauma elements the further along they are in the integration and healing process. Integration cannot be undone or stopped. It’s the natural healing process that everyone goes through eventually. Some faster or slower than others.

Reality based healing-based styles rely on stabilizing the present, treating the disorder as a treatable health issue, lessening, and preventing the dissociative symptoms, problems, and behaviors. The dissociative person is treated as a competent responsible adult with all the rights, responsibilities and expectations of an adult at all times, even in the event that they become triggered and dissociate in therapy.

more to come on these topics in another posting.