Dissociative Disorders

When children experience trauma and abuse, they need to cope as best they can.  One way of coping is to unconsciously disconnect from the feelings, sensations, or even the memory of what happened.  This disconnection from some aspect of the traumatic experience is called dissociation.  When dissociation is used over and over again during childhood, dissociative disorders can result.  As a group, dissociative disorders describe a continuum of problems from an emotional disconnection to the abuse to the more complex dissociation: a complete disconnection from memory and even a coherent sense of identity.  Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is the end of this continuum.  It is the consequence when a child completely disconnects from memory and a cohesive sense of identity and copes with stress using part selves, with amnesia for other parts of the self. While it starts in childhood, the dissociative disorders may not be recognized until well into adulthood.  At the Centre, dissociation (no matter the severity), is considered a natural consequence which allows a child being abused to deal with experiences that overwhelm their ability to cope.  It is both understandable and treatable, even years later in adulthood.  The website of the International Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation is an excellent resource for more information.