Most of what people know about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) comes from movies and short videos, and those media portrayals often have little to do with what DID is actually like. To get the real picture, today on the Being Well Podcast, Forrest is joined by Dr. Milissa Kaufman and Dr. Lauren Lebois, experts in dissociative disorders and trauma research, to discuss understanding dissociation. Dr. Kaufman had DID herself, went through treatment, and made a full recovery.
They explore the spectrum of dissociation, from everyday experiences to clinical presentations like DID, before talking about how DID develops as a childhood adaptation to trauma, the problem with the term “multiple personality disorder,” and what the brain science tells us. Milissa describes her own “inside people,” the shame and secrecy associated with DID, and the slow shift from “that wasn’t me” to “that was me all along.” They then cover what treatment looks like, what to actually look for in a therapist, and what recovery means.
About our Guests:
Dr. Milissa Kaufman is a trauma psychiatrist at McLean Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Lauren Labois is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. They are co-directors of the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research program at McLean Hospital.
Check out the Trauma Continuum at Hill Center: https://traumacontinuum.org/
Key Topics
- 0:00: Dr. Kaufman’s experience with DID
- 6:51: The spectrum of dissociation: Depersonalization, Derealization, and Dissociative Identity Disorder
- 13:35: DID and childhood trauma
- 17:30: What DID feels like on the inside
- 25:02: [Sponsor] Zocdoc
- 22:58: The paradoxes and shame involved with DID
- 36:46: History of skepticism around DID, and the role of modern neuroscience
- 43:09: Treatment for DID and trauma-informed treatment
- 1:00:43: Understanding dissociation: what healing and recovery looks like
- 1:10:48: Recap
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