On the hunt for the elusive ‘felt sense of safety’ we might notice that we can only feel safe within the space we are actually in. Our consciousness is a wanderer. It wanders through thoughts emotions the body memories the space we are in an inner world When it is in one […]
basics
High Stress Events and preventing Retraumatization
[CN: This article might bring up memories of retraumatization. Some people might feel guilt or shame for not ‘having done it right’. The article only offers ideas. There is no way to really do it right. We always do the best we can and positive results are never guaranteed, even if we know all the […]
Resolving complex situations with DID parts
Sometimes we run into problems that are more complex than a flashback. It needs more than simple Grounding or separating past from present. Several parts are activated at the same time and they are influencing each other in a way that maintains the problem. We have to actively intervene. I will explain 3 different versions […]
Learning how to Reflect about the Inner Experience
Those of you who have read books on DID treatment have seen the phrase ‘the phobia of the inner experience’ and noticed that the reflection about this experience is a basic skill for all inner work. But scientists always forget to explain what the Inner Experience is supposed to be. How would we know? Nobody […]
Alternative versions of body scans
A body scan is a mindfulness exercise in which we are instructed to become aware of different body parts in a set order. It is a standard exercise in PTSD treatment because it helps many people to feel more grounded in the present and it increases stability and the ability to self-regulate. People with cPTSD […]
Befriending dissociated parts: First Steps
Some people with DID grow up thinking that having Others inside is normal because they always had a way to communicate with each other. But a lot of people are surprised by their diagnosis. They didn’t suspect anything and they don’t have any idea how to make first contact. There might be awareness of blackouts […]
Untangling mixed experiences (using percentages)
We will sometimes experience situations where we can’t figure out how to regulate ourselves or how to solve a problem and just using more Orientation and Grounding is not doing the trick. The experience isn’t happening only in the present, only for us as a part or only within our person. Things got mixed up. […]
Exercise for crisis prevention
We can think of our experience with stress as a spectrum. At one end of the spectrum we are relaxed and not stressed at all, at the other end we experience crisis. And then there are stages in between. We can use the spectrum to assess our situation. That way our interventions can be […]
Reducing Amnesia – Developing Co-Consciousness
I wish I could offer you smart tricks on how to reduce amnesia, but I don’t know any. What I know is boring and takes time. First we try to fill in the gaps in our knowledge through inner communication. Later we practice co-consciousness to avoid having amnesia altogether. The solution for not having […]
Managing Emotional Flashbacks
The tricky thing about flashbacks that are purely emotional is recognizing them for what they are. We are stuck in an emotional experience from the past. Yet the nature of the trigger would often justify that kind of emotion, just not the level of intensity and the duration. Over time we can learn to […]
Dual Awareness
Dual awareness is an important mental skill that is needed for regulation and trauma processing. For dual awareness we need to be able to pay attention to our inner reality and our senses, that tell us about the outside reality at the same time. That way we can stay oriented and grounded in triggering situations. […]
Open and focused attention exercises
Our attention is one of the most basic tools we use in therapy and it is also an area of struggle for many. Sometimes we narrow our attention too much. It limits our awareness to that one area of experience that is painful or problematic. That way we are unable to notice all the other […]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 6
- Next Page »