Dissociative disorders include disruption with memory, identity, emotion, perception, behaviour and sense of self. Dissociative symptoms can potentially disrupt every area of mental functioning. The disturbance may be sudden or gradual, temporary or long-lasting; those signs and symptoms are often caused by psychological trauma. Dissociative symptoms are common in traumatic stress syndromes (e.g., complex posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], borderline personality disorder and dissociative disorders)
There are three types of dissociative disorders:
- Dissociative identity disorder
- Dissociative amnesia
- Depersonalization/derealization disorder
Symptoms and signs of dissociative disorders are varied, but may include:
- Memory loss (amnesia) of certain time periods, events, people and personal information
- A sense of being detached from yourself and your emotions
- A perception of the people and things around you as distorted and unreal
- A blurred sense of identity
- Significant stress or problems in your relationships, work or other important areas of your life
- Lack of ability to bare emotion and control emotions
EMDR Therapy, Structural Dissociation Theory and Narrative Exposure Therapy are our approaches in phase- oriented treatment of dissociative disorders. We use treatment approaches without exceeding clients’ integrative capacity or window of tolerance.