Dissociation coping skills group

40 sessions, offered once a year, fee-for-service. Please call Carmen at (978) 237-4730 or email for details, or to receive a brochure

Do you feel detached from your body or the world around you? Lacking memories of important life events?

Or maybe you’re often surprised at your unpredictable responses to events? Have you been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities)? If so, this group program may be of help.

We identify in which ways dissociation was adaptive in the past, learn how to approach dissociative parts and strategies with neutral curiosity and negotiate for inner teamwork, communication and new skill building.

Each week, we do this in four phases:

1. Information:

We learn about dissociation and complex PTSD, emotion regulation skills, containment strategies, inner resource building, present orienting parts stuck in trauma time, how to cope with dissociative symptoms related to triggers, discuss ways to resolve sleep and relationship problems, and many other difficulties of daily life.

2. Skill building:

In a supportive group environment, we practice many exercises hands-on using experiential exercises, including

  • Guided imagery visualizations

  • Ego state therapy and parts work

  • Inner child work

  • Self-hypnosis

  • Inner communication

  • Cognitive reframing

  • Flash EMDR technique

  • EFT

3. Debriefing:

We share our experiences, feelings and insights from exercises and homework assignments in group discussions. The group leader summarizes the main messages of the session and answers questions that may come up.

4. At-home practice:

Each week, group members complete assignments from the workbook we use to build new skills, decrease and resolve long-standing symptoms, challenge dissociative adaptations and replace them with more helpful means of coping.