FREE EFT World Summit Event

If you will recall, I previously mentioned Emotional Freedom Technique as a resource for relieving symptoms for PTSD and other daily stresses. Nick Ortner is offering a free online event called the EFT World Summit. Nick believes that anyone can 'tap away' anything and he stands by his motto of 'try it on everything'. Here is the info on the Summit. Hope to 'see' you there.

*** *F*R*E*E* Online Event from Nick Ortner ***


Go here to see a video from Nick Ortner, producer of the
Try It On Everything documentary, introducing the EFT World
Summit:
http://www.tryitoneverything.com/cmd.php?Clk=2944704

His original idea was to put on a
live event but I think he realised he could reach more
people online - and could also make it free. :)

Nick has the best EFT gurus on board - Carol Look, Dr.
Patricia Carrington, Brad Yates, Bob Doyle, Carol Tuttle,
16 in all.

Head over and check it out:
http://www.tryitoneverything.com/cmd.php?Clk=2944704

I don't think anyone has ever put together this amount of
EFT material from different experts before, it's 9 days of
online seminars twice a day. I'm really looking forward to
it.

Featured Resource - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

I get so sick and tired of people who know about my DID telling me - in a voice like I have a knife - 'You're safe now. You don't have to do what you do anymore...the dissociation. You're all grown now.' Um... yeah - if there were a switch, I would have turned it off before I lost my damned job and my family! I am constantly looking for different things that I can do to help us not necessarily integrate, but certainly have consistent co-consciousness and to that end, I ran across EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing.

The premise behind EMDR is to have several physical things going on at the same time that cognitive therapy is occurring. Some therapist will have the patient follow their finger as they move it from side to side while continuing on with something similar to exposure therapy - having the patient relive the trauma. This technique has proved to be most effective with those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

There is some general controversy to using this on DID patients and some of the controversy in using EMDR for those with DID fall in line with the current movement of some mental health professionals to get DID removed from the upcoming DSM-V, and the controversy is this - because of the high hypnotic susceptibility of DID patients, skeptics question whether EMDR practitioners wouldn't involuntarily (or voluntarily) place false memories into the minds of DID patients during the EMDR exercise.

Honestly, I don't know - but I'd be willing to sit and follow a finger like a cat follows a ball dangling from yarn if it meant I'd get better and be able to get back out into society - whole and without the irrational fears that seem to have me paralyzed and so isolated. Now to find a therapist who 1. Acknowledges DID and 2. Practices EMDR and 3. Is willing to use it on a non co-conscience DID patient who looses time like people loose socks in the dryer.

Wish me luck?

10 Tips to Avoid Self-Harm and Cutting

I know I can't be the only one who has to fight the urge to cut. Sometimes, I win; sometimes I end up with a mess to clean up and a few cuts to hide. I can't make up my mind if the reason I cut is because I just want to feel something, anything - or if I want the release of the blood. Honestly, I think it is both for me. Your reason for self-harm is your own...I can only speak about myself in this as self-harm is just so.....personal. I haven't cut in a while I'm happy to say, but I get the urge to do so more often than I'd care to admit. I know self-harm is a very strong urge to resist, so here are 10 tips to help resist the urge. Some are tried and true; some I haven't tried yet but think they might work. I believe that the self-harm urge (particularly cutting) is like cancer - it never goes away, but it can go into remission.

Before we begin, know the Self-Injurer's Bill of Rights, so if you end up cutting or self-harming, you know your rights when you are being treated for your injuries. So without further delay:

1. Get up and move.
Put your sneakers on and run, jog, run-in-place, do some Pilates, run up and down your staircase at home - just get yourself moving. The endorphins released by physical exercise might help decrease the urge. If you find that after a few minutes, you're still feeling the urge, push your body physically a little more. Add a shout and some arm waving to whatever you're doing. What you're trying to do here is release that build-up of internal pressure...that urge - without self-harming.

2. Scream.
Yes, that's right - scream. Throw your head back and let 'er rip. Scream out all that internal pressure, scream out your pain - scream, scream, scream! This works best (of course) if you're alone. I scream sometimes in the car when I'm driving. I try not to do it at a stop light (cause the people in the cars next to you will think you're nuts), but honestly - since you'll probably never see those people again, who cares what they think?

3. Write in your journal.
If you have a journal, use it. Write out the feelings that can't be expressed verbally. Even being numb is a feeling. What would things be like for you if you could feel? When you allow yourself to feel, it is too painful to deal with so you'd rather face physical pain than emotional - I get it; but can you face the emotional pain by writing some of all of it down? Do you cry? Write about it. Allow the others to come out and write as well. Just for a few minutes, open yourself up on paper. Let it out. Sometimes when I do this, I'll burn the written words after wards...just too personal - even for myself. Be careful with this one, though. Sometimes, others inside will really resent your writing things down and may give you massive headaches.

4. Arts and Crafts.
Here lately, I've been playing around with crocheting and knitting not only to fight the urge to cut, but also as a stress reliever. Some times I need to crochet a bit before I can post to this blog because the mere fact that I've created this blogspot in and of itself is sometimes very triggering for me. You don't have to be creative or even particularly artistic to do crafts. Get yourself a 'how-to' on a craft you'd like to learn and dive in. If you already have experience - pull out your materials and have fun. Singing a song you enjoy can also help.

5. Call a friend or your therapist.
Phone a friend and gossip, or talk about the latest fashions. Men, call and talk about sports or whatever you and your friend have in common that isn't related at all to self-harm. Go meet up for a cup o' coffee or something. Going to see a movie would work as well. Be comfortable enough with this friend that if you need to walk out on a movie that is triggering, you can do so without it being a big deal.

6. Watch some comedy.
It is true that laughter is the best medicine. Laughter also releases endorphins that might help with relieving some of the internal pressure. When I'm feeling depressed I'll seek out comedy. When I feel like cutting, I do the same thing. And I stay away from my razor blades. I use them to arch my eyebrows (no hate mail please...plucking takes too long). I also use them for cutting, so although most times they are used to keep my uni brow under control, I'm not kidding myself about them, either.

7. Interact with your pet.
Pets are wonderful for giving unconditional love. I used to wrap my arms around my dog's neck and just hug her. She'd lick my arm or hand and just stand there leaning into me until I let her go. Find comfort in your pet. Play with her, give her a tickle. Show her the love you don't feel at the time and she's pay it forward to you tenfold.

8. Pray, meditate and positive affirmations.
I don't know your religious bend, or even if you are spiritual, but sometimes prayer and meditation can help relief the urge to cut and self-harm. I used to walk a labyrinth sometimes during my lunch hour when I worked. It helped to calm the system and decreased the urge to cut. You can create a labyrinth in your home on the floor without putting a pattern down. Just take slow, purposeful steps in whichever pattern you find smoothing. Breath in deeply as your heel makes contact with the floor and exhale when the ball of your foot makes contact with the floor. Alternate and just continue to deep breath.

9. Create a contract with yourself (selves).
Draw up a written contact that you sign and commit yourself to that creates a reward system for not self-harming and cutting. For example, create a time line reward system that says, 'if you go without cutting or self-harm for 3 months, you will reward yourself with a $50.00 spending spree to Victoria Secret'. With the time line reward system, the longer you go without cutting, the larger the reward. Perhaps your 1 year anniversary of not cutting or self-harm could be a trip to the Bahamas. Be creative with this, but make it something that's realistic to your budget and personal living situation.

10. Instead of a razor, use a red marker.
Or some body paint. Take a non permanent red marker, and put the same marks on your body that you would have with the razor. For me, sometimes I just need to see the blood - you know? With a marker, you can draw blood WITHOUT drawing blood. And once the urge passes, you can just wash that 'pain' away and feel okay in knowing that you don't have new scars forming on your body.

One final note. If you do end up cutting, don't think you can't start over and try some of these tips again. Just find something that works AT THAT MOMENT so that you don't self-harm or cut and be willing to switch it up and be creative.

{{{{{{{{{{{ HUGS }}}}}}}}}}}}

Featured Resource - Emotional Freedom Technique

This week, I am featuring one resource that I have found particularly beneficial in decreasing - if not at times completely getting rid of my symptoms of PTSD and depression. This resource is called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It is a form of acupressure that involves the emotions and the internal ‘Life Force’ (Chi, Chakras).

We all know that dissociative disorders begin in the mind and manifest themselves through various physical ways including insomnia, anxiety, arrhythmia, depression, high blood pressure, and migraines – just to name a few. Well, in the past – like most of you – I have gone to the doctor to be treated for these ailments…all of which are just symptoms of my various dissociative disorders. The cause of these physical illnesses were never really addressed (partly my fault of course).

I don’t know about you, but I got sick and tired of being sick and tired. I wasn’t getting anywhere fast with my therapist (I didn’t want to relive my trauma), and my psychiatrist just continued to increase the dosage on my anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication – which did little to reduce the constant manifestations of other physical symptoms from my psyche. I was even prescribed pretty heavy-duty anti-seizure medication for migraine and absence seizures. I was taking medication to pick me up, bring me down, make me sleepy, keep me awake, give me diarrhea, make me constipated, push me/pull you, back and forth adjusting dosages - until one day, I’d simply had enough! I told my therapist that I wanted to stop treatment...such as it was (again, I’m taking responsibility for the non-progress of therapy) and began searching for alternatives. After looking through a hoard of mental health listings in my local area, I began to notice that some therapists offered EFT. I didn’t know what it was, so I looked it up online and was instantly intrigued.

I eventually came across a website for Gary Craig – the person who ‘created’ the EFT method, but I noticed that his materials were out of my price range and targeted at mental health professionals. I continued to search and found Steward Robertson’s course called EFT Total Immersion training. In a word – the price was right and I was so fed up with the medication I was on, I figured I didn’t have anything more to lose – so I ordered it.

Now, I have to say that I felt like a fool sitting around tapping myself here and there, saying the affirmation that was called for, but heavens help me – I didn’t want to continue to be a zombie and ‘pill popper’, either. And, I can say that I didn’t notice anything particularly different after my first session, my body was a little tender around the points that I’d tapped, due to me constantly tapping them for 10 minutes, but other than that – nada. The next time I applied the technique, however – I could immediately begin to feel relief from the migraine I had. It was terrific, especially since I’d been terrified of making it worse by tapping on my head and face.

I've had many successful sessions since then, and am first-hand testament that EFT works – and not just on migraines, either. It has helped me release some mental pain associated with my disorders and the nice thing about the EFT Total Immersion training program is it is a complete training program, not just those bits and pieces I saw on Youtube. I typically did my tapping in the bathroom so others at home wouldn’t see because as I said, I did feel rather silly about it.

For some it isn't a cure all, but if you continue to tap, it does provide you with some relief. Depending on what you're tapping, and how often you tap it, you may be able to rid yourself of certain undesirable habits and behaviors permanently.

10 Daily Tips for Living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

As I said in the beginning, this site is just as much for you as it is for me. So as per your request [thank you for leaving your kind words], here are some tips on reducing the headache of living with dissociative identity disorder (DID). There really are no hard and fast rules for 'dealing' with it unfortunately, since what worked well yesterday might not today and what works for one personality, might not work for the others. So, knowing all that - here are 10 general tips for living with DID on a daily basis. The number one thing to remember with all this is - Be Flexible.

1. If you drive, get yourself a GPS (global positioning system)
Depending on how fragmented you are, which of the alters drive, and what's going on inside the 'system' (is it chaotic? calm? is everyone mostly working together?) sometimes, the body ends up across town - or worse halfway across the state (or further) before you realize it. Here's how it goes - one minute you're standing in your kitchen cooking dinner or talking to your significant other; *blink your eyes* and the next minute you're behind the wheel of your car without a CLUE as to where you are going, why you're there, or how to get back. Program the GPS for home first thing. Just last week this [psychogenic fugue] happened to me, and I ended up near the Canadian border!

2. Put up an internal whiteboard or keep an external notebook.
One of the most important things you can do to try to keep some sort conscious continuity between your parts is to make it mandatory that all of you keep notes in some central notebook or internal whiteboard. Because we tend to lose time due to personalities switching, it is vital that detailed notes are kept. Some people are able to keep an internal 'whiteboard' where the alters write notes of important things they've done or committed to (doctor's appointments, dates, exams); others keep an external notebook that everyone writes in. I've been able to make both available though the whiteboard gets neglected.

3. Let people around you know how to call out your more cooperative personalities - just in case.
Sometimes when the system is in chaos or is having a panic attack, it is helpful that someone around you that you trust is able to call out a calming personality - one that will get things under control for the system. But only do this if you're comfortable and trust the person; otherwise, the 'shout out' won't do any good. In fact, it might trigger a protector [potentially violent alter].

4. Secure your funds.
Understand that there are more than just you spending your money and wanting to spend your money. So, if you have bills to pay, pay them first as soon as you have money. Better yet - have the bills on autopay or try to pre-pay them so that you don't have as much debt. That way - the bills get paid whether you remember or not. Make sure that your financial responsibilities and living requirements are taken care of straight away, so that if someone spends your money, it won't effect your lifestyle. Try to never have your ATM card on you and see if you can set up a two-signature check writing arrangement with your bank. Just going into knowing that there is a big chance that someone will drain your bank account by purchasing things you personally don't need or want, but they may take a fancy to.

5. Have a place for important papers or unexpected documents (traffic tickets, IRS notices, etc.) and make sure that everyone in the system knows to have a look at that place when they are out.
This falls in line with trying to keep as close to a continuous consciousness as possible. Not all alters are considerate or care to cooperate with the others; Some are extremely reckless, in fact. Make sure you keep all your documents in one place; here's a real life example of why. Imagine you're in your car and for whatever reason, you get pulled over and find out you have outstanding tickets and a warrant. That would annoy even the most gentlest of people. Something similar to this happened to me. So, make sure you keep your papers in the one place - no matter how horrible (I've had some alters hide documents from the rest of us). This is a tough tip to adhere to as you'll have to get the others to agree and not hide stuff. Be willing to be a mediator.

6. Keep an emergency contact phone number (next of kin) in your purse, wallet, and/or cellphone.
Even people without DID should have this information handy. For those of us with DID though, it is also important that we have the contact information of our psychiatrist and/or therapist or treatment facility.

7. Set up a safety network for yourself in case of a panic attack or similar emergency.
It is so important to have a support team when you have DID. Your team might include your significant other, understanding friends, your therapist, even your child. It is also important for me to say that it isn't always necessary that any of these people know that you have DID, either. People that care about you will assist you anyway they can and most times - without asking a lot of questions. Seek out those people you can trust and build your safety network from there.

8. Keep all prescription drugs secure and keep a journal of when you take them.
Unfortunately, there are alters who are suicidal and who hate the body in general and hate all the other personalities as well. At some point, these alters do come out and sometimes harm the body either by putting it in dangerous situations, by self-mutilating, or attempted drug overdose. So, it is best to keep the drugs in a location that these alters don't know about. It is also a very good idea to keep a log of when you take your medication. Otherwise, if an alter comes out and doesn't know you've already taken your required dose, that alter may take another dose as well.

9. Become a good actor/actress.
Learn how to 'play it off' when someone comes up to you that you've never met and acts as if you two are good friends. These people may be strangers to you, but could be best friends with one of your alters. You simply do not know because you did not have co-consciousness during the interaction with that person. So, become a good actor and/or actress when this occurs. Use your judgment with this one - I mean - you know a creeper when you see one, right? There's a difference. Just be careful.

10. Be prepared to have your child alters come out at Toys -R-Us and other places.
If you have child alters, be kind to them and have some things for them to play with around the house. I learned this the hard way when while at Toys-R-Us, one of my child alters came out, grabbed a toy and went running down the aisle with it - footloose and fancy free (at least that is what I was told later). Mind you - I'm a 42 year old woman. I don't have stuffed animals. I don't even have board games - yet there was the body running and playing. So, now I have a few toys at home and I have 'the talk' with my child alters before I go out to the mail or to the grocery store as I got really tired of finding sweet cereal and toys in the shopping cart at checkout time.

I do hope these tips will be helpful for you. Let me know if you have questions.

Featured Resource - the Women's Institute for Incorporation Therapy

This week's featured resource for dissociative disorders is the Women's Institute for Incorporation Therapy (WIIT). This facility is located in sunny Hollywood, Florida and is directed by Dr. William Tollefson, who has over seventeen years experience in treating various types of trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and dissociative disorders. Dr. Tollefson is surrounded by and excellent team of highly trained mental health professionals who take a vested interest in the well-being of the patients.


The therapy approach used at the Institute is called Incorporation Therapy. According to the information sheet of the Institute, Incorporation Therapy is a proactive approach to the stabilization of the internal crisis and chaos that is the hallmark of those suffering from dissociative disorders.

The Institute not only treats the disorders, but takes the time to educate the patient about why the patient processes life the way she does. That just is not done in most treating facilities of this type, making the Institute unique in the one respect; however, the Institute is truly unlike most treating facilities in several ways including but not limited to:

1. All patients are voluntarily admitted - that means no one is 'committed' to the Institute
2. No restraints of any kind are used - ever
3. No one forces you to recall buried traumatic memories
4. A contract is signed between therapist and patient and the patient takes an active part in her own treatment
5. The therapists are educators as well as facilitators of treatment
   

The list could go on. Patients are made to feel safe, secure and supported at the Institute from the moment they enter - and we know just how important that can be as we work at building the bridge between surviving and living.

We have survived; now it is time to LIVE. Please consider receiving treatment at WITT.

Incorporation Therapy is a process

• Facilitate the connection of the emotional

and cognitive systems.

• Defuse the pain that was fused with

past negative images.

• Rescuing the lost parts of self.

• Forgiving and Accepting Self.

Women's Institute for Incorporation Therapy