Understanding Dissociative Disorders & Healing Fragmentation

Dissociation is more common than most people realize. Have you ever driven home and suddenly realized you don’t remember the drive? Or lost time scrolling your phone? These are mild, everyday forms of dissociation — your mind’s way of checking out for a bit.

Brief dissociation can be part of how the nervous system copes. But when it happens often, causes distress, or becomes a default response to overwhelming emotions, it deserves care — not judgment. Therapy can help you feel more present, grounded, and supported in your experience.

When Does Dissociation Become a Disorder?

For some people, dissociation becomes more persistent or intense — affecting memory, identity, relationships, or daily functioning. These patterns often develop in response to complex or ongoing trauma, especially in childhood. Dissociative disorders are not “attention-seeking” or rare. They are creative, protective adaptations formed to survive what was once unbearable.

What Are the Different Types of Dissociative Disorders?

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, DID involves two or more distinct identity states or “parts” that share the work of daily life. Each part may hold different memories, emotions, preferences, or roles. Common signs include time loss, internal conflict, or finding unfamiliar items or writing.

DID reflects the mind’s extraordinary capacity to protect itself.

Dissociative Amnesia

This involves memory loss that can’t be explained by ordinary forgetting. You may lose access to specific events, identity information, or relational history — especially when trauma is involved.

Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

You may feel detached from your body, thoughts, or surroundings — like you’re watching yourself from the outside or like the world isn’t real. Episodes can be brief or ongoing, and often feel frightening or confusing.

Other Specified Dissociative Disorder

This diagnosis includes dissociative symptoms that don’t meet full criteria for the above categories, but still cause significant distress or impact. Many people with complex trauma and internal systems fall under OSDD, often without knowing it for years.

How Can Therapy Help with Dissociation?

You don’t have to explain it all. You don’t need to know the right words. You only need to bring the parts of you that are ready — or even unsure.

At Reclaiming Hope Wellness Center, we offer compassionate, trauma-informed therapy for adults across Illinois. Whether dissociation is new for you, long-standing, or hard to name, we create space for every part of your experience — including the parts that have had to hide.
Therapy may help you:

Reduce time loss or memory gaps
Increase communication between parts
Strengthen grounding and regulation
Build internal trust, safety, and understanding
Make sense of your experience with less shame and more support

We draw from evidence-based, body-informed, and parts-aware approaches such as:

Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Somatic Experiencing®
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing)
Narrative work and parts mapping
Trauma-informed CBT
DBT skills for grounding and containment

You Are Not Broken — You Adapted to Survive

Whether you’re just beginning to explore dissociation or have been navigating internal systems for years, you are not alone. Therapy offers a space to reconnect with yourself and reclaim a sense of safety, dignity, and possibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to have a diagnosis to begin therapy for dissociation?
No. We work with people at all stages of discovery — including those who aren’t sure if what they’re experiencing “counts.” You don’t need a label to begin healing.

What if I don’t know my parts or system very well yet?
That’s okay. You don’t have to have clarity. Therapy can be a place to get to know your system gently, with care and pacing that respects where you are now.

Is this work just for people with DID or OSDD?
Not at all. Dissociation exists on a spectrum, and many people without a formal diagnosis still benefit from trauma-informed, parts-aware care. We support a wide range of dissociative experiences — from fogginess to fragmentation.

Is virtual therapy effective for dissociation?
Yes. With strong structure, pacing, and somatic awareness, telehealth can be a safe and effective container. We offer secure, trauma-informed care to clients across Illinois.

If any part of you is curious or uncertain, we invite you to reach out. We offer telehealth services throughout Illinois and would be honored to support your healing.

Explore More Support

Dissociation often develops in response to overwhelming experiences. Many clients also find themselves navigating other areas of distress or growth. You might also explore:

Trauma, PTSD & Complex PTSD – If parts of you carry trauma memories, protective strategies, or unmet needs from the past
Anxiety – When internal conflict or hypervigilance keeps your system on edge
Depression – If emotional numbing, shutdown, or disconnection are taking a toll
Life Transitions – When identity shifts or major life changes bring dissociative parts forward
Grief – If loss—recent or historic—feels too much to hold all at once

Offering Telehealth Services to Illinois Residents