Dissociation Made Simple: A Stigma-Free Guide to Embracing Your Dissociative Mind and Navigating Daily Life

by Jamie Marich PHD, Jaime Pollack M.ED. (Foreword by)

Overview

Dissociation 101: The go-to guide for understanding your dissociative disorder, breaking the stigma, and healing from trauma-related dissociation.

"Just as important as The Body Keeps the Score (but an easier read for me)."
—5-star reader review

Guided by clinical counselor Jamie Marich—a trauma-informed clinician living with a dissociative disorder herself—this book tells you everything you need to know about dissociation...but were too afraid to ask.
Here, you’ll learn:

• What dissociation is—and why it’s a natural response to trauma

• How to understand and work with your “parts”—the unique emotional and behavioral profiles that can develop from personality fragmentation

• There’s nothing shameful about dissociating—that, in fact, we can all dissociate

• Skills and strategies for living your best, authentic, and most fulfilled life

• What to look for in a therapist: choosing a healer who sees you and gets it

• Foundational elements of healing from trauma, including PTSD and C-PTSD

With practical guided exercises like “The Dissociative Profile” and “Parts Mapping,” this book is written for those diagnosed with dissociative disorders, clinicians and therapists who treat trauma and dissociation, and readers who are exploring whether they may have dissociative symptoms or a condition like dissociative identity disorder (DID). Dissociation Made Simple breaks it all down accessibly and comprehensively, with empowerment and support—and without stigma, judgment, or shame.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623177218
Publisher:	North Atlantic Books
Publication date:	01/10/2023
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

JAMIE MARICH, Ph.D. (she/they) speaks internationally on topics related to EMDR therapy, trauma, addiction, dissociation, expressive arts, yoga, and mindfulness, and maintains a private practice in her home base of Warren, OH. Marich has written numerous books, notably Trauma and the 12 Steps: An Inclusive Guide to Recovery. She has won numerous awards for LGBT+ and mental health advocacy, specifically in reducing stigma around dissociative disorders through the sharing of her own lived experience.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xiii

Glossary of Terms xv

Foreword xix

Introduction Dissociation is Not a Dirty Word 1

1 The Dance of Dissociation 25

2 So, Is There Anything Really Wrong with My Brain? 45

3 How to Build Grounding and Safety Skills 75

4 The Wide World of Parts and Systems 105

5 The Dissociative Profile 135

6 Options for Treatment and Healing 157

7 Removing the Stigma and Creating a New Narrative 183

Conclusion The Gifts of Dissociation 207

Appendix A For Clinicians and Therapists 221

Appendix B For Loved Ones, Friends, and Connections of People with Dissociative Disorders and Complex Trauma 237

Recommended Reading and Resources 247

Notes 253

Index 259

About the Author 265

Editorial Reviews

"Just as important as The Body Keeps the Score (but an easier read for me)."
—5-star reader review

"... a refreshing and necessary addition to the clinical discussion of trauma and dissociation."—EMMA SUNSHAW, creator of the System Speak podcast and author of If Tears Were Prayers

"The fresh approach we’ve needed ... that challenges the status quo of treatment and the stigma around mental health and addiction."—ANNA DAVID, best-selling author of Party Girl 

"I will recommend this book to my clients."—VERONICA VALLI, author of Soberful and cohost of the Soberful podcast

"Marich’s honesty about her personal experiences combined with her professional knowledge serve to demystify and de-pathologize a common adaptive survival response and to provide readers with hope and embodied self-compassion."
—JANE CLAPP, author and founder of Jungian Somatics

"An honest look at the realities dissociative survivors face—within and outside of the mental health care system."—ADRIAN A. FLETCHER, PsyD, MA, psychologist, writer, and empowerment speaker living and thriving with dissociative identities

"As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and complex trauma with dissociative identity disorder (DID), I've been waiting for this book."—LARRY RUHL, artist, advocate, and author of the best-selling memoir Breaking the Ruhls

"Dr. Jamie Marich is the rebel pilot that the trauma field desperately needs.... all readers will find value in this book."—JUSTINE MASTIN, MA, LMFT, LADC, E-RYT 200, coauthor of Starship Therapise

"This book offers solutions that empower, motivate, and inspire us to stay the course on our healing journey."—ANNA PIRKL, coauthor of Transforming Trauma with Jiu-Jitsu

"If you are looking for a sensitive and respectful work on dissociation . . . you will find it here. This is the book for us."—DR. ANDRÉ MAURÍCIO MONTEIRO, Espaçao da mente, Brazil
 
"Groundbreaking. . . . A must-read for anyone looking to improve their mental health and break free from the stigma of dissociation."—ERICA HORNTHAL, LCPC, BC-DMT, author of Body Aware
 
"[This book] approaches the topic on a human level with real-life examples, avoiding academic jargon and providing straightforward ways of looking at dissociation."—ANN GOELITZ, PhD, LCSW, author of From Trauma to Healing
 
"A must-read for any clinician working with trauma, as well as anyone who experiences dissociation or who has a relationship with someone who does.”
—PAUL FOXMAN, PhD, author of Dancing with Fear
 
"Dissociation Made Simple has taken my understanding as a trauma-informed somatic therapist to a whole new level. Bravo to Jamie Marich."
—STEPHANIE CITRON, PhD, clinical psychologist and trainer
 
"Dr. Marich instructs readers how to recast their unique experiences with dissociation as the superpower it is."—AARON SANDERS, director of GARAGE and Founder of 72 Hour Hold
 
"Insightful, stigma-smashing, and lovingly well-informed, this book . . . masters beautifully what our field should have done all along: honor and amplify the voices of those with lived experience.”
—TYNDAL E. SCHREINER, MA, LPC, blogger and social media educator

From the Publisher