Understanding what helps, what harms, and how to choose trauma-informed care.

Therapy can be one of the most powerful supports for DID and complex trauma—but it can also feel confusing, risky, or even unsafe if your therapist isn’t prepared to work with dissociation. Trauma-informed therapy looks different from traditional approaches, and knowing what to look for matters.

Here you’ll find resources to help you make sense of therapy: videos on the three phases of trauma treatment, guidance on EMDR and CPT when used with DID, and practical tips for spotting red flags in therapists. You’ll also find a free checklist of questions you can ask before starting with a new therapist. My hope is that these tools give you more clarity, reduce some of the uncertainty, and help your system take steps toward safer healing.

Videos

Not sure where to start? These in-depth videos explore common questions about therapy and DID—from why therapists often miss dissociation, to what the three phases of trauma therapy really mean, to why healing sometimes causes friction in relationships. Each one is designed to help you better understand how therapy works (and sometimes doesn’t) for people with DID.

Why Therapy Might Not Be Helping and What You Can Do

Why do some people spend years in therapy with few results? Explore reasons progress can stall...

Relationships May Be Affected by Therapy

Therapy can change relationships — sometimes for the better, sometimes with loss. Learn why healing...

The Three Phases of Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy often follows a three-phase model known as the tri-phasic approach. Phase one builds...

Why Therapists Often Miss DID: 4 Common Reasons

Discover four reasons therapists often miss DID or OSDD — from lack of training to misconceptions —...

Is Your Therapy Really Trauma-Informed? What to Look For

What is trauma-informed therapy? Learn how safety, trust, client choice, and cultural sensitivity...

What Is Trauma-Informed Therapy? Part 2

Learn four key principles of trauma-informed therapy: avoiding re-traumatization, recognizing trauma...

EMDR for DID: Is It Safe?

Explore the risks and safeguards of using EMDR with DID and OSDD, including why pacing and protector...

EMDR for DID: Making Sure It’s Safe

Is EMDR safe for trauma and DID? Learn red flags, green flags, and the questions to ask your...

Resources

Before committing to a new therapist, it can help to ask the right questions. This free checklist gives you practical, straightforward prompts to bring into consultations—so you can quickly tell if a therapist is trauma-informed and safe for your system.

Free guide on safe EMDR for DID & OSDD. Learn therapist red/green flags, key questions to ask, and how to protect your system in trauma therapy.

Healing with DID is never a straight line—and therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all. By learning how trauma-informed care works, what red flags to watch for, and how different approaches like EMDR or CPT may affect dissociation, you can make choices that protect your system and support real progress.
Take what’s useful here and go at your own pace. Healing is possible—and with the right therapy, your system can find the safety and support it needs to grow.