How the Brain Creates Alters: The Neuroscience of DID
Discover videos that explain what alters are in DID, how they form through neural networks, and why they develop as part of the brain’s survival response.
Discover videos that explain what alters are in DID, how they form through neural networks, and why they develop as part of the brain’s survival response.
What is trauma, and how does it connect to DID? Trauma occurs when the nervous system is overwhelmed with helplessness and fear. For children—who have fewer ways to cope—abuse and neglect are especially devastating. DID develops as a survival response to repeated relational trauma in childhood, especially when no supportive caregiver is available to help process what happened.
DID systems can have a few alters or over a hundred. This video explains what the number of alters means, why it can change, and how it affects recovery.
Protector parts sometimes imitate abusers—not because they want to hurt you, but because they’re stuck in the past and still trying to keep you safe. This video explains why protector parts double down on meanness, how their perspective differs from yours as an adult, and how you can begin showing them new ways to help.
https://youtu.be/yICL4xuH4Po I don’t know who came up with this metaphor, so I can’t give credit, but I find it is an excellent way to sum up the process of healing.…
Why do persecutor parts act like abusers? Often, they are scanning for anything that might trigger an abuser’s anger—or pushing you to behave in ways that minimized punishment in the past. This video explores these protective motivations and invites you to see persecutor parts with new understanding.
Therapy can change relationships — sometimes for the better, sometimes with loss. Learn why healing may lead to conflict, and how to rebuild healthier connections.
https://youtu.be/Xe6bbgafgms In this series, I’ve been sharing different ways perpetrator-imitating alters may be attempting to help even though you may not be experiencing it as helpful. Today, I want to…
https://youtu.be/c8oIZR8JMi8 I recently talked about some important reasons members of your system might be angry with you. You might think “so what?” if they are angry. That’s what I want…
https://youtu.be/3_M1vtM9qKY The vast majority of people who have DID had childhoods full of horrific and inescapable trauma. For these children safety just didn’t exist or it was fleeting and temporary.…