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

412 Pages·2023·3.157 MB·English

by  Jamie Marich, Phd

CONTENTS
Title Page
Praise for Dissociation Made Simple
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Glossary of Terms
Foreword
Introduction
Dissociation and the Human Experience
What Does Dissociation Even Mean?
Bridging the Personal and the Professional
Can Understanding Dissociation Really Be Made
Simple?
Phenomenology: Celebrating Our Lived Experience
We Ask You to Take Care of Yourself
1: The Dance of Dissociation
Defining Dissociation through Lived Experience
Expanding Perspectives on Dissociation and Healing
2: So, Is There Anything Really Wrong with My Brain?
What’s Happening in My Brain?
How Dissociation Shows Up in a Variety of Diagnoses
We Exist—Even amidst the Controversies and Myths
3: How to Build Grounding and Safety Skills (When You’re
Used to Escaping the Moment and Not Being Safe)
Grounding: Meanings and Layers
101+ Ways to Ground
Developing a Plan That Works for You
Trauma- and Dissociation-Informing Your Practices
The Complexity of Safety
4: The Wide World of Parts and Systems: Different Styles of
Dancing with Life
Introducing Parts and Exploring Various Models for
Parts Work
Metaphors and Meaning: The Wisdom of Our
Contributors
Empowering the Healing Path and Language We
Choose
5: The Dissociative Profile
The Window of Tolerance versus the Wheel of
Tolerance
Intersectionality and Connections to Dissociation
Making the Dissociative Profile and Self-Study Work
for You
6: Options for Treatment and Healing
The Integration of Approaches
Specific Modalities
Cautionary Tales
The Relational Process of Therapy and Healing Arts
7: Removing the Stigma and Creating a New Narrative
Myths, Misconceptions, Stereotypes, and
Controversies
Media Portrayal of Dissociation and Dissociative
Disorders
Our Contributors Speak
Being Agents for Change in Dissociated Systems
Conclusion
From the Lived Experience of Our Superheroes
A Final Call to Action for All Readers
Appendix A
Professional Voices
Relational Issues
Technical Considerations
Points of Fusion between Relational Work and Clinical
Techniques
Appendix B
Educating Yourself as a Trusted Other
Validating and Asking Appropriate Questions
Being Helpful with Grounding and Regulating
Recommended Reading and Resources
Organizations
Websites, Blogs, and Other Tools
Podcasts
Apps
Books (Memoir)
Books (Fiction or Expressive Arts)
Books (Informational)
Articles
Endnotes
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Conclusion
Appendix A for Clinicians and Therapists
Index
About the Author
About North Atlantic Books

Dissociation Made Simple
A Stigma-Free Guide toEmbracing Your
Dissociative Mindand Navigating Daily Life
Jamie Marich, PhD
Foreword by Jaime Pollack, MED, ITDS

Praise for Dissociation Made Simple
“Challenging many practices even within trauma-informed care,
this book gives us the fresh approach we’ve needed to look at
dissociation—and thus at addiction—in a way that challenges the
status quo of treatment and the stigma around mental health and
addiction.”
—ANNA DAVID, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR
OF PARTY GIRL AND FOUNDER OF LEGACY LAUNCH PAD
PUBLISHING
“Jamie Marich brings her lived experiences forward in this bold
new book. Both scientifically grounded and authentic in its
expression, Dissociation Made Simple is 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
“Dr. Jamie Marich is a pioneer in the trauma-recovery field. Her
expert strategies are always accompanied by compassion and
kindness. Her depth of knowledge means that you are always in
good hands. I will recommend this book to my clients.”
—VERONICA VALLI, AUTHOR OF SOBERFUL AND COHOST
OF THE SOBERFUL PODCAST
“Jamie 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.
Dissociation Made Simple balances neuroscience with a much-
needed spiritual-injury lens often missing in clinical settings.”
—JANE CLAPP, AUTHOR AND FOUNDER OF JUNGIAN
SOMATICS
“Dissociation Made Simple takes an honest look at the realities
dissociative survivors face—within and outside of the mental
health care system. A helpful guide for both survivors and
practitioners, this book normalizes dissociation as the brilliant,
adaptive coping mechanism that it truly is. Thank you, Jamie, for
your courage and commitment.”
—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. Not only does it provide everyday tools and exercises, but it
also allows you to feel and heal on a profound level. It is an
indispensable resource. Dissociation Made Simple is a must-read
across the broad spectrum of trauma-recovery work.”
—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. Skillfully balancing research with personal
narratives, Dissociation Made Simple is as informative as it is
engaging. Dr. Marich invites readers to recognize the multiplicity
of their own mind and to recognize that all humans dissociate and
contain an inner multiverse. Whether this information is new or a
familiar personal experience, all readers will find value in this
book. The message is clear in the writing: all readers are
welcome.”
—JUSTINE MASTIN, MA, LMFT, LADC, E-RYT 200,
COAUTHOR OF STARSHIP THERAPISE