Structural dissociation

[saylor]

I have been trying to understand dissociation and all the ways I may be experiencing it. This podcast talks about something called "structural dissociation", and it was something I could really relate to. Basically it was described as the way abused children can function in an impossibly violent environment—like how a child may be beaten by his parent on a given night, for example, and then have to show up at breakfast and act normal the next day, and then go to school and not tell anyone and try to learn despite all the chaos awaiting at home. This was totally my life. Basically the child has to split off different personas for survival—there are no other options, since the child can't escape, or change the parent's behavior, and therefore has to make do with things as they are.

The woman being interviewed is very insightful and she shed a lot of light on things I had never fully put together myself before.

https://baltimoreannapolispsychotherapypodcast.libsyn.com/190-structural-dissociation

ETA: Actually, as I read more (http://did-research.org/origin/structural_dissociation/index.html), rather than splitting off, as the underlying process, it might have more to do with failure to integrate the various ego states during the crucial integration period in childhood, because "the coherent sense of self cannot form when the primary caregivers of the child are inconsistent, loving one moment and abusive the next, preventing healthy attachment from occurring and instead facilitating disorganized attachment."

[Not Alone]

Thanks, Saylor. I saved these to look at another time.

[Hope67]

Thank you Saylor, I just listened to this podcast - and it really helped me to hear Kathy Steele talk.  I've read her book, and I must re-read it - because I relate to so much that she said in her podcast - she described many things that I relate to.

Hope 

[Lilypad]

Yeah my therapist says I am structurally dissociated. My job now is to help the different parts of me to get to know each other. We are doing Internal Family Systems therapy to help with that