About this episode

Forrest Hanson discusses Dissociative Identity Disorder with experts Dr. Milissa Kaufman and Dr. Lauren Lebois, exploring its realities, treatment, and personal experiences.

Most of what people know about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) comes from movies and short videos, and those media portrayals often have little to do with what DID is actually like. To get the real picture, today Forrest is joined by Dr. Milissa Kaufman and Dr. Lauren Lebois, experts in dissociative disorders and trauma research. Dr. Kaufman had DID herself, went through treatment, and made a full recovery.  They explore the spectrum of dissociation, from everyday experiences to clinical presentations like DID, before talking about how DID develops as a childhood adaptation to trauma, the problem with the term “multiple personality disorder,” and what the brain science tells us. Milissa describes her own “inside people,” the shame and secrecy associated with DID, and the slow shift from "that wasn't me" to "that was me all along." They then cover what treatment looks like, what to actually look for in a therapist, and what recovery means. About our Guests: Dr. Milissa Kaufman is a trauma psychiatrist at McLean Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Lauren Labois is a cognitive neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at…

People in this episode

Host: Forrest Hanson

Guests: Dr. Milissa Kaufman, Dr. Lauren Lebois

Topics covered

• Dissociative Identity Disorder
• dissociation
• trauma
• treatment
• mental health
• brain science

Keywords

• DID
• dissociation
• trauma recovery
• mental health treatment
• childhood trauma
• brain science
• multiple personality disorder

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research program, Hill Center, Trauma Continuum

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