Therapists in Yardley, PA

Dissociation may be triggered by stress or other upsetting circumstances, and therapy can address the traumatic events at the core of an individual’s dissociation. Understanding why a person may dissociate can help the therapist and the individual come up with alternative methods of coping. A person with a dissociative disorder may get stuck on negative thinking, for example, and treatment like Cognitive behavioral therapy is a gold standard for breaking such thinking. And dialectical behavior therapy, for example, can help a person manage their anguish through better emotion regulation.

Specific approaches used by professionals include cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavior, psychodynamic, schema therapies, among others. Cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapies are two widely used therapies that can help individuals with painful memories and past traumas. These therapies work to integrate an individual's different identities into one person.

There are no specific medications prescribed for dissociative disorders. However, psychosis, depression, anxiety, and/or panic often co-occur in dissociative disorders. A psychiatrist may prescribe medications for any accompanying symptom—which may include antipsychotics like aripiprazole, antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or anti-anxiety drugs like benzodiazepines.

Like any type of therapy, sessions depend on the individual. Patients may see improvement within 15 to 20 sessions, at an average of 50 minutes per session, others may opt for 20 to 30 sessions over, perhaps, a six-month period. There are still other patients, especially those who have co-occurring conditions like depression and anxiety, who may need to continue sessions for up to 12 to 18 months.