Dissociative Identity Disorder in an Adolescent With Nine Alternate Personality Traits: A Case Study.

Since dissociative identity disorder (DID) has symptoms similar to schizophrenia, such as auditory hallucinations and delusional thoughts of being controlled, there are difficulties in its differential diagnosis. A 16-year-old adolescent male patient who was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia from a different hospital was admitted to our inpatient psychiatric unit for the evaluation of auditory hallucinations and suicide attempts. Through psychiatric evaluations, it was determined that the patient suffered from identity alternation, dissociation, and amnesia. As for the diagnostic evaluations, the following measures were implemented: a psychiatric interview regarding the diagnostic criteria, mental status examination, laboratory tests, brain imaging studies, electroencephalography, and full psychological test for adolescents, and the self-reported measure of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale. The patient was diagnosed with DID, and the following treatments were administered: pharmacotherapy, ego state therapy, psychoeducation regarding emotions, trauma-focused psychotherapy including stabilization, and family therapy. Following treatment, in the internal dimensions, the patient was able to recognize the nine alternate identities in charge of his emotions, which established a basis for the potential integration of identities. In the external dimensions, he showed improvements in the aspects of family conflicts and issue of school refusal. This is the first reported case of DID in an adolescent in Korea; it emphasizes the consideration of DID in the differential diagnosis of other mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder and expands the treatment opportunities for DID by sharing the procedures of ego state therapy.

It Takes More Than Two to Tango: Building Secure Attachment Through Hypnotic and Ego-State Relationships.

This article explores how hypnotic strategies can be used within a polyvagal science framework to help create more secure attachment within the therapeutic relationship, as well as within the client in terms of ego-state relationships. Principles of safety and connection are emphasized, along with specific strategies to access the attachment circuits of the ventral vagal system, including the necessity of being present with the client without agenda. Uses of hypnosis related to safety and connection and methods to work with the center core self to facilitate empowerment, self-cohesion, and conflict-free experience are also reviewed. From an ego-state therapy perspective, a discussion of hypnosomatic approaches to connect with preverbal, nonverbal, and somatic aspects of self to accomplish developmental repair and facilitate secure attachment is also offered, along with case examples. A three-step model, which attempts to integrate polyvagal, somatic, and hypnotic approaches, is offered by the author to help structure corrective experiences for clients with trauma.

[Ego-state Therapy: Psychotherapy for Multiple Personality Disorders].

The author describes ego-state therapy. This psychotherapy is used for treating multiple personality disorders. The author mentions the theoretical background of this method, and practical points. Initially, ego-state therapy was developed as a type of hypnotherapy, but it evolved as a safe therapeutic method in combination with trauma processing therapies. The author presents a case study, and discusses the clinical significance of this treatment.