Dissociative Identity Disorder is one of the more controversial diagnoses in the mental health world. Many therapists and psychiatrists were taught that it doesn't exist, or is so uncommon that we will never see a client with this "disorder" in our careers. However, those of us who specialize in trauma are aware of just how common dissociation is, and clients with dissociative disorders walk through our doors more often than we may expect. So we need to talk about it! This topic is one that we've discussed previously on...
Dissociative Identity Disorder is one of the more controversial diagnoses in the mental health world. Many therapists and psychiatrists were taught that it doesn't exist, or is so uncommon that we will never see a client with this "disorder" in our careers. However, those of us who specialize in trauma are aware of just how common dissociation is, and clients with dissociative disorders walk through our doors more often than we may expect. So we need to talk about it! This topic is one that we've discussed previously on Therapy Chat, and the perspective shared by this week's guest may be surprising for some to hear.
Sally Maslansky, LMFT, is a therapist who was diagnosed with "Multiple Personality Disorder," (now known as DID), by her therapist, Dr. Dan Siegel, decades ago. Sally now no longer meets criteria for DID, and she describes herself as healed, or recovered. Sally Maslansky authored the book, A Brilliant Adaptation: How Dissociative Identity & the Power of the Therapeutic Bond Saved Me about her experiences, and Dr. Siegel wrote the forward. They presented together about healing DID at Psychotherapy Networker in 2026.
In our conversation, Sally shares how she discovered she had DID when she was adopting her son from an orphanage in Romania; how she started working with Dan Siegel; what the process of healing looked like, and much more. Sally Maslansky is a licensed psychotherapist, speaker, consultant, and author whose work centers on the power of relationship, the complexity of the mind, and the possibility of healing even in the aftermath of profound childhood trauma, drawing on her lived experience and years of clinical practice as an IPNB-informed educator. She also writes the Substack Making Sense with Sally, where she reflects on resilience, meaning-making, and the everyday practices that support a coherent and compassionate life.
Learn more about Sally's work and find her book via her website here
Listen to my conversation with Dr. Jamie+ Marich and Dr. Dick Schwartz here
Listen to my discussion with Dr. Jamie+ Marich about their lived experience with dissociation in our conversation here
More Resources:
My course on therapy skills for work with survivors of sexual violence is available on The Academy of Therapy Wisdom site. Watch a free video and access the course. Find the video and access the course here!
We are all carrying a lot, whether we are helping professionals or not. Retreats have been hugely beneficial for me, and I am now offering them - for therapists and non-therapists - in several beautiful international and US-based locations. We're currently updating the TTN website to list retreats in 2026 and 2027 in Spain, North Carolina, Mexico, Portugal, Greece, France and more. In the meantime, let me know if you are interested in learning more about what's coming up using this Google Form. Follow Therapy Chat on Instagram, Facebook and e-mail to be in the know!
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