Ep 102 – All Things Dissociation with Dr. Christian Vincent

Episode Summary:

Hello and welcome to Thru the Undertow. This week’s episode is All Things Dissociation with Dr. Christian Vincent. Today’s episode will be diving into the complex world of Dissociative Disorders.  

Guest Bio:

Dr. Christian Vincent is Clinical Director at Iris Healing Center. Dr. Christian Vincent has a passion for the the treatment of trauma and dissociative disorders. Her clinical work is informed by an extensive knowledge of depth psychology, where soul and psyche come together for deep healing and transformation.

She received a Masters in Counseling Psychology and Doctorate in Depth Psychology with specialization in psychotherapy from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Her areas of research include dissociative identity disorder, complicated grief, and the demon lover complex.

Dr. Vincent completed her traineeship at Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada where she worked extensively with individuals and facilitated groups for clients in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, anger management, and dual diagnosis.

She completed her internship at Coldwater Counseling Center in Studio City where she treated a diverse population of clients from a depth psychological approach, including dream tending, sand tray therapy, guided imagery exercises, and spiritual exploration.

As a member of the Iris treatment team, Dr. Vincent works with individual clients and facilitates groups at the residential and IOP program. She invites clients to explore addiction and recovery from a place which integrates soul and psyche into their journey toward wholeness. For more information about Iris Healing www.irishealing.com

TW/CW: d*mon, trauma, ab*se, s*xual ab*se, r*tual ab*se, alt*r

Timecode points of interest:

00:42 – Nothing that we say should be taken as any form of diagnosing. We are here for educational and informational purposes only.

01:13 – What is Depth Psychology?

01:39 – Carl Jung and Pierre Janet were forefathers in terms of research of dissociation.

03:06 – What’s an example of neurotypical dissociation? Driving and daydreaming.

04:10 – Dissociation is a coping mechanism.

05:27 – Types of Dissociative disorders

05:56 – Dissociative Fugue

06:54 - Depersonalization and Derealization

07:53 – Treatment options for Dissociative Disorders separate from DID. Things like EMDR and brainspotting

09:32 – People can avoid therapy because they don’t want to rehash the trauma, but nowadays there are new therapeutic methods where they don’t have to.

10:48 – Therapy is extremely personal, and you need to be comfortable with your therapist to make progress.

15:51 – When looking for a therapist for Dissociative Disorders is there anything in particular as far as training goes to look for? Internal Family Systems training and Comprehensive Resource Model training. Great resource to find one who is trained: the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation www.isst-d.org

18:00 – There’s a disconnect between doctors and insurance and trying to find specialty trained mental health professionals who will take your insurance. You can look into a Single Case Agreement if the professional doesn’t currently take your insurance. We’ll try to do an episode on insurance in the future.

19:40 – Dr. C talks about her experience with DID, and how having a mom with DID influenced her to go into the field she is in today. Dr. C references her thesis (