Dr. Fabiana Franco recently published an article on Psychology Today titled “How Childhood Trauma Shapes Dissociative Identity Disorder,” exploring how repeated childhood trauma can lead to dissociation and identity fragmentation.
In it, she writes:
“When a child cannot physically escape danger, the mind may seek to create psychological distance. Dissociation allows a child to detach from overwhelming pain, fear, or betrayal. This response can be protective in the short term, but severely damaging in the long term. What is calming to the young child can emerge later in life as DID.”
The article covers:
- How chronic childhood trauma contributes to dissociation and identity fragmentation
- Why dissociation develops as a survival response to overwhelming experiences
- The connection between attachment wounds, abuse, and DID
- How healing involves safety, communication, and integration among self-states