How Does DID (MPD)/DD Develop?
When faced with overwhelmingly traumatic situations from which there is no physical escape, a child may resort to going away in his or her head. Children typically use this ability as an extremely effective defense against acute physical and emotional pain, or anxious anticipation of that pain. By this dissociative process, thoughts, feelings, memories, and perceptions of the traumatic experiences can be separated off psychologically, allowing the child to function as if the trauma had not occurred. DID/DD is often referred to as a highly creative survival technique, because it allows individuals enduring hopeless circumstances to preserve some areas of healthy functioning. Over time, however, for a child who has been repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted, defensive dissociation becomes reinforced and conditioned. Because the dissociative escape is so effective, children who are very practiced at it may automatically use it whenever they feel threatened or anxious even if the an
