Primary Identity Approach for Healing DID
Primary Identity Approach by Diane Hawkins
Primary Identity Approach
for Healing DID
After decades of personal experience with DID and ritual abuse, Tom and Diane Hawkins developed the Primary Identity Approach for resolving the dissociative dynamics of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). This approach recognizes the difference between the primary identities, who normally live life but were overwhelmed and separated from awareness of the trauma, and the alter-identities formed to handle the trauma.
It also recognizes the causative dynamic of dissociation as the intolerable psychological conflict that an overwhelming trauma event causes for the survivor. In a nutshell, if these conflicts can be identified and resolved within the primary identities, the memories of the traumatic events giving rise to them lose their overwhelming nature, and the dissociated alters formed to cope with them are no longer needed. As a result, all of the alter-identities formed to manage each conflict receive healing at the same time, often leading to spontaneous integration. This makes the healing process for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) much more efficient than the traditional alter-centered approach, which focuses on the pain of the alters but ignores the overwhelmed primary identities, where the intolerable conflict is rooted.
When the Original Self, who has the greatest capacity for living life but who is often removed from it for safety, is able to own the person’s entire history without overwhelm, the person will integrate fully and live as the single identity that God originally designed. This is the ultimate goal.
RCM has many resources designed to help survivors reach this goal. Most helpful is A Survivor’s Workbook: Applying the Primary Identity Process to the Healing of DID.
For more information see The Value of Distinguishing Primary Identities and Alter-Identities article by Diane Hawkins.
Healing Approaches for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
Primary Identity Approach Testimony
Primary Identity Approach Testimony
Primary Identity Approach Resources
Online Education about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and Ritual Abuse (RA) for Survivors, Therapists, Counselors, and Prayer Ministers.
Educating and Empowering Survivors with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and/or Ritual Abuse (RA) in their own healing journey.
In-depth *Christian Counselor Training for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and Ritual Abuse (RA). (*Training for Therapists, Counselors, Pastors and Prayer Ministers.)
