If you are in crisis, please reach out. Dissociation-aware support exists, and you do not have to navigate this alone.
Immediate Crisis Support
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Call or text: 988
Available 24/7. The 988 network includes specialized support for LGBTQ+ individuals and veterans. You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org.
Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741
Text-based crisis support, available 24/7. Useful when calling feels too difficult or when a voice call is not possible due to dissociation or environment.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Call: 1-800-662-4357
Free, confidential, 24/7 information and treatment referral service for mental health and substance use disorders. Interpretation services available in multiple languages.
Emergency Services
If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
DID-Specific and Trauma-Specific Resources
ISSTD — Find a Therapist
The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains a directory of clinicians trained in dissociative disorders. This is the most reliable way to find a therapist with specific DID expertise.
isst-d.org — Find a Therapist
Sidran Institute Traumatic Stress Education & Advocacy
Provides a helpline, referral services, and educational resources specifically for trauma survivors and dissociative disorder patients.
Helpdesk: 410-825-8888
sidran.org
The CTAD Clinic (Complex Trauma and Dissociation)
Dr. Mike Lloyd and the Cheshire Psychology team at the CTAD Clinic provide specialized assessment and treatment for dissociative disorders. Their YouTube channel is one of the most credible public-facing resources on DID available online — clear, compassionate, and evidence-based.
cheshirepsychology.com
CTAD Clinic on YouTube
Mosaic Minds
A peer support community for people with DID and OSDD, run by and for those with dissociative disorders.
mosaicminds.org
For Partners in Crisis
When Your Partner Is in Crisis
If your partner with DID is in acute distress, the most important thing you can do is stay regulated yourself. Your nervous system is a co-regulation input for theirs. Lower your voice. Slow your breathing. Do not touch without asking. Create space rather than crowding. Let them know you are present without demanding they respond in a particular way.
If you are concerned about their immediate safety, call 988 together or help them access the resources above. If there is immediate physical danger, call 911.
Support for Partners
Partners of people with DID experience their own form of secondary traumatic stress. You are not a therapist, and you should not be. Your own support — your own therapist, your own safe people — matters as much as what you provide to your partner.
- Psychology Today — Find a Therapist: psychologytoday.com/us/therapists (filter by trauma specialty)
- Open Path Collective: openpathcollective.org — reduced-cost therapy for those who qualify
Grounding in Crisis
Grounding techniques can help return awareness to the present moment during dissociative episodes, flashbacks, or emotional flooding. These are not solutions — they are bridges:
- 5-4-3-2-1: Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste.
- Cold water: Run cold water over your wrists or face. Temperature is a powerful sensory anchor.
- Feet on the floor: Press both feet flat on the ground. Say out loud: “I am in [city]. The date is [today’s date]. I am safe right now.”
- Slow breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 6. The longer exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
- Orient to the room: Slowly look around and name what you see. “That is a lamp. That is a window. That is a blue chair.” This activates the social nervous system’s orienting response.
If you know of a resource that should be added to this page, please reach out via the About page.