Cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of multiple personality.
One long CBT plan that talks to each 'personality' can erase dissociation for years.
01Research in Context
What this study did
One therapist treated an adult with multiple personality disorder. The plan blended CBT with talks between the 'parts' of the person.
Sessions kept going until the parts felt like one self. The team then checked on the patient for five years.
What they found
After the full course, the client no longer switched personalities. Only mild worry stayed.
Five years later the gains held. No new personalities appeared.
How this fits with other research
Frame et al. (1984) and Tantam et al. (1993) also mixed CBT pieces in single cases. All three studies show that a combo of thoughts-plus-behavior tools can beat tough adult problems.
González-Robles et al. (2019) later tested a packaged CBT in a real RCT. Their group got big anxiety drops, backing up the idea that CBT parts work better together.
Cox et al. (2015) moved the same ideas into group format. The single-case start by Caddy (1985) opened the door for these larger designs.
Why it matters
If you ever see a client report 'different selves,' you now know a roadmap exists. Map each voice, run CBT with the client, and aim for one united identity. Track yearly to be sure the blend sticks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The case of Audrey H. represents the first successful cognitive behavioral treatment of a multiple personality reported in the literature. In this article the construct of multiple personality is briefly reviewed from various theoretical perspectives. The therapeutic approach chosen involved first the analysis of the emotions and behaviors of each subpersonality and then the process of integrating each alternate by cognitively developing in Audrey the realization that her various alternates all were facets of the same individual. Various specific behavioral procedures were employed, all within a generally orchestrated program of cognitive restructuring. Five years after the completion of therapy, this patient was experiencing no dissociation whatsoever and only moderate levels of anxiety.
Behavior modification, 1985 · doi:10.1177/01454455850093001