Category Archives: News

One of the CDS trustees Julia Beker has had her work published in Clinical Psychology Review, which is available for open access (link at the bottom of this post). Co-written with Martin Dorahy, Jaimee Moir, and Jacinta Cording, it explores their systematically reviewed and meta-analytically assessed empirical research investigating inter-identity amnesia in dissociative identity disorder. They hope to bring a nuanced lens to this important and understudied phenomenon. Julia adds:

“Individuals who experience dissociative identity disorder often report a degree of amnesia between different identities. That is, while one identity has encoded, and has access to, particular memories or information, in another identity this may feel completely inaccessible. Recently, research on this phenomenon of ‘inter-identity amnesia’ has accrued. This paper collates such research systematically and meta-analytically to try and better understand the nature and extent of inter-identity amnesia in DID. Overall, we find disparate results, unclear conclusions, and some methodological considerations suggesting that we are still at the beginning stages of our understanding. The paper urges a nuanced lens into empirically assessing and conceptualising memory processes in DID.”

You can find the paper here: https://lnkd.in/eX9RJhVy

CDS UK Consultant Psychotherapist Nancy Borrett and Clinical Director Emma Jack have now completed their four-day training with senior mental health clinicians from Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. It was a real privilege to share knowledge, experience and ideas with the aim of improving mental health provision for people with DID and other dissociative disorders.

The training was underpinned by some fundamental principles such as compassion, collaboration and maximising on clients’ felt sense of safety within services. They explored ways of working with different dissociative identities, assessing risks and the management of complex safeguarding dilemmas. The input from a former CDS patient with lived experience of DID was a powerful contribution to the training and hugely appreciated by everyone.

Nancy and Emma really enjoyed having time to think together and reflect on this incredibly rewarding and often challenging area of work. The clinicians in Somerset were very enthusiastic and engaged, with some fantastic ideas.

CDS UK hope to continue to offer training to NHS trusts all over the UK to support the nationwide development of dissociation and DID-informed practice.

CDS UK Consultant Psychotherapist Nancy Borrett and Clinical Director Emma Jack are delivering a four-day training to senior mental health practitioners from Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

The first day was about understanding dissociation and DID and was presented to around 65 professionals from various disciplines, including Psychology, Psychiatry, Nursing, various therapy modalities and some representatives from Social Work.

The following 3 days will focus more on clinical aspects of the work with around 35 senior clinicians attending from all over the county. They will present material on understanding the complexities and challenges of working with DID, how assessment and risk management can be different with multiplicity, and ideas for working with people effectively and ethically within Somerset’s current service limitations. A former CDS UK patient will be joining them for one of the days to talk about their life as a person with DID, their therapy journey and a Q and A session.

Nancy and Emma have had excellent feedback so far and are hoping to deliver this kind of training nationally, in order to develop awareness and understanding.

In October 2024, Mark Linington (CEO), Emma Jack (Clinical Director) and Matt Bordonada (Deputy Clinical Director) attended the ESTD (European Society for Trauma & Dissociation) 9th congress in Katowice, Poland, entitled ‘From Diagnosis to Treatment: Recognising Complex Trauma and Dissociation’. In addition, CDS UK Associate Therapists Sally Urquhart, Denise Stowe, and Amanda Wells were also present at the congress.

Before the congress, all of the above CDS UK staff and associates visited the Memorial and Museum at Auschwitz-Birkenau, visiting both the prison and workcamp site. All in attendance agreed this was a very moving experience.

There were many excellent speakers and presentations, including by Bethany Brand who spoke about her TopDD research and the findings of a clinical trial of the ‘Finding Solid Ground’ programme that has come as a result of this research, which CDS UK would like to consider utilising in future for some patients.

The 10th ESTD congress will be held in October 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal. CDS UK intend to present at this congress, and we would be open to joint delivery of presentations with our Associate Therapists.

CDS UK’s CEO Mark Linington, Clinical Director Emma Jack and Deputy Clinical Director Matt Bordonada were interviewed for their expertise for an article in the i Newspaper, published on 31st March 2024. The article touches on an honest and insightful account of living with DID, and collaborates with the CDS UK team to recount the injustice of lack of access to treatment within the confines of the UK ‘postcode lottery’ and a society that often does not support the existence of DID.

You can read a copy of the article here: ‘Multiple people live within this body – I am only one of them’ – inews.

2023 marks 25 years since the Clinic for Dissociative Studies was first established. To celebrate and build on the groundbreaking work that has been done over that time, we will be hosting a series of seminars and events that will develop skills and provide new opportunities for Associates across the country to meet each other. Contact us for more information – and watch this space.

CDS was delighted to be able to organise for Suzette Boon to come to the UK from the Netherlands to deliver a 2-day CPD training at the end of May 2023. Drawing on her enormous experience of working in clinical settings with complex dissociative disorders as well as her writing and lecturing expertise, Suzette provided an excellent opportunity for both CDS Associates and external practitioners to learn from findings drawn from over 30 years of work. CDS has made these training materials (presentations and video recordings) accessible to all Associates via the shared drive.

The next ESTD conference is in Brussels in March 2023.

Its title is “When Attachment Meets Trauma:

Disorganization and Dissociation From Childhood to Adulthood”.

Preconference Workshops and Conference

DoubleTree Brussels Hotel, 9-11 March 2023 – Brussels

Click on this link for more information

https://www.estd-aftd2023.brussels/English/

CDS UK will be collaborating with the Bowlby Centre on the 26th John Bowlby Memorial Conference, entitled “Exploring DID – an Attachment-based Approach”.

The conference will take place from 9am-4pm on Saturday 25th February 2023.  Speakers from CDS UK will include CEO Mark Linington and Clinical Director Emma Jack, as well as founder/patron Dr Valerie Sinason and founding psychotherapist Adah Sachs.  Other speakers include Orit Badouk Epstein, Catherine Holland, Melanie Goodwin and Michelle Jewett.  The event will be chaired by Sue Richardson.

For more information and to book tickets, visit https://thebowlbycentre.org.uk/events/2023-john-bowlby-conference/.

We are delighted to report that the book Trauma and Memory: the Science and the Silenced, co-edited by the Chair of CDS UK’s Board of Trustees Dr Ashley Conway and founder and patron Dr Valerie Sinason, has been awarded the Frank W Putnam Prize, announced at the ISSTD conference in Seattle on 2nd April 2022.