Thanks lostinside. I found it to be a rather apt description as well, one that aligns with my own understanding on many points. I don't think its format is unclear, i.e. it is clearly written in essay format in one person's voice, and is not a scientific document nor a publication of the APA or DSM committee (neither of which is necessarily better, in my opinion), and I would agree that it is a helpful window to what can comprise a dissociative struggle.

Something I found not to be accurate for me personally is one of the opening statements that "As a child, when you experience a traumatic event, you have three choices: (1) Die; (2) Go insane; or (3) Dissociate" -- I in fact did not dissociate as a child experiencing physical, mental, and sexual abuse from the young age of 5, and only much later started dissociating as the result of cumulative additional traumas experienced; also I (clearly) did not die, nor did I go insane though I often wished that I could have for whatever degree of escape from the dark reality of my experience it might have otherwise afforded me. All my severe childhood trauma is deeply etched for life upon my being without the possibility of mental or spiritual escape.. and if this experience of inescapable pain is what passes for my sanity, I'd still much rather my mind had been more effectively able to lose itself a long time ago. At least that's what I have always imagined, but the grass is always greener on the side of the fence that we can't see.

But I understand the intent of Dr. Tollefson's explanation, and am not at all concerned that there are a couple of nuanced ways in which it may happen to differ from my own experience with trauma and dissociation. I'm a fan of anyone who works to help people with the all too misunderstood troubles of traumatized individuals, and of whose voice speaks to the real pain and struggle that comes with it -- and I do think he has a good understanding. I read in another post somewhere, and it might not have been here, but of someone referring to PTSD as being "curable" and while I hope that's true for every person, it seemed to be potentially dismissive to me, in terms of being inaccurate in the face of the true mental scarring that occurs. I think there are things that can be done to help, by those who actually educate themselves about it, but curable? I don't know anyone with PTSD who would call it that. We're all just doing our best. (Point being, it's the doctors and the industry that oftentimes are still having to catch up with us and our understanding more fully. Kudos to those who try.)

Thanks again for sharing this.