Does DID Ever Go Away?

A common question is “Does DID ever go away?”

I think the answer depends on how you define “go away.”

If a person’s definition of “go away” is to no longer have alters, then, yes. DID systems can choose to fuse together into a single cohesive personality. Although people do not heal spontaneously from DID, it is possible to heal with intentional efforts over time.

But it is also possible to have alters and no longer qualify for the diagnosis of DID. How can that be? If a system has arrived at a place where they communicate well, cooperate with each other, and collaborate, they may no longer be distressed or adversely affected by the condition. Compared to how it was originally when parts were unaware of each other and not communicating or working together, an arrangement where they do communicate and work together may be satisfactory to all involved. The alters are still present in this case, but the “disorder” is no longer present.

If, however, you define “go away” as leaving no traces, then, no, DID does not ever go away completely. You can heal from the trauma and function well, you can even no longer qualify for the diagnosis of DID, but you cannot remove the memories or make the traumas that caused them never have happened. If you have healed your DID, then those memories will no longer have the same sharp qualities they did previously, but you will still be able to recall them. Note that I said you’ll be able to recall them if you chose to. Unlike DID before it is healed, you will not have those memories springing up unwanted and unexpected. You might still be triggered from time to time, but now you know how to handle being triggered and are able to quickly recover from being triggered.

So, as I said: the answer to the question “Does DID ever go away?” depends on your definition of “go away.” It is absolutely possible to heal and lead a rich, full life free of the shadows of the childhood trauma and free of the chaos of unhealed DID.