Skillful Dissociation: A Trauma-Informed Mini-Guide

Learn to navigate disconnection with compassion—not shame.

Dissociation isn’t a flaw—it’s a survival strategy. In the early stages of trauma healing, the goal isn’t to dissociate less. It’s to dissociate skillfully.

Inspired by Joanne Twombly, MSW, LICSW and her work on trauma and dissociation, this mini-guide helps you understand dissociation as a protective response—and offers practical tools for working with your system instead of against it. Rooted in phase-based trauma therapy and IFS principles, it gives you a roadmap for recognizing dissociation, building relationship with the parts that disconnect, and returning to presence gently and safely.

🧠 What’s Inside:

• A clear breakdown of what dissociation looks like across emotional, physical, behavioral, and relational domains
• A compassionate re-frame: from automatic disconnection to intentional inner negotiation
• Simple, effective tools for anchoring, return, and aftercare
• Sample internal scripts and metaphors to support skillful dissociation
• Reflection prompts + therapist-informed questions to support your healing process

Perfect for:

✔️ Individuals in trauma therapy
✔️ Those with complex PTSD and dissociative symptoms
✔️ Therapists, coaches, and guides seeking client-friendly education tools

💌 Created by a licensed psychologist. Grounded in compassion, not control.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This mini-guide is for educational and wellness purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional mental health care, medical treatment, or diagnosis.

Although created by a licensed psychologist, this content is not a replacement for therapy or a therapeutic relationship, and engaging in this content does not constitute a provider-client relationship.

Please consult with a licensed healthcare provider if you have any concerns about your physical or emotional well-being before engaging in this or any other self-guided practice.

By purchasing and using this material, you acknowledge and agree that the creator is not liable for any direct or indirect harm, distress, or outcomes resulting from the use of this content.

Note for transparency: Cover art generated with Midjourney AI