Examples of identity alteration include the use of different names, finding possessions that one cannot remember acquiring, and possessing a skill that one cannot remember having learned. Severe identity alteration that occurs in dissociative disorders is accompanied by amnesia for events experienced under alternate personality states. Because dissociation is distinctly different than depression, anxiety, and other disorders, it requires a approach to psychotherapy that is likewise different. What differentiates the method of treatment recommended by the SCID-D from the usual talk therapy is that it provides the patient with a new way of relating to herself or himself on a deeply nurturant level. Even if an individual's history is much less traumatic than the previous cases, this process can help him accept his past while maintaining control over the emotional responses he has to painful memories.
Comfort focuses on self nurturing.
Most experts in psychotherapy agree that stabilization is indeed the first major task in the treatment of trauma survivors. People who survive traumatic experiences need to learn how to comfort their feelings of disconnection in a healthy and constructive way, such as regularly scheduling time for personal comfort. Communication and Cooperation involve acknowledging one's feelings, such as anger and shame, and learning to respect them so the patient can work with them. Developing a positive dialogue that counters one's negative or critical inner voice is essential to both of these stages of treatment. By the time the patient completes the Four C's of therapy, he or she begins to feel more integrated and whole.