Support Group Format and Category Variances
The groups last one hour and fifteen minutes. The first 15 minutes are what we refer to as “Additional” where members can settle in and get to know each other in a casual way before the structure starts.
At the start of the hour, when someone is new, the host will point out the “Support Space” breakout room that can be joined at any time if someone feels triggered, needs extra support, or needs to step away. The co-host will join them to see if they need to vent, ground, or what support they can offer.
The majority of the calls are conversation-style topic chats. Members may propose a topic to the group. If a topic feels too strong for anyone to handle, they may Direct Message one of the hosts in the text chat for it to be anonymously waived.
In the final five minutes of a call, the host asks the group what they are looking forward to, grateful for, or any positive affirmations they might like to share. This ends the conversation on a positive note.
Dissociative Identities (DID/OSDD):
Topics might include system communication, internal or external relationships, system mapping, resources, or whether and how to discuss the diagnosis with a trusted person. The conversation doesn’t often veer to CPTSD-like topics, as not everyone in the DID category is ready to handle the discussion.
Loved Ones of DID systems:
The topics surround how to support oneself while supporting a loved one. Coping strategies, relating to similar experiences, or discussing scenarios that might occur with a DID system and how to understand or approach them are common topics.
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:
The discussion is not of explicit details of traumatic events but of the surrounding context of trauma. Topics may include Fight, Flight, Fight, Freeze responses, guilt, shame, trust issues, or healing and perspectives on moving forward. While pertaining to a more serious topic, this group is also very uplifting as the members are a source of encouragement to each other in sharing feedback and experiences.
Religious Trauma:
It surrounds topics of high-control groups or cults, such as our “waking up stories,” feelings of loss of individuality and how to regain it, purity culture, thought crimes, behaviour control, anger, or strategies to moving toward healing. As RTS is very CPTSD-like, the categories bond together in many areas.
Depersonalization and Derealization:
Conversations often begin with checking in on everyone’s week and how they have been dissociatively or generally. Topics include grounding strategies, resources, seeking the right therapist, or feelings of invalidation by peers, practitioners, or ourselves. We often discuss what ties us to the moment, such as people or activities where we feel most grounded.
DID & Organized Extreme Abuse (OEA):
For those with DID who relate to Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, and Organized Abuse. Topics can be trafficking, programming and deprogramming, mind control, and feeling invalid in our experiences. As the subject of the group is implied stronger, topics are not waived in this category.
DID & Trauma-Informed Addiction Recovery
(DID-Specific) No higher-power focus, no badges to win or lose, no defining for others what their recovery should look like, no requirement to ask for forgiveness, and no back at square one. Topics can surround solutions or goals, while recognizing there’s no one-size-fits all. Members connect on what helps or what doesn’t, mutual encouragement, as well as relating via expressing experiences and perspectives.