---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a therapist, I have many avenues in…"
description: "\"“As a therapist, I have many avenues in which to learn about DID, but I hear exactly the opposite from clients and others who are struggling to underst..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/deborah-bray-haddock-55629_dissociative-identit_as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-wh_662732.jpg"
---

#  As a therapist, I have many avenues in which to learn…

![“As a therapist, I have many avenues in which to learn about DID, but I hear exactly the opposite from clients and others who are struggling to understand their own existence. When I talk to them about the need to let supportive people into their lives, I always get a variation of the same answer…” quote by Deborah Bray Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/deborah-bray-haddock-55629_dissociative-identit_as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-wh_662732.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/deborah-bray-haddock-55629_dissociative-identit_as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-wh_662732.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/deborah-bray-haddock-55629_dissociative-identit_as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-wh_662732.jpg)

> ““As a therapist, I have many avenues in which to learn about DID, but I hear exactly the opposite from clients and others who are struggling to understand their own existence. When I talk to them about the need to let supportive people into their lives, I always get a variation of the same answer. "It is not safe. They won't understand." My goal here is to provide a small piece of that gigantic puzzle of understanding. If this book helps someone with DID start a conversation with a supportive friend or family member, understanding will be increased.””

[Deborah Bray Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The therapist notes that clients with DID often fear sharing their experiences, believing others won’t understand, and aims to encourage supportive conversations.

**In simple terms:** Clients with DID fear being misunderstood; therapist wants to help them talk.

Key Takeaway

Encourage safe, supportive dialogue for DID.

Themes

mental health DID support communication

Mood

empathetic supportive

Type

therapeutic educational

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- support groups
- family discussions

Key Concepts

trauma identity healing

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we build trust with DID clients?
- What steps foster safe sharing?

A Different Perspective

Stigma may still hinder openness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dissociative-identity-disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissociative-identity-disorder/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-illness/) [Multiple personality disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/multiple-personality-disorder/) [Multiplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/multiplicity/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Puzzle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzle/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Trauma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trauma/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/)

## Related quotes

> [Knowledge by itself does not give understanding. Nor is understanding increased by an increase of knowledge alone. Understanding depends upon the relation of knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-i-gurdjieff/knowledge-by-itself-does-not-give-understanding-nor-is-understanding/)

[G. I. Gurdjieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-i-gurdjieff/)

> [We had to learn...that it did not really matter what we expected from life but rather what life expected from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/we-had-to-learn-that-it-did-not-really-matter-what-we-expected-from/)

[Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/)

> [You can never learn anything that you did not already know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/you-can-never-learn-anything-that-you-did-not-already-know/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [“DID is about survival! As more people begin to appreciate this concept, individuals with DID will start to feel less as though they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/did-is-about-survival-as-more-people-begin-to-appreciate-this-concept/)

[Deborah Bray Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/)

> [“As an undergraduate student in psychology, I was taught that multiple personalities were a very rare and bizarre disorder. That is all that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/as-an-undergraduate-student-in-psychology-i-was-taught-that-multiple/)

[Deborah Bray Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/)

> [When I read profiles of myself, I sometimes think: 'I have spent my whole life struggling to understand my motivations and impulses, and I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/when-i-read-profiles-of-myself-i-sometimes-think-i-have-spent-my/)

[Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/)

> [“It's only in the last few years that I've learned that playing down the exciting stuff doesn't' take the pain away when it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/it-s-only-in-the-last-few-years-that-i-ve-learned-that-playing-down/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [“I also see courage in myself when I'm willing to risk being vulnerable and disappointed. For many years, if I really wanted something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/i-also-see-courage-in-myself-when-i-m-willing-to-risk-being/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [The brain struggling to understand the brain is society trying to explain itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-blakemore/the-brain-struggling-to-understand-the-brain-is-society-trying-to/)

[Colin Blakemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-blakemore/)

> [To put it bluntly, I feel relevant and valuable, and I am struggling to understand why, when women reach age 65, they encounter an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/to-put-it-bluntly-i-feel-relevant-and-valuable-and-i-am-struggling-to/)

[Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/)

> [Another way to put an end to self-rejection is ask yourself whether what you're telling yourself is what a friend would say, or what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-kirshenbaum/another-way-to-put-an-end-to-self-rejection-is-ask-yourself-whether/)

[Mira Kirshenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-kirshenbaum/)

> [“Yet I stake a claim, I am here, for I must be somewhere. But only as a child it seems, struggling to understand what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/yet-i-stake-a-claim-i-am-here-for-i-must-be-somewhere-but-only-as-a/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Sometimes being a supportive friend to her mother is the only way for the daughter to get positive strokes from Mom. The daughter may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karyl-mcbride/sometimes-being-a-supportive-friend-to-her-mother-is-the-only-way-for/)

[Karyl McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karyl-mcbride/)

> [So much about 'Rookie' has been very organically familial among our contributors, among our readers. Yeah, if I interview someone like Lorde, who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavi-gevinson/so-much-about-rookie-has-been-very-organically-familial-among-our/)

[Tavi Gevinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavi-gevinson/)

> [I'm the kindest, most supportive friend ever, probably to my own detriment, but I hope that I am toughening up a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-tyler/i-m-the-kindest-most-supportive-friend-ever-probably-to-my-own/)

[Aisha Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-tyler/)

## More by Deborah Bray Haddock

> [“When a client enters therapy with a prior diagnosis, it might be difficult for the therapist to think outside of the box presented. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/when-a-client-enters-therapy-with-a-prior-diagnosis-it-might-be/)

[Deborah Bray Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/)

> [“Basic misunderstandings about DID encountered in the therapeutic community include the following: ° The expectation that all clients with DID will present in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/basic-misunderstandings-about-did-encountered-in-the-therapeutic/)

[Deborah Bray Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/)

> [“As an undergraduate student in psychology, I was taught that multiple personalities were a very rare and bizarre disorder. That is all that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/as-an-undergraduate-student-in-psychology-i-was-taught-that-multiple/)

[Deborah Bray Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/)

> [“When experiences or emotions become too overwhlming, the mind clevely encapsulates the material and stores it for safe-keeping. Many people respond this way in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/when-experiences-or-emotions-become-too-overwhlming-the-mind-clevely/)

[Deborah Bray Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/)

> [“DID is about survival! As more people begin to appreciate this concept, individuals with DID will start to feel less as though they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/did-is-about-survival-as-more-people-begin-to-appreciate-this-concept/)

[Deborah Bray Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/)

[Explore all 6 Deborah Bray Haddock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/)

## More Dissociative-identity-disorder quotes

> [“The word is dissociate. There is no 'a' before the 'ss'. People invariably say dis-a-ssociate, which, if you're suffering Disso-ciative Identity Disorder/Multiple Personality Disorder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/the-word-is-dissociate-there-is-no-a-before-the-ss-people-invariably/)

[Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/)

> [“no recovery from trauma is possible without attending to issues of safety, care for the self, reparative connections to other human beings, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janina-fisher/no-recovery-from-trauma-is-possible-without-attending-to-issues-of/)

Janina Fisher

> [“It’s hard to feel supported when you can’t tell people everything. People haven’t really got a clue what it’s like. It’s hard to trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/it-s-hard-to-feel-supported-when-you-can-t-tell-people-everything/)

[Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/)

> [“Those of us who work in the field of trauma and abuse, whether psychologists, psychoanalysts, social workers, doctors, counselors, or psychotherapists, have been provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-sinason/those-of-us-who-work-in-the-field-of-trauma-and-abuse-whether/)

[Valerie Sinason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-sinason/)

> [“In order to get to know who is in your System, each individual alter needs to complete a piece of paper in the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-t-w/in-order-to-get-to-know-who-is-in-your-system-each-individual-alter/)

A.T.W

> [“Mind control is built on lies and manipulation of attachment needs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-sinason/mind-control-is-built-on-lies-and-manipulation-of-attachment-needs/)

[Valerie Sinason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-sinason/)

> [“Most dissociative parts influence your experience from the inside rather than exert complete control, that is, through passive influence. \* In fact, many parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-boon/most-dissociative-parts-influence-your-experience-from-the-inside/)

[Suzette Boon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-boon/)

> [“Dr. Lois Jolyon West was cleared at Top Secret for his work on MKULTRA. West's numerous connections to the mind control network illustrate how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-a-ross/dr-lois-jolyon-west-was-cleared-at-top-secret-for-his-work-on-mkultra/)

[Colin A. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-a-ross/)

> [“Extreme versions of DID occasionally develop in response to particularly horrific ongoing trauma (e.g., children exploited through involvement in years of forced prostitution), with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-chu/extreme-versions-of-did-occasionally-develop-in-response-to/)

James A. Chu

> [“If I was set an essay on Friday, I’d spend three hours on Saturday morning in the library. Was that normal? I didn’t know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/if-i-was-set-an-essay-on-friday-i-d-spend-three-hours-on-saturday/)

[Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/)

> [“It is so much more threatening to have something out of hand than to believe that at any moment I can stop (I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flora-rheta-schreiber/it-is-so-much-more-threatening-to-have-something-out-of-hand-than-to/)

[Flora Rheta Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flora-rheta-schreiber/)

> [“Why do I take a blade and slash my arms? Why do I drink myself into a stupor? Why do I swallow bottles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/why-do-i-take-a-blade-and-slash-my-arms-why-do-i-drink-myself-into-a/)

[Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/)

> [“There were other strange signals and signs. Another day, suddenly felt an almost overwhelming urge to travel to Balitmore. I wanted to 'kidnap' a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hersha/there-were-other-strange-signals-and-signs-another-day-suddenly-felt/)

[Cheryl Hersha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hersha/)

> [“PART 2 I felt doomed to death, But in a flash, Before I could reduce my thoughts To an emotion, I felt a mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/part-2-i-felt-doomed-to-death-but-in-a-flash-before-i-could-reduce-my/)

[Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/)

> [“As an adult, it shatters me that the child parts of my mind froze at those ages, didn't develop, and continued to believe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-hoffman/as-an-adult-it-shatters-me-that-the-child-parts-of-my-mind-froze-at/)

[Wendy Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-hoffman/)

[Browse all 218 Dissociative-identity-disorder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissociative-identity-disorder/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“As a therapist, I have many avenues in which to learn about DID, but I hear exactly the opposite from clients and others who are struggling to understand their own existence. When I talk to them about the need to let supportive people into their lives, I always get a variation of the same answer. \"It is not safe. They won't understand.\" My goal here is to provide a small piece of that gigantic puzzle of understanding. If this book helps someone with DID start a conversation with a supportive friend or family member, understanding will be increased.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Deborah Bray Haddock"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-which-to-learn-about-did-but-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dissociative-identity-disorder"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-which-to-learn-about-did-but-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/deborah-bray-haddock-55629_dissociative-identit_as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-wh_662732.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/deborah-bray-haddock-55629_dissociative-identit_as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-wh_662732.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/deborah-bray-haddock-55629_dissociative-identit_as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-wh_662732.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As a therapist, I have many avenues in which to learn about DID, but I hear exactly the opposite from…” — Deborah Bray Haddock",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Deborah Bray Haddock",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bray-haddock/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“As a therapist, I have many...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-which-to-learn-about-did-but-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bray-haddock/as-a-therapist-i-have-many-avenues-in-which-to-learn-about-did-but-i/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
