Lotus Wisdom Counseling Services, PLLC

04/17/2026

For the longest time, Dissociative Identity Disorder was thought to be so rare psychologists would likely never see a case in their lifetime. In truth, this is grossly inaccurate. Much worse, because this false belief persisted alongside clinicians who were seeing it in their practice often enough, many in the field began insisting it wasn't real at all – or more nefariously, that it was iatrogenic (therapist-created). This extremely ignorant, damaging idea was pushed so heavily in the 70s, 80s, and 90s that many professionals STILL choose to disbelieve today. And, it is, in fact, a choice - one of willful ignorance. This must change.
Current research has shown that DID may even affect up to 2-3% of the population (that's more than all of the redheads in the world, or the population of Brazil). The yearly prevalence rates outlined in the DSM are the most telling. While much of the world is aware of how critical an issue bulimia is for young women, it fails to even recognize DID, despite it having nearly equal numbers. Each condition can be quite secretive in nature, too, leaving many to suffer in silence and go unaccounted for in data. But, even eating disorders have seen a reduction in stigma in recent years, and thus, greater freedom to seek treatment/diagnosis. That still isn't true for Dissociative Identity Disorder.
DID remains one of the most stigmatized mental health conditions today. We do not truly know how many are living with it. The invisibility within the psychiatric world only increases its stigma - forcing survivors to question their own trauma and, with it, their integrity. This reluctance of clinicians to familiarize themselves with trauma disorders also creates an even larger imbalance between the number of professionals qualified to treat dissociative patients vs. the high volume of survivors in need.
You can help us spread proper education about Dissociative Identity Disorder (as well as OSDD and Complex PTSD)! Through our many infographic series, articles, and website information, as well as our Resource tab, you can further your own understanding of complex trauma and dissociation AND encourage loved ones, clinicians, and the general public to do the same.
DID is a major mental health issue globally, and these incredibly resilient and far-too-patient survivors deserve our help and attention. Now. They've waited far too long for someone to show up for them, and the children they once were deserve to see how much they always mattered.
💛💚💙

03/27/2026

03/27/2026

DORSAL REST: The Most Important Polyvagal State for Coping with On-Going Trauma

In basic introductions to polyvagal theory, we learn about 3 nervous system states - safe and social, fight/flight, and freeze/shutdown. The safe and social state involves the Ventral Vagus nerve, the fight/flight state involves high activation of the sympathetic nervous system, and the freeze/shutdown state involves high activation of the Dorsal Vagus nerve.

From this simplistic explanation, it is easy to assume that engagement of the Dorsal Vagus nerve is something to be avoided. I have received emails asking “Is Dorsal the bad one?” and “What can I do to get out of Dorsal activation?”

I realize that some of the ways I have presented polyvagal info in the past contributed to this misunderstanding, and many of the sources I have referred people to have further solidified this false idea that Dorsal is bad.

In this post, I want to honor the Dorsal Vagus for its fantastic ability to multi-task, and I hope that by the end, perhaps your view of this nerve will have shifted.

DORSAL REST is a state of dorsal vagus activation that is supported by ventral vagus activation. The activation of the ventral vagus moderates the activity of the dorsal, so that the body system does not go into a freeze/shutdown state.

In this mixed state, we feel low energy or immobilization that is tolerable and not distressing. This state allows the body to rest and rebuild after injury, to properly digest food and absorb nutrition, to access meditative or spiritual states, and to sleep. With the help of the ventral vagus, the dorsal vagus offers us restoration, rejuvenation, and healing.

This is possibly the most important vagal state to know about for long-term trauma recovery, for long-haul covid recovery, and for coping with sysemic traumas that push us towards burnout. Our bodies require regular activation of the dorsal vagus to heal from normal wear and tear and more frequent activation of the dorsal vagus to heal from trauma.

When we run on high tone sympathetic energy for a long time (months to years), our adrenal resources become depleted. When we eventually crash, we flip from high energy anxiety and hypervigilence to exhaustion and loss of interest in high energy activities. If we cannot access safety at this point, we will become depressed, and the depression will last until we are able to access a sense of safety or refuge somewhere.

Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves or each other about being low energy are the biggest danger cues in our environment. Our society has labeled being low energy as lazy, incompetent, childish, and dysfunctional. When our self-talk is blaming or shaming us for being low energy, our bodies are less capable of using that low energy time for healing. Self-talk is of course not our only barrier to safety, but it is one of the few that is within our control.

Embracing Dorsal Rest has allowed me to better cope with PMDD, a cyclical type of depression that involves severe mood drops just before my period. Those 5-7 days each month still suck, but they suck a little less now that I understand low energy phases are a natural and normal part of my body’s self-healing process. I find that shifting my self-talk changes my experience of how distressing these low energy phases are for me. Thus I have been trying to reframe “sickness behaviors” as “healing behaviors.”

Here is my current list of 100% healthy “healing behaviors” which I find necessary when I am immobilized by my Dorsal Vagus…

Nesting & Naps
Comfort Food
Time and Space Alone
Low energy activities - listening to music, watching Netflix, reading, coloring, meditation, visualizations, breathwork, prayer, yin yoga, constructive rest, visiting with internalized others (inner mentor, inner child, etc)
Sensory Defences - shades drawn, headphones on, humidifier, soft blankets, temp set to a comfy range, etc etc
Doing “nothing” - day dreaming, spacing out, losing time

If I shame myself for any of these, I quickly find myself out of DORSAL REST and into DORSAL FREEZE.

I hope that this post gives you some permission to be slow and restful and know that this is exactly what your body needs.

Do you want to add something to this list? What other traditional “sickness behaviors” would you name as healthy and healing?
📆This text was first shared in 2021. PMDD is not part of my experience after HRT but I still use this list for other chronic illness flares.

📚 Free Infographics about Trauma, Nervous System, and Neurodiversity: linktr.ee/TraumaGeek
🧠 Blog: https://www.traumageek.com/blog
🌠 Want to learn more with me? 50 Vagus Exercises in a Year starts next month! This adventure includes short vagus exercises videos every month, a live zoom Q&A session each month, and several more ways to learn with me. Last year we had about 400 people participate!
Details here: traumageek.thinkific.com/courses/50-vagus-exercises-in-a-year-two

03/25/2026

03/21/2026

03/09/2026

03/05/2026

02/26/2026

02/26/2026

The three big, common triggers for most CPTSD survivors are teeling trapped, feeling controlled; & feeling "in trouble."

They mirror the conditions that make complex trauma "complex:" it was inescapable, it unfolded over time, & it permeated our most important relationships.