DPR
Dissociated Pain Release
A self-help technique developed by a trauma survivor
Anne MacMillan, MLA
Survivor, Consultant, Coach
Master's Clinical Psychology - Harvard University
Dissociated Pain Release
Self-Help Trauma Support
Dissociated Pain Release
Dissociated Pain Release (DPR) is a self-help technique that allows users to release emotional pain from trauma without re-experiencing it. It is based on the idea that emotional pain is stored in the mind, body, and nervous system and that the stored pain causes distress and discomfort in the present, whether the trauma was a recent event or something that happened many years ago.
There is no need for a DPR user to know where any emotional pain came from. All a user needs to know is that they are currently experiencing unwanted emotional pain and that they would like to release that pain and feel better -- quickly.
Most importantly, in DPR, emotional pains are released while the user is dissociated from them -- allowing the user to process any trauma or distress without being forced to relive the original traumatic experience.
Examples of emotional pain that can be released from the body and nervous system through DPR include rage, anger, shame, sadness, guilt, grief, loneliness, abandonment, anxiety, and fear.
Likewise, DRP allows users to release any stored sensations associated with physical pain or forms of bodily discomfort that happened in the past. DPR users can release sensations of nausea, dizziness, cold, being drugged, etc. Again, all these sensations are released without the DRP user re-experiencing the original potency of any traumatic event. Often DPR users release pain without even knowing what the original traumatic event may have been.
DPR has three cyclical steps: (A) identify pain to release, (B) dissociate from the pain, and (C) release the pain. Once understood, DPR is a simple, repetitive process that applies in many self-help situations. Any user employing DPR expects to complete its A-B-C cycle several times in any one self-help session. It is understood that there may be several painful emotions, different forms of physical pain and other negative bodily sensations that require release, making time and repetition necessary.
IMPORTANT
* DPR is not trauma therapy.
Anne is not a therapist and does not support individuals through trauma therapy. Anne teaches a self-help technique that individuals can apply to many situations in their everyday lives and that they have a right to use to manage any experiences they choose, traumatic or not. It is always recommended that trauma survivors hire a licensed trauma therapists whenever possible. Call 911 in any emergency.
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Anne MacMillan, MLA
Survivor, Consultant, Coach, Educator
Master's Clinical Psychology, Harvard Univerisity
IMPORTANT
* DPR is not trauma therapy.
Anne is not a therapist and does not support individuals through trauma therapy. Anne teaches a self-help technique that individuals can apply to many situations in their everyday lives and that they have a right to use to manage any experiences they choose, traumatic or not.
It is always recommended that trauma survivors hire a licensed trauma therapists whenever possible. Call 911 in any emergency.
Feeling Suicidal?
Find a Helpline:
https://findahelpline.com/
About Me
Like many others, I grew up in a household that didn't offer me the basic protections all children need. I experienced extreme trauma as a very young child and, unfortunately, that trauma continued into my adolescence and adulthood.
I survived adolescence emotionally by focusing on studying contemporary dance, helping me process my emotions and increase my body awareness. As a young adult in my twenties, I was exposed to relaxation and meditation techniques and the idea that healing that comes naturally when we move our eyes as we dream.
In my mid-twenties, memories of traumatic events that had happened during my early childhood began to return to my consciousness. I knew about EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy for trauma, but wasn't in a situation that allowed me consistent access to a trauma therapist.
So, I began working through my traumatic memories on my own, combining what I'd learned about the emotions I felt in my body through dancing with relaxation and visualization techniques. I added what I decided to call REM Simulation -- or Rapid Eye Movement Simulation. REM sleep is the deep dreaming sleep in which humans naturally process emotions.
The result was a self-help technique that made it possible for me to work through the terrible emotions associated with traumatic events that had occurred in my past and regain the sense of emotional stability I needed -- all without having an opportunity to get the therapeutic support I needed.
Dissociated Pain Release
I dubbed my self-help technique DPR, or Dissociated Pain Release, and decided that I didn't want it to ever become something that anyone with an advanced degree and a lot of privilege could tell people they weren't qualified to perform at home on their own.
Therapy is wonderful and everyone who has access to a therapist should take advantage of that privilege. But recovery strategies should be available to anyone anywhere. That's what DPR is about for me.
From my perspective, DPR is nothing more than a collection of practical ideas put together in one package to help all of us get through the difficult emotions humans feel. It's valuable because it works and it uses human's natural REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep processing methods.
My Newest Blog Posts
Understanding Neurodiversity: A New Frontier in Psychology
Understanding Neurodiversity: A New Frontier in Psychology
In recent years, our understanding of autism and neurodiversity has advanced significantly, shedding light on the complexities and prevalence of Level 1 autistic adults within our families and communities. Many Level 1 autistics are parents, raising children who are also on the autism spectrum due to autism's genetic component. Furthermore, the co-aggregation of autism with attention neurodivergence (ADHD) within the same families has been established (Ghirardi et al., 2017; Suk-Ling Ma et al., 2021). I add that neurodiverse families also have a third common neurodivergence that I term 'high body empathy neurodivergence,' contributing to the neurological variations within neurodiverse families.
And I calls for a paradigm shift: I suggest we view families as systems and focus on how neurological differences affect interaction patterns rather than on "fixing" or changing individuals or blaming problems on any one neurology.
The Need for Specialized Support
If you are a psychologist, therapist, social worker, clergy member, coach, or domestic violence professional who works with adults, you may have noticed that the increasing societal awareness of Level 1 autism has meant that a growing number of your adult clients are either Level 1 autistics themselves, or have Level 1 autistic adult family members or intimate life partners. Or, at the very least, you may have noticed that more and more of your adult clients' children have Level 1 autism diagnoses, indicating the possibility that at least one of their parents may also be on the autism spectrum. You may have come to recognize that providing meaningful service to this population requires a deep understanding of neurodiverse family dynamics, a gap that current mainstream psychology generally fails to bridge.
I’m Anne MacMillan, founder of R.E.A.L. Neurodiverse, and my journey in understanding neurodiverse family systems and Neurodiverse Relationship Dynamics (NRD) is founded in personal experience. I was born into a neurodiverse family during a time when Level 1 autism was not well understood. I then married a Level 1 autistic man, knowing nothing about autism, but finding comfort in the familiarity of the neurodiverse interaction patterns I recognized from my childhood. I am not autistic myself, but story is shared by many non-autistics who are members of neurodiverse families, demonstrating a multigenerational span of neurodiversity that is more common than often acknowledged.
Bridging the Gap: R.E.A.L. Neurodiverse Family Systems
After years of personal confusion and professional exploration, I developed the R.E.A.L. Neurodiverse Family Systems approach. This practical 10-step method provides practitioners with the tools and understanding needed to effectively support individuals from neurodiverse families. My academic background, including a master's in psychology from Harvard University and pioneering research on autism and intimate adult relationships, informs my comprehensive approach.
The R.E.A.L. Neurodiverse programs expand on Damien Milton's double empathy problem (Milton, 2012, 2017) through defining Neurodiverse Relationship Dynamics (NRD), empathy differences, roles and cycles common in neurodiverse family systems, and by providing differing models of psychosocial development for autistics and non-autistics based in Erik Erikson's seminal work (1950, 1959, 1982). My 10-step system begins with accepting the wholeness of individuals with all neurological variations then offering clients education so they can more easily comprehend what specifically makes their own brains different from their family members' brains. Once individuals are less confused about neurodiversity and NRD, practitioners support them as they seek to make family-affirming life decisions that will bring them the happiness and peace everyone deserves.
Empowering Professionals with Knowledge and Tools
Since launching my private practice in 2017, I have translated my extensive experience into programs that empower professionals to support neurodiverse families across the globe. These programs begin with a credentialing course comprising 20 sections, preparing practitioners to understand the challenges their clients face.
Practitioners gain access to over 200 informative and engaging credentialing videos, equipping them with the information they need to more fully comprehend neurodiverse family systems before they attempt to engage with clients. Upon completing the credentialing, professionals gain access to the programming they need to guide their clients through my R.E.A.L. Neurodiverse 10-step approach.
The UnitusTI Therapy and Education platform supports the administration of these programs, offering features like session notes, billing service codes, comprehensive client files, and narrative and data-driven clinical reports, helping professionals run the business side of their neurodiverse family systems practice as smoothly as the support side.
Alongside the educational videos for clients, practitioners can utilize over 15 quantitative scales to build client self-awareness, measure progress, and support decision making. The program also walks practitioners through supporting clients in understanding four cycles and 15 roles common within neurodiverse family systems, helping clients understand the roles' functions in their individuals lives and the systemic functions in their neurodiverse family systems. MacMillan addresses several types of trauma common in neurodiverse family systems and the reality that Neurodiverse Relationship Dynamics (NRD) elicit intermittent trauma spikes. Practitioners are offered information regarding how to use MacMillan's complementary models of psychosocial development for autistics and non-autistics so their clients can better comprehend how to forward their own psychosocial development as well as what is different about their psychosocial development and the psychosocial development of their family members.
A Call to Action: Transforming Support for Neurodiverse Families
The burgeoning field of neurodiversity represents the cutting edge of psychology. Neurodivergent individuals and their families are eager for solutions that extend beyond diagnoses, solutions that recognize the social dimensions of autism in relationships and parenting. To meet this need, R.E.A.L. Neurodiverse offers specialized programs for couples, families, and parents navigating these challenges, aiming to facilitate personal growth, self-awareness, and practical answers to complex questions.
My hope is to engage with professionals who bring their expertise and feedback to refine and advance this model. Together, we can build theoretically and evidence-based solutions that truly support neurodiverse families, offering the understanding and services they need and deserve.
For a demonstration or to learn more about how our programs can enhance your practice, please reach out to me or my UnitusTI support team for a demo. Learn more at REALneurodiverse.com.
I’m Anne MacMillan from R.E.A.L. Neurodiverse, and I invite you to join me at the forefront of psychology as we work together to better support all individuals from neurodiverse families.
Support for Professionals and Clients:
Neurodiverse Credentialing and Practice Support for Psychologists, Therapists, Social Workers, Clergy, and Domestic Violence workers is available here.
Autistic and non-autistic members of neurodiverse family systems can reach out for support here.
Resources for Further Exploration:
Read Ghirardi et al.'s 2017 study "The Familial Co-Aggregation of ASD and ADHD: A Register-Based Cohort Study" in the Journal of Molecular Psychiatry, Feb. 2018, 23(2), pp. 257-262, doi:10.1038/mp.2017.17.
Read Suk-Ling Ma et al.'s 2021 research "Genetic Overlap Between Attention Defecit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder in SHANK2 Gene" published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, Vol. 15, doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.649588.
Learn more about the SHANK2 gene.
Read Damian Milton's 2012 article "On the Ontological Status of Autism: The 'Double Empathy Problem'" published by Disability and Society, 27(6), pp. 883-887, doi:10.1080/09687599.2012.710008.
Read Milton's 2017 book, A Mismatch of Salience, about communication difficulties between autistics and non-autistics published by Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd.
Read one of Erik Erikson's own books: Childhood and Society (1950), Identity and the Life Cycle (1959), or The Life Cycle Completed (1982) republished by W.W. Norton & Company in 1993, 1994 and 1998.
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anne@neurodiversemarriage.com
Text or Call: (617) 996-7239 (United States)