# Why do so many of you guys ignore Harris Harrington's program?



## keat0 (Jan 10, 2013)

Harris Harrington makes these claims:


DP is caused by unprocessed traumatic memories accumulated through ones life 
This causes a dis-integration in communication between the amygdala and the hippocampus 
This causes stress and panic attacks
Derealization is a similar dis-integration between the verbal/thinking part of your brain and the sensory part of your brain
The traumatic memories can be processed using the techniques that he prescribes (I also think lifespan integration does this) 
The body can be re-integrated with through verbally narrating your sensory experience (fire together wire together) 
He used these techniques, among others including CBT, psychoeducation about codependence/incoherent attachment styles; enmeshment; etc., as well as exercise and nutrition to cure his DP
He describes how these tools helped him re-integrate his brain and regain a sense of self 

The program is very intelligent and well thought out. It provides a basis for understanding DP as well as a cure for DP. But as much as I've browsed this site I see so much exploration into other treatments and a lot of failed attempts. I'm speculating that the program is too complex and information heavy and not organized in a way that is approachable and useful to most people. I'm just curious if that's a lot of your experience? I think DP wreaks havoc on ones ability to focus and gives a lot of ADD symptoms too so I'm wondering if that makes it hard to absorb the information. It took me watching the videos and taking notes then reviewing the notes and organizing the info into information and exercises that I could use before I received benefit. It's helped me but hasn't cured me. But I haven't done it fully as prescribed. I think that if I work a lot more on my personal narrative and as-if letters and actually apply of of these exercises that it could very well cure me.

I am in no way shilling/know Harris and in fact I believe if you're that desperate and low on cash then you should torrent it and buy it when you have the money.


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## Zed (Jul 25, 2015)

Yes good question.. why, on a site dedicated to DPD, Harris Harrington is all but ignored?

PS: Admittedly I haven't read his full method but what i have makes a hell of a lot more sense than just about everything else on this site.


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## keat0 (Jan 10, 2013)

Someone in the chat had the opinion that the program is exploitative of the mentally ill because it gives people false hope in exchange for $100. That thought had never actually crossed my mind because it looks like he put a lot of work into it. But I'll just cite it as that's at least one person's reason.


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## thy (Oct 7, 2015)

I think the question of whether he charges money or not is irrelevant. The important question is, does it work?


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## Guest (Nov 1, 2015)

keat0 said:


> Someone in the chat had the opinion that the program is exploitative of the mentally ill because it gives people false hope in exchange for $100. That thought had never actually crossed my mind because it looks like he put a lot of work into it. But I'll just cite it as that's at least one person's reason.


^ this is one of my reasons. However there are more. DP is such a broad disorder that I disagree with a lot of what he says regarding causes and treatment. If we still can't even put a name to all of our symtpoms, how can he claim he has an end all be all cure?

I don't disagree with all of his methods but there is so much to this disorder that is overlooked in his ways.


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## keat0 (Jan 10, 2013)

I suspect for most people it's too dense, too disorganized, and too inaccessible and this could be one of the reasons why all of those posts aren't happening.

Do you believe all mental health services should be free?

If you guys were to act on your belief and torrent it and use it I'd appreciate to have people to discuss the techniques that he prescribes. I actually believe in the program from my own experience. But I've also done a lot of holistic healing outside of the program and I equally favor lifespan integration.

I wish he didn't charge for it because I'd take all that information and organize it into a software program that gives people daily activities to work towards their healing.

Also, since you guys are mods/owners do you suffer from DPD or are you trying to organize a comprehensive knowledge base for causes/solutions of it?


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## thy (Oct 7, 2015)

keat0 said:


> I wish he didn't charge for it because I'd take all that information and organize it into a software program that gives people daily activities to work towards their healing.


That would be VERY useful


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## Guest (Nov 2, 2015)

keat0 said:


> I suspect for most people it's too dense, too disorganized, and too inaccessible and this could be one of the reasons why all of those posts aren't happening.
> 
> Do you believe all mental health services should be free?
> 
> ...


If I make it through grad school and become licensed, working with people who suffer from DP will be pro-bono work, and it will probably be a large part of how I spend my volunteer time. I cant imagine charging a person who simply suffers from DP to come see me as a counselor. Unless there were co-morbid issues.


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## keat0 (Jan 10, 2013)

How far did you get on your personal narrative? (Pages/complexity?) How about "as-if" letters? Have you tried doing the 'total integration' exercise daily for more than a couple of weeks? If any of this how has it benefitted you?

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My answers to the above questions:

Personal narrative: 50 pages, Got from age 0 to current age. Started with disconnected bullet-pointed memories then I fleshed out the memories. This has helped me process the timeline of my life and helps me feel the age I actually am. It reduced DP symptoms by maybe 20-30%. I'm sure that'd go up if I put in more work.

"As-if": Haven't spent enough time on these. Definitely have healed heal old wounds though.

Total integration exercise: Has helped me a lot with derealization as well as panic attacks where derealization is the primary symptom I freak out about.


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## thy (Oct 7, 2015)

It would be good to have a thread for people that feel like HH's program could help them, where we can discuss the exercises he suggests and how we are getting on with them. e.g. i found your above post useful and interesting


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