The Arts in Psychotherapy 32 (2005) 372–381 Dissociative identity disorder as reflected in drawings of sexually abused survivors Dr. Rachel Lev-Wiesel Ph.D. (Associate Professor) * Department of Social Work, Ben Gurion University, Ben-Gurion St, 84105 Beer Sheva, Israel Drawing oneself or a human figure is one form of a well-known and frequently used projective drawing technique called the Draw-A-Person (DAP) test. This technique was developed by Machover (1949), and is based on the idea that the figure drawn represents the subject, while the paper represents the subject’s environment. According to Furth (1988), Gillespie (1994), and Lev-Wiesel (1999, 2000) the figure drawn usually reflects the drawer’s deep acquaintance and inner knowledge of the self. Clinical experience and studies indicate the usefulness of drawings for diagnosis and treatment purposes for individuals who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder associated with child abuse (Lev-Wiesel & Amir, 2003; Malchiodi, 1990) and the use of art means to help individuals who suffer from dissociative disorders (Shirar, 1996; Silberg, 1996; Spring, 2001). The purpose of this study was to examine to what extent dissociative identity disorder is reflected in human figure drawings drawn by adult and child survivors of childhood sexual abuse with Dissociative identity disorder (DID). Dissociative identity disorder Dissociation refers to a mental process which produces a lack of connection in the person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of self. During the period of time when a person dissociates, certain information is not associated with other infor- mation as it normally would be (Zomer & Zomer, 1997). People who suffer from dis- sociative disorders may experience symptoms such as anxiety, depression, mood swings, * Tel.: +972 86472317; fax: +972 86472933. E-mail address: rachellv@bgu.ac.il. 0197-4556/$ – see front matter © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.aip.2005.02.003