Healing of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Borderline Personality Traits, and Bipolar Disorder Through Lifestyle Interventions: A Case Report

Background: This case report illustrates that the use of a series of lifestyle interventions delivered via the "Vital Mind Reset" online program led to the resolution of disabling psychiatric symptoms.

Summary: A 40-year-old, married, Caucasian female, with onset of suicidal ideation as a teenager, was treated with antidepressants and was later formally diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID), borderline personality traits, and bipolar disorder (BD). In the ensuing years, the patient was treated with 35 psychiatric medications. Additionally, she experienced numerous hospitalizations and received over 30 electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments. Despite this extensive conventional treatment, she reported limited gains. In October 2017, the patient committed to the Vital Mind Reset (VMR) online program and implemented a series of lifestyle changes over 44 days, starting with 30 days of dietary, meditation, and lifestyle protocols, followed by supplementation. Notably, the patient has since resolved both physical and psychiatric symptoms including fatigue, acne, migraines, cold sweats, dizziness, nausea, blood sugar crashes, resting tremors, brain fog, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, auditory hallucinations, and delusions. In this patient's case, hypertension, bradycardia, headaches, increased frequency of mania, tremors, insomnia, and weight gain accompanied her medications. This case exemplifies the dramatic resolution of disabling psychiatric symptoms after engagement in the lifestyle interventions outlined in the VMR program, medication taper, and supplementation. When medication demonstrates limited clinical yield and a plethora of side effects, tapering combined with lifestyle interventions and supplementation should be considered as first-line therapy. This case is evidence of the potential for healing and resolution of severe and persistent psychiatric illness with dietary and lifestyle changes.