DID/MPD: Working Within the Multiple System - Dissociative Identity Disorder

Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer

Grace67:What do you suggest for people on the "low end" of Dissociative Identity Disorder who have such a hard time believing themselves and what is happening in their lives? I am thirty-three and recently diagnosed. My alters do not have the depth of other's alters, yet are each their own. I struggle daily with believing myself (we are co-conscious, although there is little dialogue, there is no amnesia).

Dr. Pratt: Grace, the tendency to disbelieve one's own experience is not limited to people, like you describe yourself, who are at the "low end." Disbelief is rampant in society, and rampant in the consciousness of every survivor of interpersonal trauma. Just like society, survivors and those who work with them, do not want to believe that it could be true. And DID-like symptoms, or Dissociative Identity Disorder, are part of the picture that we don't want to believe is true.

In some ways, one's disbelief protects one from having to believe it too much, all at once. So stay calm, know that you will probably move from believing in your experience to disbelieving, to being unsure, to believing again. It's part of the experience of surviving interpersonal trauma.

David: Grace, so you know that you are not alone, here are a few audience responses to your comment:

jewlsplus38: I have over eighty alters, and I still go through small amounts of time where I wonder if I made it all up.

JoMarie_etal: We call that disbelief a form of denial and to make it not feel so terrible. Joking about floating down the Nile in Egypt helps to realize that it is a common thing.

engberg: I am in total denial of my DID and don't even want to discuss it with my therapist because I don't want to admit it. I want to lead a normal life now and I feel like if I get into things, I will be too overwhelmed and won't be able to handle it.

Dr. Pratt: Denial is a necessary part of living with a history of trauma.

David:Thank you, Dr. Pratt, for being our guest tonight and for sharing this information with us. And to those in the audience, thank you for coming and participating. I hope you found it helpful.

Here's the link to the HealthyPlace.com Personality Disorders Community. You can click on the link, and sign up for the mail list at the top of the page.

We have a very large DID/MPD community here at HealthyPlace.com. You will always find people interacting with various sites. We have one chatroom for "littles," another for "Adults". I invite you to stay and chat in any of the other rooms on the site. Also, if you found our site beneficial, I hope you'll pass our URL around to your friends, mail list buddies, and others. http://www.healthyplace.com

Dr. Pratt: I have really enjoyed this chance to listen and talk with everyone.

David: Thank you again, Dr. Pratt and everyone in the audience. I hope you have a pleasant rest of the evening.

Disclaimer: We are not recommending or endorsing any of the suggestions of our guest. In fact, we strongly encourage you to talk over any therapies, remedies or suggestions with your doctor BEFORE you implement them or make any changes in your treatment.

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