Where Did I Put My Keys?

Last night I lost my keys in the office.  

It was a silly ordeal – they were hanging right where I last put them – but it took me awhile to remember where that was.

I had a little help finding them, and I am really thankful that Mr. Janitor Man was so very kind.  He was patient with me, looking everywhere with me while I retraced my steps of the evening. 

We looked under couches, in between cushions, under pillows, through trash bins, in the fridge, in drawers, in cupboards, on shelves. 

I knew they had to be there – after all, I had just locked myself IN the building.  I hadn’t gone anywhere because I needed my keys in order to unlock the door to get out of the building, so I knew they couldn’t be far.

But where were they?!

It took awhile, but I gradually got closer to the last place I left them, I remembered exactly where they were.

Success!!  There they were – right where I left them.

And thank you, Mr. Janitor Man for your patience with me.

In order to find them, I simply had to stop and think about where I was when I last remembered having them, and go from there.  My keys were just a few inches from that place.

Today, I had to wonder how my thought processes were the same – or different – from survivors with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID / MPD) who have to search for their lost keys.

A few weeks back, I was on the other side of this equation.

 

A DID survivor had lost her car keys for several days. 

She had looked everywhere.  She had the feeling that they were still in the house, and remembered where She had last set them.  But the car keys were nowhere to be found.

To help her sort through the lost key issue, She and I had an entirely different process than I did with Mr. Janitor Man.

She had already re-traced her steps best She could.  It was clear the keys were not anywhere She thought they should be.

Because of the dissociative issues and system conflict in her life, there were several additional issues to consider:

• Had anyone inside moved the keys after She put them on the table?

• Were the insiders purposefully hiding the keys from her?

• Was this an issue of self-sabotage, system conflict, or simple dissociation?

• If She didn’t remember where the keys were put last, which insider did remember?

• If someone inside remembered, were they going to tell her?

• How long were the insiders going to keep this secret?  Did they think that was funny?
• Were the keys sitting right there in plain sight, and was someone within her system purposefully blocking She’s vision?

• Was She simply “not allowed” to see where the keys were?

• Was someone inside hiding the car keys to keep her from driving?

• Why did they not want her to be able to drive?

• Was this a safety issue (to prevent some self-harm options that required a car)?

• Was this a power and control issue (“we can do what we want, and She can’t stop us”)?

• Were the insiders trying to sabotage and ruin She’s plans for the weekend?

• Was this a system punishment of some sort?

• Were the keys genuinely lost, and were all our questions about insider involvement way off track?

 

It became obvious that She didn’t know where the keys were.  There was no use wasting more time asking her to find them on her own.

Asking inside – asking the parts in She’s system – to tell her where they were wasn’t working either.  Everyone was quiet inside, and no one was willing to say where the keys were.

The only feeling that She got in response to the questions was that the keys were still in the house.  She had noticed She could feel a little rise in tension when She looked in the kitchen.  She was guessing the keys were there, but She still had no idea. She had looked everywhere in the kitchen – a few times – and still couldn’t find them.

She asked her insiders again, and again – and still no one would cooperate with a direct answer. 

Where should She look in the kitchen? Should She keep looking in the kitchen?  Now what?

It was beginning to get clearer that either someone was hiding the keys on purpose from She. It was also becoming clear that others inside were feeling too scared of Key-Hider to tell She where the keys were.  The awkward silence was very telling.

We tried directly asking Key-Hider where the keys were. 

The only response to that question was a bit cheeky.  “If I wanted the keys hidden from her, why would I tell you where they are?”  

Oh okay.  Got that message loud and clear.  So Key-Hider wasn’t going to cooperate.

Hmmmmm.  Now what?

I asked She to go stand in the kitchen.  Since it appeared that the insiders didn’t feel like they could show She where the keys were – She was clearly not supposed to see the hiding spot – we didn’t go against that rule. 

Instead, we respected that rule. 

I asked She to close her eyes.  I spoke to the insiders through She.  They were, of course, listening behind her.  As a rule of thumb, when talking to any part of the DID system, expect that there will be others listening in the background, even if the part you are speaking with is not aware of anyone else being near.

I asked She to keep her eyes closed, and to put her hands out to feel around in the kitchen.  With DID, one part can be in charge of the most of the body, while someone else can gain control of the hands (or any other part of the body).  I reminded She that this was possible, and encouraged her to let someone pass through her to be in charge of the hands.

While She and her insiders were rummaging through kitchen areas, I continued to speak to the inside system.  I reminded them that She was not looking, that She could not see anything, and that they would not be breaking the rule of showing She where the keys were located, but I asked them to work together as a team.  Together, they were searching the kitchen for the car keys.

One of the things I mentioned to the Insiders was asking them if anyone else saw the Key-Hider hide the keys. 

By this time it was clear that Key-Hider wasn’t being supportive of She.  Key-Hider was not going to say where the keys were hidden, and Key-Hider was acting more in direct opposition to She.  I asked for those who were willing to be kind and helpful to She to think about what they saw from behind the scenes, fully expecting that someone inside could have seen where Key-Hider put the keys.  I asked if any of the Helpers saw Key-Hider hide the keys, and if any of the Helpers could help She to find them. 

I continued to remind She to keep her eyes closed, and to let the Helpers find the keys through her hands with their hands.

Within about fifty seconds, She giggled.  She could hear the keys, and once She was holding the keys, She was allowed to open her eyes.

After being missing for days, the keys were found!

She was thrilled, to say the least.

She mentioned that the most significant things I said were that She herself didn’t have to be told or shown where the keys were and that Key-Hider wasn’t put on the spot with demands for immediate answers or cooperation. 

The idea that we could completely obey the rules, respect the opposition, and yet go around the rules by working with the other Insiders made a huge difference.  She said she would not have thought about asking her insiders for help, but it made all the difference.

 

So what’s the moral of the story?

 

• If you are DID, remember that there are many others in your inside world, and some of them will be on your side.

• Even if you feel like others are against you, there will be some that will help you.

• There will be some people in your system that will be hiding from you.  They may see and hear you even if you don’t see or hear them.

• Using system communication, talking together, approaching problem-solving as a team will be more effective than you trying to work out issues alone.

• Talk to each other!

• Work together!

 

Warmly,

Kathy

 

Copyright © 2008-2020 Kathy Broady MSW and Discussing Dissociation

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