Your Input Needed ASAP re: Your Knowledge about DID
I have been approached by two 8th grade gals who are eager to learn about Dissociative Identity Disorder.
The two gals have decided to make a presentation about DID in their school Science Fair, due a week from today.
They have contacted me and asked me a variety of questions because they want to learn from a specialist in DID. Thanks, gals, I appreciate that, but in reality, YOU are the expert, that’s why I’m bringing this to you.
Now…. I think this is FABULOUS situation because these young gals could very well become some of our leading Mental Health Professionals in the future.
- Remember all the bad experiences you have had with Mental Health Professionals who did not know how to treat DID?
- Remember all the Mental Health Professionals you have had to “teach” about DID while also needing to get their support?
- Remember the searching far and wide just to find a Mental Health Professional who will work with Dissociative Disorders with integrity?
THIS is a chance to change that process.
Every step of positive change makes a positive difference, and the more we can have an educated young public out there, the better for you.
As a community of experts here at Discussing Dissociation, we have the opportunity to teach a couple of very bright gals, who will then teach their classmates, and their teachers what they learn. We don’t know how far the ripple effects can go, but it’s good to help educate the public about what’s really going on with Dissociative Disorders. Here’s my challenge to you.
I’m going to paste their questions here in this article.
I am inviting ALL of you to respond with answers that you would like these gals to learn about DID.
It doesn’t matter if someone else has also expressed their opinion. You can agree with the words written by someone else, but I really really really encourage you to put your own voice out here and speak up for DID, in whatever way that you can.
I would like to hear from 100 of you.
Say WHAT ?!!!??!!???
I know that’s a big number, but I know we get WAY more than 100 readers at this site every single day.
So come on, group. Let’s help teach the world what DID is really like.
I’m going to post the questions now, and publish this blog “as is” while I also work on my own answers to these questions.
I’ll definitely post my answers when they are ready, and in the meantime, all your words of wisdom and experience would be highly valued.
How would YOU answer the following questions written by these young 8th graders trying to learn about DID?
Let’s teach them the CORRECT answers.
Jump on in, and please post your answers in the Comment section below.
Remember, when posting a comment, you can use any pseudonym for your “name”, and the public cannot see your email (I can, they can’t). You do not have to use your “legal” name. Pick something that is NOT your legal name, preferably!
These two young gals have presented the following Introduction and Questions:
The purpose of our Science Fair is to use all our information from research and from this interview to get a better overall answer of this question:
What is the connection between an individual who has D.I.D. and their alters? (Which is a pretty vague question)
To give you more of an insight on our purpose question, we believe that the aspects of which the individual who has DID doesn’t have are represented through their alters. For example, if a shy child was sexually abused, they could have a rebellious alter.
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What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
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Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
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How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names)
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How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
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How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern?
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What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety)
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How is the individual impacted by this condition?
Please write your response below in the Comment section.
I’d really like to give these gals 100 answers.
Please join in with educating the world about DID !
Many thanks,
Kathy
Copyright © 2008-2018 Kathy Broady MSW and Discussing Dissociation
1. What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities? It depends, sometimes the whole body could be affected by a medication, sometimes just one or some of the alters
2. Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.) Personally, I have not discovered that in my alters. But I understand that’s how it is a lot of times.
3. How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names) Spoke to me, appeared in dreams, dialogues, etc. I have I have 14 – Jimmy, Susie, Johnny, June, Helen, Jenna, Dana, Vivian, Bec, Pearl, Robert, Wayne, Freeedone, and Roberta
4. How do the alters evolve as the individual grows? One who was mean is not nice. One who was an angry teen-ager after working on some trauma is now a helper. I’m new in my work with the alters so I’m sure there will be other changes.
5. How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern? Not sure what you mean, but past trauma influences a lot of things.
6. What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety) Sometimes there are triggers, but I request certain alters to appear during work with our therapist.
7. How is the individual impacted by this condition? It exhausting at time, rewarding , and feels true and real.
The purpose of our Science Fair is to use all our information from research and from this interview to get a better overall answer of this question:
What is the connection between an individual who has D.I.D. and their alters? (Which is a pretty vague question)
Thank you for your efforts to educate people about dissociation and about life as a multiple system. Our system’s answers to your question reflect our own experience and should be taken as such.
We should fist state that our system does not have a host, original person, or main person, and no one who identifies with our legal name. Many multiple systems we know are this way as well. We believe that all members of the system are of equal value and should be allowed to thrive and flourish.
To give you more of an insight on our purpose question, we believe that the aspects of which the individual who has DID doesn’t have are represented through their alters. For example, if a shy child was sexually abused, they could have a rebellious alter.
We disagree. We believe that every member of the system is an aspect of the collective person. People in general have aspects of themselves that they do not necessarily show to others often. The only difference is that multiple systems exhibit aspects as differentiated selves with individual perspectives, experiences, and memories.
Example: In our system, 75 percent of us are introverts. Yet we have an 8.5-year-old extravert who sees himself as the life of the party and acts as such. This does not mean that the collective person has no extraverted qualities; they’re just well-hidden.
What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
We don’t take psychotropic medications. We believe that doing so would affect the system as a whole even if it doesn’t affect specific individualss within the system. If you throw a rock into a pond, the water nearby will move significantly. The water at the other end may move little or not at all. But the pond as a whole is affected.
Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
In our system, yes. Some have better people skills than others, some are more patient than others, some are more organized than others. But there are limits, just as with a singleton. For example, none of us have any athletic ability.
How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names)
The number of members varies from system to system, depending on the nature of the traumas experienced, the duration of the traumas, and the specific coping skills of the person traumatized. We have known systems of two and systems of hundreds, even thousands. As we tell people, “there are as many as there need to be.”
We should also mention our view on the term “splitting,” which is relevant here. We do not see system members as splitting; we see ourselves as “individuating.” The latter term avoids the messy notion of splits from splits from splits, which can imply that some members are of a lesser status for not individuating directly from the whole.
Say you have a chocolate bar which is scored into twelve sections. You split the whole bar down the middle, and the result is two parts of the whole, each containing six sections. Then you split each of those two pieces into two pieces with three sections each. Do the earlier six-section pieces still exist?
Philosophical questions like these factor heavily into our system’s self-concept. We want to feel validated, just as any other person does. So we came up with an individuation metaphor that works better for us. For us, individuation is like a sandbox in which sand castles are formed. New sand castles are formed from sand in the entire box, not by dividing existing castles into parts.
In our system, we discovered members in various ways. Some announced themselves. It depends on the individual.
How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
Again, it depends on the individual. Generally, in our system, the younger the insider, the less that insider will evolve. The goal for each is always safety, well-being, and happiness, but beyond that, it’s up to the individual.
How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern?
Our system’s main impediment is complex PTSD. As a result, we tend to isolate more than the average person.
What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety)
We interact with each other and with the outside world the same way that we interact with outside people. There is no transition, no summoning, no calling out.
How is the individual impacted by this condition?
This is a very broad question. Our system has chosen not to date, marry, or have children. We come from three generations of dysfunction and have done our best to break the cycle. Abstaining is a rather severe way of doing this, but it’s better than perpetuating the problem.
What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
We have never taken psychotropic medication. That said, the medications we do take (pain meds, allergy meds, melatonin, essential oils etc.) don’t work their way through the entire system. Another consideration is that each of us has different medical needs. Some sleep better than others. Some aren’t affected by allergies, pain issues and environmental sensitivities to the same degree that others are. Some healed better than others from certain injuries to the body. Everyone who has fronted seems to need a different prescription when it comes to glasses. It gets really complicated really fast.
Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
Yes. Some of us have better singing voices. Some are better at consolidating their thoughts to speak in public. Some better at staying organized/ socializing etc. Being sexual. Definitely different attention spans.
How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names)
Some of us started coming out to my spouse.
In therapy an insider (followed by more) became furious at the two or three of us who have remained in front most of our life. That’s when the system really started coming to light.
The youngest ones are 0-2. At least one of us is ageless.
How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
Too early to tell. Some probably never will.
How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern?
Too switchy to continue just thinking about this question. Will post this now so at least you have the rest of my answers.
1. What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
Well, yes it would but not be the way you think. Medications affect different personalities in different ways some positive but some very negatively.
2.Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
Well of course, if everyone had the same skills and abilities that would make a singular integrated person.
3.How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names)
That is individually decided according to the person in treatment, however not consciously.
4.How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
Some don’t evolve at all, others surpass others, and others ‘evolve’ within the expected developmental gains.
5.How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern?
That’s the $10 million dollar question. There are many, many theories, many commonalities between people, but no two people are the same. It is what makes treatment difficult
6.What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety)
A séance, I love that image because it’s a cool way to think about it, but the reality is it’s always about a trigger, event, calling out, or for unknown reasons. See it’s complex!
7.How is the individual impacted by this condition?
Oh dear young one…it’s the tragedy of abuse, it affects all aspects of one’s life if understood or not.
I know this is late but the simplicity of answers to such a complex condition may offer future thoughts
What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
Answer: we often take massive amounts of sleep medication and maybe we’ll go to sleep for half an hour. We are on a support site and one of the other members pointed out that she recognizes one of our kids as the one who is always awake at night. That kid still doesn’t understand that the abuse is over and wakes up every night waiting to hear for the Stepfather to come in and sexually abuse them. It is so many years later and they still feel like they have to try and stay awake to protect everyone, because that’s what they had to do when they were young. So somehow the meds definitely don’t affect them. That is just one example.
Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
Answer: That is funny you should say that because one of the ways our therapist tried to point out the different parts was by having us go through our journal and looking at the different handwriting. Also parts of us have really great handwriting and sometimes we’re filling something out and we just can’t find that great handwriting and we get really frustrated. We played a lot of sports as a kid and yes certain parts are definitely better and if something triggers another part during a game all of a sudden you get this panicked feeling and you’re clueless. That is how we got tha name Spacey Tracey. it was a nickname given to us as kids because our friends did recognize some of this. So athletics can be tough and I think our coaches had difficulty understanding why our abilities fluctuated at times. They got very frustrated with us actually. We have also found that one part has a lisp. We don’t like how we sound then. And also a couple parts can sing and some absolutely can not and if your friends hear one of those parts they assume that you can always either sing or always sound horrible and then if they hear a part doing the opposite, that is hard to explain.
How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names)
Answer: when our therapist slowly started to introduce us to the fact that we had different parts (we don’t like the word alter) but when she finally put it out there it was shocking because all of a sudden we started naming different ones and had no clue that we knew about them. It just suddenly came to us. Sometimes during a conversation or an avent you can feel somebody different and not know what’s going on or who they are and sometimes the person and name just come to you. Sometimes you have a part and you make a conscious choice to give them a name. We have some parts that have very very bad names based on activities they were forced to do but we won’t write those here.
How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
Answer: we have only known about our parts really for a year-and-a-half excepts for one we have always known about and also our past therapists knew about that part but still didn’t catch the whole situation. They just thought that we didn’t want to admit that certain things happened to us. They didn’t get the whole bigger picture and the fact that there were other parts.
Also certain parts may have ages but they can fluctuate and some parts are just like a teenager. One of our parts, Hater encompasses all ages. The thing you’ll find is that everyone’s systems is so different and parts have birthdays and get older some get younger. We have a seven-year-old who was talking with the therapist earlier this week and said she only felt four. The therapist said that she didn’t think really that her age had changed but that she was in contact with some of the younger kids and that was affecting her. After some soothing things the therapist did, the seven-year-old felt seven again. Also we have a part named creation who was in the womb and has memories of being inside and feeling how unwanted we were outside. We thought we were crazy until our therapist confired that the fetus can feel the environment and other people have told us they have memories of being in the womb too. That is probably a hard one for somebody to conceive.
also I think some parts have a function that they need to do and once the need for that is over they just arent around anymore. It’s not like in Sybil where everyone has to integrate and that’s the end goal. Some serve a purpose and when that purpose is over they are gone then you probably don’t even realize it
How does the person’s past contribute to to different experiences.
Answer: well each part had different experiences so each part will respond with different patterns as they related to what happened to them. Some of our parts were significantly abused in the bathroom and they are very scared of bathrooms, and you can imagine that causes great difficulty. Sometimes other parts don’t feel like helping them out with thatand that can cause horrible problems. That is just an example.
What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety)
I think that is very different for many people. I have some friends who can just bring forward a person at any given time. Our switches aren’t that formal so to speak and they aren’t really noticeable to us. Our therapist can usually recognize a change before we do. she wants told us that sometimes, not always but sometimes we do this weird thing with our eyes. It is usually a rapid switch when the subject of sex comes up. We used to not notice it but after the therapist brout it to our attention now we can feel it a little bit. Of course we don’t know what it looks like. Sometimes they come in groups. For instance we have one part a 7 year old and she is the teller. She tells the therapist what many are thinking. Her name is Rash, short for rational. She came when we were seven and the mother was acting so crazy and out of control and it got so scary so someone had to be the adult or the rational one. We can remember so specifically the exact moment she came out. She is very smart for her age and she takes over often for the whole system and that’s not very fair to have a 7 year old have that much responsibility. Our therapist is always trying to get the adults to come help her out and they don’t want to. They are mad at the kids, they feel like they should have done things differently and they don’t want to get involved. So we don’t really have the ability to call forth different people at different times.
How is the individual impacted by this condition?
Answer: Bessel Van der Kolk, who is a specialist in trauma, one of the leading specialists, has a book called The Body Keeps the Score. There is a section on DID and he very much normalizes dissociation. It is not, and I repeat… is not..as uncommon as people think it is. if
What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names)
How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern?
What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety)
How is the individual impacted by this condition?
Answer: There is a trauma specialist named Bessel Vander Kolk who wrote a book called The Body Keeps the Score. If you read the section on DID he very much normalizes dissociation. He will also tell you that many people with DID have good jobs and perform well and are good parents and nobody would ever know. We actually have a counseling degree and work with kids and trauma. We do play therapy and EMDR. However we are currently taking a break because things have gotten so difficult that we are not able to perform well at our job and the good thing is we recognize it. When our therapist brought it to our attention gradually and we begin to realize, then it was scary because we felt like people would think we are like Sybil. And in fact we don’t lose a lot of time we are often Co conscious. That doesn’t mean that we still remember everything that all the other parts do. I don’t know if that makes sense or not. I have not told anybody except one friend because the sad thing is is there is a lot of misconceptions and people get accused of faking or are not believed. So it is something I keep very private. We have faker parts that are good at coming out and faking they are normal and acting like our main person. And also some of the parts, even the kids, learn to act like the main adult and respond to her nameso that people don’t think they are crazy. I notice this varies from person to person as well
What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
I personally feel that the meds only help my parts that need it. I’ve had problems when a part feels they don’t need it and starts to sabotage those that do by hiding my meds, throwing them away or lying and saying we took them. I’ve learned that every one needs to be on board or it’s just not worth trying to take them.
Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
Yes! My littles have skills that I don’t and my teens are much better artists than I am. All of my parts have different handwriting too. I feel I am full of talent and can do just about anything as I have a part that can probably do it.
How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names). I’m not exactly sure because this is a new diagnosis for me. But I know I have 2 littles, 2 teenagers and 2 elderly adults in me. Jess, Kat, Belle, Ann, Annastasia and Ellen
How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
None of mine have grown older although Jess keeps saying it’s going to be her birthday soon. The time will come and then she changes her mind. I think there is fear of moving past the pain as this is all we have ever known
How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern?
All of my parts seem to live in their own time. I’m learning so much about how I felt during certain abuse situations in my life. One part cries all the time, gets confused and others just are so angry. Most of the time I fee like the abuse is happening at this very moment.
What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety)
Anxiety will almost always cause me to switch. Physical pain, smells, songs and scary events will cause me to switch. I start to feel dizzy–faint. My eyes start to blink a little faster and I get fidgety. This is what I know but my therapist probably has a different perspective. I think it’s very subtle because for the most part people don’t seem to notice except for those who know what’s going on with me.
How is the individual impacted by this condition?
Today is a bad day to ask this. I feel it has messed up my life. It’s hard to work, hard to go out in public because I fear I’ll be triggered. I have many parts that want to be dead so I’m always feeling like one day I’m going to kill my self and most likely I will. I’ve had many suicide attempts that I don’t remember making.
What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
— Personally, we find that if one of us takes it, when someone else comes out, it doesn’t affect them. It could well be different for other people with DID. I think it has something to do with the fact that our brains have kind of compartmentalised so maybe in the brain there’s something blocking the synapses? I don’t know…
Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
— Definitely yes! For instance, I can play musical instruments but there are some who are completely tone deaf and show me up at orchestra or choir. On the other hand, one of my younger male alters did an entire subject for me (Chemistry) and passed the exam, because I wouldn’t have. I think there’s also a few that really like swimming and sports, and then the kids who have varying levels of hyperactivity and general lacking of attention span that’s typical for children their age.
How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names)
— Usually it’s through learning from other people. Or if you’re lucky, communicating with the alters themselves. In our case, I started recognising patterns in things that happened when I had blanks in my memory (i.e. when someone else was fronting). I used to leave notes out and would see if/who someone would reply. Then as communication improved, certain alters used to give me names of other alters as well, such as the ones that couldn’t write (younger) or ones that don’t front as frequently. That said, our system is abnormally large (upwards of 50+) so obviously compiling a list is going to take a long time.
How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
— Some don’t at all. Others age at the same rate as the individual. Some age slower or faster than the individual. It seems to depend on the alter to be honest. In our system, the younger ones don’t tend to age at all, or if they do, they appear to do so very slowly (but still demand birthday presents!). After a long period of time, with (or without) therapy, the alters can become more or less dominant, more or less communicative, and in some cases, a violent protective alter can become less violent as they recognise that there is no more threat.
How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern?
— Uhm… I would say that it depends on what the person has experienced. For instance, if someone has experienced trauma, depending on what trauma that is, alters can be defensive, or aggressive, depending on what they’ve had to cope with. Uh… I think the younger the trauma was experienced, generally the alter takes on a more adult approach to fill in the parenting role, or, they can be childlike to replace the childhood that was taken away. There also the alters that actually experienced the trauma – they can sometimes behave inappropriately such that their behaviour would match what would have been expected of them during the trauma. Other times, an alter can be a sole representative of an emotion that had to be suppressed, like anger or sadness, which results in behaviours that correspond to the equivalent emotion.
What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety)
— So this is complex. Depending on what the person has experienced, some alters can be ‘summoned’ so to speak, but this ‘summoning’ would be a set of triggers – be that words or actions. Some people have been through what is called Ritual Abuse, which involves ‘programming’ alters to carry out commands through discrete instruction. For other people, triggers can be anything that reminds them of the trauma experienced, or they can just switch out of nowhere, with no warning. I think, one thing you guys need to realise, is that DID is a very variable condition, and you will be unlikely to find two cases that are ever the same. Yes, there will be similarities between some cases, but unless they’ve been through exactly the same experience, it’s unlikely that any two cases that will be alike.
How is the individual impacted by this condition?
— Again, varies person to person. For me, it has resulted in a very… unpredictable life. Some relationships I have been in, the partner has used the alters for their benefit, at my detriment, i.e. to get around consent etc. Uh, a lot of it has been about concealing my DID from people around me – a lot of us are ‘designed’ to make us appear ‘normal’ to the outside world. Personally, I get a lot of memory gaps, and I spend an awful lot of time trying to piece together what’s happened in the time that I’ve been absent, as well as working out how long I’ve been absent, where the body has been, whether tablets have been taken or not etc. There’s a lot of things to be avoided, tolerated, adapted etc. Life is complicated for sure.
1. I do not know the answer to this
2. yes, some sew, dance, play, sing well, etc.
3. My T asked a question one day and all of a sudden a little voice responded and a little five year old took over. I tried to hide it but my T recognized something was up. I was scared I would be put in a mental ward. The next week I felt I needed to talk to my T about it. As I began, I hid my face and she gently urged me to say it in my own words. I whispered” I have more than one person inside of me”. I was relieved to find out I was not crazy but rather that this can happen as a coping mechanism because of the abuse I suffered.
4. We all learn things from our T and that helps us grow emotionally. We learn things like we are not stupid or bad.
5. I think the past affects us all and definately our ages too.
6. Usually a trigger causees a switch this can be good or bad. Littles are excited by candy, toys, animals, etc. Certain situations require certain pele to be in charge.
7. I have had many challenges thus far because of DID. Some benefits though are my ability to connect with children. I am also a great multi tasker. Adulting can sometimes be hard. we have to allow time to skip, run ,color, play, but also do housework and we often have trouble with getting bored and wandering off during adult conversations. People think I am flighty, I suppose because I lose time, have memory issues and skip around sometimes.
Hi to the two girls who are doing this research. It’s just awesome that you’re asking these questions and trying to move beyond the research that already exists. As far as we’re concerned (my system and I), there is too little research on DID and far too few people who are willing to ask questions. So, thank you for having the courage to research and present what is actually a very difficult topic.
N.B. I find it easier and preferable to refer to my alters/personalities as parts or system if I am referring to all of them.
1. What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
That’s an interesting question. I don’t take any medication like that and nor do any of my parts. However, I take pain medication and that does have differing effects depending on whether I take the medication or one of my parts does. I find that the medication helps me, however it can make some of my parts appear to be drunk (none of us drink alcohol by the way), others can become very nauseous and sick, some it has no effect on at all. Based on this experience and the fact that I feel physical pain, whereas some of my parts don’t feel any of the same physical pain at all, suggests that if one of my parts were to take psychotropic medication, it probably would affect other parts too. I try to take as little medication as possible because it always has varying effects and as a rule, only the one of us who has been prescribed a medication actually takes it. Doing this means we can limit the negative effects medication can have on other parts but it’s not an exact science.
2. Do the various alters have different sets of abilities?
Yes absolutely. One of my older parts is incredibly organised and methodical. I have some parts (generally the boys but a couple of the girls too) who are much better with more logical things, such as Maths and Science. Some parts are more creative, like I am, but in different ways. One of my teenage parts is very creative and loves to draw. I am creative but I can’t draw at all. There is a wide variety of handwriting styles, depending on age and gender. There are character traits that run through the whole system though, so we’re not all completely different.
3. How are these alters discovered?
Initially it was difficult and very confusing for myself. I knew that I had big gaps in my memory and I would seemingly forget things but I was too scared to admit any of this in case I was committed! However, I met someone, who has become an incredibly special friend to all of us, and this friend slowly, gently put the idea out there that I might have DID. Once I started considering the idea and doing some reading, my life started to make a little more sense. The first few parts were discovered by this friend simply telling them that they could talk if they wanted to, and very tentatively this happened. We’re three years on from then. We have a great therapist who really understands DID, I have been formally diagnosed, and this friend is very much like the dad we never had. We’ve discovered 50 parts in my system, which range from 1 year to 19 years of age, all with their own names and some with particular jobs/roles. There have been times that parts have been identified because something has been triggering and this has upset them. When they feel safe, they talk with our therapist.
4. How do these alters evolve as the individual grows?
One of the main things that has helped my parts to grow is that our therapist (and I) considers us all to be in therapy with her. There are times she talks with groups of them or individuals, and obviously I have time too. Even when she is talking with myself or individual parts, it does not mean that other parts aren’t listening too. They are very respectful of privacy though. So, having a compassionate, understanding therapist, who can be told our deepest, darkest secrets, is a big way force for growth. The other big thing that has helped us all to grow is relationship and communication. I have a wonderful husband and a very special friend, who really is like a dad to all of us. We even call him dad! These relationships are very healing, especially as both of them really make the effort to understand and relate appropriately. Equally, my parts are encouraged to talk with each other and some are slowly starting to talk with me. I am not co-conscious with any of them, which means that when switching happens and one of my parts is in control, I am completely amnesic. However, I believe that co-consciousness will happen with increased communication. This is happening but it’s still early days. We all have a real desire to learn and question and truly understand, which is so important for growth.
5. How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour patterns?
The past contributes hugely to the ways in which my system behave. However, the age of individual parts is also a factor. Lots of truly awful things have happened and when that is all that has been known, it will undoubtedly affect the ways in which parts see the world and react to certain things. I have a couple of parts who are terrified of water. I have some who are frightened of anything around their necks (scarves, necklaces etc). I have some parts who get angry and others who are scared of anger. They respond in different ways according to the variations in their temperament and the specific things that have happened to them.
6. What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another?
This really depends on the situation. Often it is because of triggers and these really upset my parts. Sometimes it is because my husband/friend/therapist wants to talk with one/some of my parts or my parts choose to talk with them. We try to have a new, good experiences. So, the younger ones get time to play and the older ones get time to do things that they enjoy – listening to music, watching a movie, drawing etc. At weekends, we try to do something with my husband. We’ve done things like feeding the ducks, going to a fayre, visiting museums. Hopefully this answers your question!
7. How is the individual impacted by this condition?
DID is my whole because it’s who I am. It’s who we are. DID isn’t something I can forget for a while. There’s a lot of negotiation so that dull, adults things, like housework, get done but also so there’s time for younger ones to play and teenage parts to do what they enjoy. In any situation, I have to consider potential triggers, so something as simple as seeing the doctor or dentist is really difficult to do. It is especially helpful that my system are willing and happy to talk with our therapist and dad (the friend, not the biological one) because they can help calm any fears and together we can come up with a plan to cope with whatever it is that needs doing. It does mean that spontaneity is pretty much impossible and often it feels like life needs to be some kind of military operation! DID impacts me hugely but what I always hold on to is that I am so, so grateful to my parts for protecting me through all those horrible, dark times. I genuinely believe I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for all them. DID may impact me enormously but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
We all hope this is helpful to you and that the project goes well. We’d be happy to answer any other questions you may have.
1. What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
I don’t take meds for my DID and neither do any of my alters so I can’t answer this question
2. Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
Yes, some alters have better skills at some things than others. I guess a good analogy is using different characters in a video game that have different skills. Not everyone is good at everything but everyone has their own specialty.
3. How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names)
It can be discovered through therapy methods such as guided meditations or through very stressful situations that ping a “reminder feeling” to a previous, similar trauma and that can be one way. Unless the person with DID has a very functional inner world where they can ask questions and interact with even new alters, the person with DID has to ask the people around them what happened or sort through their things and piece everything together.
4. How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
It depends. Some alters don’t grow at all (ex: still think it is 1995, time is crystallized in that very moment of trauma) and some do. The ones that do, it is called “age-sliding”, I believe. I don’t think I have that so I can’t talk much on it. In terms of picking up new skills, various alters, like any other person, can learn. It’s no different from you wanting to pick up a new skill, the alters do as well.
5. How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern?
If the person got their DID from a war-like environment, that person is likely to have alters that are very defensive and pugilist to match the environment and the methods to survive it. If the person got their DID from ritualized/religious abuse, they may have alters that are obsessed with religiosity, right/wrong, self-penance and strict morality.
6. What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety)
If someone says “seance”, that’s how you know you have a faker, ha! It’s a trauma disorder so it is affected like every trauma disorder (ex: PTSD) – with triggers/psycho-social stressors. They can be small that even the person with DID doesn’t know it (ex: someone tapping a pen, causing underlying irritation; a particular song that’s being played in a store, etc) or something the person with DID knows about and tries to inform others (probably to be mocked later because of neurotypical (people without disorders) penchant for making fun of the concept of being “triggered”).
7. How is the individual impacted by this condition?
Good luck finding a job. The biggest issue with having DID is not the DID itself but everyone’s reaction to the disorder, regardless if the disorder shows itself or not. The stigma everyone has and holds paints over every accolade you have, every success you’ve done, every little thing that you put work towards. Everyone is scared of the disorder or really misunderstands it to the point of fear and paranoia so if you seem the least bit off, it’s read as a threat. You could make accents to amuse yourself and others, people will think it’s an alter. You could make a simple, everyday brainfart everyone has, it’s seen as an alter. You could have normal emotions – alters. You’re good at something – gotta be an alter. You’re bad at something – must be an alter. You get irritated or upset at something – it’s a *murderous* alter out to get everyone.
The disorder isn’t that bad, it’s living around people who don’t have it that makes it terrible sometimes. Especially when these people are employers, police officers, physicians, teachers, etc.
Just wanted to start by saying! thank you! for your openness, and caring hearts to want to learn about this, and help others to understand us! Its amazing to see that in such young people! so thank you so much for taking the time to do this! means the world to us.
1. Yes, We have a part that’s ADHD, and the meds helped them. But caused some others to dissociate more. And others cause there resting heart rates into workout zone, making them panic.
So for ourselves we stay away from medications.
– We also have one that wears glasses
– one that’s completely blind.
2. Abilities very and as well as level in the abilities.
-We have lots that love art. One who excels at black and white pencil work. Another painting. extra
-We also have many that plays instruments, one plays piano, one who can play a little. Three that play drums, one at more a beginner level, one intermediate, and one who excels at it. And few that sing with different signing styles.
– We also have some great at organizing. A lot that are great with kids.
– Have some who write poems, stories.
– some are better listeners and some talkers
many different talents among us.
3. Oh my! Some of us don’t know each-other yet. And still meeting some. We have lots from age 1- 30 (that aware of at this point) Many of us have always been able to talk co-consciousness/ and front area. That would depend on the host as to how we communicated. Some we have certain hand or shuffle of the foot to let the other know, if the host was unaware of us, as to who was there. But we are know on the road to learning more and having many of them being open to share know. So that is greatly appreciated.
4/5. Hard to say. But from the ones we are learning about, they grew up seeing the world as how they took it, so the ones who may have taken certain abuse and trauma, perceive things differently. which helped in them growing the way they did. Just like every person. Things as in life experiences, the person themselves and how the learnt to cope. creates the way they developed as a person. And then there are some who are still trapped in that time of abuse/trauma. For ourselves there was never one person growing. We have main hosts.
6. Switching was actually hard for us to tell. We felt is was constant thing. However the more we grew as a team. we realized it was just biased on how much we were playing attention to the fronter .
Our fronter maybe not able to wash dishes, so we co-front and do dishes. We thought it was full switch.
However for ourselves, we learnt it wasn’t that at all. We all were just helping our host or fronter, and depended as well on them, and if they were open to knowing it was us helping. (so communication to seems to help us. just a quick “hey its me doing the dishes, stay present please.” as an example.)
We have been growing as a team so things are starting to make little more sense for ourselves.
Know for full switches, that comes with the fronter, if they are more anxious/depressed/stressed. (this is usually more common in the hosts) Triggers seem harder for them in that time, then cause us to swtich. We have many triggers from Fan noise, the noise a bag makes when you crinkle it- to abuse/trauma. We are still learning about them.
7. For ourselves from what we have learned so far. Our (“Core/original”) was very young. When first dissociation alone, ( about 1 of age.) We learnt from the bodies mom. We are still learning but we do have a baby alter. And a 3 year old.
But the one we all see as “core” is 6 years old. And the body is 28. So she faces a lot of hard things for a 6 year old. She still is unaware that time has passed. So at this point its our hosts. They all get affected differently, But common to hear from them, about headaches, and fatigue, missing gaps of the day. Some say they just feel very weak all energy drained. Meeting people they never met. (simple things to like having a coffee, cup of water, tea, and juice on the go. and wondering why…)
Again thank you! so much for your time! and hope your project does great!
– Trevor
It’s absolutely grand that you all are doing this, trying to break the stigma’s. That being said, I want to say we are not DID, but are Multiple/Plural. We’re not a disorder, we don’t dissociate, not in the matter for instance of not knowing what another did. We don’t live in Chicago and wake up in Seattle. Everyone dissociates whether Multiple/Plural.
So I hope you’re ok with us answering your questions. Be aware, we will probably write what we feel is more accurate, as relating to Multiples. Feel free to contact me anytime or anyone as far as that goes. Jazz at aspenpatch dot com. Here are our responses;
What if one personality was taking psychotropic medication; would it affect the other personalities?
Ans; It really depends. There are things that occur with all of us, but that is only when something affects the body we all live in. For example, if we had a car crash it would affect the body thereby all of us.
Many of us have disabilities that are separate from the others. For instance we have one that is deaf and it has been medically proven he has no hearing. Another feels absolutely no pain, another has a heart murmur that is only heard when he is about, or Dande, who is not allergic to anything that everyone else is. For example, we’re deathly allergic to Penicillin, we even went into cardiac arrest once due to it. Some have had reactions just from being in the same room when it was crushed up for a child. Dande can take it and doesn’t even burp.
Do the various alters have different sets of abilities? (e.g. Better athletic skills, neater handwriting, shorter attention span etc.)
ANS-We don’t have alters, we are all individuals people. But yes,each of us have our own abilities, likes, dislikes, hobbies, religions (some of us are atheist though). Also, all of us have different hand writing, mannerisms, speech patters etc.
How are these alters discovered? (e.g. How many there are, their names)
ANS-We have been Multiple since infancy, almost since birth. We have no “core” or “main” person. When much much younger, individuals you might say evolved, but not as individuals but evolved to accomplish specific tasks or purposes.
We were learned to be a Multiple group when we had our bladder removed. We were so drugged from pain medication that all connections we had with each other went haywire. We had been using a power wheelchair for 26 years. During the recovery process, one of the kids used our IV pole as a skateboard up and down the hall.
As far as how many of us, we think it is unlimited. There are some who are quite secretive and won’t share. There are Multiples who are Multiple themselves. It’s endless. Someone compared other groups in our body to “Horton Hears a Who”
I can give you a spattering of names but it is definitely not all;
Minuet, Abbey, Twilight, Dandelion, Darque, Jazz (me), Helter, Sally, Buggy, Crackle….
How do the alters evolve as the individual grows?
Ans Like I said earlier, we didn’t evolve into who we are, but by what we did. Some were better with issues that needed to be dealt with better than others. So their skill at doing that particular task evolved to the point they were experts at their “job”
How does the person’s past contribute to the alters’ behaviour pattern?
ANS-The behaviors that individuals have, became experts at, were due to their task, and their tasks were “designed” to accomplish a goal. For instance cuddling to take on an endearing type trait to try to derail an abuse that all knew may be coming. Though most of those dangers no longer exist, the person that had a certain skill still does. Cuddling, etc.
What are the circumstances of transition from one personality to another? Are they summoned like a ghost at a séance? Or are there psycho-social stressors or triggers?, (e.g. anxiety)
ANS-People who share this body will very often become the reflector (what many refer to as Fronting)for reasons such as they heard their name spoken or or see something that is a “pull” to them. For instance, Tracee is quite an artist, if whomever is reflecting, reflects the feeling they are near an art supply store she will take over reflecting. However, no one gives up reflecting if they don’t wish to. At that point, Tracee wouldn’t be able to reflect.
How is the individual impacted by this condition?
ANS- I’d said in the beginning we personally do not identify as having DID, but are Multiple Folks with DID are also Multiples) We would never ever agree to do something like integrate, we’d never come close to consider it. We believe that integration is paramount to attempted murder. I say attempted, because I don’t beleive it is possible. The others would simply go deeper, out of dangers reach.
In other words, we are Plural and proud
This is so many replies. we cant count them all.. did you get 100 kathy?
Hi Pilgrim,
I am writing the 62nd comment in this thread right now, and THAT IS AWESOME !!!!!
So no… we didn’t get 100 responses, but the INCREDIBLE QUALITY AND FANTASTIC REPLIES made by the readers here is just absolutely AMAZING. I am so very very very impressed with everyone here, and the ways y’all have jumped in to participate in this experience.
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. The school girls have been very impressed, and I can’t wait to hear the final results of their project.
In the meantime — what amazing and helpful responses to have here for ANYONE who wants to learn about DID.
Well done, Discussing Dissociation Community of DID Extraordinaires !!!!! 😀 😀 😀
Feeling very pleased and proud of you all —
Kathy
These are good basic questions being asked by grad 8’s but the answers bring up standard words used in DID – triggers, switching, stress even. Whats hard is social workers and psychologists graduating from universities asking grade 8 questions and still not knowing what those buzzwords are or how they really work. Take triggering, we occasionally are asked what triggers us or we figure out we have been triggered and get “get over it” or “let it go” or “its in the past” – butnever do we get the feeling that it is understood how it feels, what happens and how uncontrollable they are-instead we feel shamed and dont talk about it anymore. And its hard when counsellors dont get once a trigger goes off for us it is back there in the now it is a child dealing with a situation they couldnt deal with and apparently adult counsellors cant either cause they ask things like “why did they do that?” We dont know even what they are doing we are just trying to survive on nothing and get away. Reading a few comments words are a trigger too as well as other things but struggling with a recent trauma our psychologists wants to do an energy thing without knowing or meeting any inside people by talking about the power of words – already know about words and their power cause psychiatrists have called us demons and people have used a bible to say we dont deserve help. Plus i think it is dangerous to free a frozen memory with no understanding of how the sysens work or have somewhere to be safe with the traumatic fallout. Sorry probably got off track
PS from Rocio Caro:
I’ve been thinking about my responses and about some other things that I hope will help your project.
* Except for antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds, we have not taken psychotropic medications.
* For the most part, we are co-conscious and able to help each other, experience what the other experiences. As a result, we seldom lose time.
* Unlike what Hollywood (or as my husband puts it: Hollyweird) depicts, DID is meant to protect the individual and as a result unless you know what you are looking for, it is extremely hard to detect. As a result, even most psychologists and psychiatrists misdiagnose people with DID, often for decades (that was the case with me). Even the individual who has DID may not realize that they have insiders until decades after the childhood abuse ended (again, my case). Do not expect to see raving changes or differences in individuals. For instance, even though I have alters who have different talents and/or interests, most people who know me would not assume that I have DID–instead, they merely think that I have a lot of different talents and interests. They think that I just like a lot of different things instead of having favorite colors, foods, etc.
Also, contrary to what Hollywood states, people with DID are not psycho-killers or criminals. If they are danger to anyone, they are dangerous to themselves, whether due to dissociative states that put themselves into dangerous situations or that allow them to self-injure/harm the body (in our case, something trained by those who hurt us and caused us to split in the first place), etc.
Most people with DID are NOT going to hurt others. It is those who have harmed us, who have caused us to split, who are the true criminals–they are child abusers, some of whom hurt children in organized groups using rituals or other deliberately designed torture on a massive scale.
Every now and then, DID is caused by well-meaning people (for instance, a child undergoing chemotherapy or other extreme and/or painful medical procedures in order to save the child’s life may not understand that his/her loved ones are doing so from love and not from desire to hurt). But most instances of DID that I have heard of are caused by adults who are criminal child abusers, often who deliberately do things to make the child look like he/she is insane so that his/her testimony will be discounted as rubbish, thus protecting the real criminals and subjecting their victims to more suffering in life.
Dissociative Identity Disorder itself should be a misnomer–because it is NOT a disorder; it is the natural, healthy response of a child who has been so badly hurt that he/she has only 3 choice: 1) die. 2) go insane. 3) split into different psychological states/entities/alters. In other words, it would better be called Dissociative Identity Response or Dissociative Identity Syndrome. So those of us who have DID are first harmed as children, thus causing the DID–and then we are penalized later on in life by society’s belief that we are evil, bad, etc… and penalized by doctors who refuse to believe in DID and/or treat our suffering.
Contrary to what Hollywood portrays, far from being psycho-killers or criminals, most of us are very caring individuals. We were hurt badly as children and so we have become nurturers and go into careers where we care for others. In my case, I am a teacher and a youth librarian. I love working with children and being in a situation where I can help them to overcome their own problems and to grow and thrive.
* Doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists often refuse to believe in DID and/or refuse to treat those of us who have it. I once had a psychologist tell me that she doesn’t believe in DID at all… and another who told me that while he does, he doesn’t believe in treating it. To me, that is as bad as saying: “I don’t believe in broken legs, so I won’t treat your fracture,” or “I do believe in broken legs but I’m going to ignore your compound fracture and not even give you crutches.”