http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/03/me-me-me-and-my-therapist/
I have been reading the comment section of this article and I would like to take an opportunity to address some of the things that have been presented by those who are asserting that Dissociative Identity Disorder- which can be found in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV, or better known as the DSM IV, doesn’t exist. I would like to discuss their generalization of those who are “inflicted” with Dissociative Identity Disorder, once called Multiple Personality Disorder, and discuss some of the ideas that they are presenting. I disagree that any group- like those who suffer from DID, are all the same- as each individual- as it is in any group- are their own distinct person as individuals and that this is as illogical as saying “all people who suffer from depression are the same,” or “all people who have problems with insomnia the same.” There are millions of people who are suffering from dissociative type illnesses, and many times the only thing they have in common is that they all suffered from severe child abuse.
It is being suggested that women are the only ones who achieve DID, and this is also a misconception. It is just that the majority of men who suffer often wind up dead or in jail at a young age. Many times there are NO SUPPORT GROUPS or HELP AVAILABLE for men- and though this condition is slowly changing- it is just in it’s infancy. My parents were extremely abusive, in every way possible- but where my older sister was diagnosed with DID, I am diagnosed with complex PTSD. The difference between the two conditions is that we are both similar except with two distinct differences as I have never “lost time” and I never developed “alternate” personalities. Both, often times, are a result of severe sexual abuse as children- but again, it is not an all or nothing situation. I have bizarre sexual abuse in my past- as does my older sister and our two older siblings. However, what is true for us is not true for everyone- and each of us dealt with our pasts in our own distinct and personal ways. To say that we, even though we had the same father, are all exactly alike is just as illogical as saying that EVERYONE who went through trauma is all exactly alike. DID survivors are incredibly diverse.
One of the arguments in the comments section contains this link to an article online. This is indicative of that which I am speaking about…
It has been highly suggested for the past three decades that anyone and everyone who claims to have DID has it because of hypnosis and bad therapy. They talk about “eatting babies” and “carrying around teddy bears” and “talking baby talk”, and they all claim of being satanically ritually abused and mind controlled. This is also false. In the past decade, it has been my personal experience with survivors, that only a fraction of them claim this. Yes, there are those who do- myself being one of the loudest- but all in all- this is not common for most survivors.
It is also being asserted that DID survivors are all hysterical women who are easily duped and controlled. However, it has been my experience that many- if not every survivor I have met- including myself- has MAJOR problems with trust. Having been abused in such a way that our “Flight or Fight” mechanism is constantly being triggered- pouring tons of the stress making hormone cortisol into our blood streams- we are not only unable to trust- but we are hyper-aware of any and every transgression that would come our way. Any social worker worth their salt will say that an abused child will become hyper-vigilant, as that is how they survive. People with complex PTSD and DID are just extreme examples of this- and to suggest that everyone who claims they have DID are all deluded because of intense hypnotherapy and misleading therapists is just silly. Yes, the False Memory Foundation will spout on and on case after case that they have disregarded and legally attack DID with “experts” who fought the debate of “false memories” like Elizabeth Loftus and Debbie Nathan and have successfully sued insurance companies- but that is primarily how they have made their money. They have sued so many people that it has generated an intense fear in the psychiatric community for three decades now- and finding anyone knowledgeable about DID and complex PTSD is damn near impossible. The False Memory Foundation effectively kept anyone from talking about it for three decades although it is at the foundation of those who developed the whole psychotherapy field in the late 1800’s and early 19th century. It existed WAY BEFORE “Three Faces of Eve” and “Sybil”, however this argument began in the early 90’s- after day care after day care began being accused by the parents of abusing their kids. The False Memory Foundation COINED the phrase “Satanic Panic”, and it was through their diligence that dialogue on this topic of conversation was COMPLETELY HALTED.
It has been asserted that all DID sufferers carry teddy bears and dollies with them- as can be seen by the article above. However- last October Ivory Garden hosted a conference on Trauma and Dissociation where survivors, therapists, and supporters were able to sit in the same venue and listen to experts, all with degrees behind their names, talk about the effects of trauma on the brain and how people develop DID and PTSD, and no one could tell who the other was. 200 people attended- and not one stood out from the other by carrying such things- and, unless they said, you couldn’t distinguish between the three. The New York Times article “Me, me, me, and my Therapist” is further example that very few survivors who have worked in therapy are huddled up in a corner of their house, hanging onto their dollies. I believe that is why this simple article has gained as much attention as it has. Basically this woman doesn’t fit the peramiters that the False Memory people will assert all survivors of DID are like, and thus the argument to sway the public that EVERYONE who suffers from DID are cookie cutter aspects of each other is being promoted.
I have presented this before- but TIME did an excellent job detailing what happens to a person when they experience trauma and abuse, and the parts of their brain that are used when going through those experiences. It speaks about how the brain works to process those events- and how it differs from the brain when it is at peace. This article can be found at…
http://time.com/3625414/rape-trauma-brain-memory/