Many in the psychiatric and medical communities are aware of people whose personalities are shattered into bits and pieces. This awareness is evident from the individual therapist who works with the clients/patients who come to them for help to the researchers of universities and medical communities. All struggle to develop ways to help dissociated individuals.
To date there have been no major breakthroughs, “no best practices” that are recommended for use. The psychiatric community is stymied in their efforts to get to the truth of the matter. The secular communities report that there is no effective treatment that can reverse the destructive behaviors of the afflicted. Therapists in the spiritual communities report that change and healing are possible. However, these are not the decision makers of the psychiatric and medical communities.
There are two names given to this personality problem. I give these in historical order. These names are: Multiple Personality Disorder and Dissociative Identity Disorder. Both names are valid for they emphasize two very real aspects of the disorder.
Multiple Personality Disorder emphasizes the many personalities that manifest in the individuals. The personality that manifests in the individual at any particular moment arises out of their present surroundings and influences. There are those that have been created to work. These have the skills and knowledge that the person needs to function successfully. Some only operate in the academic environment; others in sexual situations only. These personalities may vary based on the sexual demands made and their own personal history. They may be of different ages, different sexes and different sexual orientation. (Note: there are both male and female personalities in every dissociated person.) There are others who operate only at very hidden levels and situations. These are usually dysfunctional and antisocial.
These distinctive differences of attitude and behavior can be quite confusing to the people who are closely related to them. They often wonder, “Who is this person?” The person who suffers from multiple personalities has limited awareness of their ongoing contradictions. They often ask themselves, “Who am I?” When confronted by people close to them, they may refuse to believe them. The lack of memory, personal shame, or fear will effect their response. If the confrontations are true, that is fearful for it means that they are not in control of their lives. If what is alleged is antisocial or immoral, the need for self protection arises. Their frustrations and fears are many. They are constantly being blindsided by consequences of some behavior that they were unaware even existed. Their life is marked by confusion. Things do not make sense. They can doubt their own sanity. The emotional and behavioral chaos of their lives moves them from one unsuccessful relationship after another. Longterm relationships are most difficult to maintain. All of the above described behaviors may drive them to ask for help.
Dissociative Identity Disorder is the more recent name given to people with such behaviors. The name emphasizes the fact that the purpose of dissociation is to protect from emotional and psychological trauma. Dissociation serves as a defense mechanism. The fragmented memory and constant splitting out of alters protects the person from the damage and trauma of their lives. It also helps them maintain their sanity. Therefore, it is not a form of insanity. (Note: the names given to the individual parts of the person are personalities and, more recently, alters.)
A characteristic of dissociation is that there is little or no memory in common between alters. They are quite isolated from each other. This is true to the point that most are not aware that the others even exist.
These alters are not aware of what is going on most of the time. They are constantly changing from being unaware to being aware. The ongoing changing of the alters is called switching. Only one or a few co-conscious alters take executive control of the personality at a time. We say that the alters who have executive control of the person’s life are “up”. Those that do not have control are “down”. Those that are down usually do not have any memory of what is said and done by the alters that are up.
The effect of isolating personalities with their memories from each other defends the person from a vast array of contradictory thoughts, attitudes, emotions, and behaviors. For the same reason, they are unaware of the evil in which many of their personalities engage. This, too, is a protection. However, the price they pay for that protection is in the end too costly. These alters are real and active. The things that they do have real time negative consequences that do damage to the person’s life. If it happens in your body, you are responsible whether or not you participated in the event. When these consequences occur, it is usually comes as a shocking surprise to the dissociated person.
