Archive-name: dissoc-faq/part1 Last-modified: 1994/10/13 Posting-frequency: bi-monthly alt.support.dissociation FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) ======================================================== Last modified on 10/13/94 Several people have contributed in one way or another to this FAQ, and I will always accept proposals for changes/additions to this FAQ, although I reserve the right to edit (with the author's approval) any submission I may receive before placing it in the FAQ. This FAQ is for information only, and no portion of it may be reproduced for any other purpose but information, nor may it be reproduced in any other form but electronically, without the direct permission of the persons writing any sections that you wish to reproduce. Authors of the various sections will be credited in each section. FAQ-Keeper and author of several sections: Tina Sikorski, aka Maelstrom. (sections I've written will be marked tls, my initials) Direct Contributors: The Sapphire Gazelles, Anita Easton, Peter Barach. Indirect Contributors [people who have not written a section but who have contributed ideas or snippets of information that I have included.]: Dan Holzman, Andy Latto. Some of the "official" definitions in this FAQ are paraphrased from the DSM-III-R. I do not have a copy of the DSM-IV at this writing, so people who would like to contribute changes made in the DSM-IV on this topic are much more than welcome to e-mail me, or post here. Section Contents Key: - Still needs to be written * Updated since last posting + New since last posting ==== Contents Section 1: alt.support.dissociation Purpose of newsgroup (includes short history) Who belongs here? Posting guidlines/etiquette Posting anonymously to alt.support.dissociation Section 2: Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders (Formal) Definition of Dissociation Definition of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) Other Dissociative Disorders Related Disorders - Treatments for MPD and other Dissociative Disorders Section 3: Multiplicity, an informal look Dissociation versus MPD An overview of MPD/multiplicity Dealing with multiples: a suggestion Section 4: Dissociation and Dissociative states (informal) What, precisely, _is_ dissociation What to do when dissociation causes problems Common problems and issues for dissociated persons Section 5: Learning about Dissociation The Internet Books Organizations The sections are each accorded their own notes. This portion of this note could be considered Section 0, and will always contain an overview of the FAQ. ====================================================================== = Section 1: alt.support.dissociation Purpose of newsgroup (includes short history) Who belongs here? Posting guidlines/etiquette Posting anonymously to alt.support.dissociation **** The history of alt.support.dissociation, and its purpose (tls) The reason I had for suggesting/creating this newsgroup was originally going to be to discuss JUST multiplicity (aka MPD aka Multiple Personalities aka Multiple Personality Disorder aka Dissociative Identity Disorder) and the problems arising from it, how to deal with it, what to do about it, etc. etc. While discussing it on alt.config, someone mentioned calling it alt.dissociation and including other forms of dissociation in addition to MP. I thought this was a very good idea, because people who dissociate, no matter what the form of their dissociation, are fairly likely to run into the same sort of problems that people who are multiple experience. The newsgroup is primarily for discussing how to deal with any problems and/or issues that might arise due to dissociative states and processes, no matter what the degree of dissociation or what the issue/problem is. Other psychological states or disorders with similar issues and/or problems will probably be mentioned here from time to time. **** Q: Who belongs here? (tls) Anyone with an interest in being here, of course. A more specific list is: people with dissociative processes, including but not limited to multiple personalities; their SOs (that's "Significant Others" btw), friends, colleagues and the like; therapists/psychologists with insights into dealing with problems and issues arising from dissociation, and other interested parties (although that probably covers just about everyone). **** Posting guidelines and etiquette (tls, based on both her own opinion and other peoples comments) This is based, in part, on observations made by posters to other groups with a similar topic. Do not ridicule others. Because many of the posters here will be multiples, they may come across as odd to others. Be understanding that some of the people posting here may be letting, for instance, a younger alter post, or one who is severely depressed, and so forth...or they may describe things that seem unreal to you, but it is what they are experiencing. Do not suggest that, because someone has not been diagnosed with a dissociative disorder, that this automatically makes them wrong about what they are going through. This rule applies to therapists/psychologists as well as other posters. Especially for therapists/psychologists: do not attempt to diagnose someone, unless they are asking for an opinion on what they are experiencing. Those of us who are multiple who will be posting here don't want to be told we are not...don't you think we'd know? [OK, it could be something related instead, but if the multiplicity model fits us, and it works for us, why not let us use it?] Many people do not consider their dissociation, no matter what the degree, to be in and of itself a problem, and for many people it is not. It is merely a different way of dealing with the world, in their case. They might, however, seek out a group such as this for suggestions on how to solve issues related to their dissociation. Do not post about potentially disturbing subjects without giving some sort of spoiler. A spoiler is a caution/warning that the contents of the post may be disturbing for a specific reason. When discussing the reasons that one dissociates (whether it is multiplicity or other forms of dissociation), it is sometimes helpful to examine the events that led to dissociation (or, with multiples, initial splits and later splits). Some people reading this newsgroup may not be at a stage where they can handle particularly blunt descriptions of some of the more common incidents that lead to people dissociating. So, to allow people at all various stages of discussing both their own backgrounds and listening to others to participate, it would be preferred that explicit topics, such as sexual encounters, abuse, suicide attempts, cutting and other forms of self harm, and other potentially triggering topics be spoilered with a page of non-explicit material including a brief warning as the type of topic that is going to be discussed. In addition, some specific topics relating to multiplicity may be difficult for people to deal with. These would include the process of merging alters, integration and fusion of alters, and so forth. A warning to people from ASAR: Do not necessarily expect the extent of spoilering you would get from the people of ASAR. In particular, do not expect that mere discussion of multiplicity itself is going to be spoilered, because that is, after all, a good portion of what this newsgroup is for. Please try to curb your desire to flame people. If you disagree with someone, express it in a rational manner. This is in keeping with general USENET etiquette, but given the recent problems on ASAR, I feel it bears repeating. At least twice. ** A note about Names. A topic of much concern to people, particularly those choosing to post anonymously, is that of names. I would ask a favor of everyone choosing to post here, and to use #dissoc [I think this applies to ASAR as well, but hey, I'm not in charge of helping shape ASAR.] If someone has a name that they use here, regardless of whether or not it is their body's given name, their alter's given name, or a name they use to identify themselves here, it is undoubtedly something of importance to them. They identify themselves with it here, in regards to their issues and problems. It carries a strong psychological attachment for them. So, if you are new, and someone is using the name you are used to using, find a way to make your version unique. A suggestion on ASAR made by someone that I thought was very good was, for MPs, use the collective name as your posting name (the one in the From: line), and sign it with the alter name, or precede it with the alter name. Obviously this cannot be enforced. This is not a moderated group, and even if it were, I don't know think that would be an appropriate part of the moderator's duties. But it is now a part of the asd etiquette...so keep it in mind. **** Posting anonymously to alt.support.dissociation (tls) Because of the sensitive nature of the topics to be discussed here, some people may not feel comfortable unless they have a way to post anonymously. It is possible to use the server at anon.penet.fi and the one at twwells.com to do this. (ASAR and alt.abuse.recovery readers should recognize these two.) The various cypherpunk remailers will also allow you to do this, I believe. Information on how to use the anon.penet.fi server is available by e-mailing help@anon.penet.fi. I will also be periodically posting a summary on how to use the penet.fi service. Information on how to use the twwells.com server is available by e- mailing anon-help@twwells.com. There are other anonymous servers that I do not currently have complete information on, however, if you finger remailer@chaos.bsu.edu, you will get information on the cypherpunk remailers, some of which allow posting to newsgroups. Part 2 of the alt.support.dissociation FAQ ========================================== Section 2: Dissociation and Dissociation Disorders Definition of Dissociation/Dissociative Disorders Definition of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) Other Dissociative Disorders Related Disorders. - Treatments for MPD and other Dissociative Disorders **** Q: What is dissociation? (tls) [Note that this is the formal definition of a dissociative disorder. The DSM considers dissociation to a large degree to be a disorder. Your mileage may vary. For a different view of dissociative processes, see the informal section on dissociation.] A dissociative disorder is a sate in which there is a disturbance in the normal integration of one's identity, memory, or consciousness (thoughts/ideas/beliefs). Said disturbance may be short-term or long- term, may occur suddenly or gradually, may occur once or recur. **** Q: What is Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD)? What is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)? (tls) NOTE: Dissociative Identity Disorder is the new name for Multiple Personality Disorder, as of the DSM-IV. Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) is also referred to as "having multiple personalities". According to the DSM-III-R: "The essential feature of this disorder is the existence within the person of two or more distinct personalities or personality states. personality is here defined as a relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and one's self that is exhibited in a wide range of important social and personal contexts." [....] "At least two of the personalities, at some time and recurrently, take full control of the person's behavior." Other things listed as distinctive features include: * Possibly not being aware of any other personalities, or being aware of only some. * Memory loss for alters when switches occur * Only one personality being able to be in control at once Things of note include: * Quite possible for each personality to have widely varying traits. * Most personalities have distinct names of their own * The various personalities themselves may have seperate disorders [Note: There is uncertainty expressed as to whether or not certain accompanying disorders may be an associated feature of MPD, or if it is simply a disorder that personality has.] * Care must be taken in distinguishing between "inner voices" being of hallucinatory or delusional origin, or actually being that of the personality. Age of onset of MPD is nearly always in childhood. The degree of impairment may be minimal or extreme, based both on the personalities and their interaction as well as the number of personalities (although the latter is a secondary consideration). Predisposing factors: in nearly all cases, there is abuse or other severe emotional trauma preceding the disorder. Prevalence: thought to be much less rare than previously thought. [No other information available.] Differential Diagnoses. Psychogenic Fugue and Psychogenic Amensia have some similar symptoms, but do not have the shifts in personality that MPD does, and are generally not chronic. Schizophrenia, which in part can include fragmented/multiple/disordered thinking and can include the perception of "voices in one's head" as well as a feeling that one is controlled by another entity or entities. Borderline Personality Disorder, which is marked in part by severe instability in mood, action, and thought. **** Other Dissociative Disorders (tls) Other Dissociative Disorders listed in the DSM-III-R include Psychogenic Fugue, Psychogenic Amnesia, and Depersonalization Disorder. Psychogenic Fugue is marked by the assumption of a new identity and the inability to recall one's previous identity, and involves a complete switch of home and/or work locale. Usually this is caused by some severe psychosocial stress (such as severe marital problems, being involved in military conflict, or some type of disaster). Psychogenic Fugue is usually short-lasting. Psyhogenic Amnesia is marked by a sudden inability to recall important personal information, when not due to organic causes. Usually this is caused by severe psychosocial stress, as noted above for Psychogenic Fugue. Both Psychogenic Fugue and Psychogenic Amnesia are most common during wartine or after a natural disaster. Depersonalization Disorder is marked by persistent or recurrent alteration in the perception of one's self, such as a feeling of detachment from one's actions or thoughts, or feeling like an observer of the same. Alternatively, one may feel as if one is an automaton, without conscious will of one's actions, or feel as if one is dreaming. Generally, Depersonalization Disorder is caused by severe stress of some sort. Dissociative Disorder NOS This category includes any number of disturbances that may have a dissociative symptom or symptoms, but that cannot truly be diagnosed as any of the above disorders, nor a related one. [Note: If I were to see a therapist, they might well not diagnose me as having MPD, for the reason that I do not experience the type of time loss/memory loss that is considered to be a characteristic of MPD (or at least, I experience it very very rarely), nor is it impossible for me to have several personalities function together/in unison. They might therefore decide I fell into this category. This is only one such example. Another might be a sort of altered state of consciousness in which one function directly after a trauma of some sort, in which one focusses on a single aspect of one's self or actions to get through the shock of trauma.] **** Related Disorders (tls) [Note that I am not a psychologist, and that one might well disagree with my definition of related disorders, but there is one in particular I would like to include here, because I believe that the results of the disorder may be similar enough to Dissociative Disorders, particularly MPD, that people suffering from it may find some sort of help here.] A Call to Psychologists/Therapists: if you feel that I am inappropriately calling these related disorders, please don't hesitate to let me know, but please do include the why. Mood Disorders of all sorts seem to bring up similar functional problems. Borderline Personality Disorder does as well, and is probably the disorder resulting in the most similar problems and issues to MPD. [Opinion] Identity disorder also would seem to bring up similar issues. Borderline Personality Disorder is marked by an instability in mood, self-image, and relationships, and includes much indecision about serious issues of identity, such as one's goals, sexual orientation, self- image, values/ethics/morals, and so forth. It is generally characterized by some number of the following symptoms: * Instability in one's personal relationships * Impulsiveness to the point of self-damage, such as impulsive sex acts, substance abuse, and the like. * Instability of mood, particularly short-term episodes of depression, anxiety/panic, or irritability. * Inappropriate or uncontrolled anger. * Recurrent attempts/threats of suicide or self-mutilation * Identity disturbance/marked uncertainty about: one's self-image, sexual orientation, long-term goals, career choices, values/morals/ethics * Chronic boredom or feelings of emptiness * Anxiety about and frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandoment. Identity disorder is considered a disorder of childhood/adolescence, and is marked by "severe subjective distress regarding the inability to integrate aspects of the self into a relatively coherent and acceptable sense of self." [DSM-III-R]. Symptoms include: Severe stress regarding uncertainty about (3 or more of): * long-term goals * career choice * friendship patterns * sexual orientation/behavior * religious identification * morals/value systems * group loyalties Impairment in social/occupational/educational functioning. **** Treatments for MPD and other Dissociative Disorders NOTE: This is likely to be the most contradictory of all the subsections. Although some agreement has started to be reached among therapists and psychologists, there is still a great deal of skepticism about the validity of MPD and what the goal in treatment is. I'm not sure if this applies to other dissociative disorders. However, since I don't have any sort of official treatment policies, for now, this section remains blank. Any takers? Preferably more than one, so we get opposing viewpoints, which I will then collate. Part 3 of the alt.support.dissociation FAQ ========================================== Section 3: Dissociation, a less formal viewpoint Dissociation versus MPD An overview of MPD/multiplicity Dealing with multiples: a suggestion **** Dissociation versus MPD (tls) In discussions with people on this topic, the conclusion I have reached is that dissociation in general includes multiplicity, and you could consider, in a way, "dissociation" to be a spectrum of a way of viewing oneself. An analogy I drew one night that has met with the most understanding in trying to describe this is temperature. Firstly, temperature is a scale that is, theoretically, without end, so the analogy is not 100% accurate. But, if you picture complete integration of one's thoughts/ideas/beliefs and so forth on one end (often referred to as "normality", although I prefer to use the term "singularity"), and picture utter fragmentation on the other, you get a decent idea. Now, like temperature, one's degree of dissociation may vary somewhat. For instance, within the spectrum of dissociation is a sub-spectrum of multiplicity. One may be just barely multiple, having perhaps only a handful of alters (maybe even only one), or one may have hundreds. Another scale to measure by (this is another place the analogy falls apart, unfortunately, but bear with me) is the degree of integration among the alters---how much they can cooperate and share. (Note that I use the term integration to mean that, rather than becoming a single person, which I refer to as fusion.) Multiplicity not necessarily being a stable state, you can vary over time. More accurately, dissociation itself is not a stable state. An example of dissociation not being stable is the feeling of being removed from one's actions that someone who has suffered a shock or trauma may feel. This is usually a short-term state, but it does, the way I understand it, qualify as temporary dissociation. ALSO like temperature, the way dissociation is perceived by the person experiencing it may differ from the way it is perceived from the outside. I may call 80 degrees (F) hot and 30 degrees cold, but to someone else, 60 degrees may be cold, or 100 degrees may be hot (and 80 degrees only "warm"). So, in reality, its not a "versus" issue, but an issue of degree and of perception. You may not consider yourself multiple, for instance, even if you have a strong "inner child" (if you don't know, it will be discussed later), whereas someone else may consider you multiple. In MY opinion, it is the person who is experiencing the dissociation that determines what they are. An aside: you will note that in my writing I tend to use "I", even though at the moment this is being written, there is more than one alter in control and writing this. Someone might observe it would be more accurate to say "we", but I use that (or we use that, if you like) in certain circumstances only. Because we experience a great degree of integration, "I" is just as accurate, as far as I'm concerned...we are acting in concert when this sort of thing happens. For more discussion of dissociative states, see part 4. **** FAQ about multiplicity, answered from the viewpoints of multiples (tls and the Sapphire Gazelles) This section may appear seperately on other related newsgroups. TERMS (definitions may vary somewhat) * alter/persona: one person/aspect of the multiple. * birth person: the alter that was present originally, before splitting (not everybody has one) * host: the body and/or the "main" alter (not everybody has one) * shell person: an "outside" alter that is run by "remote control" * MP: Multiple Personality/ies * multiple/multiple unit: referring to a single multiple system * multiple system: defined below * integration/co-consciousness: refers to a degree of cooperation between alters that includes the ability to coordinate actions between alters, as well as communication between them and the ability to share information. * fusion: merging all the alters into one Q: "What is/are MP/MPD/multiple personalities, multiplicity?" Multiple personalities [also known as multiplicity, MP (for Multiple Personalities) and MPD (for Multiple Personality Disorder, something most people who ARE multiple find insulting)] means basically what it says: someone who has multiple persons/personalities living inside of one body. These are referred to here as alters. (As of the DSM-IV, this condition is called Dissociative Identity Disorder, but most people here will probably not use the official term.) Multiples, and people who come to deal with them, are aware of these different alters as completely separate people, rather than different facets of the same person. For instance, someone who was utterly professional and cold at work but who was a rocking metal-head partier at home would not (necessarily) be multiple just because of the wide difference in the way they acted in different situations. In fact, some multiple systems have within them alters who are very similar to one another, differing so slightly that sometimes the multiples themselves have difficulty telling them apart. The differentiating factors can vary greatly. One of the possible ways to tell them apart is names, but many multiples have several alters of the same name. Some might _all_ have the same name. The various alters can be of the same or different gender as the body, including being of no gender at all. They often have different likes, dislikes, tastes, etc. They often have different body language, speech patterns, and sometimes, voices. There are cases where eye color differs. Many have different abilities, physical and mental. They may be of widely varying ages. Sometimes they will self-identify as having separate racial/cultural backgrounds or native languages. Often they have different religions. Some studies have shown that different alters have different brain wave patterns (EEG readings), although this is a topic under dispute. There can be as much variance within a multiple system as there would be in your average room full of people. Q: "How does this differ from different moods in a singular person?" Example: A singular person may be, at heart, a quiet, introverted person. If sie is suddenly very chatty, there will be a reason for this, such as extreme comfort with those around, or nervousness. Or sie may be a chatty, extroverted person, and if sie is quiet then sie feels ill or uncomfortable. A multiple, however, may have alters who are extroverted and alters who are painfully shy, or even mute or autistic. The differences you see may be/often are due to different alters, not moods. A person who has varying states of being for various situations might well be dissociated to some extent, but not be multiple. There isn't really a clear dividing line between simple changes of mood, dissociation, and multiplicity (see above for a discussion of dissociation vs. multiplicity). One interesting theory is that everyone dissociates to some degree, depending on situation; another is that, in way, everyone is multiple. Q: "What precisely do people mean by 'the birth person'?" The birth person, is the alter that was present from the beginning, the one born into the body, who was present before the multiple system was created. Some multiples believe they were born multiple. In any event, the birth person may be the host (although certainly not always) and/or the main alter (again, certainly not always) and therefore often goes by the name of the body, at least officially. The birth person may be still at the age where the original split occurred, having missed all the time in the interim. The birth person may not be accessible to those alters who are generally out. Q: "What is the core personality?" The core personality is often the same as the birth personality, but we have been informed that this is not necessarily the case. The multiple who so informed us tells us that in their case, the core was _created_ to be the holder of the memories and, later, the main adult alter. However, this is not the same as their birth person. After this explanation was given, I (Maelstrom) think it makes sense...that is much like how we work. Flower or I (Changeling/Tina) or the two of put together could be considered the core person/people...but neither of us are the birth person. We are from who most of the alters are descended, however, and, eventually, will probably be the two into whom any leaving alters merge. To us, this comes closer to what we think of when we hear "core personality" then our birth people do. Q: "Do all multiples have a birth person?" Some multiples do not think they have a birth person, or consider all alters to be part of the birth person. Whether or not this means they do not have a birth person, or that they just aren't aware of one, I'm not sure. However, I'm not sure it matters...what matters is how the multiple in question views themselves. Q: "What causes multiplicity?" In many (if not most) cases, severe trauma at an early age (by early, we mean before, say age 5), although there are definitely exceptions to this. Please bear in mind that "severe" is a relative term. In people who developed their multiplicity as a result of trauma, the trauma was very likely some sort of abuse: physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, or religious/magickal. Usually this abuse began at a very early age and was long-standing. Other trauma, such as witnessing a death, or the abuse of someone close to you, or possibly just living in a family where there is a great deal of negative emotion expressed, could probably be sufficient. Some people who developed multiplicity as a child did so because they had a dissociative role model, perhaps a parent. Some people explore identity or alternate identity games, like role playing, acting, pretending, or alternate social structures to the point where they begin to question their original identity. In some cases, these identities can take on aspects, experiences, and problems which are essentially identical to those experienced by multiples who experienced trauma. This effect seems to be most prevalent in people who explore in their adolescence. Some multiples are unaware of any initial trauma. Whether such trauma exists and the memories blocked or whether no such trauma exists is impossible to determine. It is also possible to partition one's adult life so rigidly as to create the effect of multiplicity. This sometimes happens if the person uses multiple names, has multiple residences, multiple jobs, multiple social contexts, or simply separates work and social life distinctly. After a period of time, each facet grows it's own relationships, experiences, and skills which may or may not overlap into other life contexts. This rigid partitioning can also closely resemble the experience and presentation of multiplicity. Q: "If abuse at an early age can cause multiplicity, why aren't all people abused at that age multiple?" Everyone deals with trauma in a different way. A constant among multiples seems to be that they are intelligent and creative in a particular sort of way. While there are people who were abused who are intelligent and creative who did NOT become multiple, they probably found a different way of dealing with it (repressing the memory seems fairly common; sometimes, sadly, the way they deal with it is "not at all"). What seems to happen in most cases is that, to escape the pain/trauma/abuse, the multiple splits off a portion of their "self" (soul, mind, however you would like to look at it), so that _that_ portion can deal with the abuse/trauma and they do not have to. [It is possible that the split- off portion may be the portion that does _not_ have to deal with the abuse; there is at least one case like that known to the Gazelles.] This initial split often occurs at the moment of trauma/during the abuse. The split off portion somehow attains reality as a person, possibly through pure creative force. This is not necessarily the _only_ way that initial splits happen, nor does the split have to be into just two people...the original could fragment into many parts, all at once, for instance. Once the splitting mechanism is in place, many multiples split easily, often even creating an alter for dealing with specific non-abusive people and situations. This allows the multiple to have the "perfect" person for each situation. Q: "How many alters can a multiple have?" Err...infinite numbers, I suppose. Each alter, from the birth person on, can split again and again into 2 or 3 or 5 or more parts, and so on and so forth. Further stress usually causes further splits. Some multiples seem to create alters, rather than split them off. That is, an alter will appear who really has little in common with any of the existing alters, and doesn't seem to have split off from them. Sometimes the alters merge into a new (or into an old) alter, lessening the number, either because they need to form a alter that combines the qualities of others, or because the degree of separateness is no longer needed, or for no reason at all. The highest number of alters within a system we are aware of is something around 700, and we have heard claims of multiple systems with alters in the thousands. The lowest is, as you might expect, 2. Many multiples fall in the double-digit range, that is, 10 to 99. It seems it is rare to have less than 5 alters. There are a number of multiples that have a count in the lower hundreds (100, 200, maybe 300), but it also seems to be rare to have more than that. Q: "I've heard of something called a 'walk-in person', what's that?" Despite the lack of belief many people have for this, there are a large number of multiples who have what seem to be alters that did not originate via a split or creation by the multiple system, but rather came in from the outside. It seems that, when one or more of the alters need help that the system itself cannot provide, sometimes an outside source (a ghost, a spirit, a "mythical" beast) shows up, moves in, unpacks, and says "Where can I start?" You don't have to believe it. But think of it as a kind of guardian spirit, only this one lives inside the mind. (And try not to let your skepticism get in the way.) Q: "What's an internal landscape?" An internal landscape refers to how the multiple "sees" the inside of hir mind. It's where the alters live. It can vary greatly both from multiple to multiple as well as from alter to alter (for instance, one alter might live in a castle with a moat and a drawn draw-bridge, whereas one "right next door" might live in a city block). These are their internal homes, where they go when they are not helping run things, or when they are hiding, or whatever. Some people think that their internal landcape is actually a link to the Astral Plane. Some people don't believe there is any such thing. I'm not sure it matters. Not all multiples have an internal landscape. (For that matter, not everyone with an internal landscape is multiple.) Q: "Can you explain how the various alters run the body/interact/etc.?" No. Oh, sorry. This differs so much from multiple system to multiple system that I don't know where to start. For some, each alter takes turns experiencing and performing actions and talking and so forth, sometimes without the others knowing that it is happening. For some, the alters can jointly run the body, either in tandem (picture two or more alters sitting around in a control room, discussing rapidly what to do/say and sharing the feelings), or by partially merging/overlaying. For those who have alters who are co-conscious, the degree of consciousness experienced may vary by alter, by situation, or just by whim. The alters sometimes may choose how much they feel/decide/interact. The alters not currently helping run things may or may not retain memories, emotions/feelings, and so forth. They further may or may not have any access at all to such, either vicariously (like watching a video) or more personally (accessing the memories and feeling as if it DID happen to them) or something in between. They might talk to one another, they might not. Q: "Isn't this confusing?" Yes. :) When several alters are out at once, they may talk at the same time, causing incredibly garbled sentences to emerge. Or they may listen at the same time, causing, for example, each of two alters to catch every other word in a sentence. When this happens, neither of them will understand what was said. Additionally, switches may cause disorientation, even within multiples that are co-conscious to some degree. For multiple systems that are particularly integrated/co-conscious, it may be difficult to have a sense of self at times. It is possible to not be sure who was "doing", and who was just watching. This seems to be exacerbated with greater similarity between alters. People who are dissociative but not multiple probably find themselves with similar feelings to those who are somewhat integrated/co- conscious. Q: "Do I have to lose time/have complete amnesia between alters to be multiple?" No. Despite what the DSM publishes, many multiples do not lose time, or only some of their alters do. Often, it is only the alters who are out the least often who miss periods of time. Particularly in the case of integrated/co-conscious multiples, even alters who do not experience a particular act as their own can be in some way made aware of the passage of time and the actions during that time. Q: "What is 'switching'?" Switching refers to a change in the configuration of who is "out", "up front", or "in control" in a multiple system. Switching may be as drastic as a complete switch between two alters, where the new alter has no idea where sie is or how sie got there. It may be as mild as a shift in the configuration, where one of the several alters currently out departs and a new one emerges. For some, switching involves little or no effort, nothing is lost during the switching, and switching out of control does not necessarily mean the alter doing so will lose anything either. For others, switching involves anything from a brief fuzziness of recent memory or a small perceptual jump to a complete sense of disorientation/fugue including time loss, not knowing where one is, or what one was doing. Q: "Isn't schizophrenia the same as multiplicity?" [or: Some things "the average person" might mistake multiplicity for.] Schizophrenia: It's not. Although some of the symptoms may look the same, both to outsiders and the multiple. For a more detailed discussion on this, see Section 2 of the FAQ. Manic/Depressive, Bipolar, or Cyclic Disorders: Commonly referred to as mood swings. Multiplicity may involve what looks like mood swings if the alters are not in similar states of mind, and one or more alters may themselves have mood swings, but it _is_ a seperate disorder. Other forms of dissociation: These are so close to multiplicity that there is a large grey area between them. However, there are people who are dissociative who do not in any way consider themselves multiple. Q: "How can I tell if I'm multiple?" NOTE and CAUTION: We (Maelstrom and the Sapphire Gazelles) do NOT claim to be able to diagnose a multiple in 3 easy steps. However, these are some classic symptoms/signs that one is multiple. This is not meant to be a complete list, nor does the absence of a symptom from this list mean you are not multiple. If in doubt, and it is of concern to you, you may wish to discuss this with a therapist. A brief listing of some common symptoms: * losing time/being in a new place or situation with no memory of how you got there * feeling "little"/like a child * sudden disorientation/feeling as if you missed something * memories seen as happening to someone else * memories available only sporadically, possibly including non-abuse and recent memories * inadvertent use of the word "we" to refer to self * frequent out-of-character actions that surprise even you * actions that are overset with a haziness, as if you aren't really in control of what's going on; feeling removed from one's actions * other people noting one or more of the above in you * likewise, other people discussing with you things they say you did/said but that you yourself have little or no memory of, provided that you were not under the influence of any sort of drug at the time Q: "What is an inner child? Is this the same as being multiple?" An inner child is a portion of oneself that retains a sense of being a child to some extent or another. In Maelstrom's opinion, people who have this inner child are dissociative, but not necessarily multiple. Some peole think that everyone has some sort of inner child, even if it is a rather dusty and disused portion of the self. Some people might disagree that the inner child is a dissociated part of one's self. **** Dealing with multiples, a suggestion. When dealing with someone who is multiple, remember that each of those alters are *different* people. They just happen to be wearing the same body. One may do or say something, and another may either disagree or not even remember what happened. Some alters have very specific jobs and you will only see them when they need to do those jobs (or you may never see them if they have internal jobs). Some may not even be aware that the others exist. You may like some, and dislike others. Nevertheless, try to some extent to keep in mind that you are dealing with separate people. Sometimes its hard, but it *is* possible. Part 4 of the alt.support.dissociation FAQ ========================================== Section 4: Dissociation and Dissociative states (informal) What, precisely, is dissociation? What to do when dissociation causes problems. Common problems and issues for dissociated persons **** What, precisely, is dissociation? (tls) A very difficult question to answer. You will find that many people have many different views on what consitutes dissociation, who does it, and whether or not the simple existence of dissociative processes in a person constitute a problem (or when they do). However, this is my own personal viewpoint, with some input from others that helped me shape this section. Consciously or not, temporarily or not, dissociation is a process in which you assume a role or roles that are markedly different from the one you might usually have. This includes a wide spectrum of things. An example of an every-day dissociative process would be, perhaps not surprisingly, actors. Actors often immerse themselves in their roles, and while they are on stage are actually the person they are portraying. [Note for the politically correct: You may notice that this example is male. Deal. It was convenient.] Joe Smith, Actor. Joe Smith is portraying Hamlet on stage, and the play is in progress. During this time, he is no longer Joe Smith, the actor, but instead _becomes_ Hamlet. He is thinking what Hamlet would think, saying what Hamlet would say, using his speech patterns, his body language, his belief system, his views of the world. For a short period of time at he, they _is_ Hamlet. After the play is through, he becomes Joe Smith, actor, again. Possibly when he goes home, he becomes Joe Smith, private person who is little if anything like "Joe Smith, actor." While he is on stage/being Hamlet, he is using dissociation to keep Joe Smith's thoughts, body language, etc. out of the way. He has become Hamlet to give a truer representation of Hamlet. Likewise, the simple act of daydreaming could be considered a form, albeit a very minor one, of dissociation. Most people probably dissociate to some degree or another hundreds of times during their life. And most of those would not be reading this newsgroup. So let us focus a bit more on the type of dissociative states I expect people reading this newsgroup would have. There are, as talked about in Section 3, multiples. Multiples are people who have dissociated fairly extremely (although there is, of course, a wide variance with multiples). There are people who dissociate just enough to be able to deal with wildly different situations in a smoother way. There are people who use dissociation as a tool, deliberately inducing in themselves a dissociative state (possibly to the point of multiplicity) so that they can perform in a way that their usual state of being might not allow. A good example of this might be people who are psychic or who perform acts of magick. [Note to skeptics: Feel free to be skeptical. Maybe they aren't actually performing feats of psionics or magick, but they _think_ they are, and this is the tool they use.] In any event, sometimes the dissociation can lead to problems. What happens if you create this dissociative process and it begins interfering with your usual state, or with other dissociative processes you created. What happens if this dissociation _becomes_ your "usual state"? What happens if you no longer _have_ a "usual state"? Regardless of the way your dissociation was formed, I hope that the posts in this newsgroup can help you learn more about these dissociative states and how to deal with any problems or issues that might arise from them. **** What to do when dissociation causes problems. (tls) Please bear in mind that I am not a psychologist or therapist, nor do I think that my suggestions are necessarily right for everyone. However, I have also never been to a therapist, and as a multiple myself, I cope with it just fine even without therapy. Remember that this is an informal look of things one can do to cope with the problems and issues arising from multiplicity and related conditions. If you are experiencing severe problems and dysfunction/impairment of day to day living, I _would_ urge you to seek out a therapist or psychologist that is sympathetic and understanding of these types of disorders. If you cannot find one easily, you could come to the Internet for suggestions, as a stopgap measure (although some have found healing solely from the Internet). I would like to stress to people that they should not automatically label dissociation (yes, that includes multiplicity) as a problem. For many people, it is not. Sometimes the dissociation opens up new issues or causes problems for a person, but sometimes it does not. This newsgroup is primarily for the people for whom it does open up new issues or problems. **** Common problems and issues for dissociated persons (tls) This is not meant to be complete. Some issues that seem specific to multiples (but might in a way apply to other related conditions). * Alters with different religions, especially if one or more have even a small amount of religious intolerance. * Alters with different goals in life * Alters with different sexual orientation (including no interest) * Alters with large differences in likes or dislikes * Alters who, themselves, have a psychological problem * Course of healing: should it include integration/fusion? Some issues that might well apply to all dissociative disorders. * Recovering lost memories/lost time periods * Re-settling into life after an abrupt change (whether via fugue or the actions of an alter) * Deciding on a course of action regarding exploration of issues mentioned above (i.e., sexual orientation, uncertain goals, religion) Part 5 of the alt.support.dissociation FAQ ========================================== Section 5: Learning about dissociation The Internet Books Organizations **** The Internet (tls) Various places on the internet, most notably this and related groups, will contain information on dissociation, multiplicity, and related issues and disorders. ** Related newsgroups alt.sexual.abuse.recovery alt.abuse.recovery alt.abuse.transcendence These three newsgroups are for the discussion of abuse and issues arising from it, and support of same. alt.sexual.abuse.recovery is commonly referred to as ASAR, and is primarily for discussion of sexual abuse by survivors of the same. Survivors of other forms of abuse have been welcomed there (especially if they experienced more than one type of abuse _including_ sexual). The group also welcomes SOs, and just plain interested parties. PLEASE read the FAQ before posting. alt.abuse.recovery is, unfortunately, a VERY low-traffic newsgroup, but is for the discussion of any kind of abuse, and issues arising from it. alt.abuse.transcendence is a more blunt newsgroup and discusses non-traditional approaches to recovering from abuse. alt.support.abuse-partners Persons who are SOs of abuse survivors encounter their own difficulties, and this group is for the discussion of those issues and problems. alt.support.depression alt.support.anxiety-panic These two groups are related in the sense that both depression and anxiety/panic attacks seem to be common among multiples (and may be common with other dissociative disorders, although I'm not sure). sci.psychology Information on psychology can be found here. alt.psychology.help A somewhat informal support group. ** World Wide Web (WWW) sites. http://www.tezcat.com/~tina/psych.html This is one of the pages I keep at home, and will have either pointers to interesting information or information I myself keep online, including this FAQ. It is currently under construction and only has pointers to a very very few things. **** Books (and other literature) (Contributed to by tls, Sapphire Gazelles, Daniel Holzman, Anita Easton) We are missing authors for a few of these books, but the title alone might be sufficient. Books specifically about multiplicity: _When Rabbit Howls_ by The Troops for Truddi Chase _The Flock: The Autobiography of a Multiple Personality_ by Joan Frances Casey w/Lynn Wilson _Katherine, It's Time_ by Kit Castle _Sybil_ _The Three Faces of Eve_ _I'm Eve_ (sequel to _The Three Faces of Eve_) _Multiple Personality Disorder from the Inside Out_ (The Sidran Foundation) Author : Ross, Colin A. Title : The Osiris Complex : Case Studies in Multiple Personality Disorder Author : Duncan, C.W. Title : The Fractured Mirror : Healing Multiple Personality Disorder Author : Kluft, Richard P./Fine, Catherine G. Title : Clinical Perspectives on Multiple Personality Disorder Author : Locke, Mary Title : Thirteen Pieces : Life With a Multiple Author : North, Carol S./Riu, Daniel A./Ryall, Jo-Ellen M./Wetzel, Richard D. Title : Multiple Personality Disorder : Psychiatric Classification and Media Influence (Oxford Monographs on Psychiatry, No 1) Author : Marshall, Alan Title : People in Pieces : Multiple Personality in Milder Forms and Greater Numbers Author : Bryant, Doris//Kessler, Judy/Shirar, Lynda Title : The Family Inside : Working With the Multiple Author : Casey, Joan Frances Title : The Flock/the Autobiography of a Multiple Personality ISBN : 0449907325 Author : Hocking, Sandra J. Title : Living With Your Selves : A Survival Manual for People With Multiple Personalities Author : Pia, Jacklyn M. Title : Multiple Personality Gift : A Workbook for You and Your Inside Famil y Author : COHEN, BARRY M Title : MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER Author : Castle, Kit/Bechtel, Stefan Title : Katherine : It's Time : The Incredible True Story of the Multiple Pe rsonalities of Kit Castle Author : Mayer, Robert, Dr. Title : Through Divided Minds : Probing the Mysteries of Multiple Personalit ies--A Doctor's Story Author : Gil, Eliana Title : United We Stand : A Book for People With Multiple Personalities Author : Ross, Colin A. Title : Multiple Personality Disorder : Diagnosis, Clinical Features, and Tr eatment (Wiley Series in General and Clinical Psychiatry) Author : Putnam, Frank W. Title : Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder (Foundation s of Modern Psychiatry) Author : Braun, Bennett G., M.D. (Editor) Title : The Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder (Clinical Insights Mo nograph) Author : Bliss, Eugene L. Title : Multiple Personality, Allied Disorders, and Hypnosis Author: COHEN & GILLER Title: MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER . Author: BRAUN Title: TREATMENT OF MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER . Author: KLUFT Title: CHILDHOOD ANTECEDENTS MULTIPLE PERSONALITY . Author: KLUFT Title: CLINICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER . Author: PUTNAM Title: DIAG & TREAT MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES . Books about dissociation in general: Books about related disorders: Newsletters: _Many Faces: A Newsletter for People with Multiple Personality Disorder_ **** Organizations (tls, but contributions are made by members of organizations in some cases) **The Sidran Foundation (e-mail: sidran@access.digex.net) The Sidran Foundation is a national not-for-profit organization devoted to advocacy, education, and research on behalf of persons with psychiatric disabilities. One of the focuses of the organization is survivors of trauma, and they therefore focus on such issues as PTSD, dissociation, and multiple personalities. The Sidran Press publishes texts about dissociative disorders, and by contacting the e-mail address above you can request informative literature and a catalog of their publications. I have been in contact with one of the people who works for the Sidran Foundation after her recent posting about it, and am currently planning on working with them to establish a Web site containing information about them as well as on-line copies of their free information and catalog. For now, persons interested in their information can find it on my Web page. **ISSD: International Society for the Study of Dissociation [Information provided by Peter Barach] This is an organization whose focus is the study of dissociative disorders. They have two annual conferences: One which meets in Chicago every November (this year Nov 3-6), and another which meets in a different outside-US location in the spring (this year Amsterdam May 10-13). The organization has about 4000 members. Membership is open to degreed professionals and also to "lay people" who have an interest in dissociation (which includes a number of nontherapists who have dissociative disorders). The organization publishes a quarterly journal, DISSOCIATION, which includes scientific articles on the topic, a membership directory, and a bimonthly newsletter. It's not a support group or an advocacy group for MP's. Therapists, though, seem to find it supportive of their work in the field. For information about membership, write ISSD at: 5700 Old Orchard Road, First Floor, Skokie, IL 60077, or call them at: 708-966-4322 There's not an e-mail address, and I think anyone there can answer your questions.