|
Dissociation
*******
What
Can I Expect?
If you know someone who is multiple or who you suspect might be multiple, you are probably wondering what you can do to help and what you might expect from that person. Here I will do my best to explain the "What?" of MPD.
*******
The Personalities
There may be observable differences between the personalites, as well as physical differences that are not as easily detected. Each of the more major personlities has his or her own speech pattern, facial expressions, mannerisms, handwriting, etc. This may also include such things as their style of dress, activities, hobbies, artistic and professional abilities, taste in music, spiritual and political beliefs.
While these particular personalities are considered "fully- developed." there are those also which are considered personality fragments. These "sub-personlities" may have been created for a very specific purpose, such as holding the memory or feelings of a singular event. These fragments are incapable of experiencing a wide range of emotion and will surface only rarely. (It is possible for a person with MPD to have personalities of the opposite sex or of animals. The thing to remember is that this is a mental and emotional disorder. Each alter that is created was meant for a specific purpose. Therefore, if a child perceives that a dragon is the only thing strong enough to deal with the situation, then a dragon alter will be created.)
Studies have shown that when individual personalities undergo testing for brain wave patterns, each personality will test differently. Further study has found that after integration the patient's EEG will be completely different from what those of the separate personalities were.
It has also been found that one personality may suffer from a physical disease such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis, while none of the other personalities inhabiting the body do. This makes treating the patient for these physical illnesses extremely difficult. In my case, I had a personality named Peggy who was rapid cycling bi-polar. She would experience extreme highs - talking a-mile-a-minute, cleaning house, etc. But then she would come crashing down and be suicidal. My friends knew to watch carefully when I began talking so fast and couldn't sit down to relax.
Another such example would be that of one alcoholic personality being in a drunken stupor when a switch occurs. The next personality, who hasn't been drinking may, be stone-cold sober. I have also experienced this type of situation.
*******
The Family
Some specialists who work in this field believe that it is an absolute neccessity that a patient with MPD not have any contact with the family of origin throughout the duration of therapy. This is necessary because the denial process within these families is so great. One critical remark or memory-triggering experience can have the power to set treatment back many months. If, however, the family has the ability to be supportive or the multiple has the ability to separate emotionally from the past without being physically separate from the family, this may not be necessary.
Living with a person who is multiple can be extremely traumatic for a spouse or children. Not only is there the insecurity of not knowing who will greet them each day, but there may be a personality, or several, who are themselves abusive. This may result in children living through some of the same types of abuse that caused the parent's disorder - either because there is a personality acting out learned behaviors from their own childhood or because the parent's emotional instability leaves the children more vulnerable to abuse by outsiders.
In the case of a person who uses self-mutilation as a form of release, family members are often faced with the pain and stress of seeing a loved one suffering from self-inflicted cuts, burns, etc. These actions may also result in suicide attempts, emergency hospitalization, and exhorbitant medical costs among other things.
*******
Prognosis
Multiple Personality Disorder, by nature of the illness, requires long-term therapy lasting anywhere from 2 to 10 years, possibly longer. According to Catherine Fine, Ph.D., program coordinator of the dissociative disorders unit at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, "The prognosis for MPD is good if a person can tolerate one of the most difficult therapies a patient can undergo."
Simply going back and remembering childhood experiences is not enough. Treatment for MPD requires the patient to experience abreactive memory - the actual reliving of these childhood memories. (This is often accomplished through hypnosis.) Because traumatic events were often experienced by only one personality, it is necessary for the other personalities to share the physical and emotional memories, as well as the mental image of the memory. In this way, as the separate parts begin to take on each other's memories and experiences, does the patient begin the "coming-together" or integration process. For many multiples, integration is the ultimate goal. But for some the goal of theraply may simply be teamwork....creating a more functional person.
*******
How Can I Help?
If you know someone who has been diagnosed as having MPD/DID or that you may suspect is suffering from this disorder, there are things that you can do to help.
- First, encourage them to seek therapy with a professional who neither discounts their behavior as attention seeking, nor their experiences as fantasies.
- Listen to them with empathy and compassion.
- Try to accept each part as a separate personality (you are not their therapist, therefore integration is not your goal!)....remember, each will have his or her own likes and dislikes, mannerisms, morals, etc.
- Do not expect to have the same relationship with one personality that you do with another.
Usually when a person is first diagnosed with MPD, their diagnosis is met with doubt, confusion, and fear. The person may experience many of the symptoms of grieving: denial, anger, depression, and gradually, acceptance. While MPD is technically considered a disorder, many multiples eventually come to view it as a gift - a special ability that kept that alive through life's most severe traumas. Now, as adults, the gift has simply ceased to be appropriate any longer. It is time to replace the old coping mechanisms with more suitable skills and abilities.
�Copyright 2002-2007 Megan Gontz All Rights Reserved
|
|
|
|
