by Lisa Featherston
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), otherwise known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is an elaborate and ingenious coping mechanism used and perfected, usually by a young child, in response to severe trauma. It was first described by Paracelsus in 1645, who wrote about a woman who had amnesia for an alter personality who stole her money. Despite this and numerous other accounts documented throughout history, Eberhardt Gmelin (1791) is usually the source credited with the first thoroughly documented case.
Controversy about whether this disorder exists has been common for as long as it has been documented; however, Multiple Personality Disorder was officially added to the DSM-III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third edition) by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980. Since that time, much research has been conducted to better understand and treat this disorder.
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Every human being dissociates to some degree. Most people can recall a time when they realized or were told they were day dreaming; similarly, while driving down the interstate, you may have had the experience of being so engulfed in thought that you missed your exit. You were somehow still able to drive safely and operate the vehicle as usual but your mind was a million miles away. This is a form of dissociation. The difference between normal dissociation and that of dissociative identity disorder is that the latter is more extreme and deliberate and it originates as a mental way of detaching from an unbearable situation.
Oftentimes following a life-threatening situation such as a car accident or natural disaster, people seem to function in a daze and later report they don’t remember what they did or said. This is a more severe example of dissociation but unlike dissociative identity disorder, these people do return to a more grounded self-awareness and the dissociative states will dissipate completely. In DID, the child becomes dependent on these dissociative states and in a developing brain, these altered states become solidified fragments of the brain itself, thereby enhancing the individual personalities into self-functioning entities all sharing the same body.
Living with DID has been both a blessing and an enormous challenge. Growing up in an extremely abusive environment left me vulnerable and constantly on alert. Being able to depend on alternate personalities who were better equipped to handle certain situations proved useful and necessary. A thorough understanding of what it’s like to experience dissociation and ”switching” between alters might help people to better accept the disorder and appreciate the complexities of it.
The first thing to explain is the terminology. An alter is described as an alternate personality. Keeping in mind that all alters are parts of the whole, these alters begin as fantasy pieces created by the core (the person who was born of biological means); fragmentation of the brain that makes the alter a fully functional “part” of the core. At this point the alter can expand his or her own personality nondependent on the core. So it is not unreasonable to expect that alters will have similar traits as the core but still have their individual likes and dislikes as well as mannerisms and characteristics.
Many experts have even determined some different physiological traits between alters. Some have noted different eye colors, blood pressure, injuries, as well as more deliberate difference such as hair style, clothing styles, and preferences to jewelry. You may notice different voices, tones, or even accents. This is due to the fact that each alter lives its own life almost completely separate from the others, including the core. It isn’t until problems with coping become an issue and therapy or other treatment is sought by one or more of the alters or the core that each alter will start to become aware of the others. Some multiples have reported knowing about others within their system but they rarely understand that they are in fact alters all sharing the same body.
This is because there are amnesiac barriers that separate one alter from another. This makes switching possible and keeps chaos from ensuing. Switching is a term used to describe the emerging of one alter, replacing another. Any alter may be out front controlling the functioning of the body at any given time but it is almost always the one that is best suited for the current situation. A dire situation is not a prerequisite for an alternate personality to be out and in control. Because the core develops this coping mechanism so early in life, alters know this lifestyle and often believe the life being lived is exclusively their own. They want to function out just like anyone else does so they can be out to do the most ordinary tasks and activities.
They each have their own life story to tell. For some that story may be uneventful because not all alters experience abuse, while others may know only abuse. If you understand this, you can also understand how difficult life would be for any one alter as he or she grows into adulthood. If you only knew life full of abuse, you would likely lack some social skills, skills to cope in average situations, and lack some serious developmental skills as well. So what used to be a brilliant coping mechanism that saved the life and mind of the biological being as a child is no longer a working skill as an adult.
From as far back as the 1950’s, there have been motion pictures that depict characters with multiple personalities and though a few were based on true stories or documentary in style, most have been about devious, murdering men who demonstrated alter egos more so than dissociative identities. This characterization of multiplicity is a complete fabrication of a legitimate disorder that serves only to entertain the masses who don’t know any better. I’ll admit myself to finding the entertainment value in such a character but it is because of these portrayals in-part that the disorder continues to get a bad rap in the public eye as well as in the professional field. Most people today still believe they should fear or at least be cautious around a multiple and this could not be farther from the truth.
Those living with dissociative identity disorder are used to mimicking the behaviors of those in their environment to a large degree. Because DID is based on a survival mechanism, it stands to reason that these alters would develop whatever behaviors worked best, so it is unlikely you would ever know someone is multiple in your daily dealing with them. Remember that the one best equipped to deal with the current situation is probably going to be the one that is out. Based on what we’ve seen of multiple personalities in motion pictures, there’s really no comparison. These characters seem more likely to mirror the characteristics of those who harmed them as a child than they do the multiple him/herself.
The types of problems that arise may surprise you. As a multiple myself, I can say without hesitation that the biggest problem we deal with is the reactions of other people. Since we continue to operate in a similar function as we did during childhood, the reactions of others can cause switching. When someone reacts to our diagnosis rather than reacting to the alter that is out, this reaction can be seen as threatening, which by design can cause a switch in alters. You could well be talking to Janet about psychology, and when she reveals she is DID, your reaction to her in a fearful or confused manner causes Janet to go and out comes Marcia who can better deal with the uncertainty of your fear and confusion.
This has happened to us a few times. It is also the presumption on our part that others will not be accepting that we tend to be more isolated in general.
Many typical people role play in their minds about situations they feel might cause apprehension in an effort to evaluate what might be the best course of action or personal behavior before actually engaging in this event. Multiples do this constantly as a survival mechanism.
An example might be needing to go to the grocery store and ask an attendant where to find the canned olives. Most people might just go in and look for it or simply walk up to attendant and ask them without giving it much thought. A multiple will rehearse that encounter in their head or even with other alters to determine if their speech, mannerisms, and behavior will be the best for that situation. Now I realize this is a more benign example but it does still happen this way.
The fear is that if not done correctly, attention might be drawn to us and we will suffer exposure. It’s a bit more harmful than simple embarrassment because of the stigma of not just DID but of mental illness in general. It can turn a simple exchange into a more complex situation much like having a snowball effect.
Once when I had a kidney stone attack, I had to go to the emergency room because at that time, I did not know it was a kidney stone and if you’ve ever had these things, you know how excruciating it can be. While in the waiting room, I was doubled over in pain and crying. A staff member (intern, nurse or some other titled person) asked me what was wrong. In my painful state, I was not able to do the rehearsal that I would normally do to be prepared for such an encounter so I was very honest and told her that I was hurting so bad, I needed to lie down. Being in the waiting room I suppose, they did not want me to do that but the pain was genuinely that bad so I began to argue with the lady a bit explaining that I had to. There was no other way I would be able to tolerate the pain and she began to see me as a combatant.
Before I knew what was really going on, she had called over the police officer/security who proceeded to tell me that I had to sit up or leave the hospital. By this point I could no longer sit up and a switch took place. Poe (our protector) emerged and suddenly with no noticeable pain whatsoever, she stood up erect and told the officer that his behavior was unwarranted because this was a hospital and the amount of pain we were in meant that a humane person would work to give us more comfort not discomfort. The officer accused us of faking our pain and instead, needing psychiatric treatment. He called in more officers who proceeded to draw their weapons and order us to leave the hospital immediately.
This is an example of why a multiple deems it necessary to rehearse encounters with others. When physical or emotional pain is involved, our defenses are low and switch is inevitable. This usually frightens those around us but they fail to realize that this happens because one or more of them has frightened us. In the scenario I just gave you, the only threat was the police officer(s). No alter in our system would have harmed another human being and never has. The actions of those alters that may seem more extreme are all actions that serve to protect the system and get us out of the situation, not perpetuate it or make it worse.
One element of DID that is very helpful is the ability to rest while a different alter is out controlling the functioning. Most people would probably be happy to take such a break but only multiples can do this. Some alters can sleep with others are running things. In many ways, following co-consciousness (working together after the alters know about each other), it’s a lot like have a house full of people. Where prior to co-consciousness we all lived more like in an apartment complex, each having their own apartment. I knew I had neighbors but they weren’t my responsibility and I wasn’t theirs. Now that we know about one another, the best we can hope for is each of us having our own internal room in the same house.
Now decisions need to be made the way a family might make them. Considering one another, getting to know what each member wants, and compromising is a regular part of our being. We work as much like an internal family system as possible. This model is credited to Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D. who developed the Internal Family System based on his belief that all people have an internal family system working in their minds much the same way a family unit might function on the outside. His views were founded in ego states that we all have but the model he developed is especially helpful in understanding the workings of a multiple. We have begun to understand each other and learned to work better as a unit and as individual personalities because of Dr. Schwartz’s inspiration.
So in closing, the next time you think about or meet a multiple, you might better understand that multiples are not people to fear. Maybe they are people to applaud. If not for the ability to dissociate, some of these people might not be alive today. Many people in battle, concentration camps, prisons, or other extreme conditions have become emotionally and mentally beaten down so badly that they have not survived the ordeal. Being able to dissociate allowed us to spread the pain out so no one personality had to take it all. For this I am grateful and will always consider myself blessed.
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