The X-Ray for My Multiples

Dissociative identity disorder is a post-traumatic condition linked to early childhood adverse events. The mind fragments so a child can survive emotionally, continue daily life, and keep traumatic experiences separated from consciousness. Later, distinct identity states called alter personalities can emerge with different names, memories, and roles. Some alters hold abuse memories, some moderate emotions to maintain stability, and others protect the child from fear or prevent disclosure of abuse. Systems can include a few or many alters, and the account describes having 24. A documentary segment involved traveling to Los Angeles to meet a clinician in Beverly Hills for an unprecedented approach.

"Dissociative identity disorder or DID. I'm a multiple. Once considered rare and even bizarre, DID is now understood to be one of several post-traumatic conditions that result from early childhood adverse events. How this disorder forms is complex and still inexplicable. Why it develops is simple enough because the child needs it to. Misunderstood and often misrepresented, DID is, in essence, a highly creative and adaptive survival strategy that arises when a child faces severe and repeated abuse."

"The mind fragments so the child can survive emotionally, go out to play, and go to school. Traumatic experiences are separated from consciousness and stored somewhere in the mind. Years later, those fragments can emerge as distinct identity states called alter personalities, each with its own unique characteristics, names, memories, and roles within the system. Some hold the actual memories of abuse. Some help to moderate emotions, keeping the child stable."

"Some protect the child from fear, while others actually keep the child from telling the secret of the abuse. There can be a few or many, and at that time, I had 24. In addition to observing my family and me in our daily lives, the TBS suggested something that had never been done before. For that, we flew to Los Angeles and ended up in Beverly Hills, where Dr. Margaret Ayers kept her practice."

"Through a gate, two weathered wood-and-iron benches faced a magnolia tree. A door opened, and a poised middle-aged woman stepped out to greet us. Ah, Cameron,"

Read at www.psychologytoday.com