Welcome to my Blog.

These are my ramblings in an attempt try and understand my Dissociative Identity Disorder. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope that together we can come to a better understanding of the human mind. If you have any questions or comments you are more than welcome to add them to my blog, or to email me. I would love to hear from you.

18 May, 2012

Multiple language

I was having a very interesting discussion with my Therapist today and I am interested on getting your opinion on it all.
We were discussing how my system works and integration. I mentioned the post on here from a few days ago about being one of many parts of the whole, not the core member with many alters who are a part of me.
As we were talking I realized that the language I have been using all this time was actually making it harder for me to express and understand my system. As a Multiple, like most multiples, I was raised and grew up in a society of Singletons (non multiples). We therefore learn and use the singleton language to describe ourselves and our experiences. (part of this I think is that we don't learn any other terms and part of it is that we want to be like everyone else so we use their language too.)
Little things like referring to myself and 'I' instead of 'we'. Now this can often be a choice by multiples in regard to what they most feel comfortable with, or what is socially acceptable. But it can also change the way people see you and how you see yourself. When I use 'we' I feel I am acknowledging that we are a group of personalities running the one body. When I use 'I' in can infer that I am the one in charge and therefore the one you shall be speaking too. If I use 'I', it can also infer only one Alter is here or I am discussing only my specific needs or beliefs as one alter of the system.
Now don't get me wrong I am not suggesting that every multiple start referring to themselves as 'we' instead of 'I'. I consider this to be personal choice and it may vary between situations and alters. But I am saying that maybe we need to reconsider some of the language we use and how it affects our system.
Are we acknowledging our multiplicity? I know this can be a very dangerous thing to do in the open and not many multiples want to be openly known for their disorder.  But in forums where it is safe, with people we trust, are we just following on with singleton language that really doesn't serve us best.
 I know I am not expressing this the best, the pieces I am wanting to share are just not coming to my memory at the moment.
My mum asked me the other day, after reading my posts on here about my new flashbacks and abuser memories, if I was feeling better now? It is a strange term. I am functioning better in my day to day life again, and I am not spending hours a day vagued out in dissociation and grief. But is that better? I had merely switched to an alter who could get on with life. The pain and grief was still very present and real. It all just meant she (my mum) just couldn't see it as much now. It was still there. 'Feeling Better' to me would mean working through the pain and grief in healing until it didn't have the devastating affect on me that it did originally. Feelings are transient and can change with the switch of an alter. They are either close to the surface or buried again. Ultimately to my singleton mother, yes I was feeling better. But the reality is that nothing had changed except which alter was running the show.
To my mum who reads my blog, don't take this personally, but as you know we really didn't have time for me to discuss this with you on the phone.
I hope this makes at least some sense, please let me know if you have any thoughts on the matter.

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