June 25, 2010

Where Did I Put My Keys?

Posted in DID Education, DID/MPD, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Internal Communication, therapy, Therapy and Counseling, Therapy Homework Ideas, trauma therapist tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , at 7:46 pm by Kathy Broady


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Last night I lost my keys in the office.   It was a silly ordeal – they were hanging right where I last put them – but it took me awhile to remember where that was.

I had a little help finding them, and I am really thankful that Mr. Janitor Man was so very kind.  He was patient with me, looking everywhere with me while I retraced my steps of the evening.  We looked under couches, in between cushions, under pillows, through trash bins, in the fridge, in drawers, in cupboards, on shelves.  I knew they had to be there – after all, I had just locked myself IN the building.  I hadn’t gone anywhere because I needed my keys in order to unlock the door to get out of the building, so I knew they couldn’t be far.

But where were they?!

It took awhile, but I gradually got closer to the last place I left them, I remembered exactly where they were.

Success!!  There they were – right where I left them.

And thank you, Mr. Janitor Man for your patience with me.

In order to find them, I simply had to stop and think about where I was when I last remembered having them, and go from there.  My keys were just a few inches from that place.

Today, I had to wonder how my thought processes were the same – or different – from survivors with dissociative identity disorder (DID / MPD) who have to search for their lost keys.

A few weeks back, I was on the other side of this equation.

A DID survivor had lost her car keys for several days.  She had looked everywhere.  She had the feeling that they were still in the house, and remembered where She had last set them.  But the car keys were nowhere to be found.

To help her sort through the lost key issue, She and I had an entirely different process than I did with Mr. Janitor Man.

She had already re-traced her steps best She could.  It was clear the keys were not anywhere She thought they should be.

Because of the dissociative issues and system conflict in her life, there were several additional issues to consider:

  • Had anyone inside moved the keys after She put them on the table?
  • Were the insiders purposefully hiding the keys from her?
  • Was this an issue of self-sabotage, system conflict, or simple dissociation?
  • If She didn’t remember where the keys were put last, which insider did remember?
  • If someone inside remembered, were they going to tell her?
  • How long were the insiders going to keep this secret?  Did they think that was funny?
  • Were the keys sitting right there in plain sight, and was someone within her system purposefully blocking She’s vision?
  • Was She simply “not allowed” to see where the keys were?
  • Was someone inside hiding the car keys to keep her from driving?
  • Why did they not want her to be able to drive?
  • Was this a safety issue (to prevent some self-harm options that required a car)?
  • Was this a power and control issue (“we can do what we want, and She can’t stop us”)?
  • Were the insiders trying to sabotage and ruin She’s plans for the weekend?
  • Was this a system punishment of some sort?
  • Were the keys genuinely lost, and were all our questions about insider involvement way off track?

It became obvious that She didn’t know where the keys were.  There was no use wasting more time asking her to find them on her own.

Asking inside – asking the parts in She’s system – to tell her where they were wasn’t working either.  Everyone was quiet inside, and no one was willing to say where the keys were.

The only feeling that She got in response to the questions was that the keys were still in the house.  She had noticed She could feel a little rise in tension when She looked in the kitchen.  She was guessing the keys were there, but She still had no idea. She had looked everywhere in the kitchen – a few times – and still couldn’t find them.

She asked her insiders again, and again – and still no one would cooperate with a direct answer.  Where should She look in the kitchen? Should She keep looking in the kitchen?  Now what?

It was beginning to get clearer that either someone was hiding the keys on purpose from She. It was also becoming clear that others inside were feeling too scared of Key-Hider to tell She where the keys were.  The awkward silence was very telling.

We tried directly asking Key-Hider where the keys were.  The only response to that question was a bit cheeky.  “If I wanted the keys hidden from her, why would I tell you where they are?”   Oh ok.  Got that message loud and clear.  So Key-Hider wasn’t going to cooperate.

Hmmmmm.  Now what?

I asked She to go stand in the kitchen.  Since it appeared that the insiders didn’t feel like they could show She where the keys were – She was clearly not supposed to see the hiding spot – we didn’t go against that rule.  Instead, we respected that rule.  I asked She to close her eyes.  I spoke to the insiders through She.  They were, of course, listening behind her.  As a rule of thumb, when talking to any part of the DID system, expect that there will be others listening in the background, even if the part you are speaking with is not aware of anyone else being near.

I asked She to keep her eyes closed, and to put her hands out to feel around in the kitchen.  With DID, one part can be in charge of the most of the body, while someone else can gain control of the hands (or any other part of the body).  I reminded She that this was possible, and encouraged her to let someone pass through her to be in charge of the hands.

While She and her insiders were rummaging through kitchen areas, I continued to speak to the inside system.  I reminded them that She was not looking, that She could not see anything, and that they would not be breaking the rule of showing She where the keys were located, but I asked them to work together as a team.  Together, they were searching the kitchen for the car keys.

One of the things I mentioned to the Insiders was asking them if anyone else saw the Key-Hider hide the keys.  By this time it was clear that Key-Hider wasn’t being supportive of She.  Key-Hider was not going to say where the keys were hidden, and Key-Hider was acting more in direct opposition to She.  I asked for those who were willing to be kind and helpful to She to think about what they saw from behind the scenes, fully expecting that someone inside could have seen where Key-Hider put the keys.  I asked if any of the Helpers saw Key-Hider hide the keys, and if any of the Helpers could help She to find them.  I continued to remind She to keep her eyes closed, and to let the Helpers find the keys through her hands with their hands.

Within about fifty seconds, She giggled.  She could hear the keys, and once She was holding the keys, She was allowed to open her eyes.

After being missing for days, the keys were found!

She was thrilled, to say the least.

She mentioned that the most significant things I said were that She herself didn’t have to be told or shown where the keys were and that Key-Hider wasn’t put on the spot with demands for immediate answers or cooperation.  The idea that we could completely obey the rules, respect the opposition, and yet go around the rules by working with the other Insiders made a huge difference.  She said she would not have thought about asking her insiders for help, but it made all the difference.

So what’s the moral of the story?

  • If you are DID, remember that there are many others in there, and some of them will be on your side.
  • Even if you feel like others are against you, there will be some that will help you.
  • Using system communication, talking together, approaching problem-solving as a team will be more effective than you trying to work out issues alone.
  • Talk to each other!
  • Work together!

———-

By:

Kathy Broady LCSW

www.AbuseConsultants.com

www.SurvivorForum.com

Copyright © 2008-2010 Kathy Broady LCSW and Discussing Dissociation

October 23, 2009

Remembering Annemaria

Posted in Depression, DID Education, DID/MPD, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Family Members of Trauma Survivors, Internal Communication, Ritual Abuse, Self Injury, sexual abuse, Therapy and Counseling, Trauma, trauma therapist tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , at 11:55 am by Kathy Broady


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There is a young woman who will always be precious to me.  I haven’t spoken to her in years, but she forever changed my life.

This date – October 23rd — had specific meaning for her.

And every year on this date, I specifically think of her.
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Back in the 80’s…

Annemaria was a 13 yr old wildly aggressive but enormously quiet girl that kept setting fires in the residential treatment center and starting fist fights with grown men.  She was a complicated child, and was court-ordered to have an assessment by a psychologist.  Fortunately for Annemaria, the psychologist had just attended a presentation about multiple personality disorder (MPD), learning about the symptoms of dissociation and trauma.  Annemaria was quickly diagnosed with MPD and due to the variety of extreme acting out behaviors she demonstrated within the custody setting, she was given an unusual opportunity.

It was clear that Annemaria was acting out her child abuse history.  She openly admitted to purposefully committing violent crimes so she would be taken out of her abusive home.  It was a brilliant plan for finding safety from her offender-parents.  Unconcerned about the long list of legal charges against her, she knew she would be safer living in residential treatment centers, and she was glad to be there.  No one doubted her abusive past, and a long string of child protection workers advocated for her safety.

As requested, the Court agreed to give Annemaria the longest sentence possible so she could remain in the residential treatment center instead of being forced to go home.  They did this for the preventive safety of the people she would be willing to assault in the future, but also for her own current-day safety and protection.  The Court also ordered that she be given specialized treatment and intensive therapy.

Since she was so violent towards men, she was to be assigned a female staff member, and this staff member was to devote the vast majority of her time to working individually with Annemaria.

This is when Annemaria changed my life.

I was assigned to be Annemaria’s personal staff member.

I knew about sexual abuse, but I didn’t know a thing about MPD.  I had been trained to work with family systems, but I didn’t know anything about internal systems.  But I was thoroughly pleased to have been given the assignment of working with Annemaria.  I knew it would be fascinating work, and frankly, Annemaria and I already had a little bit of a connection.  Afterall, I was the only person in the entire treatment center that she would speak to.

I had two years to work with Annemaria.  We did hours and hours of therapy every week, and even more hours of everyday life-skills work.  She blossomed in that safe, healing environment but for such a young child, her stories of abuse were more than any of the treatment staff could fathom.  Eventually, a non-threatening but strong young man was assigned to assist me during Annemaria’s acting out or heavy-duty memory flashbacks.  She bounced a lot of male anger in his direction, but he handled that like a pro.  The work was tough, and we leaned on each other a lot.  Even so, I developed secondary PTSD, and experienced numerous nightmares after listening to Annemaria’s stories of trauma.  I really hadn’t known such horrors existed.  Talk about a learning curve…  They hadn’t explained ANY of that in grad school!

I had so much to learn.  I had no idea anyone could be abused in the ways that Annemarie described in such vivid detail.  She was only 13.  It had just happened.  She had been abused her whole life, but still… it had just happened!  Even though she was dissociative, she knew a lot about it.

She and I taught each other about two very different worlds.  She taught me about her world, and I taught her about mine.  We both ended those two years in a very different place.

I was truly never the same.

I hope that I impacted her life in the same way.

I also wish I could re-do those two years with Annemaria.  Now that I have had 20 years experience working with MPD – currently called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) — I would do those first two years very differently.  I’ve learned more about self-injury and how to manage those behaviors effectively.  I’ve learned about depression, anxiety, PTSD and vicarious traumatization.  I’ve learned about flashbacks, amnesia, body memories, and internal system communication.  I’ve learned about organized abuse, the sex slave industry, pornography, and ritual abuse.  NOW I am properly prepared to address the issues that Annemaria was speaking about.

But then?

I just didn’t have a clue.

And how sad was that.
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Today is Annemaria’s day.

And today, while I was recording my BlogTalkRadio show on Internal Communication, I thought of Annemaria.

While I felt confident in explaining how so many things work for DID / MPD, I thought of Annemaria.

I just wish I knew then what I know now.

I could accomplish so much more with Annemaria in two years at this point in time than I could have back in the 80’s when I was new to the field.  It saddens, me in that respect, because I didn’t give to her then what I could give to her now.

But she changed my life.

In fact, she changed the entire course of my life.

I would not be where I am if it were not for Annemaria.

And for that, I owe her a few years of decent therapy.

Annemaria, if you ever find me again, you’ve got yourself a therapist for as long as you need one!

And thank you, Annemaria.

Thank you.

———-

By:

Kathy Broady LCSW

www.AbuseConsultants.com

www.SurvivorForum.com

March 26, 2009

Twittering with Kathy Broady

Posted in DID Education, DID/MPD, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Online Therapy, therapy, Therapy and Counseling, trauma therapist tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , at 11:30 am by Kathy Broady


Do you use twitter??

I’m totally new to the idea, but I’ve added it today to this blog.

I think it’s working correctly, so for those of you that enjoy twittering, my twitter name is Kathy_B_from_AC .  That’s a shortened version of Kathy Broady from AbuseConsultants.com, of course. :)

Since I’m new to this, I’m not sure what all I’m inviting you to – but hey, it’s the newest thing, so… let’s have fun with it!

I hope you are all having a great day –

Kathy

www.AbuseConsultants.com

www.SurvivorForum.com

March 8, 2009

10 Life-Lessons I’ve Learned from Multiples, part 1

Posted in Dissociative Identity Disorder tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , at 1:34 pm by Kathy Broady


No, I’m not a multiple.   I do not have multiple personalities and I do not have dissociative identity disorder.

But I know multiples very well.

I am a trauma therapist who has worked almost exclusively with people with dissociative disorders for 20+ years.  I have met more multiples than I can count, and I have spent hours and hours and hours each week — and most days — with one multiple or another.  Sometimes I talk to multiples in person, sometimes online, sometimes on the phone.  I have led in-patient hospital-based groups for multiples, outpatient groups for multiples, online groups for multiples, and spouse groups for the supportive loved ones of multiples.  I’ve met multiples from various countries and several different continents around the world.

At this point in time, I don’t think there is anything someone with DID/MPD could say to me that would be shocking, or more horrifying than the already horrific stories that I have heard.  I do not mean that to say that I’ve heard everything because I haven’t. Everyone’s story is absolutely unique to itself. It never ceases to amaze me how many different versions of trauma exist out there in the world.  But after a while, the versions of evil and horror and terror and exploitation become equal to each other as another chapter in my Listening Book.  There is no way to categorize which traumas are worse than the others – it is all abuse, criminal, and painfully life-altering.

I haven’t heard it all, but I’ve heard enough to not be surprised anymore.

For some, I’ve been at the very beginning of their DID/MPD healing process, being the therapist that diagnoses the Dissociative Disorder and the first person to explain what dissociation is to the struggling survivor sitting in front of me.  For most, I’ve become involved mid-journey to the healing process.

I’ve seen all the stages of healing, and I’ve witnessed many of the adjunct disorders, struggles, and complications that often appear alongside dissociative disorders.  I’ve sat years and years of time alongside some multiples, and had brief exchanges with others.

And with each dissociative person I meet, I am reminded of some of the things that multiples have taught me:

1. The Strength of the Human Spirit.   No matter what happened, no matter how severe the abuse, no matter how much the perpetrators try to use mind control and programmed thinking to manipulate someone, there is still a real person in there.   Dissociative survivors have always maintained the ability to think for themselves, even if they had to hide that deep inside a variety of complex dissociative layers.  With some gentle encouragement and safe support to be who they really are instead of who the perps were trying to force them to be, all DID survivors can overcome the roles that were coerced upon them and decide to have the life that genuinely fits them.  The strength you have to be you can overcome any of the garbage piled on you by a perpetrator.  Despite all that has happened, dissociative survivors can maintain a sense of themselves.  How utterly impressive is that!

2. The Creativity of the Mind.  The mind of a dissociative person is completely creative, complex, and unique.  To be able to solve such serious life problems while so very young, alone, powerless, and resource-less is awe-inspiring.  Finding ways to exist and to maintain sanity without mentally breaking or totally self-destructing, even if that meant finding ways to co-exist with evil as safely as possible, is awe-inspiring.

3. The Strength of the Mind.   Dissociative people have a mental strength.  They developed and perfected this strength during the years of mentally withstanding their abusers. They can think past the twists and turns of manipulation, they can see through lies and half-truths, and long ago realized they don’t have to totally become what is being forced upon them.  The years and years of fighting off abusers that play twisted mind games have created a mental strength that is admirable.

4. The Incredible Ability to Withstand Enormous Physical Pain.   As sad as it is to think that any person has had to learn how to withstand various physical tortures, people with DID/MPD have learned how to survive through these kinds of ordeals.  It is mind-boggling to me that people can have such strength and ability to overcome such physical pain and torment, and not be completely psychopathic and violent afterwards.  Dissociative people can maintain the ability for gentleness, kindness, compassion, and caring even after being physically tortured.  That’s truly amazing.

5. The Strength of Connection and the Power of Love.  Even though surrounded by too many abusers and violent sadistic criminals, most of the dissociative people I have met have retained the ability to love and to connect with someone else outside of themselves.  The ability to bond, and to love, and to have compassion for someone else was not squished out of them, even though the predators of the world would have tried repeatedly to destroy that ability permanently.   This is foundationally important.  Unless someone truly becomes an antisocial sociopath, they cannot completely belong to dark evil organizations.  If trainers and abusers cannot make a person absolutely willing to hurt others, without remorse or regret, then they cannot make a true abuser out of them nor have complete control of that person’s deeper true self.  Maintaining the ability to love and to connect, even when beaten to near-death by abusers is truly inspiring.

To be continued…

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In the meantime, please ask yourself:

  • Do you see these strengths within yourself?
  • Have you recognized the depth of strength and character it takes to mentally fight off the invasive effects of abusers?
  • What strengths do you see in yourself that are not yet listed?
  • Which of these listed strengths is a surprise to you?
  • Do you have what it takes to continue separating yourself from the actions and beliefs of your offenders?

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By:

Kathy Broady LCSW

www.AbuseConsultants.com

www.SurvivorForum.com

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