I'm wondering if anyone on here has worked with DID patients, or if anyone has a T who's been really honest? I'm curious to know what its like from the T's perspective, when clients switch in front of them. I feel like such a freak, and I imagine him in his head thinking 'WTF' a lot! Obviously he is professional and doesn't react on the outside, but I really want to know what he thinks when it happens.

[Permacultural]

I would imagine that the thought would be, "Okay, who is coming out to talk right now?"

Originally Posted by Permacultural

I would imagine that the thought would be, "Okay, who is coming out to talk right now?"

I just figure it must be at least a little surreal to witness? Like - are the differences really stark? Or subtle? Is it scary for the T? Can the T recognise different aspects when they show up? Even if the client is unaware? Does this mean the T ends up knowing more about the client than the client knows about themselves?

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by CassyO

I'm wondering if anyone on here has worked with DID patients, or if anyone has a T who's been really honest? I'm curious to know what its like from the T's perspective, when clients switch in front of them. I feel like such a freak, and I imagine him in his head thinking 'WTF' a lot! Obviously he is professional and doesn't react on the outside, but I really want to know what he thinks when it happens.

the only way to know for sure what your own treatment provider thinks is to ask him. here on psych central asking this you will get a whole lot of mixed answers from the positive to the negative and still only your treatment provider can tell you what he is thinking...

let me show you what I mean...

i have had treatment providers say wow thats cool, i have never worked with DID before, and I have had treatment providers refer me to other treatment providers because they felt unqualified, or uncomfortable, or just were at a loss on what to do.

my present treatment provider tells me now after I have been integrated, that working with me had its challenges because DID by nature is an unpredictable mental disorder. from any given day, moment she never knew which alter was going to be there and what would trigger the dissociation for some of my alters, it is therapy, triggers happen and alters taking control unpredictable happens. Just the nature of the disorder and her job.

All she could do was take it in stride and deal with things moment to moment. thats life, even with out the added element of having DID like changes from moment to moment , day to day so mostly is was like any other day in her life. Like anything else in her life there are the positives and the negatives. thats life.

[kecanoe]

My t will say "who is that?" if he doesn't recognize her. But usually he knows from their voice, mannerism, way they talk, what they talk about. I don't think he finds it creepy; if I were to guess I would say that he finds it very interesting.

I think he knows most of my parts very well. But he still doesn't know me better than I know myself

[finding_my_way]

i do not know how my psychiatrist sees things. i think years ago it was all more apparent to her, but i don't know if she has seen the subtle things over the years or this last year since i wasn't seeing her often for a few years (things were stable for me).

she waits for me to talk about things in general and asks how the dissociation has been, but it is me that really has to say things...and i haven't flat out asked her if she has noticed anything because to me it would feel like i'm fishing for something that she might not think about or isn't necessarily important or i've been afraid she thinks i make things up or act or something.

i have noticed in some sessions for a few seconds where there will be other random voices/tones/things said that are not coming from me..i cannot control it and don't know who it comes from since i don't have communication much anymore and don't know the others much anymore or if there are new ones or if those moments weren't even connected to them maybe..although i'd think so...but for the most part, it is me talking or sometimes some through me..but i do not know if it's that noticeable to her...they have never come out or let her know who they are, etc. so she also wouldn't know unless that happened maybe.

Originally Posted by amandalouise

the only way to know for sure what your own treatment provider thinks is to ask him.
let me show you what I mean...

Oh I do - but its person centred counselling and so he's meant to be (and is!) a blank wall and completely accepting and so he would never tell me if I caused him to feel anything negative.

Originally Posted by amandalouise

present treatment provider tells me now after I have been integrated, that working with me had its challenges because DID by nature is an unpredictable mental disorder. from any given day, moment she never knew which alter was going to be there and what would trigger the dissociation for some of my alters

Thats so cool that she is so open with you. I hope one day my T will feel able to be that kind of open with me. He really is a great T, but I would feel a lot more secure if I knew what he was thinking - even if its a negative. It must be so surreal for him to witness this.

Originally Posted by kecanoe

My t will say "who is that?" if he doesn't recognize her. But usually he knows from their voice, mannerism, way they talk, what they talk about. I don't think he finds it creepy; if I were to guess I would say that he finds it very interesting.

I think he knows most of my parts very well. But he still doesn't know me better than I know myself

This was a really comforting response - Thanks! My T has started saying 'where were you?' when I drift off - I like that. I think theres a side of him that finds it fascinating too. I hope that side is stronger than any side of him that is freaked out by me.

[peaches100]

My t seems to know right away when I switch, often when I don't notice it. I must show it somehow in my facial expression. Sometimes, I will start crying suddenly. Also, she said she has heard in voice mail messages from me that my voice varies a lot. But we've worked together a very long time so she has had time to see what I do and can kind of predict which part is coming out.

I really do think it has a lot to do with experience. If someone is used to working with something that nothing is a surprise, that it's just part of the process, then they are just professional about it and hold no opinion other than wanting to help.

I'd rather work with an experienced T versus one that's new....I'd rather not be someone's Guinea Pig or pet project. The one I found has experience and she's very professional about it. I've not seen her since money is an issue, but can tell that she knows her stuff.... or until I'm disappointed and fire her. I already told her that.

Originally Posted by peaches100

My t seems to know right away when I switch, often when I don't notice it. I must show it somehow in my facial expression. Sometimes, I will start crying suddenly. Also, she said she has heard in voice mail messages from me that my voice varies a lot. But we've worked together a very long time so she has had time to see what I do and can kind of predict which part is coming out.

Switching is so embarrassing when done in front of someone that knows...I feel so weird because I am

We switch so much that we can switch mid sentence several times. It's like the feeling behind what we write gets lost so much that a lot gets deleted.

It's like writing a long post gets a bit challenging. It's usually a collage of effort by many, hence the run on sentences, incomplete thoughts, out of order topics...school was hard with just an eraser, no delete button! Lol

Tons of editing happens here!

[Mookster]

I don't like it when I switch in front of people, then again I don't know when I switch half the time so who knows... when I get that floaty feeling in front of people I try to get away from them... Find myself someplace to be alone for a bit.... Try to figure out what triggered me and how to calm everything down...

In the T's office, there's no where to hide... So she's seen them.. Not sure I like this, so I really don't think what she's thinking matters.. It's more what I think of this whole mess that matters to me...

Originally Posted by Mookster

I don't like it when I switch in front of people, then again I don't know when I switch half the time so who knows... when I get that floaty feeling in front of people I try to get away from them... Find myself someplace to be alone for a bit.... Try to figure out what triggered me and how to calm everything down...

In the T's office, there's no where to hide... So she's seen them.. Not sure I like this, so I really don't think what she's thinking matters.. It's more what I think of this whole mess that matters to me...

I don't know if this will help, but we here can tell by feel and the head voice. Being co-conscious is like sharing a living room that is progressive.

It's like...."ACTION!!....and we're live coming to you from the minds of The Ménage System!" Lol

:P

Also to add, I can step back to observe and "see" an other step up and assume control- it's like watching from a window live action.

Is this the ultimate goal of therapy? I don't know. We just can do it.

It gets tiredsme, confusing at times, bewilderment happens...the "noodle" feels like a bowl of spaghetti at times.

[Mookster]

I would love to have that ability... I think it would help in some respects if I was able to help them deal with what ever it was that triggered them... Tho I have no awareness when they come out. I know when they are trying to most times... There's that "strange" feeling I get.. If I try hard enough at times I can keep them at bay, tho it reduces me to a begging moron... Making promises I can't always keep.. I would love to have your ability to stay "present" when they come out...

[Permacultural]

Originally Posted by CassyO

I just figure it must be at least a little surreal to witness? Like - are the differences really stark? Or subtle? Is it scary for the T? Can the T recognise different aspects when they show up? Even if the client is unaware? Does this mean the T ends up knowing more about the client than the client knows about themselves?

At first it can be scary. My friend has several alters, 2 of whom have a tendency to be violent. So when he shifts, it's clear, the face and voice change. The female alters are probably the most noticeable when they need time. Mannerisms of the body change, heck he even walks differently. With other alters, the change is more subtle and I have to ask him his name. I recommended he get help for it because he was initially complaining to me about not remembering 6-12 hours of the previous day, so he was unaware. I think the client is the conduit for the therapists knowledge, but a therapist with experience will ensure that the primary client is kept informed. With consent this can involve appropriate video and audiotaping in session, as well as something called "conferencing" where everybody agrees to have a period of gathering and communication.

Originally Posted by Mookster

I would love to have that ability... I think it would help in some respects if I was able to help them deal with what ever it was that triggered them... Tho I have no awareness when they come out. I know when they are trying to most times... There's that "strange" feeling I get.. If I try hard enough at times I can keep them at bay, tho it reduces me to a begging moron... Making promises I can't always keep.. I would love to have your ability to stay "present" when they come out...

I don't know, it's only momentary, a parlor trick. I wish I can hold em at bay...we switch at a sneeze. We have no host, main, original...just a collage of personalities that takes turns at being present. We drift, here one minute gone the next. No direction, no real goals...everything is a fail...we just want to be done.

Originally Posted by Permacultural

At first it can be scary. My friend has several alters, 2 of whom have a tendency to be violent. So when he shifts, it's clear, the face and voice change.

This is something that really worries me about me. I mean, Im pretty sure all of me is pacifist, and all of me disagrees with violence. But I do have pretty angry parts to me, and I do think it is ok to be violent towards to myself in order to prevent me being violent against others. But what if I don't know that that there are violent sides to me? What if my T discovers that before I do and I hurt him? I really cannot imagine any situation that would ever occur. Im just not a violent person, and I don't have a history of people telling me Im violent in occurrences I don't remember. But I also know that lots of people are scared of me. Its like people see a potential for violence in me that I just don't see myself. I haven't hit anyone for 23 years, and Ive only ever hit two people in my life. But I know my T is scared of me, and now Im scared of me too. Will I know if there is a violent part of me?

Originally Posted by Permacultural

alters are probably the most noticeable when they need time. Mannerisms of the body change, heck he even walks differently.

Do you laugh at him openly or behind his back when this happens? What do you think when you see this happen?

Originally Posted by Permacultural

I think the client is the conduit for the therapists knowledge, but a therapist with experience will ensure that the primary client is kept informed.

Is it difficult for you to tell your friend what you see and experience, if/ when he is amnesic? Is he embarrassed when you do this?

Originally Posted by Permacultural

consent this can involve appropriate video and audiotaping in session,

My first T asked if he could record a session once 'for training'. I said 'yes' thinking he meant sound recording. Unfortunately he meant video record, and when I turned up at the next session there was a big ol' video camera facing me. I know I switched instantly, and I know I was really ****** with him for the whole session, and I know he said at the end that the video thing had not worked well, but I really can't remember what I said or what we talked about. Turns out video cameras are a pretty major trigger. I have no idea why, but Im not stupid and obviously have my suspicions! Looking back it was so obvious my first T knew i had issues with dissociation, but he never brought it up and I did not cotton on until 8 years later with T2. I would so love to get in touch with and quiz T1!

Have you ever video recorded your friend switching, and watched it back with him. What was that like for you? And how did your friend react?

[QUOTE=Permacultural;4846948] as well as something called "conferencing" where everybody agrees to have a period of gathering and communication.

I like the sound of this - although I have no idea how I would orchestrate it. Do you know of any websites that go in to more detail?

Sorry for the many questions - This is soooooo very helpful for me. Thanks for your response

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

I don't know, it's only momentary, a parlor trick. I wish I can hold em at bay...we switch at a sneeze. We have no host, main, original...just a collage of personalities that takes turns at being present. We drift, here one minute gone the next. No direction, no real goals...everything is a fail...we just want to be done.

I kind of get this. I don't think I have an original me, and Im beginning to think I switch a hundred times a day - when tired or stressed anyway. Sometimes I don't realise until I dwell and think about it and it will dawn on me what happened a few days / weeks / years later. But sometimes Im aware of it when it happens, and its like Im stood behind me watching whats going on but not being able to change anything.