[spudsy]

Hello!
I am needing some help with understanding something and hope I am allowed to do that as well doing it in the right place.

I my self Suffer from depression, and anxoiety, as well as other things, due to child hood abuse.
But, I have a sister, who suffered with me at he same hands of my abuse, that has reciently after 10 years contacted a person in my family. A long time really. She says she suffers from multipal personalities. My question is this.....is it possible to have over 15 different personalities? and is it possible for one personality take over for aprox for a whole 5 months with out changing back? and to lose that 5 months like it never happened?
Really trying to understand and learn, I love her very much and want to help her all I can.
Any help you can offer will be appreciated.
Thank you very much
May you be Blessed in your travels
Spudsy

[Zorah]

Hi there spudsy, & welcome to PC & the DD Forum.

What you say about your sister is a very possible scenario.

It is possible for a single alter to stay in for years, and memory gaps of many years are not uncommon.

15 alters would not be that unusual either, but it would be quite unusual for her to know she has 15 alters unless she has had a great deal of therapy
this would still not mean she is wrong, she may be absolutely correct, as it is possible that most of her alters are co-conscious & share their memories between them.

Please feel welcome to PM us with questions, because this is a complicated & much misunderstood subject, & we don't feel sure our answer won't have made you more confused

If you go to the top of the forum index & click on the tab called "disorders" you will find some definitions under dissociative disorders that may help you.

[spudsy]

Okies....I am sad for her, really if this is what she is going through I cant even begin to know what it is like for her. Any suggestions with reguards to helping her and or dealing with the personalities, such as knowing one over the other?

I will read the stuff you suggested as soon as I am back home
thanks a bunch, for the fast responce.

May you be Blessed in your travels
Spud

[Luce]

Yah, really truly possible to have 15 or more, and to have one alter out for months or years and for the others to lose that much time.
Best support you can give her is just to believe her and accept all the parts of her that you meet and get to know. Really. That's all you need to do. Don't need to be her therapist or try to fix her.
The best gift anyone could give to me and mine would be just to let us be who we are and not get all freaked out by our switching.

[Kendyll]

Ditto. Just accept her and love her.

After I learned that my BF had DID and alters, it actually made some things easier to deal with. It filled in a few gaps and made sense of some otherwise confusing/conflicting circumstances. Even the switching is no big deal because I know it happens, I know what I'm seeing and there's no need for me to worry. I firmly believe and keep telling people - it's ALL the man I love.

Read up on it, learn what you can - it really helps for us to understand a little about what's going on. Listen to her, believe in her, accept her, love her.
And the people here have been wonderful about answering my questions!
Or if you want to PM me, I can share what little I've learned, too.

[JudeeB]

Just wanted to add my "Yes, that sure can be true" to all the other affirmations.

I also agree that by believing her and being supportive you could become a "safe" person for her and her alters.

I had alters that were in control for long time periods of years. And even with integration of so many (way more than 15) I didn't get all those memories back.

She is lucky to have someone who cares.

Judee

[wanttoheal]

I'm sorry for the abuse you and your sister had to deal with. I hope things get better for both of you. It's great that you are accepting of her.