Hi Everyone

Im Andi. a woman, Andi is a made up name because I like how the character Andi was in the movie Space Camp. (A woman astronaut in the show) I also like Raggety Ann and Andy dolls. They are so cute in their matching outfits.

I was diagnosed with DID about a year ago. My therapist is on lots of forums, she used to be DID. I have a homework assignment to research forums for DID and try and find one that I like, that has the same kind of problems that I do and they dont go around telling you whats what in my own body. My therapist is very accepting when it comes to things like people with DID come online and find forums. When I asked her about forums she told me that if used right they CAN work together with real life treatment for problems. She gave me a list of websites that she is a member of, and asked me to check them out and see if I can find one that I like, that has the same problems that I have and one that is healing oriented not one where they diagnose my problems or tell me I have to be an alter, have to post like an alter. some place where I can be the way I really am. she isnt against switching and being alters. She said thats well and good but theres more to life and DID then being an alter, she wants my forum life to work hand in hand with real time therapy not against it.

anyhow here I am. I have been reading this site now for about 2 weeks and thought it was time to register and try it out. I wont be here to ask you to do my homework (my therapist is big on therapy isnt just for therapy sessions) and Im not here for you all to diagnose my problems or post as an alter if I am not an alter when I am online. (I dont even know if my alters use computers LMAo) Im here and will be sharing and posting a bit about me and my life with DID.

My therapist...used to be DID.

That is a really interesting variation on the background of therapists I've heard about here. Not unheard of but rare. I've often wondered what got the handful of DID specialists I've had into specializing in it. I know from talking to them that part was that it kind of happened over time (they got a few DID clients, fellow therapists referred others to them, etc.) but another part has been some not fully disclosed trauma of their own. Welcome, Andi!

It is fairly rare that a therapist openly discloses a DID diagnosis, or any diagnosis for that matter, but more and more people are being open about themselves, so why not?

It is also probable (and in some circles accepted) that the incidence of DID is higher among therapists than in the general population.

I dont know the therapist in person but as I wrote in another thread, it gives me the creeps when I read whats she does and says. My "spinder sense" goes off and screams run!! But it can be me and my off.
Maybe she as good as said.
I would not want a therapist who has did.
Good thing we can all make our own choises and do what we feel is right for us.

Welcome to the forum Andi!

I think I feel similarly to Allcoulors. I would definitely not want a therapist who has DID. But I also agree that everyone needs to do what's right for them.

andiKirkwood wrote:Im not here for you all to diagnose my problems or post as an alter if I am not an alter when I am online. (I dont even know if my alters use computers LMAo) Im here and will be sharing and posting a bit about me and my life with DID.

No one is going to tell you how to post or who to post as.

There are many of us who post on here who believe that the model of structural dissociation best explains dissociative disorders, and therefore that all the parts of a system are alters, with no one part being more important than another. So for me, for example, there's no way to not "post as an alter." But if a different theory is working well for you, and fits how you (plural) view your system, then that's what works for you and no one is going to argue with that.

~Hello, and welcome aboard!

Nobody is going to police who you post as, but I guess it's a repeat here~ You are you, and that is truer than true, does not matter if you share your body with other people, or not.

I am interested to hear about how a DID T can help with DID differently than a non DID T. After all, our best supports regarding how to get organized together are multiple systems themselves. Just as the best supports Zami ever had regarding how to handle being autistic in a neurotypical world, came from other autistic people.~

So I guess, maybe, the ones who have walked ahead of us, can show the way better than the ones who just read a map but have never really been here?~

Well, I have said all I had to say! Have a nice day Andi! ~

~ Theia~

Hi there

I've thought about this: would it be better or worse to have a therapist that has DID?

At first I thought worse because they don't have healthy experience themselves.

Then I thought better if they have worked through their stuff and are therefore more equipped to deal with an issue they have recovered from themselves.

So I concluded could be worse, could be better depending on the individual - like any other therapist.

Have great days, Karen

Hi Andi. This is a pretty accepting group. I'm a Singleton (as far as I know...), but on here to help my wife and provide a different perspective on some topics.

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome here Andi !
Nice to hear about a psych who's open about online support !

Una+ wrote:It is also probable (and in some circles accepted) that the incidence of DID is higher among therapists than in the general population.

You have no idea
Here at my university (I'm a psychologist student), I've met another girl diagnosed with DID, and I'm also pretty sure I've met two other people with DID.
One is excellent at hiding it, only someone else with DID and used to talk with DID persons can spot some clues about her.
The other one, I think he doesn't even know he has DID... but some clues were so obvious... I don't know how the others members of our working group could have missed that. But I didn't saw him at all last year, I think he dropped university.

Aside of DID, a lot of students here have dissociation issues. But only those able to manage them will be able to stay, because the class are so hard on an emotional level, if you're not ready to work on your issues, it will be nearly impossible for you to graduate.
We hear about trauma almost every day, how it works, what kind of violence can lead to it, what mental disorder can rise from it and the details of those disorders etc. Our teachers, who are researchers and professionals, also gives a lot of examples from their work with their patients. So we can hear about trauma and abuse with details and concrete examples, and no trigger warning before...
So yeah, it's either you work on it, or you'll get re-traumatized, or take all the class in a dissociate state which isn't the best way to learn.
It was kind of interesting to see the amount of students in the clinic psychology class decreased as the semester went on...

Those who don't work on their issues and still graduate happen, of course, but they are rare.

A DID therapist could have different skills than a non-DID therapist, the things that matter in my opinion are :
Are they aware of their limits ?
Have they done enough work to be able to stay present and not dissociate while the person in front of them is talking about traumas and abuses ?
And about their system, are they all involved and agree the job they have ? It's important they are all in the "therapist" mode at the same moment to maintain cooperation and avoid dissociation.
If the answer is "yes" to all, then why not ?

And the question of the ability is the same with every other mental disorder. In my university, I've met people with eating disorders, anxiety disorder, depression, PTSD, etc.
If you're searching for normal and healthy people, with a healthy childhood, into psychology, they will be hard to find...

Johnny-Jack wrote:

My therapist...used to be DID.

That is a really interesting variation on the background of therapists I've heard about here. Not unheard of but rare. I've often wondered what got the handful of DID specialists I've had into specializing in it. I know from talking to them that part was that it kind of happened over time (they got a few DID clients, fellow therapists referred others to them, etc.) but another part has been some not fully disclosed trauma of their own. Welcome, Andi!

Yea she told me. I got angry at her in therapy and told her she dont know jack of what I was going thru, that she had no rite to say what she did to me, then she told me about her having had DID a long time ago. now I think its great having a T that has been there too.

-- Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:54 am --

Allcoulors wrote:I dont know the therapist in person but as I wrote in another thread, it gives me the creeps when I read whats she does and says. My "spinder sense" goes off and screams run!! But it can be me and my off.
Maybe she as good as said.
I would not want a therapist who has did.
Good thing we can all make our own choises and do what we feel is right for us.

Had DID not has it now. I think its great that she had DID a long time and now works with me, T's I dont trust are the ones that ASSUME they know what Im going thru, but havent actually been there. the how are WE doing today crap when you know they mean how are YOU today. the kind that dishand tell you what they are supposed to say but haven gotten dirty their self.