malingering?

I hope I didn't make it sound like my T was trying to convince me. It was more just prompting me to question my invalidation, but doing so in a step-by-step manner. He did say that he emphatically believes in the diagnosis, just based on his experience, what he has witnessed, the sheer consistency of the parts he has interacted with directly and/or have been described to himi, the sense of the structure inside. But, mostly he would let me argue the feeling or belief that was causing my doubt and denial and then try to help me dissect that, view it from a different angle. It seems like nearly every argument I use to invalidate the diagnosis can be turned around to support it if viewed in a different light. Regarding the memories themselves, with 30 years of experience, he has said the things I've reported (which I feel to be so impossible and nonsensical) actually meet up with what he has studied and experienced with other clients with similar trauma history. But, more than anything, he has me questioning myself...why would I make up such awful things and then torture myself with them until I'm nearly completely destabilized? Anyway, sorry, just still working through this stuff and trying to find my way.

Having you question yourself I think is most helpful in the long term. Then, when you are not directly in front of the therapist, and you have an attack of doubt, you can question yourself in the same way again. Keep working through it, you're doing good.

Bourbon

### Trigger Warning: If you are sensitive with this topic consider not visiting the link ###

I read and listen to NPR, a well thought of radio network in the United States and this caught my attention from last week and made me think of this thread:

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/20/141514464 ... -were-fake

This is discussing Shirley Mason (Sybil) and her denouncement of her condition. Based on the responses here it sounds like her thinking she did not have MPD/DID is a symptom of MPD/DID and/or serves as further qualify her condition. That is a might self-serving, but makes sense too. This article offers a different perspective and I found it interesting because the original Sybil book is what ignited a lot of new MPD/DID cases or at least gave the disorder recognition clinically and to the general public. In the comments at the bottom is sort of a debate and I would avoid reading if sensitive.