Question:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello all, [some deleted] This has been very difficult for me. I was very upset by the whole thing with Cindi – it worried me. It still does. I have read in a couple of books that childhood MP can be "cured" in a matter of weeks. I have also read that once a child begins dissociating to the point of splitting, it will continue to happen over and over again – and it will not take the level of abuse that she has already suffered to do it, it can happen with much less. That scares me. …and maybe I am wrong but if one of my daughters was a multiple I wouldn’t want to risk her growing up to cut and become suicidal and become revictimized and have to go through all of this pain. (maybe I am not putting this in the proper way or using the right words) I was also under the impression that therapy was different for multiples because part of your therapy is mapping your system and learning co-operation between alters, memory work (retrieval) can be different too, from non-multiples.
Hi Katie, Cindi’s situation worries me too. It reminds me of what is happening to a friend of mine who has MPD. Her daughter shows signs of MPD, and she was looking for help with her. I encouraged her to make arrangements for the treatment of her daughter. Unfortunately the treatment resource decided that the problem was due to the mother, and she has been fighting for 2 years now to get her daughter back. The Children’s Aid has cut off all visits and is asking the Court for permanent custody of the child. It looks bad for both of them… you cannot imagine how awful it is for me to have to watch their agony at being forcefully torn apart… both are incredibly upset and I see only further harm and tragedy in their future. I guess I am worried that other parents with MPD seeking help for their children who appear to have MPD risk losing their kids too. My friend received help for her child at two other children’s centres in other cities where she lived. But this time she struck out. Something for parent/survivor’s to think about. And that is part of the reason I posted with such feeling about parents hanging on to their kids and questioning the recommendations of professionals. As for Cindi wanting to get a diagnosis for her child to use this in court against the perpetrator, well, a diagnosis of mental illness doesn’t say who did it. This could backfire in Court. In my opinion Cindy needs expert legal advice about this. I responded to Cindy’s concern for her child’s healing. If the child is still having to face the perpetrator she cannot heal as she will be retraumatized. However, the child’s pictures, stories, and dreams which I suggested Cindi collect could be interpreted by an Art Therapist with knowledge of sexual abuse, and might produce evidence that could be used in Court to protect her from the perpetrator. I posted all of the questions about therapists so that Jim would read all of the responses and learn how everybody(s) feels and thinks and what our concerns are regarding therapists here. *Thank you to everyone who responded. And sorry for any misunderstanding about my intent.*
* I have read people’s responses – they are very much what I myself think and feel. :-) I guess maybe I was way out of line. If I was I am sorry and apologize to everybody here. I apologize to Cindi for turning a simple request for advice from friends, into a weeklong mess. I just freaked out and was afraid that people I care about might get hurt. I am sorry. I hope this explains. Katie et al (Psyche’s sisters)
* Don’t be sorry on my account, no apology needed for honestly saying what was in your mind and heart! Thanks for relating to me as a human being in spite of your concerns about how I express myself and am perceived by others. I have no intention of being a "therapist" with people here. If I have something to say as a professional I will state my qualifications at that time. As people get to know me they will make up their own minds about me – hopefully most like Cindi will see through my abrasive persona to find something of value in what I say. First impressions can be misleading… And thanks for showing me this discussion group – I already like the people posting here! Rest assured that if they find me too onerous I will voluntarily go away… but aside from Discord’s assertion that I acted rudely with Cindi I haven’t seen any popular uprising telling me I’m not welcome … at least not yet! :-) "Our souls are united so high above our mortal consciousness that we cannot comprehend it with our minds. In our minds we may be separate, but in our souls – never." Karen Goldman – Angel Voices
* Love your Sig quote. Only I think that while we cannot comprehend our soul with our minds, we CAN experience it by becoming a clear and perfect channel for our soul in meditation… something that also happens spontaneously from time to time as the White Light thread demonstrates. (Yes this is JUST MY OPINION, based on my own experience). — .!./ Jim Poushinsky . _: * o :_ . I seem to be a verb. carleton.ca / :
Response:
Hello all, This is by way of an explanation and an apology to the group. I was concerned about Jim posting here partly because I have seen him in action on our local groups and know that he has alienated and hurt some people with his attitudes and the things that he says. I was also worried about it because Jim and I have discussed multiplicity and I guess like a lot of "professionals" he still has a lot to learn. (He is only human.) But he also has a way of saying things as if they are known facts – a lot of these things are wrong. Jim tends to present himself as an authority on dissociation and PTSD (at least he certainly does on local SIGS and in support group). I told Jim about this group, hoping that by reading here he would a) find help for his own issues and b) learn much more about multiplicity. This has been very difficult for me. I was very upset by the whole thing with Cindi – it worried me. It still does. I have read in a couple of books that childhood MP can be "cured" in a matter of weeks. I have also read that once a child begins dissociating to the point of splitting, it will continue to happen over and over again – and it will not take the level of abuse that she has already suffered to do it, it can happen with much less. That scares me. …and maybe I am wrong but if one of my daughters was a multiple I wouldn’t want to risk her growing up to cut and become suicidal and become revictimized and have to go through all of this pain. (maybe I am not putting this in the proper way or using the right words) I was also under the impression that therapy was different for multiples because part of your therapy is mapping your system and learning co-operation between alters, memory work (retrieval) can be different too, from non-multiples. I posted all of the questions about therapists so that Jim would read all of the responses and learn how everybody(s) feels and thinks and what our concerns are regarding therapists here. *Thank you to everyone who responded. And sorry for any misunderstanding about my intent.* I guess maybe I was way out of line. If I was I am sorry and apologize to everybody here. I apologize to Cindi for turning a simple request for advice from friends, into a weeklong mess. I just freaked out and was afraid that people I care about might get hurt. I am sorry. I hope this explains. Katie et al (Psyche’s sisters) — "Our souls are united so high above our mortal consciousness that we cannot comprehend it with our minds. In our minds we may be separate, but in our souls – never." Karen Goldman – Angel Voices
Response:
[some deleted] Hi Katie, Cindi’s situation worries me too. It reminds me of what is happening to a friend of mine who has MPD. Her daughter shows signs of MPD, and she was looking for help with her. I encouraged her to make arrangements for the treatment of her daughter. Unfortunately the treatment resource decided that the problem was due to the mother, and she has been fighting for 2 years now to get her daughter back. The Children’s Aid has cut off all visits and is asking the Court for permanent custody of the child. It looks bad for both of them… you cannot imagine how awful it is for me to have to watch their agony at being forcefully torn apart… both are incredibly upset and I see only further harm and tragedy in their future.
This is one of the cases you brought up in group when we first discussed multiples. This situation troubled me deeply. I’m not sure if you are allowed to discuss anything to do with this case as you will be testifying as her therapist, but I have some questions and concerns that I would like to raise. (And you seem to be sharing quite a bit with us, so I guess you are allowed to discuss it.) From what you told us in group, this woman had a teenaged alter who hated her child. She was allowing the child to be abused by the "biker" she (teenager) had a crush on. Couldn’t this alter have been reached in therapy (possibly using hypnosis) and worked with, to stop the abuse? (Maybe we missed something when you first discussed it. Although I seem to remember you saying that you thought this alter could be worked with, which sounds like she hadn’t been worked with to this point.) I find this whole case so sad. Now that you have brought it up here, could you please let us know how the hearings go? Do you think this case will have any implications for other multiples in our area? Do you think it could have any implications as far as how therapy is conducted? My thoughts are with this woman and her daughter. Please let us know what happens. [rest of Jim's post follows] Katie et al (Psyche’s sisters) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I guess I am worried that other parents with MPD seeking help for their children who appear to have MPD risk losing their kids too. My friend received help for her child at two other children’s centres in other cities where she lived. But this time she struck out. Something for parent/survivor’s to think about. And that is part of the reason I posted with such feeling about parents hanging on to their kids and questioning the recommendations of professionals. As for Cindi wanting to get a diagnosis for her child to use this in court against the perpetrator, well, a diagnosis of mental illness doesn’t say who did it. This could backfire in Court. In my opinion Cindy needs expert legal advice about this. I responded to Cindy’s concern for her child’s healing. If the child is still having to face the perpetrator she cannot heal as she will be retraumatized. However, the child’s pictures, stories, and dreams which I suggested Cindi collect could be interpreted by an Art Therapist with knowledge of sexual abuse, and might produce evidence that could be used in Court to protect her from the perpetrator.
[snip] — "Our souls are united so high above our mortal consciousness that we cannot comprehend it with our minds. In our minds we may be separate, but in our souls – never." Karen Goldman – Angel Voices
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