A friend, Tim Griffin, posted this on his Facebook page. I want to share it because it is important to talk about it, to understand that we are not alone. He wrote it to communicate with somebody going through a rough time. He gave me his kind permission to do so:
Depression being like an alarm system in our brains - one which is saying to us intuitively that something is not quite right inside and out - the alarm gets louder and louder screaming out that a multitude of things needs to change - it can be a very lonely and distressing experience not knowing what needs to happen which direction to go in and trying to muster the motivation and energy to navigate our way through the fog.... it is a process which is undeniably painful and one that we can no longer ignore - there is no snooze button. Instead we get caught up in the symptoms and anxiety of being lost and disconnected which manifests itself in a number of ways - we learn to cope with the confusion and uncertainty through various distractions, coping strategies and defense mechanisms. Ultimately we are engaged in the same process that a snake goes though in order to shed it's previous skin, so that the alarm bells begin to dampen and we can adjust to our new skin. Settling in takes time as we learn misery still exists... sometimes we miss our old skin and want it back.... We can't go under it, we can't go over it - we've got to go *through* it "smile emoticon
18 December 2015
16 December 2015
Is this training organisation looking after their counselling trainees?
I have written to a training organisation* expressing my concerns that they allow their counselling trainees to attain their counselling experience at an organisation that had their BACP membership withdrawn for serious malpractice involving their treatment of trainee counsellors. My concerns are that trainee counsellors are being managed and supervised by individuals who acted disgracefully and not only got struck off the BACP but gave a very strong message that anybody that complains about them will be harassed and bullied.
Please bear in mind that the training organisation was sent a letter of concern to raise awareness in Summer 2014 from a couple of dozen counsellors regarding the issues described.
Here is the message I sent to the organisation's website on 10th November 2015:
I have concerns around (your organisation) allowing students to attain their experience at *redacted* despite extremely disturbing allegations been proven under two separate BACP hearings. I see that you are an organisational member of the BACP so presumably you subscribe to their ethical code. Please would you kindly let me know if you are still allowing your students to gain their experience there and if so I would appreciate your reasoning as I amstruggling to comprehend how this can be deemed safe or ethical. It is my understanding that no other training organisation deems the place suitable for trainee placements in light of the nature of the complaints and the *redacted* response to them.
Thank you Amanda (Williamson)
To which I received (after chasing up two weeks later) the following response on 24th November:
From *redacted* and *redacted*
Directors *redacted*
Further to your communication of November 10th
We are not aware of any infringement of BACP ethical guidelines or of acting in disregard to any of BACP findings of misconduct. If you have any specific concerns please feel free to take these up with BACP. We are happy to respond to them if they have any concerns.
It has come to our notice that you have contacted counsellors stating your views concerning our organisation. To make unfounded allegations on the basis of misinformation is likely to bring your own professional standards into disrepute – this we would not like to see. We respectfully request this behaviour ceases. Once again please refer to BACP any concerns about our organisation our associates or volunteers.
I perceived this as being hostile and threatening as well as potentially defamatory. They also had not addressed the clear question being asked. I responded thus:
Dear *redacted* and *redacted*Many thanks for replying to my enquiry.Firstly, I am not quite sure what you mean by stating that I have contacted your counsellors with unfounded allegations. I have not approached any of your counsellors, nor have I made any unfounded allegations. Maybe you are referring to an ex trainee of *redacted* I met at a workshop earlier this year. He approached me and raised the issue of *redacted* knowing that I was a complainant in the *redacted* case. He then told me all the things he thought was wrong with *redacted* as an organisation then told me he chose to sit on the fence in terms of the complaints made against them. I found this to be a bizarre and muddled conversation from him which was certainly not solicited by me. Nor was your organisation mentioned.If there is anybody else I have allegedly contacted please tell me what this is all about then I can respond to it.Secondly, I may not have understood your response to my message fully but you don’t seem to have answered the question I asked which is whether you are recommending to your trainee counsellors that they attain their counselling experience at *redacted*. It is of possible concern that a training establishment might be ignoring the findings of a professional body by sending trainee counsellors to be managed and supervised by individuals who have had BACP membership removed twice under two separate hearings. In the process of having their membership removed, the directors of *redacted* had plenty of opportunity to present their case. The BACP gave multiple opportunities for *redacted* to defend themselves and provide mitigation. *redacted* chose to resign membership before the hearing. What a strange thing for someone to do before they have even presented their case.As I have mentioned above, I have not made any allegations against your organisation and am not sure what you are getting at. I am simply trying to find out what is going on. I would be grateful if you would just answer the questions regarding your trainees and whether they are still being sent to *redacted*.If this is not the case then I thank you for your kind response and there is nothing further to be raised. If you feel unable to answer then I do have a point of view that I should be able to express.My approach to you is to find out the facts so that I do not make any unfounded comments about you.In respect of your last comment regarding bringing my professional standards into disrepute I am somewhat confused. I hardly see how asking a simple question to you directly could have this effect.In conclusion I would be grateful if you would respond in the spirit of my original question which is one of openness and respect. I was hoping to find that the concerns that have been expressed to me about you sending trainee to *redacted* were unfounded and did not want to go by hearsay.
This message was sent on the 25th November. I received the following reply on 3rd December:
Rumours? Inuendos? Why am I being accused of things I have not done and why are they still refusing to answer the valid question? I have been in consultation with the BACP Ethics Team about this issue and one of the first ports of call in deciding whether to complain about the member is to try and resolve the issue with the member. This is what I am trying to do.Dear AmandaWe are aware to a certain extent of your very real difficulties with *redacted* We feel that how ever awful this was for you we reiterate our view that if you have any ethical concerns about our organisation, ourselves, our volunteers or associates and evidence to support such concerns the only ethical course of action is to proceed through BACP.We hope this is the end of the matter and do not wish to hear or read any further rumours or inuendos that contradict our 25 years of impeccable ethical practice.
As a member of the BACP I have an ethical duty to report malpractice where I see it. I do not want to go through another complaints process. It was costly in a financial sense as well as a professionally and personally. I have gained nothing other than the knowledge that I have integrity and have contributed towards raising awareness of abusive practice. Believe me I have spent enough time doubting whether the price was worth paying, especially when other professionals, other BACP members, choose to ignore the BACP findings.
The BACP Ethics team were very helpful and put me onto a document entitled "Guidance for trainee placements" a document I very much hope a training organisation who has membership of the BACP would be familiar with. There are a few parts which I think are directly relevant here:
"Two fundamental ethical principles
govern the gaining of counselling
experience. The first is the safety of both clients and trainees..."
"Trainees will, therefore, normally
need a placement in a reputable agency.."
The Ethical Framework confirms:
Non-maleficence: a commitment to avoiding harm to the client
Non-maleficence involves: avoiding sexual, financial, emotional or any other form of client exploitation; avoiding incompetence or malpractice; not providing services when unfit to do so due to illness, personal circumstances or intoxication. The practitioner has an ethical responsibility to strive to mitigate any harm caused to a client even when the harm is unavoidable or unintended. Holding appropriate insurance may assist in restitution.
Practitioners have personal and professional responsibility to challenge, where appropriate, the incompetence or malpractice of others; and to contribute to any investigation and/or adjudication concerning professional practice which falls below that of a reasonably competentpractitioner and/or risks bringing discredit upon the profession.
Conclusion
The challenge of working ethically means that practitioners will inevitably encounter situations where there are competing obligations. In such situations it is tempting to retreat from all ethical analysis in order to escape a sense of what may appear to be unresolvable ethical tension. These ethics are intended to be of assistance in such circumstances by directing attention to the variety of ethical factors that may need to be taken into consideration and to alternative ways of approaching ethics that may prove more useful. No statement of ethics can totally alleviate the difficulty of making professional judgements in circumstances that may be constantly changing and full of uncertainties. By accepting this statement of ethics, members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy are committing themselves to engaging with the challenge of striving to be ethical, even when doing so involves making difficult decisions or acting courageously.
Teaching and training
25. All practitioners are encouraged to share their professional knowledge and practice for the benefit of their clients and to promote awareness of counselling and psychotherapy in the public through providing information and education.
26. Practitioners who provide formal education and training should acquire the skills, attitudes and knowledge required to be competent teachers and facilitators of learning in their subject.
27. Practitioners are required to be fair, accurate and honest in their assessments of their students.
28. Prior consent is required from clients if they are to be observed, recorded or if their personally
identifiable disclosures are to be used for training purposes.
29. All training in counselling and psychotherapy should model standards and practice consistent with those expected of practitioners in the role for which the training is being provided.
30. All trainers and educators in counselling and psychotherapy have a responsibility to protect the standards of the profession. Trainers are responsible for taking reasonable steps to prevent clients being exposed to risk or harm by trainees.
31. Where information is held by more than one person involved in the assessment of a trainee, it
should normally be shared to produce the fairest possible evaluation of the person concerned.
Any confidentiality agreements between trainers and trainees ought to be established in ways that permit the appropriate sharing of information for assessment and the protection of clients.
I sent my final response on 8th December:
Dear *redacted* and *redacted*
Thank you for taking the time to reply. However, you still haven't answered my question. You have told me that you hope that I will not say anything incorrect regarding your organisation, however, because you haven't answered the question I can only assume that you are still allowing your trainees to attain their counselling experience at *redacted*. As a question of fairness, if I do mention your organisation, I will state that you have refused to answer the question.
As to my professionalism, I have spent a considerable amount of time discussing this particular situation with the BACP ethics team and am very aware of the implications. It is clearly written in the Ethical Framework that we are asked to attempt to resolve any issues directly with the member before raising the issue with the Professional Conduct Department and, as I have learned experientially, making a complaint is a very stressful and expensive process.
It may be that your apparent hesitation in accepting the decision of the BACP is due to the fact that you have never had sight of the large amount of evidence and supporting statements that were presented to the BACP. If you wish to have sight of these I would be willing to meet with you and show you them (with certain details appropriately redacted). My intentions in doing so are as a matter of safeguarding. There were several counsellors affected by the same pattern of behaviour within the supervisory relationship at *redacted*.
Let's see what happens next...
*(Please note that I have redacted the names for now as this blog post is more about the concept of bystanding, colluding and the ethics of ignoring BACP findings.) UPDATE 25th April 2016 - The organisation is the Dartmoor Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy. I have named them because it would be unfair if this article led to speculation that other organisations were involved in this practice when as far as I am aware, the other local training institutions respect the findings of the BACP.
NB I have been fortunate enough to have had the solid and ongoing support of Catalyst Counselling who have access to legal expertise in the area of defamation law and a lot of experience with dealing with toxic organisations/abusive relationships.
6 October 2015
New Premises from 12th October 2015
I am delighted to have secured a 3 year lease on a pleasant, quiet room on Southernhay. My business address with effect from 12th October 2015 is:
Second Floor
23 Southernhay East
Exeter
EX1 1QL
This map shows the new location, currently marked in red by Google as Bernton Ltd, who are situated on the first floor.
The blue dots indicate the route from my previous North Street premises to the Southernhay premises.
If walking through Princesshay from High St with the Post Office on the right and Debenhams on the left you will come to crossroads with Southernhay West and Barnfield Road. Cross the road twice (which takes you to Southernhay East, which runs parallel to Southernhay West). Turn left at this juncture and 23 is the second door you will pass.
 |
| The outside of 23 Southernhay East |
For evening appointments, if the main door is closed then please call me on 07917 523494 and I will come down to let you in.
Although I very much like the room at North St and it was my intention to stay there long term, the building situation changed earlier this year and it is no longer a viable long term option. The new premises, however, has the security of a 3 year lease. It is also an exceptionally quiet part of central Exeter and is a very pleasing space.
30 September 2015
Understanding and Working with Dissociative Identity Disorder
This article is to try and inform therapists about
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) by sharing somebody's lived experience. Her
words have something for us all to learn from.
The lady who has contributed her story is called
Michaela and I have come to know her through her Twitter
presence. I was alerted to the fact that she was about to start counselling
at a local agency but shortly after her initial appointment she found out that
the agency had been struck off by the BACP for serious misconduct. This brave lady has gone onto
petition our local MP to push for the statutory regulation of counselling and
psychotherapy. Her online petition can be found here.
I have also asked for some input from Carolyn
Spring, she has kindly given
me permission to use the extracts from one of her articles aimed at therapists
which I have included at the bottom of this piece along with details of their
wonderful training courses which are held all over the country.
My Story*, by Michaela
Towards
diagnosis; struggling as a child
I
was diagnosed with DID when I was 22 years old after a stay in a psychiatric hospital.
Even before I received my diagnosis I always knew from a young age that I was
different from other children. From as early as I started school I have always
experienced periods of the day that I couldn’t remember. At school I was often
told off for lying. The fact was I wasn’t lying. I couldn’t remember learning
parts of the curriculum and therefore couldn’t complete the work I was asked to
do. I use to think people were trying to trick me so I learnt not to be
trusting of others. One thing that made it harder to understand was when I
asked my parents what was wrong they just said I was a forgetful child and it
was nothing to worry about.
Struggling as an
adult
It
wasn’t until I was a young adult when the time loss started to become a
problem. I started to engage in
self-harming behavior, well that was at least what I was told. I just accepted
this was the truth, after all the cuts on my arms and the admissions to hospital
were the proof. I didn’t question
what I was accused of because there was now physical evidence of what I was
being told I had done. At 18 a psychiatrist saw me for the first time because
of an overdose I had took. I
didn’t remember taking the medication but I was so scared of being accused of
lying, I admitted I had done it but said I didn’t know why.
Out of control
For
the next few years it felt like my life was spiralling out of control. I had a
lot of problems with adult relationships as it became evident to people that I
would say and do things that I couldn’t remember. Even though there was usually
proof I refused to admit I had done whatever it was I had suppose to have done.
I was accused of being argumentative or not taking responsibility for my
actions. This was very unhelpful for me as it meant I feared interaction with
people as I feared what felt like constant confrontations. No one seemed to
look any further as to why a woman of such a young age had such an appalling
memory!
The
most helpful thing a person did for me was to take me to the doctors for what
she called my forgetfulness. Eventually this meant my behaviour was monitored
on an in-patient basis and I was told what the problem was. When the CPN, Psychiatrist and
Psychologist told me I had DID I was relieved. I didn’t know at the time what
DID was but I was happy to know what was happening to me had a name. My CPN
explained to me that it was a mental illness and even this didn’t faze me. At
22 I am unsure now looking back if I understood the full impact of what was
being said to me. Although there was a justifiable reason to my forgetting I
was quite naïve as to what my disorder meant and how this would affect my life.
I thought I would just get better and everything would be OK.
A continuing
nightmare
Looking
back I was so wrong and it was only the start of a continuing nightmare that
has still not ended today. I knew
why I had the disorder but had no idea how I was supposed to get well from it.
I wanted to get better but at the same time didn’t know what this meant as this
was how my life had always been.
My close friends told me I didn’t need to change but I didn’t really
feel that I fitted into society. It didn’t seem wrong to me but I had learnt
from an early age that most people didn’t understand my problems. This has
meant that since a child I kind of lived in a secret world that no one else
knew existed. This is the one thing that kept me attached to my family. My
family understood what was happening to me and for a very long time this was
very important to me. As a child
they seemed to encourage the time loss by calling me different names. This was
always very difficult for me to understand but I now realise my family knew of
my disorder and used it to their advantage.
My personalities
are created
The
reason I have my disorder is because I suffered severe abuse at the hands of
both my parents, most of my relatives and then friends of the family. I cannot
remember how old I was when my abuse started but I always remember it being a
part of my life. I just accepted this to be normal. I remember at one point, I
am not sure how old I was, I wished I was hiding in the garden or the woods and
therefore wasn’t being abused. Although I do remember a lot of my abuse I think
I somehow imagined so much that I was hiding that I created my alternative
personalities. The time loss I experienced and still do was when the other
personalities took over when things got too much for me. In a way it meant the
abuse was happening to them and not me. It meant that during my abuse when
things got too much for me another personality would come out and I would sort
of take a rest from it all. It meant that the abuse was shared, going to school
was shared, but most importantly the pain fear and trauma was shared. We
managed to work together to protect ourselves as much as we could and live as
normal a life as possible.
Protecting yet
perpetuating
The
truth was though, our life was far from normal. By creating the other
personalities it also meant that my abusers could get away with what they were
doing. Between us all we managed to put on such a strong front that no one ever
noticed we were being abused. We kept it very well hidden. Some people suspected it but between us
all we talked our way out of it as we were so scared of what would happen if
any one found out what was going on.
We lived in our little world that no one knew about.
I
guess looking back the personalities protected me. They worked together as a
team to protect each other as well. They would comfort each other in an
internal world that I was kind of separate from. This meant when I was
struggling and not coping they would come out to protect me. I would lose the
time and my body would heal while the other personalities were out. We kind of
self-nurtured each other through a horrific childhood.
I wasn’t alone
Throughout
my life my other personalities have got me through some very difficult times. Without
them I do not feel I would have coped as well as I have. I feel that I would be
more traumatised than I already am because there would be more for me to
remember. I do not remember what happened to the other personalities so that
means our memories are all shared out which I think actually makes it easier to
deal with. I feel like I remember far too much abuse, having the other selves’
means they remember what I couldn’t cope with. In a sense it is hard to see myself as disordered because
having the other personalities means that between us we actually manage to live
quite well. So well that many people I know don’t realise I even have mental
health issues.
My Petals
Although
my life can be quite chaotic I am very grateful that I have the other personalities
that I now call the Petals. The reason why we chose that name was because a
friend wanted a collective name for them to make it easier when writing cards
etc. I decided how a flower has the main root (me) that grows and eventually
develops lots of petals (the other personalities).
Life with my Petals
I would
say that although my life is different to many I wouldn’t really want to live a
conventional life as to me it would be alien. To me there isn’t really anything
wrong with living the way I do and sharing my mind body and time with the other
personalities and in a way I would rather this. Between us we achieve more than
what I feel I could achieve on my own.
On the down side even though I am no longer being abused I feel I have
to worry about keeping safe to a greater extent. We now finally have the
freedom to do as we please with our life. It is still a life that is shaped by
our abuse and this does shape how we all live our life. Of course to the
outside world I am seen as an adult. Every day people do not know there are a
host of personalities who are of different ages and therefore see the world
from a child like perspective. While many people are careful with how they
interact with a child, many are not as considerate when it comes to interacting
with what they think is an adult. The body is that of an adult but even as
myself I feel quite young for my age. There have been times in my life where
either the younger personalities or myself have been re-traumatised because
there are times when the younger personalities or I do not feel able to say no
to certain activities. Also where we have been abused all our lives some don’t
know they have the right to protect themselves etc. It is a case of the older
personalities kind of play parent to the younger personalities but also to me
as well at times.
Understanding my
Petals
One
thing that has always been helpful to me is having support workers who
understand the DID. A few close friends also know. This means that the younger
personalities can participate in age appropriate activities with an adult
present so they are safe. Without these understanding people the younger
personalities wouldn’t be able to enjoy their life as much and seeing as over
the years they have done so much for me I feel it is important they now enjoy
life. Because there are so many
personalities it is often very difficult to please everyone. There are often
disagreements about how we spend our time etc. Again this has improved with
time because at one point it seemed like everyone was just going off to please
themselves. Now there is more of agreeing going on. There is no denying if I
was an adult living without DID I would have a full 24 hours to do what I
wanted with. Because I have the
petals there are frequent disruptions to my day where I lose time so planning
my time is very difficult. It often feels like there is not enough time in the
day. This affects the petals less than me because they don’t lose time like I
do. They usually always know what each other does and always know what I am
doing. They kind of observe life from the inside. When they come out I don’t
know what they do so there are times I don’t know what I am doing.
Safe but fearful
We
have all been safe from abuse for 7 years now. This is the longest
period of time we have been safe and I am very proud of our achievement. Even
though we know we are safe we live with the daily fear of being scared that one
day we will be found and took back to our family.
Professionals’ misunderstanding
of DID
I
think many mental health professionals do not understand DID. Some may not have
come across it before and therefore do not know how to work with it. Some are
fearful of the disorder and some are just so ignorant they refuse to believe
that it exists.. This in a way means the most hurt and vulnerable members of
our society are not offered help and support and this, without looking at their
daily struggles, is sobering.
Sometimes when mental health professions do know about DID they refuse
to talk to the petals and this again hurts me. I feel they have already led an
invisible life keeping me safe, that they too were abused and yet they are
turned away by the people who are willing to help me. What these professionals don’t understand is that they could
actually learn so much about me if they was just willing to listen to the
petals. I often really struggle to ask for help when I am struggling. The other
personalities will give an honest account on how things are. They will tell
people when I am feeling low etc and most of the time have a better
understanding on what is going on than I do.
I
feel that some people get so wrapped up in what my disorder is suppose to mean
that they miss what is most important and that is the hurt person behind the
label. Instead of treating the
disorder they need to treat the person who is distressed.
When it comes
down to it I am a human being
Living
with DID can be difficult and I realise working with it can also be
difficult. My diagnosis is a valid
illness however and should be treated as such. I didn’t diagnose myself and if
people are able to diagnose me then they should be equipped to treat me. . When
it really comes down to it I am no different to anyone else who has any kind of
illness. My diagnoses may be rare but I am first and foremost a human being and
should be treated as such. I am more than the labels people give to me. All I
really need is the patience you would give to any other person who was trying
to come to terms with an abusive past. The understanding and support you would
offer any other person who is suffering from depression and intrusive thoughts.
The compassion you would offer anyone else who has experienced personal loses
and hasn’t come to terms with them and a listening ear to understand the complexities
and difficulties of every day life.
Acceptance
Before
doubting my disorder or presenting symptoms people need to acknowledge that
their actions towards me have consequences and those consequences have
reactions that will shape my life and perceptions of it. I may have the other personalities but
the most helpful thing anyone can do is acknowledge them and treat them age
appropriately. They are simply different aspects of me at different ages and stages
of my life. If they are ignored than so am I and it is ignorance that allowed
my abuse to go on for so long. It was the fear of not understanding my disorder
that left me without support for so long.
It was the not knowing what to do that left me at the mercy of my
parents and it was the not accepting that meant none of us spoke up. To listen
to all of us is to accept all of us and to accept all of us allows us to move
on knowing that we are not some unusual condition but a person who just has
many aspects to them. My disorder is only what a person makes it and if someone
chooses to make it a condition they cant understand then that is what it will
be. If they choose to be accepting and open with no preconceptions then they
will realize that I am no different to support than any one else with a trauma
related past. All we want is practical and emotional support to rebuild our
lives after a history of severe abuse. I do not want to live my life struggling
to get people to understand me. I simple want people to accept me for who I am
and realise that this is fluid and can change. Everyone has different aspects
to their personality, mine are just more separate.
For therapists…
Carolyn Spring of PODS has given her very
kind permission to include an
excerpt from her piece “Ten Steps to becoming a Dissociation Friendly Therapist"
YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN ‘EXPERT’ by Carolyn Spring
I’m
wary of the ‘expert’ label, because it evokes power and authority, and for
those of us who have suffered abuse at the hands of people with ‘power and
authority,’ it’s a shaky way to start. I prefer the label ‘human being.’ I
value the fact that people are trained and knowledgeable, that therapy is a ‘profession’
for ‘professionals’ and that the training is designed to safeguard the
vulnerable. But treating dissociative
identity disorder is not like chasing bacteria out of the
bloodstream. It’s about a human being coming alongside another human being and
giving them the courage to face the trauma and the abuse that has threatened to
overwhelm them. In that setting, I don’t want some bespectacled expert who can
quote chapter and verse. I want someone who at core is a thoroughly decent
human being, who is willing to let me be the expert on me, who
is willing to learn about me with me, and not assume that I am like every
other dissociative
identity disorder client he or she has ever previously known.
It is a
way of coping with trauma by avoiding it. What that trauma is, what it
has meant for me, how I have avoided it, what I need now, the sense I have made
of myself and the world – all of that is unique to me and my history. Perhaps
some therapists feel a little scared when faced with the prospect of working
with people with dissociative
identity disorder, as if the label is all there is to me and others
like me. But I find that they are scared much less by the prospect of working
with me as just a traumatised human being. It’s incredible how
intimidating and off-putting a label can be. And having it is no big deal. Of
course it’s difficult, of course it’s this overspill of trauma that affects
every aspect of our life, of course it’s this roller-coaster ride of disowned
and then overwhelming emotions, but it’s just dissociative
identity disorder. The therapists who aren’t impressed by my
diagnosis, and aren’t scared by it either, but see me as a human being who has
experienced suffering and who needs to heal that suffering, seem to be the ones
I am most likely to trust and be able to work with.
I highly recommend the training that Carolyn Spring runs which I feel is fair to say is amongst the highest quality CPD available for therapists.
*Special thanks to Michaela for generously sharing her story and for all the hard work she does to raise awareness of abuse. A link to Michaela's full and unedited version of this can be found here.
Michaela's Full Story
An edited version of this article is included in a post for therapists published on the same day.
Living with DID by Michaela
There has over the last 2 years been a
massive improvement in what use to be the hardest part of living with DID. I
use to become very confused and disorientated on certain days of the year where
my abuse was significantly worse. On these dates I would regress to an earlier
age and I would remember nothing of my life today. I wouldn’t remember who
friends and supporters are, where I live etc and felt compounded to contact my
abusers and even travelled home to them. This was easily done before I moved to
my current home. The distance from family members would make it very difficult
to travel back now.
Protecting
myself
During these times the petals[i]
had the huge responsibility of doing what they were created to do and that was to
keep me safe. They had to make sure I didn’t leave the flat by making sure all
keys, money etc was hidden. People involved in my care had to make sure they
didn’t tell me my address etc so that I couldn’t give this away to my abusers.
This seems to happen less and less now. It does still happen but usually
because of stress and upset. I am so glad that I no longer become as confused
as I use to and I will be forever grateful to the petals and other people
involved in my care for ensuring my safety at these difficult times.
Difficult
dates
The dates are extremely difficult
nonetheless. When I was confused I didn’t really remember what went on on these
days whereas I now have to live with the painful memories these dates bring.
The dates are no longer controlled by my past abuse or abusers though. On the
most significant of dates I use direct payments to go away on walking holidays.
This means I am with other people so I am accounted for but I can now make new
associations with the dates and not have to have them so dominated by my past.
This allows some distance between what happened on those dates and what I
choose to happen now. I am more
confident I can deal with the dates and now make them what we want them to be.
That takes the power away from abusers and gives it back to me. Even if I am too
upset on the day to do anything I am still in a better position because I am
deep down safe.
Finding
my confidence
I am more confident than I used to be
and even though someone usually knows where I am it’s more out of habit then
feeling like I need to be accounted for. My life I can’t say is easy but
looking back to what it was 5 years ago it is very different. I have loyal
friends who have stuck by me and who will always mean a lot to me. The ones
that I have lost in a way shouldn’t have been there to start with. I am more
trusting that I used to be and although this can cause problems it has usually
meant I have met people who are caring and compassionate and have supported me
through thick and thin. I am fitter
and healthier than I once was and although I am constantly trying to lose
weight I am pleased that I am fitter than people who are younger than myself. I
have proved to many that just because someone is overweight it doesn’t mean
they are not fit and in a way physical fitness is more important than physical
size. I am as stubborn as ever and although this is something that drives
others mad at times I know it is a quality I will not change.
Determination
I have tried many new activities in life, some I have
continued and some I have had to give up because of back problems. I am very determined and have over the
years proved many people wrong. I guess at the end of the day that is what you
get if you are stupid enough to form judgments of me. I am proud to live with my other personalities, as without
them I wouldn’t be the person I am. Together we have lived through so much and
when other people let me down I always have the petals to fall back on.
Hard
work paying off
I do not see the DID as a disorder at
all. I would not view other people who have DID as disordered either. I often
wonder just where I would be if I didn’t have the DID and I can honestly say I
probably wouldn’t even be alive. DID for many is a way of life and each and
every person’s way of life is unique to them. As long as I am not hurting
another person than I shouldn’t feel like I have to change, and I only change
if I want to. My biggest achievement in life is becoming safe and free from
abuse. It may have taken me 11 years but I am so glad I put the effort and hard
work in. It has worked out to be worth it. I may not have a degree or a career
as of yet but I have survived against all odds and to me that is more important
than any certificate or title of any kind.
Living
well is the best revenge
I like to think that deep down my
abusers know what they have done is wrong and have to live with knowing what
they have done is wrong. This would just be a small mercy really as I feel they
deserve to be punished. I have in the past tried to press charges against my
parents at least. The CPS wouldn’t take the case on. They decided that my
mental health problems meant the court case would not be in my best interest. A
case of this nature would be difficult for anyone but because I have a disorder
that is a direct result of my abuse there will never be any justice. All I can say is living well is the
best revenge. My parents would hate for me to rebuild my life and although it
is never the life I should have had I can only make it the best it can be. They
destroyed 29 years of my life and do not deserve the power to continue to
destroy it any further. Like me they have to live with the past and while I did
nothing wrong, a walk down memory lane would be very different for them. I can
honestly say I hope they are tortured by their memories and actions towards me
and one day do the decent thing and hand themselves in to the police. Even then
to make their suffering worse I wouldn’t forgive them as I do believe there are
some things that don’t deserve forgiveness. Everyone has a memory and everyone
who has hurt me or betrayed me over the years will have to one day face their
own memories.
Towards
diagnosis; struggling as a child
I was diagnosed with DID when I was 22
years old after a stay in a psychiatric hospital. Even before I received my
diagnosis I always knew from a young age that I was different from other children.
From as early as I started school I have always experienced periods of the day
that I couldn’t remember. At school I was often told off for lying. The fact
was I wasn’t lying. I couldn’t remember learning parts of the curriculum and
therefore couldn’t complete the work I was asked to do. I use to think people
were trying to trick me so I learnt not to be trusting of others. One thing
that made it harder to understand was when I asked my parents what was wrong
they just said I was a forgetful child and it was nothing to worry about. I
just got used to being accused of lying although I would never admit to it.
Even when there was proof I had done something I wouldn’t admit to it if I
couldn’t remember it. If I had just admitted it then this would have made
things a lot easier.
It wasn’t until I was a young adult when
the time loss started to become a problem. I started to engage in self-harming behaviour, well that was
at least what I was told. I just accepted this was the truth, after all the
cuts on my arms and the admissions to hospital were the proof. I didn’t question what I was accused of
because there was now physical evidence of what I was being told I had done. At
18 a psychiatrist saw me for the first time because of an overdose I had
took. I didn’t remember taking the
medication but I was so scared of being accused of lying I admitted I had done
it but said I didn’t know why I had done it.
Struggling
as an adult
For the next few years it felt like my
life was spiralling out of control. I had a lot of problems with adult
relationships as it became evident to people that I would say and do things
that I couldn’t remember. Even though there was usually proof I refused to
admit I had done whatever it was I had suppose to have done. I was accused of
being argumentative or not taking responsibility for my actions. This was very
unhelpful for me as it meant I feared interaction with people as I feared what
felt like constant confrontations. No one seemed to look any further as to why
a woman of such a young age had such an appalling memory!
The most helpful thing a person did for
me was to take me to the doctors for what she called my forgetfulness. Eventually
this meant my behaviour was monitored on an in-patient basis and I was told what
the problem was. When the CPN,
Psychiatrist and Psychologist told me I had DID I was relieved. I didn’t know
at the time what DID was but I was happy to know what was happening to me had a
name. My CPN explained to me that it was a mental illness and even this didn’t faze
me. At 22 I am unsure now looking back if I understood the full impact of what
was being said to me. Although there was a justifiable reason to my forgetting
I was quite naïve as to what my disorder meant and how this would affect my
life. I thought I would just get better and everything would be OK.
A
continuing nightmare
Looking back I was so wrong and it was
only the start of a continuing nightmare that has still not ended today. I knew why I had the disorder but had
no idea how I was supposed to get well from it. I wanted to get better but at
the same time didn’t know what this meant as this was how my life had always
been. My close friends told me I
didn’t need to change but I didn’t really feel that I fitted into society. It
didn’t seem wrong to me but I had learnt from an early age that most people
didn’t understand my problems. This has meant that since a child I kind of
lived in a secret world that no one else knew existed. This is the one thing
that kept me attached to my family. My family understood what was happening to
me and for a very long time this was very important to me. As a child they seemed to encourage the
time loss by calling me different names. This was always very difficult for me
to understand but I now realise my family knew of my disorder and used it to
their advantage.
The reason I have my disorder is because
I suffered severe abuse at the hands of both my parents, most of my relatives
and then friends of the family. I cannot remember how old I was when my abuse
started but I always remember it being a part of my life. I just accepted this
to be normal. I remember at one point, I am not sure how old I was, I wished I
was hiding in the garden or the woods and therefore wasn’t being abused.
Although I do remember a lot of my abuse I think I somehow imagined so much that
I was hiding that I created my alternative personalities. . The time loss I
experienced and still do was when the other personalities took over when things
got too much for me. In a way it meant the abuse was happening to them and not
me. It meant that during my abuse when things got too much for me another
personality would come out and I would sort of take a rest from it all. It
meant that the abuse was shared, going to school was shared, but most importantly
the pain fear and trauma was shared. We managed to work together to protect
ourselves as much as we could and live as normal a life as possible.
Protecting
and perpetuating
The truth was though, our life was far
from normal. By creating the other personalities it also meant that my abusers could
get away with what they were doing. Between us all we managed to put on such a
strong front that no one ever noticed we were being abused. We kept it very
well hidden. Some people suspected
it but between us all we talked our way out of it as we were so scared of what
would happen if any one found out what was going on. We lived in our little world that no one knew about.
Up until my diagnosis I felt lost and
felt no one understood me. The only people I thought understood me was my
parents. I remember being called different names and although I thought this
was strange I learnt that I didn’t question my parents. I now realise that the different names
I was being called were names of my different personalities. I have thought
long and hard over the years as to why they did this and without asking them I
can only presume they would call the other personalities out so they could
abuse them without me knowing. This
meant I could not tell any body. The other personalities were unlikely to tell
any body because to the outside world outside the family they weren’t known
about or talked about. This was
the perfect cover up really.
I guess looking back the personalities
protected me. They worked together as a team to protect each other as well. They
would comfort each other in an internal world that I was kind of separate from.
This meant when I was struggling and not coping they would come out to protect
me. I would lose the time and my body would heal while the other personalities
were out. We kind of self nurtured each other through a horrific childhood.
The self nurturing can be seen as both a
good and a bad thing. Even though I had no family to love care and nurture me
we had each other. On the other
hand, because we did so well at looking after each other it meant that my abuse
was allowed to carry on throughout my teens and adult life.
I
wasn’t alone
My disorder has meant that I didn’t have
to cope with my abuse alone. Deep down I am saddened by the fact I had to
create my other selves. If I had what I should have had, and that was a loving
and protective family then I wouldn’t have needed to have created DID as a
coping mechanism. I wish that
people had looked at my presenting self more closely and asked why I was acting
the way I was. If I was a teacher I would like to think I would ask a child
where their facial bruises came from, why they never wanted to go home, why their
attendance was appalling, why I was never allowed to take part in PE and then
when my brother joined my school why was he just as troubled as his siblings.
Looking back the evidence of abuse was there. For some reason it wasn’t fully
picked up and although I have fond memories of school I won’t forgive them for
letting me down.
Throughout my life my other
personalities have got me through some very difficult times. Without them I do
not feel I would have coped as well as I have. I feel that I would be more traumatised
than I already am because there would be more for me to remember. I do not
remember what happened to the other personalities so that means our memories
are all shared out which I think actually makes it easier to deal with. I feel
like I remember far too much abuse, having the other selves’ means they
remember what I couldn’t cope with.
In a sense it is hard to see myself as disordered because having the
other personalities means that between us we actually manage to live quite
well. So well that many people I know don’t realise I even have mental health
issues.
My
Petals
Although my life can be quite chaotic I
am very grateful that I have the other personalities that I now call the
Petals. The reason why we chose that name was because a friend wanted a
collective name for them to make it easier when writing cards etc. I decided
how a flower has the main root (me) that grows and eventually develops lots of
petals (the other personalities).
There are so many things that people do
and take for granted that proves to be a challenge for me. This is because we
are a group of people sharing the same body and life. When I go shopping for food, toiletries,
or clothes I am in a sense not just shopping for myself but for all of the
other personalities with varying tastes and preferences. We all have different ideas as to what
we want to eat, what we want to wear, what type of friends we want, different
ways of spending our free time and even different ideas with regards to
careers. I have often found food in the house that I don’t really like and yet
one of the other personalities must like it. I am often frustrated to find
chocolate wrappers in the bin as while I try to lose weight and work out at the
gym, the younger personalities get to have the pleasure of eating the
chocolate! Because there are so many varying tastes I often find it helpful to
go shopping with a support worker and stipulate that they only allow us to
purchase what is on the list. Nowadays it seems there is much more cooperation
between us all so we have become more independent. Things can however change
quite rapidly.
Life
with my petals
Over the years living with DID seems to
have gone from a coping mechanism to a very different way of life to what
others know. I would say that although my life is different to many I wouldn’t
really want to live a conventional life as to me it would be alien. To me there
isn’t really anything wrong with living the way I do and sharing my mind body
and time with the other personalities and in a way I would rather this. Between
us we achieve more than what I feel I could achieve on my own. On the down side even though I am no
longer being abused I feel I have to worry about keeping safe to a greater
extent. We now finally have the freedom to do as we please with our life. It is
still a life that is shaped by our abuse and this does shape how we all live
our life. Of course to the outside world I am seen as an adult. Every day
people do not know there are a host of personalities who are of different ages
and therefore see the world from a child like perspective. While many people
are careful with how they interact with a child, many are not as considerate
when it comes to interacting with what they think is an adult. The body is that
of an adult but even as myself I feel quite young for my age. There have been
times in my life where either the younger personalities or myself have been
re-traumatised because there are times when the younger personalities or I do
not feel able to say no to certain activities. Also where we have been abused
all our lives some don’t know they have the right to protect themselves etc. It
is a case of the older personalities kind of play parent to the younger
personalities but also to me as well at times.
Understanding
my personalities
One thing that has always been helpful
to me is having support workers who understand the DID. A few close friends
also know. This means that the younger personalities can participate in age
appropriate activities with an adult present so they are safe. Without these
understanding people the younger personalities wouldn’t be able to enjoy their
life as much and seeing as over the years they have done so much for me I feel
it is important they now enjoy life. Because there are so many personalities it is often very
difficult to please everyone. There are often disagreements about how we spend
our time etc. Again this has improved with time because at one point it seemed
like everyone was just going off to please themselves. Now there is more of
agreeing going on. There is no denying if I was an adult living without DID I
would have a full 24 hours to do what I wanted with. Because I have the petals there are frequent disruptions to
my day where I lose time so planning my time is very difficult. It often feels
like there is not enough time in the day. This affects the petals less than me
because they don’t lose time like I do. They usually always know what each
other does and always know what I am doing. They kind of observe life from the
inside. When they come out I don’t know what they do so there are times I don’t
know what I am doing.
Emotional
development
Although I am an adult I have always
feel quite young for my age. I have never felt that I have the level of
maturity others have who are a similar age. This maybe because as a child and
teenager I lost so much time to my other personalities that my emotional
development was disrupted. I guess losing so much time meant I didn’t grow up
like most people did and in a sense all of my strength was put in to surviving
each day and the horrors that came with it. Although I can acknowledge I am an
adult I often feel otherwise and do actually feel that some of the other
personalities who although are younger than me are more mature than I am. A lot
of my life experiences have been quite negative and I feel this has affected
how I interact with other people. From a very young age I didn’t want to grow up and although
being a child was unsafe I wanted to remain a child. This I think is because I
have always longed to be looked after and as an adult I am expected to do that
myself. I am fiercely independent and in a way I am happy that way as it keeps
me safe. On the other hand I often wish I could be comforted like a child
is. I do not feel I have the level
of control others have over their life and this is because my life is shared
with the petals. I often compare myself to the other personalities like they
are separate people. I know they are not but then it’s hard to acknowledge they
are part of me when there is a big disconnection between us all. I often feel that the petals are
stronger than me and cope better than me.
I think they appear to cope better than me because they have each other
for support where they can communicate with each other. I am quite separate so
don’t have this level of communication with them. I often see them as good and
me as bad and blame myself for the abuse they suffered. This is because I was
the one that created them.
Safe
but fearful
We have all been safe from abuse for
nearly 3 years now. This is the longest period of time we have been safe and I
am very proud of our achievement. Even though we know we are safe we live with
the daily fear of being scared that one day we will be found and took back to
our family. This may or may not happen and all we can do is live life hoping we
remain safe. Even though we chose to move away from our family I don’t think it
was really a choice. Sometimes I want to move again just so this time round it
really is a choice and not that we are running away. I have always had to move for safety reasons and this means
we now have to live life not having a family. Although I don’t really miss my own family I miss not having
a caring family that most people have. I have had to make personal sacrifices
to keep myself safe and this has meant I have had to walk away from people that
I love because people they are associated with were not safe. This in a way
took huge strength and determination but also caused a huge sense of longing
for people that I still miss today.
Misunderstanding
DID
It is a sad fact that a big part of
society does not understand DID. This means that life has often seemed very
unfair. I once applied for voluntary work where I would be working with deaf
and blind adults. I was required to undertake a CRB check because of working
with vulnerable adults. The police disclosed my DID and this was extremely upsetting
to me because having a mental illness is not a crime. What was more upsetting
was that they hadn’t actually checked if there was any child protection risks
and I felt they was saying my DID was worth a disclosure but checking whether I
had been investigated etc for abusing children was not. I felt like I was
deemed a criminal until I proved otherwise and I didn’t feel able to take on
the voluntary position because I choose not to disclose my DID. I did however
gain great pleasure in receiving an apology from a chief inspector as I took my
complaint to the independent police commission. I was given an apology and a
promise that no future CRB checks would disclose my DID.
For many years the NHS turned me down
for Psychotherapy. A Psychotherapist once said how I wouldn’t cope with outpatient
therapy and gave me the choice of admitting myself to a therapeutic community
or nothing. Because I know I would hate living in an impatient setting I turned
her offer down and decided I would have nothing. This meant I got no support. I
feel that if I was given adequate support both as a child and adult I may have
got away from my abusers sooner. I feel like I slipped through the net when at
the end of the day the opposite should have happened. My abuse was so severe I created
the DID to cope because no one was helping me. I feel very let down by most
services that are set up to help protect children from abuse. With no support I was socially isolated
and therefore felt contact with my abusers was better than no contact with
anyone.
I think many mental health professionals
do not understand DID. Some may not have come across it before and therefore do
not know how to work with it. Some are fearful of the disorder and some are
just so ignorant they refuse to believe that it exists. This causes a lot of
frustration for myself as I do not feel it is fair that mental health
professions get training on more common health issues but not DID. This in a
way means the most hurt and vulnerable members of our society are not offered
help and support and this, without looking at their daily struggles is
sobering. Sometimes when mental
health professions do know about DID they refuse to talk to the petals and this
again hurts me. I feel they have already led an invisible life keeping me safe,
that they to was abused and yet they are turned away by the people who are
willing to help me. What these
professionals don’t understand is they could actually learn so much about me if
they was just willing to listen to the petals. I often really struggle to ask
for help when I am struggling. The other personalities will give an honest
account on how things are. They will tell people when I am feeling low etc and
most of the time have a better understanding on what is going on than I do. I
feel that some people get so wrapped up in what my disorder is suppose to mean
that they miss what is most important and that is the hurt person behind the
label. Instead of treating the
disorder they need to treat the person who is distressed. This has often meant
that a small problem can escalate in to a huge problem just because someone has
failed to listen. There have been
numerous times we have called the crisis team for out of hours support. In
practice this should mean when people in my care have gone home I have the back
up of the crisis team. In reality what it meant was I could call the crisis
team but the petals couldn’t and it’s the petals that are able to explain what
I need because I cant. It has meant that the petals have called and said I am
suicidal etc and they have been told I must call myself. 9 times out of 10 I
wont call myself but if they were to listen to the petals it would enable them
to support me better. The petals have done the hard part and told them how I am
feeling and this then in the long run makes it easier for me to talk. I don’t actually
have to say how bad I am feeling but will talk though my distress.
Living with DID can be difficult and I
realise working with it can also be difficult. My diagnosis is a valid illness however and should be
treated as such. I didn’t diagnose myself and if people are able to diagnose me
then they should be equipped to treat me. . When it really comes down to it I
am no different to anyone else who has any kind of illness. My diagnoses may be
rare but I am first and foremost a human being and should be treated as such. I
am more than the labels people give to me. All I really need is the patience
you would give to any other person who was trying to come to terms with an abusive
past. The understanding and support you would offer any other person who is
suffering from depression and intrusive thoughts. The compassion you would
offer anyone else who has experienced personal loses and hasn’t come to terms
with them and a listening ear to understand the complexities and difficulties
of every day life.
Before doubting my disorder or
presenting symptoms people need to acknowledge that their actions towards me
have consequences and those consequences have reactions that will shape my life
and perceptions of it. I may have
the other personalities but the most helpful thing anyone can do is acknowledge
them and treat them age appropriately. They are simply different aspects of me at
different ages and stages of my life. If they are ignored than so am I and its
ignorance that allowed my abuse to go on for so long. It was the fear of not
understanding my disorder that left me without support for so long. It was the not knowing what to do that
left me at the mercy of my parents and it was the not accepting that meant none
of us spoke up. To listen to all of us is to accept all of us and to accept all
of us allows us to move on knowing that we are not some unusual condition but a
person who just has many aspects to them. My disorder is only what a person
makes it and if someone chooses to make it a condition they cant understand
then that is what it will be. If they choose to be accepting and open with no
preconceptions then they will realise that I am no different to support than
any one else with a trauma related past. All we want is practical and emotional
support to rebuild our lives after a history of severe abuse. I do not want to
live my life struggling to get people to understand me. I simple want people to
accept me for who I am and realise that this is fluid and can change. Everyone
has different aspects to their personality, mine are just more separate.
[i] personalities or alters
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