Amongst Ourselves: A Self-Help Guide to Living With Dissociative Identity Disorder
Subjects: Coping with illness, Self-Help & Practical Interests, The self, ego, identity, personality, Psychology, General, Mental Illness, Neuropsychology, Mental Health, Psychopathology - General, Adult child abuse victims, Dissociative disorders, Multiple personality, Popular works,
What I expected from Amongst Ourselves
I was looking for a book that would actually help me on working with inside parts. This book delved mininimally in this area and then went back to basic living with DID, i.e., safety plan, letting people know - the basics. Not at all what I was looking for.
Validating and Practical Guide for Multiples and Those Who Love Them
I was recently diagnosed with DID after years and years of struggling with my system and believing that I was quite literally insane and needed to be locked away... For years I have been diagnosed as having Major Depression, bipolar disorder, dysthymia (sp?), PTSD, etc... I had a major, disruptive depressive episode five months ago and I'm just now partially recovering. I was fortunate enough to find an intelligent, articulate, and warm therapist that I trusted enough to tell the secret that I've been holding for 20 years. I told her about The People Who Live Behind My Eyes, Joan, Jessica, Erica with a "c", Michael, Little Kara, Adarin (pronounced a-duh-reen), and Mmemnon. She lent me Amongst Ourselves and suggested that I read it and that we use it in therapy.
This book has been a profound and virtually divine gift. Not only is it written well and from the perspective of one who has alters (who speak in the book too), but it has helpful and practical exercises for those who might or have DID.
You may find some of the exercises to be childish or cheesy, but give them a try. They really help. I admit I haven't completed every one, but I hope to. Among my favorites are the ones that deal with "losing time" and regaining/connecting consciousness with your alters. Little Kara misplaces things a lot and it makes us frustrated sometimes... But, having this as a resource in addition to a wonderful therapist helps us to have consciousness with one another so that we don't lose things or forget who we are talking to.
Common media and conventional thinking have distorted MPD/DID and those who live with it. In addition, there are people, scholars and laypersons alike, who believe the condition doesn't exist. These types of portrayals have negatively colored many people's perception.
This book helps to clear some of the mystery and myth away from DID by validating it and by presenting it as a survival mechanism that some develop in response to highly traumatizing and prolonged events (i.e. , ritual abuse, physical, sexual, emotional abuse and domestic violence).
The authors basically argue that those who have DID are exceptionally intelligent, articulate, and creative people who often function "normally" in daily life. That is, multiples have successful careers, have professional degrees, families, and are relatively well-rounded individuals. The exception is that we process information a bit differently. When multiple people share one body, information-knowledge and behavior is bound to be quite different from the "singleton" experience...
One other thing I like about this book is that the authors don't advocate one therapy over another. Karen seems to lean more toward "living as a committee/family," rather than "integration." Personally, I like this approach. Whether you're working to establish communication with your alters or working to integrate them into a whole personality it's all about your perspective and how you want to live.
This book is useful for those who may think they have DID, those living with it, therapists, and family-friends of a multiple. It has a section for therapists and a section for family-friends, which provides insightful and easy-to-read information about DID and how to understand your role in relating to and interacting with someone who has DID.
Helpful to not just ourselves
We really enjoyed reading this book. It was insightful and well writen. It is helpful for family, friends and individuals with DID.
INFORMATIVE
I bought this book with two others. When I got it, I didn't think I was going to like it very much. However, I really enjoyed this book and refer to it often. I much prefer this book to "Stranger in the Mirror". This book explains beautifully the challanges of DID, what it is, and how to cope in a very simple and underestand manner. This book is very clear and full of short personal experiences. I felt that the authors both really understand the DID experience. The one draw back which I think is very crucial to our recovery is the authors own views regarding therapy and therapists which I believe should remain their opinions and not be stated in the book. If I did not have an outstanding therapist, I would be very insecure about getting one after their remarks. The other down side of this book is that I felt that not enough attention is stated regarding integration. I felt as if the author was resigned to keeping the alters as part of her family. That was very disturbing. All in all, I really liked the book because of the information that was presented was clear and simple to follow. I will use this book constantly as a vital reference and just leave what doesn't work for me. I would recommend this book highly.
Understanding DID
I found this book to be very informative as well as helpful for myself as one who lives with DID/MPD....Tracy Alderman has written this book in such a way that you can actually understand what she is talking about.
When you live with DID....and you try to find more information to help your loved ones and significant others to understand, often the books you find are so techinical. This book is written down to earth and understandable. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more. Whether you are a Multiple or a *singleton*....this book will be one that you want.
