Is it possible to have DID without alters?

Is it possible to have DID without alters?

Dana Dorfman, a psychotherapist in New York City explained it simply: “People with DID do not have different personalities living within them. They are unable to integrate different emotional states into one cohesive sense of self.”

What happens to alters when they’re not fronting?

What is Happening Inside the Inner World? When an alter is not fronting, we can still have an awareness of one another in “the inner world” which is basically where alters go when they aren’t in control of the body. If you are the one fronting, you can concentrate on the inner world and “see” it in your mind’s eye.

Is it possible for no one to front DID?

Prevalence. In some very mild forms of DID, the host can be present for extended periods of time, up to years without ever allowing an alter to take the forefront. In these cases, the host is very resilient to stress and other factors that often cause switches.

Can you force alters to front?

Yes, in my system an alter can force themselves to front. Yes, alters can prevent other alters from fronting. We have 2 alters in the lower level that are being blocked from fronting due to safety issues.

Can alters talk to each other?

Some alters communicate with the host and others do not. Alters generally communicate with each other internally, by sharing thoughts with each other (they are all part of the same brain!). The host may communicate with them by: Corresponding in a journal.

What is a gatekeeper in DID?

Gatekeeper: A gatekeeper is an alter that controls switching or access to front, access to an internal world or certain areas within it, or access to certain alters or memories. They can help to prevent traumatic memories from bleeding from the alters who hold them to alters who could not yet handle them.

What is dissociative identity disorder (di)?

Dissociative identity disorder involves a lack of connection among a person’s sense of identity, memory and consciousness. People with this disorder do not have more than one personality but rather less than one personality. (The name was changed recently from ‘multiple personality disorder’ to ‘dissociative identity disorder.’)

Do people with dissociative disorders lose their perspective over time?

However, people typically restore their usual perspective over time. Those with dissociative disorders experience persistent amnesia, depersonalization, derealization or fragmentation of identity that actually interferes with the normal process of working through and putting into perspective traumatic or stressful experiences.

Do schizophrenics sometimes experience dissociative identity disorder?

Yes. They are sometimes misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia, because their belief that they have different identities could be interpreted as a delusion. They sometimes experience dissociated identities as auditory hallucinations (hearing voices).

Can memories be recovered from dissociative identity disorder?

Under appropriate circumstances memories can be regained and worked through. Can dissociative disorders go away without treatment? They can, but they usually do not. Typically those with dissociative identity disorder experience symptoms for six years or more before being correctly diagnosed and treated.