How to Communicate with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) Alter Parts

People with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder, have alter parts that feel "separate." While television and movie depictions have inferred that people with DID have several people sharing one body, this is incorrect. Each person has only one spirit, but in the case of a person with DID, her spirit fragmented to help her survive ongoing and severe trauma that began at a young age. By splitting off the memories and emotions, the child was able to behave as if she was not being abused. Healing from DID involves accepting each alter part as "me" and integrating each part back into the core of the spirit. In order to do this, the person must first establish communication among the alter parts. Here is how to communicate with Dissociative Identity Disorder alter parts.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Notebook
• Pen

1. Acknowledge that you have DID. Most people with DID are unaware of having alter parts until they are ready to begin healing their fragmented spirits. They might have poor memories and lapses of time for which they cannot account, but they never suspect that this is because they have alter parts.
2. Write to your alter parts. Purchase a notebook and pen to be used for communication among your alter parts and keep the notebook in a designated place in your home. Write a message on the first page that invites your alter parts to begin communicating with you. In this first message, include a thank you for the sacrifices your alter parts made to protect you from the abuse and tell them that you love them.
3. Check your notebook frequently. Many people with DID are unaware of how frequently they lose time (when an alter part is out) until they see messages appearing in the notebook. The handwriting and language of different alter parts might vary. For example, a younger alter part might write like a child and misspell words.
4. Respond to the messages your alter parts leave you. Even if the message is hostile, always write your response in a loving manner. Remember that each alter part holds the memories and pain from deep trauma. These parts of yourself need lots of love.
5. Talk to your alter parts in your head. After you have built some communication on paper, try moving the conversations inside of your head. When your alter parts "speak" to you, you will experience "loud thoughts" that you did not "think" yourself. You might feel your facial features physically change while you experience an alter part's loud thoughts. This is normal and nothing to fear.
6. Invite your alter parts to come out more frequently. Whenever you are alone, encourage your alter parts to come out while you stay present. This is called co-consciousness and is a big step toward integrating your alter parts. You need not choose between who can be present. You and your alter parts can stay present all of the time by integrating with one another.
7. Heal your alter parts' pain. Your spirit fragmented because of the trauma you experienced as a child. In order to integrate with your alter parts, you will need to heal each part's pain. After you do this, you will no longer have a reason to keep the parts separate.

Tips & Warnings

• Finding a qualified therapist with experience in counseling people who have suffered from similar abuses is an important part of healing from child abuse. Your therapist can provide you with additional tools to communicate with your Dissociative Identity Disorder alter parts.
• The reason you fragmented your spirit in the first place is because you suffered nearly unbearable abuse. Healing from the abuse is extremely painful. Do not attempt to heal from DID until you find a qualified therapist with experience in counseling people who have been severely abused.
• Some alter parts might be self-destructive. Take measures to ensure that you do not give in to any urges to self-harm or commit suicide.