Bridget on Questions for Karen: “Hi Karen, I just got done reading your book. I was told that there was possibly a sequel that had…” Sep 20, 18:26Karen answers TD
Richard Baer on Jun 8th 2009
Comment by TD on 03 Jun 2009 at 5:43 pmI just finished Switching Time last night and discussed it with my own therapist today. My childhood cannot even compare to your experience, but your story hit a raw nerve with me, and I need to admit that I was emotionally and mentally abused by my mother. You can think over something intellectually, but the method used for you made me see that we need to feel these past emotions and manage them to be productive adults. The book has made me realize I need to do my own kind of integrating, fusing the scared little girl with the confident adult self I am today, or I will never move on. I admire what you went through, and wanted to let you know you inspire all kinds of people with past pains, even if we aren’t with MPD. I’ve decided to start addressing these issues in my sessions, instead of keeping them in a walled off room (like your alters). I know that if I had been pushed farther and more consistently, this would have been a coping mechanism for me as well. I already lost part of the special person I was before my incident, but hearing what you went through gives me strength to carry out this important task. You are a true inspiration, bravo, and thank you for sharing your intense and personal story with the world!
Dear TD,
Thank you for sharing your experiences and journey. I admire your spirit and strength to overcome your issues by addressing them in an appropriate way, in the safety of therapy. It’ll be hard work, but being able to recognize and confront the feelings for what happened to you is an important first step in healing.
I assume that you are an adult and able to set your goals and fuse the scared little girl with the confident adult self that you are. I’m glad to hear that. However, in my case, my abuse started early in childhood before the age of three. I really had no ability to change my circumstances and feel confident. I was controlled, paralyzed with fear, and too young to defend myself. Therefore, I coped through dissociation. My alters were created from a very young age and stayed with me, in order to protect me, throughout childhood until I was able to deal with my pain as an adult in a safe therapeutic setting.
I always wondered why my mind walled off my thoughts in order to protect me. As an adult, I know. As a child, I was unable to comprehend what happened to me.
Thank you for all your compliments. I appreciate each and every one, especially in knowing that our book was an inspiration and help to you.
Have a great day!
Karen