Comment by Whitney on 02 Oct 2009 at 1:58 pm

Karen,

Did all your alters remember everything you went through being abused? My therapist uses hypnosis like Dr. Baer did but no one knows everything. I am frustrated and angry about my lack of recall. Maybe my parts aren’t co-operating with me? How does alter memory work and what can hypnosis prove?

I read your book two years ago today. Inspirational! Amazing story! Happy Anniversary!

Dear Whitney,

Not exactly. Let me try to explain? Each of my alters held the memory of one part of any abusive act or of something that I experienced. My pain and memory was fragmented. Each alter kept sharing their memories with Dr. Baer under hypnosis. As Dr. Baer collected all those bits and pieces, a full picture started to emerge. Each partial memory is one piece of a puzzle. Once my alters integrated, all those pieces formed one complete memory, but it took a while for all the pieces to gel. In other words, only after integration will you receive the complete, full memories you are searching for.

Regarding recalling the details of past abuse. I truly believe it’s best not to know all until you’re ready. If you’re not able to recall all, there’s probably a good reason. If your therapist is working with you under hypnosis, he most likely has a fuller picture than you. Maybe asking him will help? For me, hypnosis helped my alters talk about their experiences as the other alters listened in. My alters grew in strength while feeling unconditionally cared for when they were able to vent in the safety of Dr. Baer’s office.

Wishing you all my best. And thank you for believing our story is inspirational, and for remembering the 2nd anniversary of Switching Time.

Karen