Shhh! Are You Listening to All of Yous? Enhancing Internal Communication Through Listening with Dissociative Identity Disorder

Drew & Garden System talk about listening (ironic we know!) instead of just trying to talk to parts. Remember that it’s not just “talking” you’re listening for, because not all parts communicate with words or by talking. Sometimes communication is thoughts we notice or pictures we see internally. Being quiet can feel uncomfortable because one often becomes aware of memories and feelings that parts were keeping tucked away. Validating and accepting parts’ feelings and letting your selves express emotions is discussed. Also discussed is parts that still may be stuck in trauma time. We give several personal examples of how to get these parts up to speed on daily life and the present. We also touch on navigating parts in a system having different partner preferences, different and opposing sexual orientations, and different gender identities.  Having a system of parts becomes one giant balancing act when you start listening and incorporating everyone’s needs, wants and wishes.

Visit acoupleofmultiples.com to sign up for our mailing list and to find out all about our private, paid community called Hearts Multiplied for people with dissociative disorders, their supporters, and therapists treating DID!

We are honored to have a gold plus sponsor for season 2! The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is one of the largest EMDR Therapy training programs in North America, founded and directed by Dr. Jamie+ Marich, author of Dissociation Made Simple. Dr. Jamie is the only EMDR therapy trainer who is "out" as a plural, and since 2015 she's offered the full EMDR Therapy basic training in a way that honors lived experience and destigmatizes dissociation in clinical work. We have never felt more accepted and validated as a multiple than when we were able to show up authentically as Garden System for our basic EMDR training. Having lived experience is valued and respected in these training courses. Go to www.instituteforcreativemindfulness.com for a full list of upcoming trainings, both online and in-person, offered by Dr. Jamie and her selected network of EMDR trainers. Are you interested in becoming a sponsor? Please send an email to admin@acoupleofmultiples.com to request more information.

Thank you to our bronze sponsor, Alix Amar LCSW, who offers weekly Creative Art classes includ

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Visit our website: acoupleofmultiples.com to sign up for our mailing list, join our private, on-line community Hearts Multiplied, register for peer coaching, consultations, and workshops!

Remember, this podcast is not a substitute for therapy. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and provide information on dissociative identity disorder. We share our personal stories, interview guests who also live with DID, and we interview mental health professionals to share their clinical knowledge.

And most importantly: remember that every system is different. What works for one may not work for another—and that’s okay. Your journey is valid, your healing is real, and we’re so glad you’re hanging out with A Couple of Multiples.

Articles cited in Seasons 4 & 5:

Brand, B. L., Sar, V., Stavropoulos, P., Krüger, C., Korzekwa, M., Martínez-Taboas, A., & Middleton, W. (2016). Separating Fact from Fiction: An Empirical Examination of Six Myths About Dissociative Identity Disorder. Harvard review of psychiatry, 24(4), 257–270. https://doi.org/10.1097/HRP.0000000000000100