An Apparently Normal Person: An Interview with Bonnie Armstrong

Drew & Garden System discuss the healing journey from childhood abuse and dissociative identity disorder with Bonnie Armstrong, the author of An Apparently Normal Person. Bonnie's story is unique in that she worked in child welfare and advocacy without realizing she, too, was a survivor of childhood abuse. Her medical struggles helped her uncover the truth about her past.

Bonnie R. Armstrong spent decades as an apparently normal person, unaware of the complex dissociative infrastructure that hid much of her childhood from her conscious memory and supported her from inside. Bonnie enjoyed her life as wife, mother, community activist, and a 40-year career that included high-level positions in two Governors' offices. She served as an expert consultant on child and family policy issues with federal, state, county and local governments and philanthropies, and as a national speaker and trainer. She specialized in youth development and child abuse prevention, not knowing that she was also an abuse survivor. 

When she turned fifty, a mysterious and debilitating illness attacked Bonnie, eventually requiring her to use a wheelchair to continue her active life. After six years of testing and continued degeneration, her neurologist ruled out medical causes and referred her to a psychologist. Together, Bonnie and her therapist slowly uncovered her dissociative disorder, her strong internal community, and the secrets of her childhood. 

Now she has written a memoir that chronicles her healing journey and the ways her system used dissociation to survive and thrive.  An Apparently Normal Person: From Medical Mystery to Dissociative Superpower has won several awards and was an Amazon best-seller. Bonnie continues to speak out and write about dissociation and childhood trauma. She also is a life coach, a grandmother and the matriarch of a large extended family. She and her internal community live collaboratively, focused on their joint life's purpose to break generational cycles of abuse and to use every moment and interaction to create a more loving, harmonious world. 

Visit Bonnie's website:  https://www.bonnierarmstrong.com/

Buy Bonnie's book, An Apparently Normal Person, here: https://amzn.to/4sl5TsC

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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