Posted by Dinah on September 2, 2004, at 1:23:37
In reply to Re: Does your Therapist understand how important they » Dinah, posted by Pfinstegg on September 2, 2004, at 0:33:33
How about somewhere in between?
There's a rather complex sharing of consciousness now, and one that is totally unlike anything I've come across in my typically extensive research. So I'm neither fish nor fowl as far as I can find from books, articles, etc. Which of course makes me feel like I can't possibly be the way I am.
But at one time, it was a far more unconscious or dissociated or whatever, arrangement. I just learned how to access the dissociated ego state fairly easily and worked out a time share sort of agreement. It wouldn't be discreet or prudent of me to discuss "equality". :)
To some extent, I'm happy to downplay the dissociation aspect. There is a fair amount of prejudice against it, even within the mental health community. My experience doesn't fit neatly into any box, so I don't need to put a name to it. Even my therapist varies widely in how he describes his understanding of it. I usually use "well defined ego states" if I must describe it. The inner child explanation has a cultural acceptance to it, despite my indignant response to being called an inner child. Or as the EMDR therapist called it "an archaic inner child remnant" which didn't go over very well as it was said to the "remnant"'s face. I go through periodic activist phases where I stand up proudly and say I'm a dual-ego-state individual and proud of it, but I usually sit down again very quickly. :)
poster:Dinah
thread:385420
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040828/msgs/385544.html