Multiple

I was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID) in 1992. Back then it was called multiple personality disorder but was renamed DID in the DSM-IV in 1994. I had been a happy, normal wife and mother when a nasty divorce and the disintegration of my family served as a crisis that caused my already fragmented but collaborative parts to split apart.

Chronic, Unprocessed Trauma

Just to be clear, I didn’t know I was fragmented until things went south in mid-life. The original splitting occurred when I was a small child before my personality was fully developed. Chronic, unprocessed trauma had forced my small brain to build amnesic walls between parts of me so that some of me could function in the real world while some of me carried the abuse. 

Chaos

I can’t begin to describe the pain and chaos I experienced for close to twenty years – ten years leading up to my diagnosis and ten years of active recovery. I attempted suicide once and wanted to die many more times beyond that. I hospitalized myself for thirty days because I didn’t think I was capable of functioning on my own. While all this craziness was going on, I was also functioning as a teacher, a student getting advanced degrees, and a school principal – all thanks to the fact that I had parts who could carry those roles while other parts were decompensating (the technical term for a complete breakdown in mental coping systems). 

Healing

Today, I am happy, healthy, and wise! That means recovery is absolutely possible. I’ve started this blog to share some of my journey with the world because I think it’s informative and inspirational to many people. 

Self-Care

The first thing to learn when you have a dissociative disorder is that self-care is more important than any other commitment.

If you struggle with similar issues, learn to put yourself first. You won’t be much use to anyone else if you don’t.

The next thing to learn is that it gets better. Good therapy, patience, and hope will lead you to the healing you deserve.

Invitation

Check out my website at www.lynbarrett.com where you can download my free ebook called DID Unpacked and receive a free weekly newsletter. My memoir, Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory has a new release date in order to be current in the new year: January 3, 2022. PREORDERS on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online are open now! Our Dissociative Writers website is filled with writing opportunities to explore. 

What Do You Say? 

Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

What do you know about dissociative identity disorder?

If you have a dissociative disorder, do you have hope that you will recover?

If you are just curious about DID, what other questions do you have?

 🕊 

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139: 13-14a