What is split personality?
Split personality
is a popular term for DRL. In the past, this was known as multiple personality disorder. People with DID have two or more distinct personalities. Often these individuals are completely different from each other. These fragmented personalities take control of a person's personality for a while.
The person retains his primary identity, which is his original personality, and will respond to the name given to him. Their primary identity is usually more passive and may not be aware of other personalities.
When a personality change occurs, the new personality will have a history, a new identity, and different behavior. These split personalities, or alterations, often have their own distinctive characteristics:
- Name
- age
- floor
- mood
- memories
- vocabulary
The new personality will see itself differently. For example, a man may have an alternate personality of a woman. He will experience female biological sex characteristics. A shift between these personalities usually occurs when a person encounters a particular stressor or trigger.
Features of the disease
DRL has the following properties:
- a combination of several Alter personalities in one personality;
- each ego state is endowed with its own psychological qualities, different from the characteristics of the patient;
- new personal formations often do not know about each other;
- switching of ego states occurs unexpectedly or sequentially.
With this disorder, it is common for each “character” to appear in certain circumstances reserved for him. For example, the well-known Billy Milligan developed DID at the age of about three years. Then in the “arsenal” of the child’s subpersonalities there was Sean, a deaf four-year-old boy with mental retardation. He took control of his consciousness when little Billy was subjected to punishment: shouting, insults. The deafness forced Sean to hum to feel the vibration of the sound.
As Billy matured, other ego states relegated Sean to the rank of undesirable for lack of necessity.
While serving time in a Lebanese prison, Milligan's other subpersonality, Steve, was called upon to make people laugh. Steve is a 20-year-old guy, a parodist. One day, while imitating the warden, he was “caught” by employees. For this, Billy was sent to the isolation ward.
Dissociative identity disorder is triggered by a traumatic event. As a result, the process of the emergence of a subpersonality begins, and the main identity is freed from traumatic experiences - they go beyond the boundaries of its consciousness.
Negative experience is transferred to the incipient, traumatic subpersonality. This is how amnestic barriers are formed, closing the identity’s access to the horrific event. Formed ego states become guardians of the negative past. Their task is to prevent terrifying memories from breaking into the consciousness of the main personality.
DRL becomes a powerful protection for a person, creating a new biography for him. There is a certain pattern among dissociative patients: the disorder more often manifests itself in people deprived of support and protection during exposure to a negative factor. This is the work of the unconscious. And, as you know, it is devoid of gender, time, and age differentiation. Therefore, born Ego states can be anyone, any age, gender, with different passions, abilities, etc.
The behavior of people with dissociative identity disorder is aimed at avoiding actions that can lead to memories of the trauma. They intensively unconsciously suppress all thoughts associated with it. Because of this, psychogenic memory loss develops.
People with DID are emotionally reserved and seem a little detached from the outside world, living with a sense of an uncertain future.
It is difficult to predict the life scenario of “crowded” individuals. Some adapt well to life and become professionals in various industries. Others come to an antisocial lifestyle.
Usually the patient combines several life paths. There is a well-known story from the life of a girl named Jane, an authoritative university teacher. In the dissociative reality, she was Mil, a petty thief, Janet, a programmer, Annette, a drug dealer, and Inia, the owner of a sadomasochistic brothel. They all lived in separate dwellings and adhered to their own style of clothing and behavior.
Split personality - symptoms
Signs of DID may vary, but they involve changes between two or more distinct personalities.
Symptoms include:
- The experience of two or more separate individuals, each with its own identity and perception
- A noticeable change in a person's sense of self
- Frequent lapses in memory and personal history that are not due to normal forgetfulness, including memory loss and forgetting of everyday events
When other personalities take over, the person often speaks differently and gestures differently. In some cases, one personality may also acquire certain habits that another does not, such as smoking or violent tendencies.
When transitioning from one personality to another, a person may experience other symptoms. Some people may experience anxiety because they are afraid of personality changes. Some can become very angry and cruel. Others may not notice or remember these transitions at all, although another person may notice them.
Specific personalities may emerge in response to certain situations. These symptoms can cause significant distress to a person and impair their ability to live a normal life.
Other symptoms may include:
- amnesia
- loss of sense of time
- going into a trance state
- out-of-body experiences, or depersonalization
- engaging in behavior that is unusual for the person
- sleep disturbance
A person with DID may also have symptoms of other conditions, such as self-harm. The study notes that more than 70% of people with DID have attempted suicide.
Why do you dream of split personality?
This means that a favorable period in life awaits you in the near future. A surge of emotions, memorable events, enlightenment, creative insight - this is what portends such a positive sign. It will not be difficult for you to cope with those things that you have constantly put off; it will also not be difficult for you to gather your thoughts, especially since all mental and creative activity will be achieved. According to the dream book, if you see such a sign in a dream, then in the near future you will have an interesting trip, where you can find long-awaited answers to many questions.
Love, relationships.
When you see a split personality in a dream, it means that in the near future a surprise awaits you or you will meet your betrothed. Perhaps the person you think about so often will pay attention to you. If you have a chosen one, then such a symbol in a dream probably symbolizes that you have successfully gotten along with your soul mate, your loved one loves you, even though sometimes you have disagreements, and shares positive energy with you.
Family.
A dream with such a sign is a messenger of peace in the family; it is dreamed of by those people who are destined to soon build bridges with their relatives, who are determined to leave all troubles in the past. split personality in a dream means that favorable times are coming for uniting the family under the auspices of mutual understanding and harmony. split personality in a dream symbolizes that in the near future you will all go on an exciting trip together.
Money.
If you saw a split personality in a dream, it symbolizes that in the near future there will be a chance to find an additional source of income. It is quite important not to allow yourself to become overwhelmed by wealth. split personality in a dream is a sign that you need to be careful about new receipts of funds so as not to “burn out.” There is no need to rush, it will be easier to double-check everything, because as they say, “measure twice, cut once.”
Work, study.
Dreaming about split personality means success in work and school. Don’t miss the opportunity to show off your skills, because everything is conducive to your skills being noticed. split personality is a sign of inspiration, it will charge you with energy, inspire you, which is why you should complete all tasks in the near future, since the dream promises you good luck. To summarize, we can say that such a sign in a dream is a herald that a favorable period in life awaits you. Pay attention to the possibilities that the dream promises you. The sign symbolizes clarity in all matters, inspiration, improved relationships with family, and a change of scenery. But it makes no sense to stop caring about your life, since you are the main character of your life, and fate, providing favorable soil for your spiritual growth, will expect returns from you.
Risk factor
Trauma often triggers as a psychological reaction and is therefore a strong risk factor, especially in childhood. This one could be:
- physical violence
- sexual violence
- emotional neglect
- psychological abuse
In some cases, the child may not experience obvious forms of abuse. For example, he may live with unpredictable parents and begin to dissociate in response to stress.
Dissociative identity disorder can occur alongside other disorders. This means that several mental disorders can arise from the same cause.
Other common disorders that may occur along with DID include:
- borderline personality disorder
- depression
- substance use
- post-traumatic stress disorder
- eating disorder
- anxiety
- obsessive-compulsive disorder
Diagnostics
It takes time to make a diagnosis. Misdiagnosis is common, and doctors need to watch for symptoms and ignore other conditions. To make a proper diagnosis, doctors need to see different personalities and how they affect a person.
Time is also an important factor in seeing the full extent of symptoms. This is because people who seek help for DID usually have symptoms associated with other mental illnesses. In addition, the doctor must rule out symptoms of other conditions before making a diagnosis.
Psychotherapeutic dream book
In a dream, seeing your double means that the dreamer’s internal desires and actions diverge. The inner self is separated to show the true path that a person should follow. If you see your double separately from yourself, this means that in real life you need to think about life priorities. Depending on the actions of the double, change something in your life. If there are several doubles in a dream, then the dreamer is completely confused and cannot take the true path. Each double means a possible choice that will be made in real life and what this will lead to in the future.
But this is only a general meaning; you definitely need to remember the dream in which you had a double of a person, down to the smallest detail. Perhaps the true interpretation will lie in the actions of the double. You also need to take into account that the interpretation may differ depending on what happens in the dream. For example, if the double looks good, is successful and seems to radiate light, then you can boldly say: “I saw a dream, a person similar to me was in it.” This dream suggests that this is a reflection of the dreamer's dreams. But if, on the contrary, the double is sad or looks bad, then the dream speaks of difficulties, illness and troubles. You need to pay attention to problems in real life and solve them as early as possible. If you've been putting off going to the doctor for a long time, now is the time. You also need to pay attention to the environment, perhaps someone will prepare trouble or commit a mean act towards the dreamer.
You cannot ignore a double in a dream, because this indicates a lack of harmony between the inner and outer “I” of a person. And this can lead to stress, depression, neurosis or even illness. You need to merge back with your double and act together.
Treatment
There are no recommendations on how to treat DID. Doctors prescribe specific treatment in each specific case.
Treatment plans depend on the conditions that occur along with DID and may combine psychotherapy with necessary medications to help with symptoms.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is the main treatment for people with DID. Methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy can help a person work through and learn to accept the triggers that cause personality changes. In DID, psychotherapy aims to help integrate a person's personality and learn to cope with post-traumatic experiences.
Other types of therapy
Art therapy, movement therapy, and relaxation techniques may all have a place in the treatment of DID. These techniques can help people connect aspects of their consciousness in a low-stress environment.
