Dead Alters

Sometimes alters will be convinced that an alter that was once in their system has died. Often they will be saddened by this and they might even blame themselves for it. The supposed death might have happened years ago and it might have seemed like suicide and/or be precipitated by bad treatment from other alters.

What actually happened is that the alter thought to have died went into deep hiding and has not been seen since. If an alter seeks God about the fate of the missing alter it will often be revealed that the alter has been with God ever since the disappearance and is so content that the alter has no desire to return to the stresses of earthly life.

This might sound cozy but the practical reality is that some of the person’s intellectual capacity (quite possibly including a special talent) and the alter’s special experiences with God are rendered inaccessible and effectively lost for as long as that alter remains with God (or otherwise hidden).

So despite it meaning that the alter must re-enter the harsh realities of everyday living, the alters' return is very much in the interest of the rest of the person and of that person achieving the most for God on earth. It is therefore advisable to entice the alter back. Prayer for this will help, as well as passing on messages that the alter is loved and that earthly life is now better than when the alter left. Any alter who treated this alter badly should also apologize.

Challenges for those with Dissociative Identity Disorder

Eight things anyone with Dissociative Identity Disorder needs constant reassurance about:

Even though the symptoms are disconcerting, you are not going insane.

Like the rest of humanity, alters can have demons but alters themselves are not demons, even though they can display anti-Christian beliefs and behaviour and some alters can believe they are the opposite sex.

When an alter first reveals himself/herself, unwanted feelings and habits are likely to surface within you that you had thought you had mastered. It can be deeply disturbing both to you and to the other alters. Not surprisingly, it will feel to you as if you are getting worse instead of better. Nevertheless, although it may take a while, each alter will heal and the appearance of a previously unknown alter is a significant step towards peace, joy and fulfilment like you have never before enjoyed.

We have noted that when one alter finds acceptance, another is likely to think it could be safe enough to make an appearance, and then another alter could be emboldened to appear, and then another . . . So even when a person is experiencing significant healing he/she is seldom able to bask in the benefits before being hit by another challenge. Keep reminding yourself of the progress made and remember that if things were slower, your full healing would be delayed.

Except for sinning, let your alters express themselves as much as possible when alone or with someone who understands alters. This is vital for your healing and should be allowed even to the extent of letting them embarrass you or even use offensive language if they feel the need to express their pain or hostility.

Respect alters. Don’t betray their confidence, make decisions without consulting them, and so on. Disregarding this – even accidentally – is likely to create an enemy within, which will, to say the least, be unpleasant and delay your healing.

Writes one of Alice’s alters to one of Jake’s alters, trying to smooth over one such incident:

Please don’t hate Jake. He is hurting and confused, just as you and I are.

Seek to change alters, not by force or suppression, but by the healing power of ending the alters’ feeling of isolation and rejection, and tenderly ministering the love of Christ and the power of the Gospel to them. Coax and pray them into the realization that God is always forgiving, never angry or judgmental, towards anyone who lets God into his/her heart. Keep reassuring them that God is on their side and is gentle, understanding and wants to bring comfort and take their pain from them.

Continues Alice’s alter in her e-mail to one of Jake’s alters:

We aren’t going to get anywhere if God doesn’t help us. He wants to. It is time for us both to yield to God. You can go to God just as you are with all your pain, confusion and frustration. He will sort out all those things that leave us so confused.

Despite initial distress, the surfacing of a new alter will not only ultimately lead to the reduction of inner pain, it can mean access to exciting abilities that will delight and/or empower you. It is not only older alters who can prove to be of immense importance. For example, one young alter might have far better short-term memory than the host and other alters. Locked within another young alter might be a huge reserve of creativity, causing a person to soar to heights of creativity beyond anything the person could otherwise achieve. Yet another little alter might have spent years being personally nurtured by God and have amazing spiritual insight and intimacy with God.

If you have alters, those you least expect to have special ability could end up making invaluable contributions to your well-being. Due to abusive toilet training and other traumas, one woman used to have enormous difficulty going to the bathroom. Every alter seemed to have yet another reason for this being traumatic, and delaying relieving herself would plunge her into crippling pain. Her last alter to surface was formed at the age of six. As is usual for anyone with Dissociative Identity Disorder, the woman was unhappy about discovering yet another alter.

She had already had to endure the flashbacks and pain of twenty-eight other alters. After a while, however, she discovered that this alter could use the bathroom painlessly. The other alters then learnt to rely on this alter when needing to relieve themselves, thus freeing them from pain and embarrassing accidents that had plagued them all their life. For a surprising array of reasons, you have cause to welcome the surfacing of alters, no matter how much discomfort they initially bring.

You cannot heal alone. You need people. Do all you can, however, not to put all your dependence upon just one human. Try your hardest to spread this among several people and keep working towards your highest attachment – and that of your alters – being with God, and that the host and other alters are seen as the primary human providers of comfort, wisdom and support.

Final Remarks

In this article I have drawn almost solely upon my personal experience in helping survivors of child abuse. There are sure to be people better than me in understanding and treating Dissociative Identity Disorder. The one infallible expert, however, is the Lord Jesus Christ, before whom I gladly trash any claim to qualifications or experience. Put no trust in me, but you can truly trust him.

For help in choosing a counsellor, see How to Identify a Good Counselor / Therapist.http://www.net-burst.net/help/free-therapy.htm

Tragically, alters are often terrified of their Healer and Best Friend and the safest Person in the universe – Jesus. They fear he will act like their abuser did. For help with this, see Fearing Jesus & Healing Sex Abuse Dissociative Identity Disorder. http://www.net-burst.net/christian-help/fear-god.htm