lol

hi5

Yeah and I normally do but it's much easier to keep up with responses by page than by what the post was, though now as I type this it just occurred to me that I could go by post number. Hurr durr.

Answered this in the last post, near the end I think.

None but I just read the plot summary and the title is a pretty bad spoiler. Should have been The Faces of Eve or something like that instead. The relationship between White/Black Eve has similarities to the relationship between Michelle/Rebecca when Rebecca first showed up.

Could be.

And yes, we did. I had pics of one of the EEGs because her hair was super long then and it looked funny, but I can't find them. I mentioned earlier that the seizures aren't epileptic, they're psychosomatic. Psuedo-seizure is a dated term that fell out of fashion for the same thing afaik.

I asked her and she said she'd rather you not, but thanks for asking.

np thanks both for doing this. will be following closely. will let you know if i have any actual questions

These are not separate disorders, it's a terminology difference. MPD has not been a valid diagnosis in the US since 1994 when it was replaced in the DSM by DID. Did a psychiatrist really give you a diagnosis of MPD?

From what I have read about the condition it is mostly iatrogenic, that is, therapist-created, either inadvertently or intentionally. But beyond that it is quite culture-bound in that it rarely happens outside of north america, probably because we are all familiar with the idea through tv and movies; cases tended to flourish around various mass-media representations of the case, like Sybil and the Three Faces of Eve. I think this view is the norm within psychiatry and psychology, although there are certainly pockets of therapists who insist there is more to it (and these people tend to produce lots of cases... )

Nevertheless, the story is interesting.

Yeah man. That's what I thought after researching on my own, but this one guy at the hospital insisted they were different along the lines of what I explained in a previous post, I think 3 answer sets ago or so. He was kind of a jerk and didn't really seem to care much about anything that was going on, so take it fwiw. Thanks for clarifying this for me, now I don't feel like I was being the jerk by thinking they were the same thing.

Sorry if my answer was unclear, but the consensus is that her being with me > her not being with me.

By "already addressed this," I assume you mean here, where you say, "I've never had any sort of arousal or anything like that over her looking/acting/thinking she was really young," which is great.

But you also say you've had sex with her.

Anyway, not trying to derail an interesting thread, but I'm actually not following you.

OP,

Are your parents in your life at all? How do they feel about this? Are they nearby where you live, and if so, do they offer to help watch Michelle?

Sorry if I missed this, just spent an hour reading the whole thread, great read

Just talked about this in the post right before that. In an earlier post I noted how most of it unfolded before she was ever in therapy. Thanks for the further clarification on the MPD/DID thing.

You seem so dismissive of the thought that getting physical with "Little Michelle" could be damaging to her healing that it's a bit off putting. You answer the question with just, "She seems fine with it" when asked what the therapist thinks about it, and yeah, it just seems generally dismissive.

I can tell you that there is no doubt that being in a STABLE romantic relationship is one of the most benefical things a client can have. Social support is HUGE. I emphasize stable of course. Its highly unlikely any responsible therapist would ever tell a client they should get out of a relationship (unless it was an unhealthy one, abusive etc.) Especially a long term one. OP sounds like he is unusually suportive (more so than the average person) so its even more unlikely.

OP - gotcha, thanks again for answering. I realize my question was somewhat leading, but (and knowing absolutely nothing about the condition):

I sort of assumed the consensus here would be that focused treatment / therapy administered by medical professionals would give her the best shot at a full recovery - and that an intense personal relationship that is romantic in nature could be potentially destructive and interfere with medical progress (especially in light of her past molestation).

Not doubting you OP - but I'd be curious to hear some medical opinions on this as well (my father is a psychiatrist, next time I talk to him I'd be curious to hear what he has to say as well, will report back at some point!).

-Al

Have you ever had sex with a brunette? Were you sexually aroused by the fact that she was a brunette? If no, then I can say "but you still had sex with her," which would be completely irrelevant.

I talked about my parents some point earlier. I'm living with them atm, and they're a lot more helpful than Michelle's parents.

I gave the therapist's opinion (her psychiatrist said the same when I asked her about it), and so that was it for me. Maybe I seem dismissive because I keep getting the same question about it over and over? I'm sorry if that's the case. I went into more detail about it and the process that led me to make that decision earlier in the thread.

Holla atcha boy.

I'm not sure what you mean by "intense"? It just seems kind of strange like you're suggesting she should be having no kind of social interaction or relationship while she spends the next X years of her life recovering, though I highly doubt that's what you're suggesting.

Text is a pain in the *** sometimes. If we were talking this would probably be cleared up and we'd understand what each other is saying in like 45 seconds.

As an aside, I would think that abandonment would be much worse off on her long-term than me staying around?

So this explains your Facebook updates...

this is fascinating.

just a reminder from Wikipedia:

Acethiest - remind me again, you are a doctor, or therapist? I know it's one or the other. Either way, interesting, thanks.

-Al

I'm not accusing you of being aroused by the fact that she thinks she's nine. I'm asking how you can be aroused despite the fact that she thinks she's nine, and, furthermore, why you think her initiation and your arousal makes it good to go.

I gather you wouldn't do this if she were actually nine, but what, to you, is the difference between the two scenarios?

OP, great thread. Is Michelle capable of acting out her other personalities accurately? Would you be able to tell the difference right away if she was just doing an impression and it wasn't another personality actually at the forefront?

So, okay fine. You're okay with having sex with the personality that thinks she's 9 now that she knows she's a part of the bigger Michelle? how does that work, exactly? She knows there's an adult version of her running around, she's cognizant of it, but at the same time, the emotions she's feeling continually while in that mind set aren't those of Michelle but rather of the emotions a little girl would have? Or they are Michelle's emotions, in which case isn't it just a woman acting like a little girl for whatever purpose?

This was my next question.

OP - yeah didn't mean to go in circles there, it's pretty clear what you mean (the general medical consensus from people you've spoken with is that it's +EV for you to be with her in terms of her progress and potential recovery).

And by "intense" - I just mean a relationship that is romantic/sexual in nature. The level of personal exposure is usually so high in strong, romantic situations, it just seems like she faces some real risk to her psyche if something goes wrong in your relationship with her (e.g. you get into a huge fight, you cheat on her, you break up with her etc.).

But I guess the idea here is that the risk is outweighed by the potential payoff of you staying in her life.

-Al

f the haters op, you sound like you might be a lot happier/more solid than most relationships, why let a little crazy get in the way?

good luck to you both.

Do you ever wonder about whether or not she consciously changes personalities to fit a situation? Or perhaps subconsciously? Like, does she sometimes become a child to get out of doing something she may not have wanted to anyway as an adult? Or do you feel the switches are more random than that, and not done with a specific purpose?

Can you give a brief timeline history of both of your previous dating experience?

Since she has expressed her interest in girls now have you attempted any threesomes or similar things?

LOL, good question because I ask myself that myself. I finished my internship in clinical psychology but chose to enter the workforce before completing my dissertation (for a variety of reasons). Been in many hospital settings mostly.

Used to joke with old supervisor that playing match maker with clients was more effective than any therapeutic technique. As much as we like to pretend what we do in therapy helps (and it does) the most beneficial things tend to be overly simple; get in a GOOD relationship, stay physically active, and find stable work (establish a routine and helps with sleeping patterns). These tend to be more effective than any psychoanalyses, cognitive techniques, or medications. The latter can help accomplish those goals but really its unbeleivable how much of a difference they make.

But ya if I was to call myself a dr I'd be in big trouble :P