Dissociative Identity Disorder, a forerunner of healthy functioning?

Heron Strong

I just finished reading this well written piece Titled  Not so Bad:On Consent-Non-Consent-Trauma by Christina Tesoro.  Ms Tesoro talks about things is an even handed way that are hard to talk about.
The part that I want to talk about is allowing ourselves to have a variety of feelings about any one topic. We are brought up to be either black or white, a Republican or Democratic, male or female , a professional or non professional, etc. These tags or labels are so narrow that we can forget that we may be many things at once.



Our education system teaches us that there is a wrong way or right way to view things. Our political system is also  adversarial. So perhaps if we  were able to hold differences of opinion inside ourselves than the outer differences would begin to fall away.
In the 90's, I worked as a psychotherapist with a lot of folks that were diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder now Dissociative Identity disorder.  It simply means that people had  many different parts inside of them that were often not integrated. Depending upon the time of day or stresses in their lives, they could be completely at odds with themselves. Sometimes, people would report that they hated going to bars and would find themselves in a bar. They often had a closet full of clothing that represented the different aspects of who they were. Sometimes, they acted like they were 8 and actually were in their 40's.
I found it unnerving and incredibly important to work with these folks to help them manage their lives in healthier ways. I  wonder now, if they were simply forerunners of a healthier way of functioning?  Do you feel sometimes you are a 6 year in an adult body? Do you want to just run and hide and you know that you need to go to work at Starbucks?
I would welcome comments....