In a candid moment, Dr. E reflects on a conversation with a colleague and his coming out. She shares a quote he sent her, and explores how that applies to DID. She challenges our system to start building bridges.

System Speak: Dissociative Identity Disorder ( Multiple Personality Disorder )

Who You Truly Are

The Entropy System shares their story. They introduce System Pride Day, and explain how it is different from DID Awareness Day. She explains the flag that goes with it. We talk about support in the community, the diversity of systems online, and being inclusive of all kinds of systems. We discuss functional multiplicity, and how important relationships are with other survivors.

Guest: The Entropy System

JohnMark is back, and tries to get oriented after showing up at last year’s therapist office and returning to Kansas before making it back to the house where we live now in Oklahoma. Warnings for feelings of nothing feeling real.

Not My First Rodeo

Our guest is Joyanna Silberg, Past President of ISSTD, and expert on dissociation in children and adolescents. She shares with us about her work with children and trauma. She talks about the capacity of dissociation as a gift to yourself! She speaks to the impact of screen time on families, and she also shares about her work with trafficking victims. Trigger warning for short and simple examples of abuse and trafficking in passing (not in depth).

Guest: Joyanna Silberg

The husband and the outside kids join us by the campfire, after cooking foil dinners and having s’mores, and we reflect on 2020. Trigger warning for voices of children, and a closing song.

Campfire, Unedited

We share about the TPA Award and read emails from listeners.

TPA Award and Emails

We share an episode of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) sounds from our front yard in the morning. You can hear the interstate several miles away, the morning birds, and the chickens starting to move around the yard. Other than an introduction to the episode, there is no further talking on this episode. Many people use ASMR videos or sounds for grounding and coping skills, and we wanted to offer an option for support. Simply skip this episode if not helpful for you, or if it is triggering.

ASMR: Morning Sounds

Courtney shares about getting a new therapist, again, and agrees she may be a match this time. We share about our safety plan, including twice a week sessions and learning to ask for help. With some tapping and EMDR, she is able to consider letting the others back if our safety increases and the system can stabilize... and begins to understand they need to be included for that stabilization to happen.

Try Softer

Please note the heavy trigger warning for this episode. We share about a hospitalization, with reference to suicide. We share some (young adult) memories, with reference to domestic violence. We talk about missing the other alters from the other circle, and why we can’t bridge to them right now. We talk about starting over with a new therapist, again.

Iris

Our guest this week is Jamie Pollack, the founder of An Infinite Mind. She shares her story and the story of how the annual conference for people with DID got started. We talk about the coming out process with DID, and what it’s like to have friends who know about DID and what it’s like to have other friends with DID. She shares the conference will be virtual next year because of the pandemic, but will still happen the last weekend of January. Trigger warning for reference to media portrayals of plurals as killers and mention of threats from hate groups - neither issue is discussed in detail, only in passing.

Guest: Jaime Pollack (An Infinite Mind)

Our friend comes on the podcast to debate toxic positivity. We process some of the experiences of 2020. We explore what we have learned about friendship, and share what it’s been like to learn to tolerate feelings. Trigger warning for reference to suicidality, but no specifics or discussion about it.

Climbing Up from the Fall (Part Two)

Positivity Debate (Part One)

We share what we discussed in therapy, about processing election week experiences. We talk about realizing we can’t avoid pain, because someone always has to deal with it or handle it. We talk about learning how there’s a world beyond trauma, like the perspectives of different dimensions. We give the geometry of those, and explain why it matters that we connect with others - even though it is scary. Trigger warnings for mention of guns, reference to a house fire, discussion of flashbacks, and math.

Geometry

Our guest is Teri Pokrajac, PsyD, who shares about her research into dissociation, and the differences in how it shows up in people with dissociative disorders and how it shows up in people with a borderline personality diagnosis. We discuss shame, and explore why it’s so hard to shake off and how we can’t just think our way out of it. She explains why connecting when we need it most is so very hard. We talk about the impact of this in the context of the ongoing pandemic and increased isolation because of quarantine. Trigger warning for mention of rape and sexual abuse, but only in passing reference with no details or discussion.

Guest: Teri Pokrajac, PsyD

We try hard to put into words what’s been so hard this year.

Recap

Diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder at age 36, Emma and her system share what they learn along the way about DID, dissociation, trauma, and mental health. Educational, supportive, inclusive, and inspiring, System Speak documents her healing journey through the best and worst of life in recovery through insights, conversations, and collaborations.

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System Speak: Dissociative Identity Disorder ( Multiple Pers...

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