There are many myths about multiplicity which need to be clarified.
Myth: Multiples often have antisocial alters. There is usually a good person and an evil person living in the same body.
Fact: Most head mates get along quite well and approach each other with tolerance and mutual understanding. Discovering for the first time is often traumatic. It’s actually much more traumatic than it has to be due to myths like this. In fact many recently discovered multiples fear that their unknown head mates will be evil demonic monsters, but once they get to know them, they discover that they are just ordinary people.
Myth: Multiples are perpetually having blackouts and ending up in strange towns dressed in drag.
Fact: I guess it may have happened, but again these are things that happen to people who are first discovering they are multiple. It’s not something that happens once multiples are aware of their situation, and establish a working relationship with each other.
Myth: Multiples are hysterical personalities who are prone to bizarre emotional outbursts, and odd irrational behavior.
Fact: Whether singular or multiple people who have been severely abused in childhood sometimes develop post traumatic stress disorder. In addition most everyone will have an emotional outburst or two at some point in their lives. There is no indication though that multiples are more prone to bizarre behavior than anyone else.
Myth: Multiples always have memory lapses and do not recall the actions of others, nor do they remember what others have learned.
Fact; Most experienced multiples are capable of co-consciousness and develop methods such as a memory pool, or knowledge pool so that all of them share knowledge of the past. It is true that when learning a skill, each member may have to have some practice in order to learn the skill, and some will not bother to learn, but in general once one has learned the skill it is easier for the others to learn than if they were learning from scratch.
Myth: Multiples can be helped greatly by going to psychologists.
Fact: While the right therapist could be helpful for most people. Most therapists do not understand multiplicity as well as the average multiple. For high functioning multiples who have no other serious problems, going to a doctor who believes in integration can actually worsen their state or even make them dysfunctional and unhappy singlets.
More therapists are learning however, due to empowered multiple groups and increased awareness. In time multiples hope to work with doctors to create working therapeutic solutions, which center around awareness, and self knowledge.
Myth: Multiples always have one person who is the “REAL” person, and the others are either fragments or figments of their imagination.
Fact; Most multiples have no idea who came first, nor do they believe that any of them are any more “REAL” than the others. Some multiple groups do feel that there was an original person in the body, and that others once lived other lives in other places but somehow came to stay with the original. Usually all of the people though are separate and unique individuals. Fragmenting does happen occasionally, and it is most always the result of trauma. When children have a traumatic event, which they cannot comprehend, they sometimes disagree on some aspect of what happened, and become divided within themselves. This is the classic view of multiplicity, and this model does happen at times, however it is somewhat rare that all the house mates within a system are the result of fragmentation. Many multiples have both fragmentation and other unrelated souls within.
Myth: Discovering that you are multiple is always frightening, and upsetting.
Fact; Sometimes it is, especially if you find out by waking up in a strange city with no idea how you got there. However for most multiples that moment of realization is really a relief. It explains so much. How many times have they wondered, “Why did I say that? I wasn’t even thinking it!” How many times have they worried that moments or hours passed that they couldn’t quite recall. All the little things that they could not quite understand are now perfectly clear.
Plus there is a certain comfort in finding out that you are not alone. Often people are aware on some level, or have been aware in the past, only to somehow forget. Often one learns that their childhood ‘imaginary friend’ is still with them, and this is not some stranger at all. Most of the time there is at least some sense of recognition when they finally meet their head mates.
Sources and Resources
This article is a compilation of the authors own research, but the following articles have been helpful and include this information and more. See this site for more information.
Anthony Temple - Who Decides - Astraea's Web - Accessed Nov. 4 2010
astraeasweb.net/plural/who-decides.
Astraea's Web - Accessed Nov. 4, 2010 astraeasweb.net/plural/faq
Astraea's Web - Accessed Nov. 4, 2010 astraeasweb.net/plural/glossary
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