The Troops

[ethsnafu]

This may or may not be a case that people are already familiar with but it is something that has begun to dominate my thoughts as I recently trawled through the Legion myth arc. Whilst looking to find some identifying traits, some commonalty between the various avatars I found a recurring motif in the depiction of characters having multiple identities. Most of those in the Legion roll call exhibited some evidence of multiple identities either by their ability to adopt other incarnations, their own admission that they were not who they were perceived to be or simply by choosing to adopt a pseudonym in place of their legal name.

All this flung me back to the case of Truddi Chase, the first widely publicized, and hotly debated, case of Multiple Personality Disorder. By her own admission Truddi was composed of 92 distinct personalities that in an eerie similarity with the Legion story she referred to as 'The Troops'.

There is a great article on her here which also discusses this case in relation to the Vertigo character 'Crazy Jane' - for those who don't know this was a comics character created by Grant Morrison that was greatly inspired by the life of Truddi Chase.

Truddi Chase

[Raven Wolf]

Hello, sweety.

This has always been a subject that fascinated me. I remember, as a child, watching both the movies "Mommy Dearest", and "The 7 Faces of Eve". Only the latter of the 2 is about MPD, but "Mommy" was such a perfect example of the kind of abuse that can cause such fragmentation. This has long been a great passion of mine..... To learn where the lines are between a psychological disorder, and a spiritual fragmentation....perhaps revealing the many lives of an abused soul? Is it simply something that a tortured mind creates, or are all these other personalities showing us a glimpse into the past for this tortured soul?

.....Ahhh.....I'd love to talk your ear off for hours, by a roaring fire, with a cup of tea.....

[ethsnafu]

Hello, sweety.

This has always been a subject that fascinated me. I remember, as a child, watching both the movies "Mommy Dearest", and "The 7 Faces of Eve". Only the latter of the 2 is about MPD, but "Mommy" was such a perfect example of the kind of abuse that can cause such fragmentation. This has long been a great passion of mine..... To learn where the lines are between a psychological disorder, and a spiritual fragmentation....perhaps revealing the many lives of an abused soul? Is it simply something that a tortured mind creates, or are all these other personalities showing us a glimpse into the past for this tortured soul?

.....Ahhh.....I'd love to talk your ear off for hours, by a roaring fire, with a cup of tea.....

TRUDDI - Rabbits have no real vocal chords, and when they're wounded or dying, they make this keening, wailing scream. The funny thing is [that] the victims make it, too, when you're in the deepest memories, the hardest ones to dredge up.

Gosh,

I have to treat this most respectfully as my own profession has jettisoned MPD to the waste-bin of the file marked 'used to believe' and replaced it with a less glamorous but more succinct appraisal of what is happening in these cases but, if I'm allowed to dump my white coat and adopt the position of an awe filled 'joe soap' obsessed with the obscure knickknackery then this case, and certainly the 'Eve' case are mesmeric.

Ignoring the constant naysayers assertion that the therapist creates the personalities by identifying subtle differences in behavior and treating this purely as a bewildered voyeur then what amps up my interest is the alarming degree of creativity the sufferer employs in the recognition of their characters. Dump any notions of 'Carol' and 'Bill' to the wind and plough through such wonderful personalities as the workaholic businesswoman Ten-Four, the party girl Elvira, the Barbie-like Miss Wonderful, the catatonically calm Grace, the sophisticated Catherine, the violently obscene Sewer Mouth and so on and so forth. The urbane is tut-tutted and the ordinariness of existence shot whilst the suffer identifies more grandiose monikers and personalities than the most terrifically realised artistic creations.

If you chuck all preconception to the wind and allow these people to simply be then their stories, tragic though they are, are psychedelic and rich with wonder.

You are so right to bring the spiritual consideration into all of this and whilst Truddi Chase would dent the couch of Oprah to proclaim her malady, Joan of Arc would rise against the English to satiate those independent aspects of herself she labeled 'God'. A great philosopher once mused 'to talk to God is prayer yet to hear Him is schizophrenia' and a great many Saints hace displayed such advanced pathological symptoms they would most certainly be certified in our doubting modern era.

Whilst I would never applaud human suffering nor give it an appraisal that labels it as mere kitsch there is something profoundly fascinating about Truddi Chase, Black Annis, The Hangmans Beautiful Daughter and whatever other souls make up her troops.

Truddi Chase once said ..."'How do you put the fur back on the rabbit if you know she was stripped of everything?'....

Such a beautiful and insightful declaration from one so fractured and torn and a mantra that everyone who has ever suffered absue would recognise.

I shall put the kettle on sweetie and we can finish this when you come for tea...

Eth

[Guest WilliamHey]

Wow this is so impact, but its the real world and this is it.

[hippyroo]

Dissociative identity disorder is a controversial diagnosis that doesn't seem to occur much outside of North America. I don't want to sound like Tom Cruise, but I'd almost rather believe that these poor souls were demon-possessed that to believe some of the psychologists on this one. These are the same people that treated homosexuals 20 years ago, and now they will treat people who won't accept homosexuality as alternate lifestyle. You can hire one to defend a murder by saying he had an alternate personality that "did it", and then two can be hired to state that there is no such thing as dissociative identity disorder. I'm not saying I know what it is, but I am saying I don't think anyone else really knows either. It's like trying to explain idiot savants; one idea is about as good as the other.

As for the entertainment value of tortured souls, aren't all artists manic/depressives? And I owe a great deal of thanks to that poor schizophrenic guy that rambled some stuff that was turned into 12 Monkees What a great movie.

[ethsnafu]

Greetings 'Roo,

Many thanks for directing my attention to an aspect of MPD I knew nothing about. It would seem that you are correct with regards to the diagnostic locale of the phenomena. It seems there are 40 000 identified cases of MPD and nearly all of them located in North America whilst other sources note that there are "...approximately 3 million individuals in North America who are suffering from the disorder..."

Now there certainly are NOT 3 million people in North America with this condition, such an outbreak of pathology is unheard of, and it is without question that these diagnoses are promoted by suggestion or prior preparation on behalf of the therapist. Can anyone proffer a suggestion as to why therapists in North America would be so eager to label so many people, so casually, as certifiably insane?

I would love to hear anyone's thoughts?

Best wishes

Eth,

[Raven Wolf]

Can anyone proffer a suggestion as to why therapists in North America would be so eager to label so many people, so casually, as certifiably insane?

Because people in this country are so quick to judge, put a label on, give an easy excuse to, 'write off' anything or anyone it can as quickly as possible, and then come up with a good drug that'll "fix" the problem. This is the most disconnected, overmedicated nation on the planet. Do you have any idea how many children are "diagnosed" with ADD or ADHD? I don't! I used to, but the numbers have skyrocketed so much in the last few years that I can't keep up with it!

[4th Horseman]

Because people in this country are so quick to judge, put a label on, give an easy excuse to, 'write off' anything or anyone it can as quickly as possible, and then come up with a good drug that'll "fix" the problem. This is the most disconnected, overmedicated nation on the planet. Do you have any idea how many children are "diagnosed" with ADD or ADHD? I don't! I used to, but the numbers have skyrocketed so much in the last few years that I can't keep up with it!

Erin...the NIH (National Institute of Health) claims that between 3 to 5 percent of children have ADHD, which numerically, translates to approximately 2 million. It states also that in a standard classroom of 25 to 30 students, at least 1 will have ADHD...here is the link..

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publication...blication.shtml

4th Horseman

[ethsnafu]

Thanks Erin for adding your thoughts to this topic and to 4th for the statistical data. We estimate around 1% of children have ADHD which, whilst being significantly lower that the NIH estimation, is not so alarming differently as in the case of DID. Controversially I would suggest that both figures are over zealous but as Erin notes physicians are generally ill equipped to handle psychiatric caseloads and bow to the shredded nerves of desperate parents by prescribing alarmingly potent pharmacological interventions such as Dexedrine (best enjoyed with Vodka in a strobe and bass drenched nightclub if you ask me.)

Whilst you are both receptive could I enquire as to the standard pattern of progression with regards to psychological intervention? If I was to become concerned with issues relating to my mental health how do I arrive at the hands of a therapist? Who audits the clinical effectiveness of them and how am I able to ensure they operate within the dictates of safe, evidence based practice.

Once again, many thanks for providing me with enlightenment on issues I would only ever read about on Wikipedia.

Best wishes,

Sane(ish) Eth

[Raven Wolf]

Well, IF I understand your question..... "If I think I need a therapist, how do I find one, and how do I know if they're any good", I have to say....it's a bit of a crap-shoot. Funny thing is.... most people who really NEED a therapist never seek any help, and for the ones of us that DO, it's a struggle to get someone who's any good, and is compatable with us enough for it to do any good. I got lucky....after having tried various therapists, psychotherapists, etc over the years, I finally have found someone who is compatible with me. It's a real struggle, just like finding a regular medical doctor that you can trust.