This straightjacket itches!
It was pointed out to me that I come off as a complete basket case in the last post. While my sanity is still up for debate, I figure I should clarify some things.
I do not have multiple personalities, I am not dissociative, nor do I suffer from auditory hallucinations.
Last semester I took a weekend course on Ericksonian Hypnotherapy which had a strong influence on me and had made me re-examine a lot of the ways I think of myself. The hypnosis itself was interesting as are its uses in therapy, but what really grabbed me was the book written by the professor titled Four and Twenty Blackbirds. The gist of the book is a different way of looking at personality not as a singular construct but as a metaphorical chorus or committee of selves. For me this made a lot of sense because I have always kind of thought of people as multi-faceted and that different facets are turned at different parts of life and different relationships. Baldwin put it in much more poetic language than I am doing. He identifies and even names these personae and assigns them roles in the life and functioning of the individual. Part of his point, as I understood it, is that most people try to be monolithic and consistent, usually by locking away dissenting or unacceptable members of the committee. He suggests that this may not be the healthiest way to go. Instead he encourages people to make space for the different aspects of their personality and allow for some pluralism of thought, until these parties can all work together towards a common goal. During the class Baldwin pulled a lot, especially from me, for the often suppressed child persona, and in one of the exercises I realized that aside from Viktoriya- my childhood self there was actually another that I refer to as Vickie that was pretty seriously stifled even when I was a child, and hadn't really been a part of my experience until very recently. Viktoriya was a very serious child who rarely laughed, found little in common with her peers, and generally saw little joy or wonder in the world, and in many ways she could not survive through adolescence. Vickie, now that I've unearthed her, is what a little girl ought to be - vivacious, lighthearted, and impish. Both of them are quite vulnerable and sensitive. There is also a persona that I have not named, will not name, and generally prefer not to think about, because frankly she scares the crap out of me. This past weekend I drew a lot on Vickie and that other one, which was at once a great idea for role playing, and a terrible idea for getting on with my life.
I do not have multiple personalities, I am not dissociative, nor do I suffer from auditory hallucinations.
Last semester I took a weekend course on Ericksonian Hypnotherapy which had a strong influence on me and had made me re-examine a lot of the ways I think of myself. The hypnosis itself was interesting as are its uses in therapy, but what really grabbed me was the book written by the professor titled Four and Twenty Blackbirds. The gist of the book is a different way of looking at personality not as a singular construct but as a metaphorical chorus or committee of selves. For me this made a lot of sense because I have always kind of thought of people as multi-faceted and that different facets are turned at different parts of life and different relationships. Baldwin put it in much more poetic language than I am doing. He identifies and even names these personae and assigns them roles in the life and functioning of the individual. Part of his point, as I understood it, is that most people try to be monolithic and consistent, usually by locking away dissenting or unacceptable members of the committee. He suggests that this may not be the healthiest way to go. Instead he encourages people to make space for the different aspects of their personality and allow for some pluralism of thought, until these parties can all work together towards a common goal. During the class Baldwin pulled a lot, especially from me, for the often suppressed child persona, and in one of the exercises I realized that aside from Viktoriya- my childhood self there was actually another that I refer to as Vickie that was pretty seriously stifled even when I was a child, and hadn't really been a part of my experience until very recently. Viktoriya was a very serious child who rarely laughed, found little in common with her peers, and generally saw little joy or wonder in the world, and in many ways she could not survive through adolescence. Vickie, now that I've unearthed her, is what a little girl ought to be - vivacious, lighthearted, and impish. Both of them are quite vulnerable and sensitive. There is also a persona that I have not named, will not name, and generally prefer not to think about, because frankly she scares the crap out of me. This past weekend I drew a lot on Vickie and that other one, which was at once a great idea for role playing, and a terrible idea for getting on with my life.