Healing My Parts: Real Talk on Dissociative Identity Disorder and Complex Trauma

Episode 6: For all those who are curious about inner worlds in DID and OSDD.

What are they? What are they for? What do you do if you don’t have one? What if you have aphantasia? How do they help? How do you use them?

We dive into these questions, share some of our personal experiences with our own inner world and provide some tips to get you on your way with yours!

Let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.

Podcast Legal Disclaimer

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship between the listener and the host. Always seek the guidance of a qualified mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding your mental health or medical condition. If you are in crisis or in need of immediate support, please contact a licensed mental health provider or emergency services in your area.

The Silver System is a therapist in private practice, who was diagnosed late in life with AuDHD and DID. They are passionate about raising awareness and breaking the stigma associated with being multiply neurodivergent. We covered a lot of ground in our conversation!

Listen in to discover:

* How the Silver System learned they are neurodivergent

* The unique way they discovered they are a system

* How DID/OSDD is a form of neurodivergence

* Their advice to therapists who treat people with all types of neurodivergence

* Their thoughts and experiences with IFS & EMDR

* Their advice for systems who may have ADHD, Autism or AuDHD

Resources mentioned in the show:

The Dissociative Experiences Cards

Divergent Conversations Podcast

Unmasking Autism: The Power of Embracing Our Hidden Neurodiversity book

Podcast Legal Disclaimer

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship between the listener and the host. Always seek the guidance of a qualified mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding your mental health or medical condition. If you are in crisis or in need of immediate support, please contact a licensed mental health provider or emergency services in your area.

Intro

What an inspiring conversation we had! Petals of a Rose is the most accurate, respectful portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder available today. Listen in to learn more about Holly and Dylan: why they created the film, their views & experiences with DID, and their current and future projects as well as how you can participate!

More About Holly & Dylan

Holly and Dylan Crumpler are a mother-son team of passionate activists working to reduce the stigma associated with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Given that DID has historically been depicted in an inaccurate, sensationalized, and violent way in film and television, Dylan created his senior thesis film, Petals of a Rose, at Chapman University to realistically depict a day in the life of a woman with DID. He co-wrote the screenplay with his mother, Holly, who was diagnosed with DID in 2018 at the age of 51.

Holly is a retired Tax Partner at Deloitte, an international public accounting firm, where she worked for 25 years consulting with corporations regarding their global compensation and benefit programs. Dylan is an independent filmmaker and 2022 graduate of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production with an emphasis in Directing and a Themed Inquiry in Leadership.

Petals of a Rose has received international acclaim, with Dylan and Holly sharing the film at numerous mental health conferences and educational events. The film is being used by clinicians in training sessions, college courses, and therapeutic settings. The film’s subtitles are available in twelve languages.

Following is the link where you can watch the 15 minute film and learn more about its impact: Watch Petals of a Rose Here

Please consider rating and reviewing Petals of a Rose on IMDb: Rate & Review Petals of a Rose on IMDb

Dylan and Holly are now developing a documentary exploring the impact of misrepresentation of DID in film and television, and also a longer film/series expanding on the story of their short film’s protagonist, Rose. 

Seeking to incorporate the voices and stories of those living with and treating dissociative conditions to be represented in their projects, they have put together a questionnaire to gather input and ideas. The questionnaire is applicable to people living with dissociative identities, their loved ones, and clinicians who treat them. If you're so inclined to share your feedback, following is the link to the questionnaire: LIVED EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

To stay up to date on Dylan and Holly’s projects, please follow them on social media:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PetalsofaRoseTheMovie

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/petalsofarose_themovie/

Links to Resources in the Episode

April 12, 2024 Event: Dissociative Identities: Co-creating the Landscape for Recovery with Trauma Survivors

Jade Miller's Letter Template

A Couple of Multiples

Braving the Way Podcast

An Infinite Mind's Healing Together Conference

Healing Selves Therapeutics Supporters Group

Multiplied By One

Podcast Legal Disclaimer

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship between the listener and the host. Always seek the guidance of a qualified mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding your mental health or medical condition. If you are in crisis or in need of immediate support, please contact a licensed mental health provider or emergency services in your area.

It is challenging to find competent care for DID, given how few providers have training in it. Sometimes, even those who claim to have significant training can cause harm depending on their approach and how it impacts the specific system they are treating.

There is plenty of heated discussion about talking directly to parts and whether or not therapists should or shouldn’t do so in the context of therapy sessions. The discussion is so charged at times, it often feels like no one is listening. Many of those without lived experience often assume dysfunction where there is, in fact, great function. We decided to do a more personal share in this episode to explore the topic of therapy and talking directly to parts. Illustrating in what we hope is a balanced way, the harm caused by one approach and the benefits reaped by another.

This episode is for both therapists and systems alike. Through a more personal share of therapeutic experiences, therapists can better understand the need for flexibility, compassion and direct relationships with parts. Systems will see how the right training and credentials do not always translate into helpful therapeutic experiences, but will take away red flags to look for and suggestions for strategies to help their providers course correct when needed.

Podcast Legal Disclaimer

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship between the listener and the host. Always seek the guidance of a qualified mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding your mental health or medical condition. If you are in crisis or in need of immediate support, please contact a licensed mental health provider or emergency services in your area.

Everyone says that internal communication is integral to the ultimate goal of system cooperation and collaboration. That sweet spot where you’re all working together like a well-oiled machine. That’s where the magic is supposed to happen, right? But what if you have no idea where to even start?

This episode is full of ideas for you to play with to see what might work for you and your system. If it doesn’t work right away, don’t give up! Building relationships with our parts takes time and effort -not to mention a hefty side of patience sprinkled with compassion. It can be hard work, but you(s) are worth it! (Yep, you’re worth it, even if you don’t believe that yet!)

Gentle Reminders:

Every system is unique.

Every system is special.

Every system is valid.

Every system deserves respect.

Not everything will resonate with you. That's okay.

Take what resonates & leave the rest.

Thank you for being here!

Podcast Legal Disclaimer

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship between the listener and the host. Always seek the guidance of a qualified mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding your mental health or medical condition. If you are in crisis or in need of immediate support, please contact a licensed mental health provider or emergency services in your area.

We’ve been wanting to launch a podcast for a while now and …here it is! This episode is an introduction to us and our thoughts about what the podcast will be. We also tackle the uber common experience of denial in DID- it was one of the first things that we wrestled with. In fact, it’s so common, we haven’t met a system who hasn’t grappled with it. We share some thoughts on how to cope with denial and if you’d like to dig in a little deeper for yourselves, you can always revisit our Denial Files Blog.

If you have topics you’d like us to cover, please don’t be shy and let us know. We are honored that you are joining us for this journey and we hope you enjoy this new venture of ours.

Thank you for tuning in for our first episode! We should have this available on Apple and Spotify soon!

Just a disclaimer, any information shared in this podcast is not a substitute for professional therapy or behavioral health care, nor does listening to the podcast constitute the therapist-client relationship.

Please be sure to take extra good care of you! Until next time, keep healing and thriving!

Thank you for reading Healing My Parts Substack. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Podcast Legal Disclaimer

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship between the listener and the host. Always seek the guidance of a qualified mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding your mental health or medical condition. If you are in crisis or in need of immediate support, please contact a licensed mental health provider or emergency services in your area.