'Maturin' - watercolor art by podcast guest C. Gryph Shepherd Daley

Gryph has been living with dissociative identity disorder (DID) since early childhood, having developed 15 distinct identities or 'alters'. He says, "Many of my alters have been around since the age of 2, so by the time I was diagnosed, they had 20 years of life experiences under their belts." Now 58 years old, he has come to see his interior mindscape as a chorus of voices capable of beautiful harmonies. Before being diagnosed he had been chronically disassociating for years, experiencing huge memory gaps and finding himself in situations he did not remember entering. Since then he has worked to break down the walls within himself to gain access to the memories, skills and experiences of his alters, often experiencing co-consciousness.

In this stunning episode of the Major Pain podcast, Gryph welcomes us into the world of someone living with dissociative identity disorder. He discusses the process of discovering the existence of his alters, and learning to cultivate harmony between them. He shares his opinions on representations of DID in popular media, including 'Moon Knight' and 'Split.' Gryph also lives with several chronic illnesses including fibromyalgia, migraines, anxiety and seizures, and shares how his alters have different experiences of these conditions.

Gryph is a watercolor artist, and you can find his world at https://gryphstuff.com/