USA, CANADA, & UK -- Multiples are still surrounded by controversy and well-meaning or not so well-meaning efforts at "help" that may do them more harm than good, after centuries of multiple personality cases and decades after an avalanche of attention to the subject began.

             Organized religion, political activists, the mainstream mass media, therapists, and the general public have often misunderstood multiplicity, finding plurals to be baffling, (sometimes morbidly) fascinating, freakish, dangerous, in need of integration or exorcism, faking, or otherwise inauthentic.   Controversies surrounding different, but sometimes overlapping phenomena such as medianism, otherkin, and soulbonding have sometimes attached themselves to multiples.   A number of multiples, as well as Temperance Blackthorne, who is the significant other of a multiple, and researcher, author, and victims' advocate Pamela Sue Perskin, who has worked with more than 300 multiples over more than two decades, offered their insights on these issues.   The interviewees also gave their thoughts on what they consider to be promising developments in the direction of greater social acceptance of multiples.

          The response from organized religion

         
         The multiples I interviewed were of different religions -- Christian, Jewish, pagan, etc., or were atheists or agnostics (and persons within multiple systems often belong to different religions; see Part 1).   However, most of the negative experiences they describe stemmed from their dealings with Christian organizations, usually Protestant evangelical or fundamentalist.  Leaders within these religious organizations often believe that the persons within a multiple system other than the "primary" person or "host" (not all systems have such a person) are demons and must therefore be exorcised.

      "I went through many exorcisms in my late teens, early twenties, to try and rid me of my 'demons,'" Muse of the Anachronic Army wrote in a March 10 e-mail interview.  "These exorcisms each lasted a minimum of six hours and were extremely draining.  Most people are incredulous when I tell them that such things even occur today...but they accept the explanation for why I left the church."

         Muse added, "I wrote a letter to Focus on the Family [a major US right-wing evangelical group] about 10 years ago telling them about my multiple site and how I had gone through repeated exorcisms.  One [person] wrote that she was herself Christian, and that she wanted to know what they had to say to multiples that had some persons within who were Christian and others were of other faiths.  Well, if someone from the head office in Colorado didn't call 'me' up personally!   Forty-five minutes I was on the call with this elder gentleman.   I cannot remember his name.  I can tell you he was very confused and concerned and trying very hard to convince me of a need for salvation as he spoke to me."
   
      "I was so bewildered that my letter had prompted a head office phone call that I lost all track of what he was saying," Muse wrote.  "He insisted on praying for me before I hung up.  It was the oddest experience of my life.  I do remember one thing he said -- he agreed with the pastors who had brought me to be exorcised -- that I needed to integrate..that we couldn't exist as serious people believing different people and still be following Christ."

      A Canadian multiple, Shandra Lemarath (a pseudonym), wrote in a late April e-mail interview that the responses from religious organizations to plurals and multiplicity have been "terrible."

         "I regularly get e-mail from people who want to exorcise me, which I find hilarious," Lemarath wrote.  "More heartbreakingly, someone in our system wanted to convert to Catholicism and asked a bit about that and was told that a) there is only one soul to a body, and multiplicity doesn't exist on a spiritual level and anyone who had MPD (multiple personality disorder) probably couldn't convert because they couldn't be making vows in a sane frame of mind."

              (I found nothing in The Christian Faith, a compendium of Catholic documents, to support the view that one soul-per-body is defined doctrine, though it is arguably implied in various places.   My conclusion after reading any relevant documents that I could find is that the doctrinal status of plurality is quite ambiguous.  Disclosure: I am myself an observant Catholic.)

        "The group we were raised in...intentionally created/called other souls here, and they were supposedly a Christian group," members of a multiple system collectively called the Gryphons wrote in a May 11 e-mail interview.  "The egg donor's church thought we were possessed....and well...reacted like how you would think.  Our current religious community, an inter-regional pagan network, has been very accepting of us as individuals, and our coven has supported us and asked questions...and helped us heal a great deal.  We are recognized by most of the community as plural...and most of our friends/mentors know us as plural...and have to gotten to know us as individuals...it is a very strange thing."

       "I avoid churches and religious organizations as much as possible," a multiple requesting anonymity wrote in a May e-mail interview.   "Some of our abuse stems from that, and I refuse to go anywhere near them."

      "Bad.  Very bad," wrote a plural requesting anonymity regarding what he believes to be the typical response from organized religion.   "It's usually classified as demon possession, and if not that, multiples are always told that it's wrong, that they need help, that they should ignore the others."

         "We personally would never dream of telling anyone at church we are multiple," Rayvin of Rhymershouse wrote.  "The responses would vary from 'You're making this up' to 'Turn to the Lord, and they'll go away.'   So we've heavily closeted where church is concerned."

        Some of the plurals, including the Gryphons, as aforementioned, noted much more acceptance from pagan or Wiccan religious groups.

      "The Pagan community here seems very tolerant," wrote a member of The Shadowstar Collective requesting anonymity as an individual, in a May 21 e-mail interview.

      "I do not have much exposure to religious organizations aside from paganism," a plural who asked to be identified both individually and collectively only as M wrote in a May 31 e-mail interview.   "Reclaiming pagans were very open and accepting about it.   We did have one older member in the cybelline circle wonder if we were simply faking it for some reason."

   "The only religious organizations we currently deal with are the Wiccan/Pagan/Occult communities," wrote members of the Pack Collective in a May 15 e-mail interview.  "So far the response from them has been mixed, but we have gotten a lot of support from those who believe and understand."

         "We're all solitary practitioners," wrote a member, who requested individual anonymity except where names are given in responses, of a system tentatively called the Union, in a May 16 e-mail interview.  "The one priestess we regularly associate with, a generic Neopagan one, has taken it in stride and even asked if we have a regular frontrunner in the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) that she and we play together...presumably so she could use the right individual name.  For most of us,, though, it would probably be rough going simply because most people don't know a lot about multiplicity regardless of their faith.   Our Buddhist is particularly uncomfortable as Buddhism teaches there is no real self, so a teacher would probably tell us we need to dissolve into a non-self...which is about as creepy to us as the idea of integrating into one self that doesn't have all of our group flexibility.  Steve isn't sure yet if he agrees with that idea, but if so, he doesn't want enlightenment just yet.  To attain it himself would be good, but to blot out the rest of us in getting it just seems wrong to him (and the rest of us, too)."

            Temperance Blackthorne, a non-multiple whose partner is plural, spoke, in an April 27 telephonic interview, about exorcisms, deliverance ministry, and similar religious overtures toward multiples that assume that "alters" (a common psychological term that she uses for persons within multiple systems) are demons and multiplicity is, in general, spiritually dangerous.  Blackthorne said that these approaches tend to be harmful to plurals.   However, she added that some multiples are comforted by such attention, feeling comforted that to have a number of people praying for them intensely.   Others may themselves believe that their alters are, in fact, demons.

            Researcher and victim's advocate Pamela Sue Perskin wrote in a May 12 e-mail interview that that she and her husband, psychologist James Randall "Randy" Noblitt, Ph.D., believe that certain religious organizations are responsible for most cases of multiplicity (see Part 1).

            "Randy and I have a rather radical perspective on the spectrum of dissociative disorders," she wrote.  "It is our hypothesis that dissociative identity disorder is the product of ritual abuse.  We have never known of a multiple who did not either overtly describe ritualistic abuse or identify 'parts' as demonic, or otherwise associated with rituals, magic, spiritual phenomena, et. (These rituals are not associated with any one theological/spiritual/cultic system.  We have worked with individuals who report ritually abusive experiences in cults or families that practice variations of Satanism, Santeria, voodoo, palo mayombe, brujeria, the Aryan Brotherhood [a white supremacist organization], the KKK (Ku Klux Klan), etc, separately and/or in combination."

           Perskin said that these rituals are designed to create dissociative disordered not otherwise specified (DDNOS) in the victim "in order to maintain control of the victim.  Dissociative identity disorder (DID) occurs when the internal structure breaks down.  We believe that DDNOS and DID were formerly seen as possession states and that the technology for creating dissociative disorders has been present and available throughout history."

         Perskin and Noblitt's theory about certain religious/cultic groups' deliberate creation of multiplicity in people echoes the Gryphons' contentions that some of their persons were deliberately created or summoned by a Christian group.   Some of the multiples whom I interviewed said that they had been abused, and one, quoted above, said that some of the abuse was perpetrated within a religious context.  However, none explicitly indicated ritual abuse.    Most of those who did indicate that they had been abused nevertheless did not point to this abuse as a direct cause of their multiplicity.


               Political responses

           Some of the multiples interviewed said that they were unaware of any substantive differences in views on multiplicity between the political left, right, and center, others denied such differences emphatically, while still others maintained that there were significant differences.   A few indicated that those on the left were or would likely be more accepting of non-disordered multiplicity than others.

         "Lefties are just as likely to believe the old theories about multiplicity as are more conservative people," M wrote.

        "Are people dealing with multiples' concerns now? Or even aware that we exist?" a member, requesting individual anonymity, of the Zyfron System wrote in a May e-mail interview.   "I apologize for the sarcasm, but we don't see any difference, because we don't see anyone, left, right, or center, addressing or even aware that this might be an issue.  When multiplicity is addressed, the important factor is whether or not the person has an open mind and is curious as to what the experiences of multiplicity are actually like.  If not, the Left has the 'help the poor abused crazy people' outlook, and the Right has the 'lock away the possessed freaks' outlook, and ultimately it leads to the same place, a padded cell and zero rights."

         "Sorry, we can't answer this one, because I haven't really seen any progress from the left or right," wrote a person who shall remain anonymous.

         "The only difference I can see is that multiples are listened to more [by those on the left], but still largely ignored after that," wrote a person requesting anonymity.  "Even fairly liberal people and organizations are hesitant to even approach the subject of healthy multiplicity."

         "In Canada we don't frame things so much as 'right-wing' or 'left-wing' issues," Lemarath wrote, "but, really, I think there is no political difference in the approach to multiplicity except that the left is more supportive of social programmes that may be of help to multiples if they need them."

        Other interviewees disagreed.

        "I haven't had any directly unpleasant experiences with left-wing media," Muse wrote.  "I find the left to be fare more sympathetic and indeed sane than the right.  They do not make imposing calls to my home insisting on praying for me."

      "The left is usually more accepting of 'alternative' ways of living, whether it be sexuality, religion, or plurality," the Gryphons wrote.  "The center swings back and forth between extremes...trying to pull together the most vocal positions of each other...The right tends to live their [sic] lives...in all ways...with blinders on.  If things don't fit inside this little box that they have defined as acceptable, then it usually gets either ignored or, if it gets to a point where it can't be ignored, it's condemned...with every force they can bring to bear (can't help thinking of Fred Phelps)."

         (Fred Phelps, a disbarred attorney, is the pastor of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church and is known especially for his anti-gay tirades and his church's picketing of the funerals of murdered Wyoming gay man Matthew Shepard, AIDS sufferers, and US soldiers.  Among his better-known mottoes is "God Hates Fags.")

         
         Responses from the media

         
        Most of the multiples whom I interviewed indicated that they had never dealt with the media and/or that I was the first media person to whom they had given an interview.    Muse of the Anachronic Army recounted her run-in with Focus on the Family (see above) in response to my questions about the media.   Many of the interviewees cited fear of potential negative consequences of "coming out" as a result of media exposure.   Many also cited disparagement, indifference, and ignorance in popular media portrayals of multiplicity; others said that they noticed little media exposure of multiplicity at all.

       "I have found that chasing anyone to get attention is a waste of energy," Muse wrote.  "My experience is that if anyone asks questions,  I will answer.  The people in this world have themselves in such fundamentally flawed ways that the whole system is falling apart, and it's painful to watch.   Meanwhile, most people do not have time to worry issues like whether multiples (....blank stare) are getting equal rights."

        Muse added, "Someone tried to add an entry to Wikipedia on healthy multiplicity, and the owner of Wikipedia said [that] they don't care about this issue, and that they were deleting the page because it had no basis in fact.   That there were no articles on it.  It's because no one takes this issue seriously.   People are too busy worrying about issues that affect them personally.   Like the people running Wikipedia, it doesn't affect them....so they don't care about it.   There is a general apathy covering the globe right now that will be the death of us all."

      (As of this writing, Wikipedia has three entries related to multiplicity in general: "Dissociative identity disorder," "Multiple personality controversy," and "Multiplicity of consciousness and emergence of self."   "Multiple personality controversy" includes a section on healthy multiplicity, and "Multiplicity of consciousness" includes a section on "multiple personality."   Recently, there was a proposal to merge the multiple personality controversy article into the entry on DID.   However, a consensus was reached among Wikipedia editors (anyone may edit the online encyclopedia) in favor of keeping them as separate articles.   Disclosure: I am a registered Wikipedia user and contributor; I wrote in Wikipedia discussion areas in opposition to the deletion of the healthy multiplicity article and against the merger of "Multiple personality controversy" into "Dissociative identity disorder.")

         "We haven't interacted with the media much," the Gryphons wrote.  "As far about being open about plurality...we've been about our [pagan] faith and, living in the South...that's pushing it."

       "We rarely see anything about multiples in/from the news, and when we do, it's one of the multiple Websites pointing out a story that mischaracterizes us a group," wrote the Union member.

      "Honestly, we've never had any experiences dealing with the media," the Zyfron System member wrote.  "We've tried to coordinate most of our efforts through Pavilion [an information and advocacy Website by and for multiples], and after several bad experiences other members have had with the media, using the media as a direct means of 'spreading the word' is not seen [by us] as a practical solution."

        Promising developments?

        The people whom I interviewed offered a variety of responses to the question, "In your opinion, what are the most promising developments related to multiplicity and the struggle for plurals' rights and acceptance?  What would you highlight as the most important local, national, regional, and international efforts along these lines?"   While some did not see or were unaware of any progress, others cited some developments.

      "We do not believe there are true developments yet in multiplicity acceptance, on the societal front, only on the individual one," the Pack Collective wrote.

  The multiple-run Websites "Astraea's Web (http://www.astraeasweb.net/plural) and Pavilion (http://www.karitas.net.pavilion/), along with a few other sites like Amorpha('s) (http://www.dreamshore.net/amorpha/) , and the Blackbirds' "Layman's Guide" (http://www.karitas.net/blackbirds/layman/preference.html) have brought the idea of healthy multiplicity to a lot of confused multiples who go out looking for something fits," the Zyfron System member wrote.  (Astraea, Amorpha, and the Blackbirds are all multiple households.)

     "But as far as the struggle for acceptance and rights," he added, "I honestly don't see anything happening.  This feature you're writing is about the most encouraging thing we've seen in the (admittedly few) years we've been involved in the multiple community."      

      He continued, "There's Pavilion (see above), which is supposedly dedicated to 'spreading awareness and educating the public,' but so far not a lot has come of it.  We're trying (our system is a member of Pavilion), but ultimately, it's hard to get people (singlets) to take you seriously when you say, 'We are multiple,' and hard to motivate multiples to help out when they know nobody will take them seriously.  Pavilion, resultantly, is an incredibly small organization which spends most of its time trying to think of something useful to do."

      "The most important developments are the different experiences of multiples being heard," a person requesting to remain anonymous wrote.  "In the end, I don't think the field of psychology will ever accept healthy multiplicity as a legitimate condition, so that isn't what I'm concerned with.  I do, however, feel it is very important to attempt to inform people that there is more than one way to be multiple."

      "More and more, I see people coming into the multiplicity community on LJ [LiveJournal] with ideas for screenplays and books, asking for advice or just looking to understand," she added.  "This shows me that there are people out there that are honestly willing to listen and learn about something that has been ignored by the 'experts.'  I see friends and family looking to better understand their loved ones, psychology majors wanting to investigate an alternative viewpoint, even people who post because they themselves are wondering if they could be multiple.   All of this is a sign to me that, slowly, acceptance is coming."

      "I'm not sure," Rayvin of Rhymershouse wrote.  "Locally, we live in a very, very rural area.  If there are any multiples around, they're as closeted as we are.  As for national advances, probably the best thing was the Internet.  Sadly, not enough people believe or know multiples exist."

      "The whole idea we've seen lately of people who hear voices not necessarily being insane is a big step, I think, even if it's not directly related," a person who shall remain anonymous wrote.  "It means that the mental health establishment is becoming more willing to listen to individuals who experience things in a certain way but don't fit into normal patterns.  I think the best efforts are those multiples who are themselves no matter what, something we haven't been brave enough to try yet.  Who are open about who they are and how they live, things like that."

      "I don't think there is a whole lot that is promising as a movement, other than the use of the Internet to connect people," Lemarath wrote.  "In the US, as I understand it (I'm Canadian), the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] may protect multiples from discriminatory practices in the workplace.  In Canada, I'm not aware of any cases where multiplicity has been a factor in something like an Ontario Human Rights appeal."

      "I personally think that what's happening now is just the beginnings of a movement -- that is, people (are) basically whispering in corners that it's okay to be multiple," she added.  "I think as this generation (mine, and after) ages and becomes more powerful and able to come *after* a successful career, etc., that things will start to change.   On that note, I think the most important development probably has been [China scholar and former Asia Society President] Robert B. Oxnam's tell-all memoir [A Fractured Mind: My Life with Multiple Personality Disorder (Hyperion, 2005)], simply because he had a very successful career and then came out [as] multiple."

      "I have no idea about these things," a person requesting anonymity wrote in a May e-mail interview.  "I tend not to become involved in multiple activism because the multiples who get out there are not necessarily the ones I want representing me to society.  Being vocal doesn't mean you're competent."

      "http://www.astraeasweb.net has been around for ages," Muse of the Anachronic Army wrote.  "At least since 1997, perhaps longer [actually, Astraea's Web debuted in 1995].  This site contains a wealth of information, many guest-written essays by multiples, FAQs [frequently asked questions], etc...They and an assortment of other multiples over the years have made efforts to educate the public.   We once had a site up called Dark Personalities, which had over six hundred essays about multiplicity, demonic possession, and stories about our Other World.  (Something that felt more like a fantasy novel in the make.)  Also attached, a diary-x.com journal with over 3,000 entries over three years freely discussing the issue of multiplicity, attempting to normalize it for the reader's experience in a day-to-day format.  (The journal had around 200 original IP visits a day.  Not bad for Web 1.0, if I do say so myself.)"

      Muse added, "We left the Dark Personalities project  to other multiples to run, who gladly took it over.   It is in excellent, capable hands..."

      The "family" of Dark Personalities sites can be found at http://www.darkpersonalities.net and http://darkpersonalities.net/wordpress.   One may sign up with the still active e-mail discussion list at http://lists.topica.com/lists/darkpersonalities/.

      "We are not aware of any efforts," the Shadowstar Collective member wrote.  "From what I have seen, there are few, if any, here in Canada.   I am not sure about the US, though."

      "This whole movement is very personal," M wrote.  "The biggest gains now are when people are accepting of multiples, which, in my circles, is the norm.   Culturally, there have been a number of movies and TV series that look at the issue in an open-minded fashion.   Stephen's Internal Family System Therapy has, in my opinion, helped the most to change opinions in the mental health field."

      Asked about online multiple activism and plural advocacy in general, Perskin, who believes that there are many functional multiples, but is skeptical of the notion of healthy multiplicity (see Part 1), wrote, "I think that multiples need all the support and advocacy they can get.  However, Internet connections cannot replace appropriate psychotherapy and person-to-person interaction.  Unfortunately, because of the poverty in which many multiples exist and the lack of resources with which to obtain appropriate therapy, as well as the restrictions on adequate therapy imposed by insurers and managed care and the numbers of therapists who decline to see patients with severe conditions due to threats of litigation, some multiples have no other option for help."

      Blackthorne indicated that she did not see any significant promising development because multiplicity is a prominent enough issue for most people to elicit sufficient concern from most people.   As a result, little progress in the direction of plural acceptance has been made, she indicated.

         "The people I've talked to who didn't know didn't react, 'Oh, my God, she's going to kill us!'" she added.  "When you start dealing with multiplicity, you're dealing with child abuse...the ways people are horrible to each other.  People feel guilty, so they don't want to deal with it.  People avoid things" with which they are uncomfortable.  "People go into crazy denial mode.   People can't understand how that could happen.  It's totally outside their experience."

        Relations with medians, otherkin, and soulbonders

        Relations between multiples and members of the median, otherkin, and soulbonding communities are often fraught with contradictions.   Though these other phenomena sometimes overlap with multiplicity, they are nonetheless distinct.

        A median is a person who is neither a multiple nor a singlet; an earlier term for this state of being, "mid-continuum," appears to have fallen out of favor.  Pavilion's glossary, which is mirrored on Astraea's Web, gives the following description of a median: "Probably the main characteristic distinguishing medians from singlets and multiples is the presence of more than one person in the body, but without the independence of persons in a multiple system. Persons in a median system may be dependent upon a single individual (who may have created them at some point), and unable to exist without that central person. Some people in a hosting situation [in which there is a "primary" person, or "host"] might think of themselves as median...You may say something like, 'There are many of us, but we are really all Karen' or 'aspects of Karen,' etc. Various metaphors have been invoked by median systems to describe their experience, such as a stem with leaves, the spokes of a wheel, pages in a book, or a sun orbited by planets."

          Otherkin is a phenomenon in which a person, whether singlet, median, or plural, is convinced that he or she is, in fact, non-human or has an other-than-human soul or essence, despite his or her having a human body.  In the case of multiples, only one or some persons within the system may be otherkin, while the rest are human; in other cases, all household members may be otherkin.   (All-human systems appear to be in the majority, however; see Part 1 of this series.)  Otherkin persons, in again, regardless of whether they are singlet, median, or multiple, may be, internally, animals, extraterrestrials, angels, demons, or creatures conventionally considered mythological, such as elves, dragons, unicorns, etc.   Otherkin persons sometimes report feeling physical sensations in phantom wings or tails, similar to the pain that amputees feel in body parts that are no longer present.
      
      Soulbonding, also known as experiencing "fictional or imaginal presences" or simply "having presences," is communication and connection between a person and fictional characters or, less often, historical figures or fictionalized versions of non-fictional contemporary people.   The person who experiences these presences is called a "soulbonder;" the presences themselves are called "soulbonds."   "Insourced" soulbonds are characters who are original to the soulbonder, whereas "outsourced" soulbonds are culled from already existing fandoms.  Soulbonders may be singlets, medians, or multiples.   A number of soulbonds have become members of multiple systems.   A number of writers, including the Bronte sisters, Edith Wharton, and Robert Howard, author of the Conan the Barbarian novels, have reported experiencing this phenomenon, though none of them termed it soulbonding.   

         (In fact, the word "soulbonding" was not used in this sense until the late twentieth century.   It originated on the Internet, among mostly young female writers of anime fan fiction.   According to Pavilion's glossary, "Psychologists refer to this [a soulbond] as an introject. This term [soulbond] is used in this sense by a relatively small number of people on the Internet after its invention by writer Amanda Flowers.  Originally, 'soulbond' was a term in esoteric and occult writings, where it meant a twin soul, one's ideal mate, or simply a very strong friendship, rather than a relationship with a non-material friend.  Fantasy literature and roleplaying games still use the term in this original sense.")

         A gateway system member who requested anonymity reported in a May 21 e-mail interview that his household includes "one small subsystem within the larger system, a median system" (see Part 1).   None of the other multiples whom I interviewed reporting any substantial contact with medians.   Due perhaps to the considerable similarities (and, sometimes, as the above example illustrates, overlap) between the two groups, I have encountered no reports of animosity between medians and multiples.

        Otherkin-multiple relations, on the one hand, and interactions between plurals and soulbonders, on the other, have, it seems, a more complicated history, if the World Wide Web is any indication.  This is especially true of plural-soulbonder relations.   A number of non-multiple soulbonders active online have sought to distance themselves from plurals, maintaining that soulbonding is a legitimate activity, whereas multiplicity is a mental illness.   On the other hand, some multiple soulbonders, as well as a number of plurals who are not soulbonders, have criticized non-multiple soulbonders for damaging the general cause of more-than-one identity, as one Karitas post put it, or as being essentially fake and constituting an insult to "real multiples."  

      While some of the plurals whom I interviewed reported having little or no contact with either otherkin or soulbonders (see Part 1), others said that they themselves are otherkin and/or soulbonders and have had extensive contacts with either or both communities.   The interviewees were also asked to evaluate the potential for alliances between these communities.   The responses were quite varied.

         "I know that non-multiple soulbonders and multiples, whether or not they are soulbonders, have clashed at times," Rayvin of Rhymershouse wrote.    "Personally, we have friends in all three communities and haven't clashed at all.  So, therefore, our experiences have been very positive ones."

         "Yup, I've seen a few of those clashes," wrote a person who shall remain anonymous.   "We have a few soulbonds, so we've been in both communities.  I think, really, it comes down to people not wanting to be seen as 'teh crazy,' so they have to point to another group and say, 'No, I'm not crazy; those people are.'   And, honestly, I don't know if there can be an alliance between the majority of those three communities.  All three communities are pretty varied, and it's difficult to get people to agree on something in the multiplicity community alone, much less with a different group of people.  It'd be a struggle.  Again, it goes back to acceptance.  You don't have to believe someone else's experiences, but you should believe that they believe."

      "Well, there's a certain amount of overlap," Lemarath wrote, "and I have friends who are otherkin, median, and soulbonded.  But, overall, I haven't really been involved with otherkin/soulbonding things very much.  I don't see any reason to deny other people's experiences, but, for the most part, they're so far removed from mine that I don't really feel attuned to them."

      "Sometimes I feel that the link is not helpful," she added, "in that things that seem purely fictional taken from the outside (like having a fictional person in one's system) make all of multiplicity look like fiction.  Sadly, being tolerant of myself/ourselves hasn't made me all-tolerant.   But that's more my stuff than anything to do with others."

      "One of our members is a soulbond (and a person.  Not all soulbonds are people, hence non-multiple soulbonders [note: not all non-multiple soulbonders would agree with this statement], and another started their life as a soulbond but no longer identifies as one," the Zyfron System member wrote, "so we've spent a good deal of time looking into soulbonding communities.  I see a lot of potential for alliance there, but each group will have to swallow its pride first, particularly multiples.  One of the reasons soulbonders and multiples have clashed in the past is that non-multiple soulbonders often feel that multiple soulbonders look down on them, and they're usually right."

         He added, "One of the reasons for this is that soulbonding, median, and even, to some extent, otherkin are viewed as eccentric, but not as serious as MPD/DID by society at large.  It would be impossible, or at least very difficult, to have a person involuntarily committed [to a psychiatric hospital] for one of these things, whereas involuntary commitment is a very real fear of many multiples and keeps a great many of them closeted.  This should not belittle the difficulties faced by medians, soulbonders, and otherkin, but it often gives multiples a sense of rebellious superiority, 'our thought-crime is more severe than your thought-crime, and you do not have to fear the same retribution we do.   We are more at risk; therefore, we are committed,' which can alienate the multiple community [from the others]."

      "The experiences of multiples and non-multiples are also very different," he continued, "even if they do have the similarity of both being soulbonders or otherkin, and there is frequently little communication and understanding between these groups.   Ironic, since both seek communication and understanding from society as a whole, but such is often the case with outspoken minorities who have not yet begun any major movement."

     "We have some otherkin in our system, a male dryad to be exact," wrote a person requesting anonymity.  "When it comes to otherkin and soulbonding and walk-ins, I try to keep an open mind...In my opinion, those people who identify as otherkin or walk-ins or soulbonds are absolutely and completely real people that choose these particular ways of expressing themselves.  Do I believe that some systems actually have a Jedi knight in their system?  No, I don't.  Do I believe that a person identifying as a Jedi knight is a real individual and deserving of respect and time?  Absolutely."

      "The problems I find between the multiple and soulbonding and otherkin communities are the sorts of problems you find everywhere," she added, "specifically, people not respecting each other, and people believe that their way is the only way, and everyone else is wrong.   That simply isn't true.   The world is big enough for a lot of truths."

     "Many in the system are Otherkin, and we have had dealings with that community," the Shadowstar Collective member wrote.  "In all our dealings (four different gathers), we have been met with nothing but acceptance from all the otherkin and vamps there.  Some of our best supports and teachers come from the other healthy multiples in the community.   We have had little to no dealings with medians, so we can not comment on that."

         "We have seen the clash in the soul bond community that you mentioned," she added, "and we believe a lot of that is caused by miscommunication, terminology confusion, and, I hate to admit it, but stubbornness and pride on both sides.  We would love to see a resolution."

         "Our experiences with the soulbonding community have been few, and not so wonderful," the Pack Collective wrote.  "We were not taken seriously, and kept out of the loop for many things.  The otherkin community is 180 degrees from that.  We've been embraced and understood."

         They added, "Wile we do not disbelieve in the concept of soulbonding, the community with which we had contact seemed to live in an entirely separatist point of view, with little room for those who were 'originals.'  Since we have not yet chosen to be politically inclined in this matter, we see yet no 'alliances' with any community."

        "We tend to avoid communities based on labels, unless there's some real unifying issue behind the label, so we've avoided most of the flak," the Union member wrote.  "We're a bit bitter towards the Otherkin community because we can do good with that identity, use our different experiences and natures to help others...but most Otherkin we've met just want to sit around and talk about what they are, which gets old after a while."

       "We might get bored of the multiple community, too," the member added, "but at least here there are daily problems and discussions about how each group functions, and our sharing helps us learn more about how we tick and how to get more out of life.  If the other communities also want to take a serious look at how to get more out of life, and give more to others, sharing between these different groups would give us even more knowledge and techniques and resources."

         Blackthorne said that her partner has non-human household members (see Part 1), but that the experiences of otherkin and soulbonders are foreign to her (Blackthorne).   However, she said that she is accepting of the different communities.


               Sybil

      I asked most of the plurals whom I interviewed whether they had read Flora Rheta Schreiber's book Sybil (1973) or seen the 1976 made-for-TV film of the same title.   The book and film concern "Sybil Isabel Dorsett," a.k.a. Shirley Ardell Mason (1923-1998), the most famous (and probably also the most controversial) multiple in history (see Part 1). I also asked the interviewees for their thoughts about the remake of the film, which is scheduled to air on CBS this fall.  Below are some of their responses.

      "I read the book and saw the movie," the Shadowstar Collective member wrote.  "I think Sally Field did a good job in portraying it.  But then again she is one of our favorite actresses.  It is not a portrayal of healthy multiplicity, however, but I did not find it nearly as negative as movies like Hide and Seek, Primal Fear and Identity where the multiples were killers.  Sybil, at the very least, wasn't a danger to anyone else.  Sybil is stereotypical; after all, it is one of the basis [sic] of the stereotype.  When someone says multiple/MPD/DID, that is the first example that people think of.   Out of everyone I have told, the first thing they say is, 'like Sybil.'  But a stereotype is not always bad; at least it gets awareness out even if it is not 100 percent accurate.  And, unfortunately, it is an accurate portrayal of MPD/DID (as a disorder)."

      "And if you think about it," she added, "a movie about healthy multiplicity would not be as dramatic and entertaining.  For example, watching my life would be boring.  Work full time, raise a child, run a household like 'normal' people; it would not be a box office hit, that is for sure.   Use it [the remake] as a stepping stone to get the word out about both healthy multiplicity and MPD/DID.  Both have to be acknowledged."

      "We saw the original film, but have not read the book," the Zyfron System member wrote.  "We felt that the film made multiples seem helpless and self-destructive and portrayed integration, whether or not it was desired, as the only solution.  I don't see how this could be changed much in the remake.   Not without drastically altering the original story.  However, there is the potential for hype from the movie to make an impact with the media, possibly giving them a more receptive ear to things like specials or interviews about healthy multiplicity.  I can't see it as a major jumping-off point for civil rights or anything like that, but it could be a way to make a lot of headway into the public mindset."

      "We have read the book and seen the original film, and our opinions of it differ," the Pack Collective wrote.  "Rick chooses to see the 'integration' at the end of the film as [the persons within the system] becoming co-conscious, rather than 'smooshing,' while cubbie sees only the death of her [Sybil's] system-mates.  Rick's honest impression of the whole thing, book and movie, is that it is an elaborate story with some grains of truth, but dramatized and exaggerated to make things more 'sellable.'"

         As for the possibility of the remake being used as a "teachable" movement, the collective responded, "We cannot fully answer this question until we've seen the remake, as it depends on its portrayal."

         "Yeeps," M wrote.  "Show Sybil later as a successful art gallery owner.  Many of us go through difficult times learning to get along.  Sybil's integration did not last.  The reality is that many multiples do go through experiences like Sybil did.  The reality is that many singlets also go through rough experiences, too."

         "We've read the book, and it was bad," a person who will remain anonymous wrote in a May e-mail interview.  "We don't buy into the 'find the source of the angst and everybody's cured!' trope, because just knowing what the problem is doesn't solve anything.  There's still work to do.  And the alters didn't seem like real people, just stand-ins with flat personalities.  And we have big issues with the general idea of MPD/DID of 'must protect the core' because we don't think any group of people should be de dependent on a single person like that.  I don't know; we just didn't like it."

      "And it's possible the [remake] release could be used as publicity for healthy multiplicity," he added. "People could use the movie as an example of unhealthy multiplicity, and then try to get their own unique perspectives across.  It'd be interesting to see."

      "Yes, we have both read the book and seen the movie," Rayvin of Rhymershouse wrote.  "It was the most terrible portrayal we have ever seen.  The people in Sybil's group were portrayed as less than human.  The ending is a saccharine sweet ending, which is not typical.  Both the book and movie are trumped up for the shock value it [multiplicity] brings.  The fact that Sybil's group didn't stay integrated is never, ever addressed.   The publicity the remake stirs up could be a good thing.  People will once again go 'multiple-crazy' and start snagging every book and article they can find.  Personally, we slide small pieces of paper with the Web addresses of empowered multiples' sites into books like Sybil when we find them in stores and libraries." 

          What multiples should do to help themselves and each other


         Asked "If you had a primary message to direct to multiples what would it be?  What can multiples, especially young multiples, do to empower themselves and educate the public?," the interviewees offered a variety of responses.

         "Our message to multiples is this:  No matter how many times you're disbelieved, don't give up," Rayvin of Rhymershouse wrote.  "Stay true to yourselves and to your realities and ideals.   As for teaching, it is best to teach by example.   Come out as multiple to people whom you think it is safe to do so.  Even if they don't believe you at first, they might change their minds.  And don't use your multiplicity as a crutch to lean on.  Don't break the laws and then say you did it because of your multiplicity."

      "Be themselves, and not be afraid.   Something we're still struggling with ourselves," a person who will remain anonymous wrote.

      "I think multiples need to learn what works for them," Muse of the Anachronic Army wrote.  "I cannot say anything across the board that applies to all because every system is different.   Communicate with one another.  Work together.  Don't try to fit a textbook.  Grow beyond the textbook.   It was never meant to 'contain' you...and if it ever captured your experience for a time, it cannot be your permanent state.   You have to move on to something where you work together.   And make things happen in fantastic, powerful ways because of your numbers, rather than letting the numbers work against you.  Turn the weakness into your strength."

      "Go to college, write, be strong, happy," M wrote.  "If you need therapy, find one of the many multiple-friendly therapists who do not push integration.  Show yourself as a productive member of society."

      "Get out there and live your own life/lives fully and well," Lemarath wrote.  "Start by giving everyone in your system the respect you would like outsiders to give you."

      "It is great to be willing to put yourself on the line to educate people and to have a cause, but the force and power of what you have to say as a multiple is not separate from what you have to say as a person," she added.  "Be people first and multiple second.  If who you are is the kind of person who wants to scream from the rooftops, fantastic.  If not, you can be a great accountant and a multiple, too.   Having said that, I think all art educates, and if people want to keep blogs, write books and plays and screenplays, or create other kinds of art, it all is good."

      "Our message to multiples would be, 'Make peace with yourselves, and work together,'" the Pack Collective wrote. "To empower themselves, they can learn to work together within their systems and understand themselves, but our personal fears restrict us from giving advice to young systems on encountering the public."

      "A message?  Perhaps, 'Get involved, help out.  It's not hopeless if enough of us work together,'" the Zyfron System member wrote.  "Ultimately, the movement to spread the word about healthy multiplicity is much too small to be effective, and, as with voting, people are reluctant to join in to something they think might not be effective."

      "As far as 'empowering' themselves," he added, "they may not need to.  We'd suggest: look into the idea of healthy multiplicity, see if it fits.   If not, is it something you'd rather work towards than integration?   If so, make cooperation and communication the goal, and try to solve whatever issues individual members or the group dynamic have that make the system 'unhealthy.'  Once those are addressed, you will have a healthy system."

      He continued, "As far as educating the public, we don't honestly know at this point.   Making a Website might be a good idea, if you're so inclined.  Just to put more out there.   To be honest, though, it's still very dangerous to be 'out (as in being out about being gay, etc.) publicly about being multiple, and the media and the public largely do not take the idea seriously.  If you have any good ideas, hop over to Pavilion and let us know, and help out!  On a small scale, it's good to tell people you know, or even people you hear talking about MPD/DID, about the possibility of healthy multiplicity.  Write a paper on it or something as an alibi.  Tell them that the disordered view is not the only way it can be.  Even if it's only one person at a time, every little bit helps."

      "They (multiples) can take care of themselves first, and worry about the public later," a person wishing to remain anonymous wrote.   "They need to not feel ashamed of their multiplicity and concentrate on communication within themselves so that everyone works together to take care of the body and the life(ves).  Later on, they can make a stand if they wish."

      "Be yourselves," a person requesting anonymity wrote.  "Love yourself and your headmates, and if you don't, learn.  Multiples have spent too many years being pigeonholed into the invalid/victim role, so don't allow yourself to become that.  For systems this may mean healing from trauma; for others it may mean getting over denial.  Whatever the case, there are enough obstacles put in our way as it is without us creating more for ourselves.  I put a great amount of emphasis on sharing one's experiences with other people, both multiples and non-multiples, and listening to the experiences of others.   It is through this that people become aware of how diverse the experience of being multiple is, and that you don't have to fit into one definition to be yourselves."

   "Learn about your household," the Gryphons wrote.  "Learn about compromise and working with consensus...what works best for you.   Get the support you need to be who and what you want to be.   If/when you feel comfortable, talk about your experiences, whether it's with your best friend, group, church, whatever...and if you want, talk to the media."

     "Just keep repeating the message that multiples are people too, and inside our heads we can be things that people might not otherwise even believe in," the Union member wrote.  "It's a different world in there, with different rules.  If more people accepted those two points, it would be a lot more comfortable for us.  For now...empowerment is a silly concept; just take of your basic needs, and don't take others' opinions too seriously if they don't understand what they're opining about."

   "Don't perpetuate the stereotype," the Shadowstar Collective member wrote.  "Don't use it as an excuse.  The minute words 'not my fault, it was my alter/headmate, etc.' are spoken, it feeds the ignorant and confirms the misconceptions.   Do the work to become healthy and happy.  Older multiples should help the younger ones in becoming 'healthy.'  The best help I ever had was through the example of one of my friends who was older and more experienced.  It helped more than any shrink ever did in those first few years of trying to become healthy."

            What singlets and medians can do to help

            "Don't judge," Blackthorne, who is herself a singlet, advised.  "Everyone's experiences are their own.  Listen to them (multiples); don't judge.   Everything you say about one multiple (that) is true -- for another multiple, is going to be absolutely not true."

            "I guess the best thing to do would (be to) lead by example," the Shadowstar Collective member wrote.   "Teach others tolerance and speak openly about their friend or loved that has it (is multiple).   Too many singletons are ashamed or just try to ignore the multiplicity.  One of our best friends is a singleton and has given us support and understanding.  She listened to what we tried to teach her, and she now supports other multiples and shares her experiences and advice with singletons as well as multiples trying to find that healthy balance."

    "Singlets can tell their friends," Rayvin wrote.   "Spread the word that multiplicity isn't inherently pathological and that multiples aren't always deluded.  Also, pass on the message that, even if someone's multiplicity originated because of abuse, that they aren't necessarily broken, and integration isn't always the answer.   Medians can explain their perspectives on the issue and just be themselves."

     "Accept them," wrote a person who shall remain anonymous.  "Don't dismiss a difference of opinion or a different lifestyle just because it's unusual.   Be open to listening to the experiences of others."

    "Keep an open mind, ask lots of questions," the Union member wrote.  "We're not all that different from each other."

    "Keep an open mind," Muse wrote.  "Listen.  Ask questions.   Call people on their crap when they are acting crazy -- don't let them act crazy because happen to be different.  But don't shun them for it either.  It's a balance.  It's like accepting anyone for something different that you didn't know about them.   Most people do not know a plural on sight."

   "Ask questions!!!" the Gryphons wrote.  "Sorry, but that's our biggest pet peeve...[people] thinking that all households function alike...or are made up of the same types of people [and] have the same experiences.  Not all single-souled bodies are the same; why should plurals [be]?....Don't treat us like we're going to break or flip out on you...we're human.  We go through ups and downs just like everyone else...Just, when junk hits us, it usually has a lot more reactions than just the one."

    "Above all, listen," a plural requesting anonymity wrote in a May Web posting.  "You cannot begin to understand unless you do that.  I cannot tell you how many times I've tried explaining our system to someone, only to have them twist my words around and ask questions that I already answered or do not apply to us at all.  Keeping an open mind is also necessary, as is asking questions.  Lastly, of course -- pass on what you've learned, and discuss it with others."

    "Let people know that MPD/DID isn't the only way, that people can live together in one body and still get along just fine," the Zyfron System member wrote.  "As far as larger-scale education goes, though, unless you're a Ph.D. in psychology or something similar, and people will listen and take you seriously, we really don't see a lot of options."

    "Let us speak for ourselves," M wrote.  "Do not tell us what we think or who we are.  'We are the stories we tell' -- The Labyrinth of Memory, edited by Jacob Climo and Marea Teski."

    "Be accepting and open-minded," a multiple requesting anonymity wrote.  "Don't be judgmental about other people's realities.  Judge them on actions, not labels."

    "They can let multiples speak for themselves, but also correct stereotypes when they come up," Lemarath wrote.

    "Get to know your multiple friends and listen honestly and openly to them," the Pack Collective wrote.  "Feelings of someone's not-quite-sanity, even hidden ones, push multiples further back away from people who would otherwise be their allies.  Once that's done, much will follow."

      
     Additional reading     

      Links to Astraea's Web, Pavilion, Amorpha, and Dark Personalities are provided in the above text.  Perskin and Noblitt's book (which is on a different, but related topic), Cult and Ritual Abuse: Its History, Anthropology, and Recent Discovery in Contemporary America (revised edition, Praeger, 2000), includes an in-depth examination of their thesis of cults and cult-like groups' deliberately inducing DDNOS and DID in their victims.   Shandra Lemarath's blog is at http://www.multiplicity.ca/blog.

         "People are welcome and encouraged to visit our FAQ on the Honeycomb and its inhabitants, the Pack Collective, at http://tinyurl.com/2thq6c anytime," the Pack Collective wrote.

          Flora Rheta Schreiber's Sybil is available at all bookstores and online in mass-market paperback from Warner Books and at many public libraries.   For years, only an abridged version of the originally two-part made-for-TV film, starring Sally Field in the title role and Joanne Woodward as her psychiatrist, Cornelia Wilbur, M.D., was available.   Last year, however, the uncut version became available, along with "making of" featurettes and a look at Shirley Mason's "Hidden Gallery" paintings, on the 30th anniversary edition DVD.   As aforementioned, a remake, starring Tammy Blanchard as Sybil and Jessica Lange as Dr. Wilbur, is scheduled to air on CBS this fall.