Multiple Personalities Support Group

Dissociative identity disorder is a diagnosis described as the existence in an individual of two or more distinct identities or personalities, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. At least two of these personalities are considered to routinely take control of the individual's behavior, and there is also some associated memory loss,...

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External voices

loum50
loum50
Does anyone else hear external voices? I'm used to hearing internal voices, sometimes I welcome them, sometimes they give me a headache. Wednesday was the first time I heard external voices. It happened twice. Both times itstartled me. I talked about it with my therapist today and she said that some people with DID do hear external voices, but it's not as common as internal voices. I've heard internal voices almost all my life.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I have an alter that can manifest internally or externally. He's the difficult one in the bunch.
moonface21
moonface21
I also have several alters who manifest externally in symbolic ways.I had a voice outside which was flash backs of my abuser's breathing.It has stopped.
stephanietram
stephanietram
From all I have read, external voices have more to do with other disorders than DID. You may want to discuss more with your therapist.
loum50
loum50
I did talk to my therapist and she said I show no signs of schizophrenia. She also said that she had just gone to a conference on dissociation and that hearing external voices can be a part of DID. It's not as common as internal voices but it does happen. DID is often misdiagnosed as bipolar and schizophrenia.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I, too, have always heard/read that DID is pretty much exclusively internal voices and have even read in several places that they use the external voices as a measure to differentiate between schizophrenia and DID.

But if your therapist went to this conference and they said sometimes DID can include external voices, I'd go with your therapist. It's important that you trust her.

(btw.... hi lou...long time no see. Good to see you again)
loum50
loum50
It's good to see you too.
stephanietram
stephanietram
I'm glad you talked with the therapist. Does he/she have an idea of how to help you?
loum50
loum50
It has only happened that one day and she says it can be part of DID.