Multiple

"Christian" psychology has once again joined hands with the world. Christians are actively involved with alleged multiple personalities, both as therapists and as patients. Besides following the world in diagnosis and treatment, they may add exorcism and/or a new kind of evangelism that seeks to save each and every alternate personality -- just to be sure the entire person will go to heaven.

Since Christians are diagnosing and treating other Christians as if they have "multiple personality disorder" (MPD), we must ask two questions. (1) Is MPD a scientifically established diagnosis or is it the latest fad in the mysterious world of psychology and psychiatry? (2) Can one remain true to biblical orthodoxy while combining it with secular MPD diagnosis and treatment?

MPD is one of the most fascinating and seemingly mind-boggling psychiatric phenomena today. It is also one of the fastest growing segments of psychiatric consumerism. Its growth parallels the booming business of recovering (or constructing) memories of abuse and satanic ritual abuse (SRA). They go together.

Consider the case of Lucy Abney, who entered treatment for depression and ended up with 100 alternate personalities after two years of therapy. Besides developing so-called MPD, Abney "relived" such horrendous "memories" as sacrificing three of her children and drinking blood. Although Abney admits that "the memories were very real, very vivid," she has concluded they were not based on reality. They were fantasy.

Abney is just one of many abuse victims. However, the abuse appears to have occurred in therapy. Such psychiatric abuse is costly to patients in terms of time spent in psychiatric units, unjust accusations of parents, the personal emotional trauma of experiencing such horrible fantasies, and just plain dollars (in her case over $300,000).

There is quite a bit of disagreement in the field concerning the diagnosis, treatment, and even existence of MPD. However, most recognize its close connection to hypnosis and some researchers say that paranormal experiences are often associated with those with alleged MPD. Much of the writing depends upon what we call "anecdotal psychology" rather than research psychology. In other words, the authors rely on subjective views of individual cases rather than solid research.

Can a person have 100 different alternate personalities? Can a person have even one extra personality? That is a question under considerable debate among the professionals. The therapists who are busy diagnosing and treating those to whom they’ve assigned the MPD diagnosis believe they are right. They contend that the only reason why MPD used to be such a rare occurrence was because it was not previously recognized for what it was.

On the other hand, Dr. Paul R. McHugh, who is a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, believes that so-called MPDs are created by the therapists themselves. He says:

This formerly rare and disputed diagnosis became popular after the appearance of several best-selling books and movies. It is often based on the crudest form of suggestion (Paul R. McHugh, "Multiple Personality Disorder," "The Harvard Mental Health Letter," Vol. 10, No. 3, September 1993, p. 5).

Here are some of the kinds of suggestions McHugh says are used by therapists to find alter personalities in their patients. Therapists ask such questions as "Have you ever felt like another part of you does things that you can't control?" Then, if the patient gives any kind of positive response, the next question might be, "Does this set of feelings have a name?" Even if the person does not yet give a name to that "set of feelings," the therapist may ask, "Can I talk to the part of you that is taking those long drives in the country?" Here the therapist separates the person into different personalities without even using hypnosis (Ibid).

McHugh contends, "Once patients have permitted a psychiatrist to 'talk to the part . . . that is taking these long drives,' they are committed to the idea that they have MPD and must act in ways consistent with this self-image." He says, "The emergence of the first alter breaches the barrier of reality, and fantasy is allowed free rein" (Ibid).

(http://www.pamweb.org/mpd.html).