ABSTRACT
At the start of recovery, most multiples have internal battles for control. The front person usually has little or no control over switching. The parts might fight to be out, or might push others out in order to stay inside. It is important to work on improving internal communication, negotiation, and co-operation. Democratic decision-making is not usually learned in the childhood of a multiple, and can be incredibly difficult. “Eww, Jane got us dressed this morning”, or “I don’t like her having sex with my body”, or “Why’s she making us eat vegetables?” are typical comments that one part will make about another, if the system is a DID one in which the parts actually come out into the body. Parts will often express anger and even hatred for one another, including for the adult whose head or body they inhabit. And the adult front person often hates or resents the insiders, hearing them as threatening or frightening voices. It is hard for all parts, including the front person, to realise that they are all legitimate parts of a greater whole, and to respect the way in which each of them helped that person survive the extreme situation in which you all grew up. It takes a long time.
