Tips For Partners Living with Dissociative Identity Disorder

Im so confused. What do y'all mean by "Alter?"

So my girlfriend has DID. Which I'm totally ok with. But the alters want to date people and have intercorse and stuff but idk how I feel about it. Help me?

Hi everyone, wow you're all echoing my life right now. This is soul diminishing isn't it?!?!? I'd never heard of DID, I just chanced upon it during one of my numerous web searches asking for help with my fiancé of 7 years. I too thought at first it was because he was hooked on drugs, then I thought it was the alcohol, then whatever else was thrown my way. But it's only because of chancing upon a description of DID that I was able to look back at our past, very tumultuous relationship, that I began to 'see' when he changed, and how often he changed. Surely there HAS to be a way to talk to them, the host, or to draw them out of hiding?!?!? I've been told once, when I asked when my partner was coming back, "he's not coming back!" Is what I was told. That was 2 years ago and our relationship has been no where near as close as it used to be. I'm starting to think he actually hasn't come back and I've been trying to fix our relationship with an alter.
I've witnessed a switch. This probably sounds melodramatic but it really did look like his eyes rolled back in his head (they didn't) but his eyes became very, very dark, his face seemed to darken too, and any signs of empathy disappeared completely. I call this one the gatekeeper.
The thing is before I was aware of what I was dealing with I said some pretty dumb things to him. I thought at one stage he was possessed, so I walked up to him, looked him dead in the eye and said "give it your best shot buddy, you don't frighten me. If anything YOU should be scared of me!" ..... oops! That's the LAST thing he needed to hear. ☹️
Oh this is so heartbreaking. He's moved back in with his parents and I know/feel very strongly that they are either the cause of this or they've tried to bury it, cover it up and just pretend nothing happened. Because around them is when he switches more often. Like the rest of you, I just don't know what to do or where to go for help. I've promised him I won't abandon him. I never have and never will, but he has shut the door on me! So what do I do?

I was reading this and it struck a cord with me. I usually don't leave comments, but I just want to say that my mom has d.i.d. and this is a confirmation for me. No matter all the goods things I've done for her, she makes me out to be the villain. She went to extremes and helped other people to bring me down. I don't take it personally, because I recognized that something wasn't right when I was a kid. It doesn't feel good with the abusive behaviors of my mom, but I've learned to keep my distance and set boundaries

Can someone send me a email about this i Have a partner and we are going true a horrible stage of did and I have to talk to someone that has it too to get a diffrent view point.

I met a guy online started out as a friendship within 2 wks I decided he seemed harmless then he told me he loves me after a month that's a red flag. As the relationship progressed he flipped then act as nothing happened. He plays people just like teens do between parents to get what he needs. He mentioned he grew up in an abusive home. But then he says his mom's a cardiologist Dr. He graduated high school early joined the Navy and college. I had a worse childhood and dealt with it. What he'd tell me never made sense I'd catch him in lies. I'm 10 yrs older than him. He's destroyed the other families house where he was living he's not from here so of course I felt bad excused his behavior on alcohol. I told him he can't drink alcohol and he needed to seek help. He's been here 9 months we dated for 7 on and off. I recently found out he has a gay alter this person showed me the picture my ex sent him a dick pic and a message professing his love for the married man. He gets lost easy and panics. I constantly have to repeat myself. In the meantime I have a disabled son I'm disabled with rare spine disease and my dad is fighting cancer an aggressive cancer. He's too much to deal with especially when he adds more problems. My ex never said he has DID. He is on disability he told me he lied to get it. I figured it was because he was in the military. He's told me he has iq of 160. He doesn't act like he does in the last 4 months he's been arrested 4 times. He's 38yrs old and never got his driver's license. I had him removed from my home. It's been over a wk. He's still bothering me I've blocked 6 numbers he's called me from. He's on probation and homeless I even told him please go find someone else. He uses emotional blackmail to get his way. It's draining I think he sneaks on my property and sleeps behind my garage ugh he can go to the homeless shelter what else can I do so he'll leave me alone I feel he's obsessed with me.

I have been married for 3 years, and we have been together on and off for about 8 years. Recently, it seems my wife can not get over issues we had together in the past. She only blames me. It always my fault. The past 6 months I have been beating myself up over this, but recently when I was removed from our relationship by an order of protection, I could finally see things differently. In the order, my wife stated I had issues such as I abuse my legal meds, I am mean to my stepson, when everyone else knows differently. If I ever made 1 mistake, it is held against me to this day. What didn't make since in the order of protection, is that she told fabrications about me being an abuser of my meds,( since I did not stop taking them after my 1 yr old son accidently digested part of one,) yet she still allowed visitation with her alone with the kids and I. It is as she had to control the circumstances of our relationship.
My wife had a very difficult childhood. She only gave me glimpses into the past. Her parents where constantly fighting in front of her, and she once told me about her mom throwing glass dishes at her. Along with this, she had an accident in which she fell on a 4 inch knife and has a large unexplained gash in the back of her head. She to this day, doesn't know what this is from, but based upon her hating her parents for a number of years, I believe she thinks it was because of them. Like dropping her as a baby.
Given the difficult past of my wife, and the back and forth of her treatment of me, I found many similiarities between DID and her.
Yet, I don't want to accuse her of this? I have asked her to go to counseling with me, but she refuses. She told other she would go to marriage counseling, but when she talks to me, it comes to my issues. This is really how its been for the past 3 months. But prior, one minute she would love me, the other she would hate me. In the last months, we would be getting along great and then, all the sudden, it was as she put up her guard and was someone else.
What really hurts, is my wife has been through this before. In her first marriage, she completely removed my stepsons biological father and grandparents from his life. She never even had the discussion with my son, about his legal last name. He learned his legal first name on the first day of 4th grade when he attended a public school and they required him to use his legal name. Based on what I gathered over the years, the dad and family tried, but after 2 years, they called it quits since his dad wasn't that attached after 4 months with my stepson when he was a baby.
Now, I have an order, and it is turning into the same scenario. At first the order was place against me, and now she has told my parent they can no longer see the kids, because I am mismanaging the money. Yet we came to agreement in court on this, and this was her idea, now when it effects what she wants to do, it sets her off. And just days before, she was crying and breaking down in my arms, and then she wants to have me arrested the next week.
I am not a doctor. And the last thing I want to do is make this claim in court, but if anyone that reads this maybe able to offer some suggestions, outside of get out of the relationship, it would be appreciated. I am fine moving on, I've accepted that over the past 6 weeks of the order, but now my concern is how to move forward, so I can still be in my 3 kids lives.
Thanks
I have been reading a number of articles, about behavior similar to my wifes, and DID and her have a lot in common.

Oh please tell me this site or link is still up. I have so many questions.

My husbands suffers from DID and paranoia schizophrenic . We've been married for 12 years, and it has been extremely difficult. He has left me multiple times and has had affairs, which were my fault due to him thinking I was cheating. He has moved us from state to state away from my children and family. I feel isolated and alone. He doesn't sleep, every noise he hears, makes him Paranoid. He thinks someone is in the house, or that I'm hiding a man under the bed.He has the house with Booby traps, constantly accusing me of cheating or hiding things. He is watching my every mood, makes me feel as if I am a bad person. I'm lost and torn on how to handle him at times. I don't feel safe at times due to mean scary threats he makes. I don't know how much more I can take. I love him dearly and have supported him thru all of this yet I feel as I'm being punished for his altars. What to do? Lost and alone joy

Hi I am a 37 year old male who is now living with a 44 year old woman who I love and care for more than life itself...I have come to the conclusion that she suffers from DID relating to an horror of a child hood where sexual abuse was very evident... I have been with her for almost 4 years now and about 2 years ago we had a heart to heart where she admitted that because of her past she does not enjoy sexual encounters with me...this at first upset me but I quickly realized that this was not her fault...but something she found very difficult to live with she also gave me the name of the person that had done these terrible things...and described to me how when she reached adolescent age she became brave enough to tell someone...and they shut it down accused her of lying and completely disbelieved her...well i believed her and thought that i would contact the police in order for her to tell her story and get some sort of closure knowing that i would be right there with her...well short story for the 3 years constantly and regular every week the person had done this to my gorgeous woman was let off the hook and we were told that he had served his time for the crime against her and had served 250 hours community service...well obviously I had to stand by and watch my woman fall to pieces...since that moment it has got a lot worst...I.e her being triggered... Switching and the rage and violence that she will take on...all I am asking is if there is anyone with any advice whatsoever...? I love her and I am definitely in for the long haul...and am willing to help her in anyway I can..:)
Thank you for your time in reading this.

Robert
I read your story (and many others) with great interest, tremendous sadness and great concern. It all mirrors my story. I too had a wonderful relationship for 5 years; or so I thought. To make it worse, we were working together. Work never lasts, even though he is very capable, he cannot hold it together. Too much switching... I am now pretty sure that the alter I am in a relationship with is gone. I do not believe that alters 'die'; but they can go into hybernation if they are not needed. And my 'man' has been gone for over a year. I've gone through 2 bouts of severe depression with this man, where he normally cuts me out for 6 months; and he had a breakdown in front of me earlier this summer. Things have gone from bad to worse (we have a long distance relationship), and now he developed flight phobia. I have not seen him in over 7 months and working is impossible with him being in a different country and afraid to take a plane. I personally believe this is engineered flight phobia of some kind. I also do not see any improvement through therapy and I have reasons to believe that the therapist is working against me. He is the only person he (allegedly) speaks to in an open way (but who knows...). Some alters speak to me sometimes - and they are not all friendly, neither do they follow what you would call a moral code of behaviour. I have been betrayed many times; thought I cannot confirm this for sure. There is also extreme paranoia involved. He doesn't give anything away and gets completely crazy over simple questions like 'where are you going" when he sits next to me and books a flight. He will immediately switch into his aggressive protector mode. I am now dead sure this guy leads various double lives - unaware that he is doing this.
To cut a long story short; a friend of mine - a therapist herself - told me something important. She said: "it's sociopathic behaviour, whatever the cause might be. People who can compartmentlise do not have conflict and morals issues in the way we do. You are not being treated well at all and you must not allow this. It is not your fault he is like this. You cannot fix him". She was right about this. Only he can fix himself. I have stopped financing him. I do not want to be an enabler for a sick minded therapist. Since I can't influence his decision regarding the choice of therapist, I can at least cut the means to pay this guy to ensure he is not getting worse. Given I have many professional reference points, I do understand that therapy would not try to cut out the only safety net this man has. I totally get what you say: you are not leaving a spouse who is having cancer. But... She would tell you she has cancer and you would both go on this journey together. Here, most of us have never been told about DID (only once was it confirmed by him - and then quickly retracted soon after). We did not know what we got ourselves into when we started this journey. We are the ones with a huge capacity for love and compassion - but we are kicked in the teeth for this again, and again, and again. I am in great conflict over this right now. I simply do not know any more what the right thing to do is. You can't talk to anyone because others would think you have lost the plot. You can't even speak to them. They do not want to know, or at worst, it activates a suicide alter. It's a very lonely life for us who are not suffering from DID. Is it worth it? I no longer know the answer to this question...

Wow, I didn't know there were so many married to DID/MPD seeking for answers. I needed a place to find understanding, compassion and encouragement.
My marriage of 16 years has ended. Like many, I tried everything I could, I almost completely disconnected with who I was in the process of trying to care for her. I don't regret the changes, it made me a better person in many ways. But for the past 2 years she has been literally ignoring my existence, we lived as roommates. I kept believing that there was a plateau of safety she could reach with my help and support, but it wasn't to be.
Her physical health is always a see-saw, although doctors can't diagnose anything. And for a protector alter, the safety is everything. I suspect different alters "make" her sick to retain control over her. I love all her alters except a couple, one of whom finally came out after we had been separated for about 6 months, to say in a mean voice that he was responsible for sabotaging the marriage. I received him with grace, forgiving, etc. But also trying to help my wife deal with this revelation. But although my wife had been repenting, asking me not to divorce her, we had started making plans to find help together, suddenly I get an email telling me it was really over. Despite her newfound tenderness toward me.
So once more I got stabbed to the heart. I have sensed for years that she was being groomed online through relationships she developed. And I had been in agony for years over this. It does hurt deeply, you come to believe that you are crazy, if you take everything to the first degree. I discovered I acted as codependent, and she acted like a narcissist. But it's nearly impossible to get a clear idea of what she truly thinks, or feel, and I had to come to the realization that I am not a health care professional, and my competence is limited: at some point, the people who love them the most does become the person they need to control (parts live in fear) and push away.
I believe I too have a few alters but I wasn't diagnosed. We enjoyed doing simple things together, we had a great friendship, and childlike playfulness (duh). But the bar of perfection is always so high, and often moving. In the end, it is not about me doing anything, but it's about her conditions.
My story is like many others, so you know that I'm not sharing everything, it would be inappropriate, and too long. But a few months ago as I came back home after "giving her space" for 3 months, I found out that she had changed the locks on the doors. She basically claims the house as her own (although both our names are on the title). Now I live in my own place and pursuing divorce.
It is really hard to face divorce as an outcome, mainly because I can see she is in an acute existential crisis caused by her system. I've been her cheerleader for years, but it ends up being a life journey she needs to take alone. Nothing I say is received, on the contrary. It hurts to see her act this way, but ONLY with me. I've carried guilt and shame for so many years, but I'm slowly realizing that no matter what I do or say, anyone in the radius of her space is bound to get the brunt of those few alters who ruin everything. I understand they are in pain easily, but I can't understand the type of pain easily.
I decided the most loving thing I could do was to accept her move and make it mine. Forget doing an intervention. But treating her as normal is also not an option, and that's where I have a hard time: would I abandon my wife if she had cancer, or been in an accident? No. But this isn't the exact same situation. Pray for me I stay the course, and that she would find help she can trust, and follow-up with.
Thanks for reading, sorry it's so long...
Robert

Whew. I don't know how to feel. I just went no contact with my partner. Suspected DID for some time now, but if I tried to discuss it with her several alters would rise to defend their position of nonexistence. They have an interest in not being acknowledged, because that might mean she is not perfect.
Anyway she attacked me one night leaving bloody bites, scratches bruises and sprains. I was careful not to hurt her in my self defense. My name for her most vicious protector is Leon, and boy did she hit the roof when I told her about him.
Still trying to make sense of it all six weeks later. Constant death threats and details of how her few remaining relatives will torture me until I beg for death. I did not do anything to her. It probably is not even personal, but how can it not be taken that way? This whole world is filled with people abusing and retaliating continuing an insane circle of vengeance.
seeing my own therapist now for ptsd. What a dangerous woman to get involv d with, but in the beginning she was perfect like that other guy (rdbrewer)was describing when it all went to crap in just two weeks. I have never seen someone so mean.
DID's have really gone through hell to turn out this way. Just want to cry for them, and their victims... will it never end?
A couple alters are alcoholic, most are narcissistic, and at least one is borderline. The one I fell for was the open minded new age hippy, who has gone away forever, not needed anymore because now they got him hooked and he will stick around a while hoping for her return.

I'm thankful I found this. Been in a relationship with someone with DID for about a year and a half. It has been difficult and we are just starting to get to a good place. One of the alters had another girlfriend when we first started dating. I didn't find out until about 4 months in the relationship. She was long distance so I at least tried to cope with it. He tried to justify it. Other alters tried to explain it and I just refused to accept it. That situation is finally coming to an end. He has no interest in getting help and I don't want to influence him to try. He has been to numerous doctors in childhood and it only made it worse. So one question I have, is it common for alters to be jealous of the host and visa versa? He also has alters that don't want him to know they exist. I made the mistake of telling him of them in the past because I felt not telling him was lying. It got REALLY bad. He went cold and lost an alter that had compassion and was very open and caring. It almost tore us apart and I found myself dealing with an alter that was very indifferent of me and sometimes cruel. We've gotten past it, but my question is what could be the repercussions of an alter being 'boxed away' as he puts it? He knows I really want to understand, but me asking questions doesn't go well because either not all the alters can keep lies and truth straight or he doesn't want to know or acknowledge the alters. Am I doing things wrong when I acknowledge the alters by name? Sorry to ask so much. Thank you for helping.

I was diagnosed PTSD 31 yrs ago. During my 1st marriage. About 4 yrs later, I met a woman, who 1yr later, was diagnosed MPD (before DID came to be the normal term). I learned much as our friendship grew, and as her personalities, became more evident to me. She got me involved with a support group, that she went to. Before I met her, my PTSD diagnosis came to be, as I was discovering my marriage was abusive, and issues from my childhood were being triggered. My therapist, wanted to confront my husband about the abuse but my husband figured out why he wanted him to attend a session with me. Needless to say, my husband didn't go to that session. It was about 6yrs later, that I kicked my husband out, when he became physically threatening. And we divorced. I met someone eventually, and remarried. We have always had our ups and downs. But we have managed to remain together, 20 yrs now. But recently, he kicked me, and our daughter out of the house. This was something new for him. It was a shocker, to both me & our daughter. It wasn't making sense, his outburst, and the fact that he kicked us out. That was 3 mths ago. Since then, we have both moved back into the house, cautiously. Trying to stay aware of his behavior, and our own. Over the coarse of the last month, as her and I have talked, and recounted things over the years, we have come to realize, that he too is dealing with MPD/DID and possibly PTSD. My initial awareness of this, came about, because the day after he kicked us out, I went back to the house to talk to him, and the person who sat down on the couch, to talk to me...well, he wasn't my husband. The person sitting there, was forward on edge of the couch, hands cupped inside the other, face looking at the floor, not at me. This was strange in itself, but then the voice that talked(as though it was coming from someone else), mentioned money, bills & being taken advantage of. That comment struck a cord...I had heard it before, that exact same phrase. Years before, when we had separated for about 3-6mths. He was scheduled to go through back surgery. He had moved out, and then called, to come home. He had said the same exact phrase, when he was saying he wanted to come home. Now, coming back to the day after he kicked us out - after hearing this phrase again, and he was still looking at the floor not at me, I broke the silence and asked "what about ___(our daughters name)". He looked at me, and said "what?...she left, that was her choice." I looked at him and said"___(his name), you told us "both to get out. You said "both of you get out". He said "I didn't....I don't remember saying that". When he said this, I wondered if he had had a TIA or seizure or something. Maybe that is what happened day before, was the cause for him kicking us out. But like I said, once our daughter and I got to talking about everything, we have realized, we have been seeing different personalities all along, and I just didn't realize it. I was oblivious to it. Maybe it was my selfs being protective, of me, or blinding me to what was going on. Well, a few days ago, we confronted him, with our concerns and observations, and he has said he will contact a doctor, to get an appt. setup to talk to someone. Guess we will see. Not going to be easy trying to be aware of his, and be aware of my own selfs. and keeping them separate...keeping it all straight. LOL Anyone ever heard of 2 persons with MPD/DID's being married before? Thanks for being here. :)

your post is so heart breaking. I'm the person with DID in my relationship, and my husband linked your post to me. I haven't been diagnosed with it, but the episodes have been becoming more and more extreme lately. I'm also an alcoholic. I see many similarities between myself and your wife, actually. It isnt just that she's deeply ashamed, it's that she doesn't want to hurt you anymore. I dont know what to say really, I just wanted to say something. I appreciate your candidness. It helps me so I wont make the same mistakes your wife made.

My husband has DID, he was diagnosed 8 years ago .. I have just found this blog and am surprised but also delighted to see other partners living with people who have DID.. Always felt alone .. Living in Ireland. I see this site is American based. Great stuff to see this. Has put a smile on my face. As well you all know it can be hard work at times. My husband has 19 alters , whom I chat to when they are in the form, even have a laugh with the kids when they come out. My kids sometimes get it better than I do

The reality was she just sensed what I wanted and molded herself to meet my needs. For example, she started calling her son “our son” within a few months. I had talked about always wanting to have a son of my own. One of my dreams. She used her son to get me, and then she used her son to hurt me at the end.
I want to take that part back. The alters I married are wonderful, beautiful people. "My Becky" is the sweetest person I have ever known. Calling her son "our son" was another one of her ways of being loving and caring. The protection alter who used him as a weapon... well, that's a different story.
We had so much love. I've never had love like that before. We could complete each other's thoughts. We had identical senses of humor and made each other laugh constantly. We laughed in bed as much as anyplace else. We would talk about everything. We had frequent intellectual discussions, but we preferred not to live in that zone, so to speak. It's like we were made for one another, a perfect match. And our lovemaking was powered by that. I don't know if this makes sense, but I wanted to be with her out of the love I felt as much as from the attraction I had. And it was like the love increased the attraction.
It's painful that I didn't know how to handle switches. I made things so much worse. I became a horrible nightmare of triggers for her, I know. I would blurt things out that I wouldn't have said if I'd known more. The most ironic thing: psychology has always been an interest of mine, and I've read about various aspects of it for decades. I'm very tuned into a person's affect, and I would've been the perfect partner for her if I had studied D.I.D. I would have known how to handle the switches and to gently greet the alter and provide useful information like how we got to where we are and where we were going--but in an indirect fashion. And I could have influenced her intentionally like I was already doing unintentionally, like when I would make "Dr. Becky" laugh at the end of the day and instantly turn into a more relaxed and happy "my Becky." One example: one time "Dr. Becky" was being haughty about a recent raise. It was like she was looking down her nose at me. I went into a "yeehoo" happy dance and "raise the roof" thing. She switched, smiled wide and joined me. I could have used that ability to influence her to help her outlook.
But I reacted with fear and anger during that last two weeks. After a recent concussion, an MTBI, I wasn't thinking too clearly anyway. I thought she was intentionally lying. The more freaked out I got, the more I would yell. I was trying to communicate she was hurting me and scaring me--trying to make her quit--but that wasn't how to do it. I kind of hate myself for that. I could have handled things better.
The final irony: I have hyperthymesia. Not like the people you see on TV who can remember every single day of their lives, but I have something very close to that. I don't have to dwell on anything to remember it; it's just there. That's how I was able to assemble enough information after the fact to map out her alters. She, on the other hand, can forget anything she wants or needs to avoid by simply going into another corridor in her mind. So I no longer exist for her. I'm a source of triggers. She can never say "hey, I'm sorry," for example, because that would cause guilt--about things that I now understand and have long since forgiven her for.
So I will never get a kind word. I've been dying for a kind word all this time. But I know I no longer exist for her. And I'll never be able to forget a moment with her.

My wife didn't tell me. I just thought she had different moods. Later, on my own, I started nicknaming the moods. One was "Bo Peep." Bright sundresses, happy, weirdly sultry. I realized later she actually introduced herself one day when she walked in and said very sweetly but completely out of the blue "I'm vulnerable." We weren't even talking. I was on the computer. I thought, jeez, that was weird, but I just smiled. I think now the "v" should've been capitalized. There was "Dr. Becky." Dr. Becky (she's an M.D.) is a juggernaut. She's the freight train that could punch a hole through a tornado. That's the alter that got her through the day. I was always able to make her laugh, and that helped her turn into "my Becky" at the end of the day. She was the main alter, but she wasn't as strong as many of the others.
So I married three alters. She was a chronic drinker, and when her son asked me if I could do something about her drinking, I felt it was my duty to try. He was my stepson we had bonded as father and son. In fact, he had started calling me "dad." But I was arrogant enough to think I could conduct an intervention without professional help. That didn't go well. With the assistance of her ignorant and defensive mother, she concluded that I was trying to destroy her. In fact, she said that out loud a couple of times. This is when several protection alters appeared. In two weeks, it was all over.
Remember, at this point, I still had no idea she had D.I.D. I started seeing her in this aloof and fey mood that barely recognized my existence. I called this one "the gypsy." She would wear hair extensions and other clothes I'd never seen her wear before. Hair extensions. (Note: She had more clothes than anyone I've ever seen. Now I get it. Her alters all had their own wardrobes.) The gypsy wouldn't talk to me, no light banter, nothing. One time I told her she looked very sexy in her shorts. She said, "You're making me nervous."
I was trying to keep her from drinking so much, and I was putting on the pressure. Then ugly and nasty alters came out. They seemed to be defined by the particular mix of personality disorders. There was "Dr. Becky II" who was narcissistic. She was angry and had no empathy whatsoever. There was "the gypsy II" who had horrible BPD and a touch of NPD. Again, no empathy. She was occasionally psychotic when very angry. She did a number on me with friends--a "borderline distortion campaign." These were people I liked and cared about. Neighbors, for example, that I spent a few minutes talking to every day. Actually, the neighbors knew me well enough to know something was going on with her; it was her family that I cared about the most and that I saw the least who had no way of knowing she was lying her brains out or taking kernels of truth and blowing them up into cotton candy proportion. This was also the alter who shared the most private feelings, thoughts, and dreams I'd trusted her with. For example, my father had died a few months earlier, and sometimes I'd get sad. One time I said I wished I could be with him and see him again. That one became "He's suicidal. He wants to kill himself to be with his father." Isn't that nice?
By the way, since then I was able to figure out the difference between the transient psychotic episodes and the full-on confabulation. Of course, both of them looked like pure psychosis to me. She would switch and start saying things that had no basis in reality. I stole her wedding ring. I stole her watch. I've been seeing other women. Her ring and watch were in the bathroom upstairs, and I spent no time with anyone but her.
The worst one I saw I called "the badger." Her faced changed. She looked like an angry animal. I've come to realize since that this alter was a very angry child. I found her sitting in the dark in a closet one night. Her eyes seemed solid black when I flipped the light on and she turned toward me. It was scary. I said "Becky, what are you doing?" The badger was boiling with anger. I think the badger is the original abused child. The badger is who she became back then--or how she felt back then--after her father abused her, starting around first grade.
During this two week period, of course she used her son as a weapon. "Our son" became "my son." She would pretend they were in great danger and that she had to take him to a hotel somewhere to get him and herself away from me. So much more dramatic that way. Very scary for me, because I didn't know where they were or how they were doing. She told the police I broke into the house when I had the key right there in my hand. "But the window is cracked," and she pointed to the door. It was leaded glass, and a long time before a quarter inch square piece had broken out. You could maybe push a pea through the hole. I said, "Becky, you think I came through that tiny hole in the window?"
I'm starting to ramble. Long story short, I lost everything, right down to my clothes.
We were together a year and married for several months. We had 50 weeks of laughter and fun and about two weeks of stress, and that was all it took for her to file on me. It took me about a year to figure out what happened and then map out all the alters. There were clearly seven; there was good evidence of three more, and there was some evidence of a few beyond that, but that's speculation.
They had their own clothes, their own hair styles, their own handwriting, their own signatures--everything. They would sometimes not seem to know how we got to where we were. That was the main puzzle piece that put it all together. I started researching amnesia and found my way to D.I.D.
If I seem kind of clinical about this, it's because I'm numb. It has been several years now, and I can't move forward. I'm the kind of person who honors agreements, keeps promises, tells the truth, and tries to be decent person, even though I know I fail sometimes. I think most would consider me a good man. But this whole thing blew my world apart. Losing my faith was as bad or worse than losing my wife and son. It was something that had given me strength since I was a child. It's gone.
I married late, by the way, at 46. I married after decades of praying to meet the right person. I thought she was it. She was perfect. The reality was she just sensed what I wanted and molded herself to meet my needs. For example, she started calling her son "our son" within a few months. I had talked about always wanting to have a son of my own. One of my dreams. She used her son to get me, and then she used her son to hurt me at the end.
I hate the lies told to me about God. If there was one, he would've shown up. And not because I deserved it either--because I prayed for his grace and asked in Christ's name. And I did so with strong faith. I kept telling myself it would be okay and that God would fix things. That was years ago. Now I'm being treated for PTSD, depression, anxiety. There's no way I can get back to where I was.
"My Becky" or "regular Becky" can compartmentalize in the extreme. She hasn't faced me since the moment I started learning about the extent of the lying and the scheming. We were going to go through counseling, but I don't know what happened to that. Regular Becky is terribly ashamed of the horrible things she's done and said, so she's put me out of her mind. I doubt she ever thinks about me. Regular Becky knows the promises we made to one another. She knows the love we shared. She knows the trust we placed in one another, especially the trust I placed in her. So regular Becky can never face me again. That would mean feeling guilty about bad things. Out of sight, out of mind.

Paul,
You aren't alone but it isn't easy. Stay healthy and find support. I have been married to my wife and her alters (I actually call them shards) for 22 years. At one point, I was exactly where you are. If it helps, after a few months my wife (the host) began calling me asking to reconcile. Similar situation with her parents but add a curfew and constant checking up on. At the time we had been married 10 years and I wasn't aware of her DID. She wouldn't receive the diagnosis for a few more years.
I know its hard but hang in there. We still have periods of time where we separate, sometimes for months and actually are in the midst of a period right now. It is a lot easier to make it through the dark times if you have a support group that can encourage you to be patient. I try to use these periods to focus on my own personal mental health and healing so at the end I am strong enough and prepared to be her support.
There are going to be a lot of rough patches in the future. Try to get a handle on what the alters purpose and motivations are. It exists for a reason. I'm not a counselor but what I've been able to piece together about a similar alter in my wife is that it is very focused on trying to maintain a relationship with abusive parents. I think it was essential for her to survive childhood and there is no magic switch that turns it off just because she is grown and has kids of her own.
If you are really struggling, I suggest seeking a therapist familiar with DID to help you support her in constructive ways. Don't try to be her therapist, just her husband. To do this I know I have needed help and guidance in how to support our spouses with DID.
If you want some more of my experiences let me know here. I can't promise that it will all be helpful. But if it helps you endure the hard times for when she will really need a patient and understanding partner I will share what I can.
Lastly, I imagine all relationships with a DID spouse are exceptional. Exceptionally hard, sometimes exceptionally rough, but also can be exceptionally great. And I have found that it isn't all one sided. Mine has been able to reach down and rescue me when I've been fighting my own personal battles.

I have read these posts and become hopeful and scared to death. My wife has DID and I went into it with a vague idea of the disorder 10 months ago. She picked up and left me 4 days ago. Moved almost everything out and went to live with her kids and mother. All of whom care only for the work they can get out of her. Her mother severely abused her as a child and adolescent. I am so worried for her. I did many things wrong I'm learning. But I am learning. I believe it was an alter, a protector, that initiated this action for several days, maybe weeks before this, she became, insulting, nasty, and degrading towards me. The alter seemed delusional and paranoid accusing me of things I didn't do and things I wouldn't do. Everything I said was a lie though I was not lying. I do love her and don't want to give up. The environment she is in now will keep triggering her. She has talked about going to therapy but was taken advantage of by one therapist. She certainly doesn't have the time with all the work she is made to do. She does talk to me but has talked only of the work and how exhausted she is. She still considers us married but this is no marriage...the way things are. I continue to tell her that I love her and miss her. I try not to blame. She won't consider coming back yet and I try not to push. She doesn't want to see me yet either. I wonder if the situation has gone past the point of no return or do I give it time, be reassuring, and pray.

This may sound ridiculous but... Is it weird for my personalities to have different lovers? I already have a boyfriend while alter, Nocturne has one as well. I do have others, but they don't seem to be interested or they haven't found one they're fully interested yet.

I was married to a woman who had MPD. The last five years I faced five attemps of her trying to kill her self. One alter tried to end the life of the host seven times. She was a director of Nursing and the other personalities were at times doing her job.She had 13 personalities.
She would never disapline the children. The host would switch out. then alters thought hell with these kids. Their not mine.
So the kids thought I was mean because I had to keep the children in line. Their mom spent most of her time as one of several child alters. The child alter played with the kids. So the kids thought mom was great.
Some nights when my wife got off she would get in her car and drive several hundred miles and show up in the middle of the night.
One night she was so sleepy she drove off the rode twice. The same recker company pulled her out both times. They said they had never done that before. Some day's she would pick the kids up and do the same driving for hours and hours. The kids would beg her to take them home.
She ended up in several state hospital and mental health wards. The police would hound me because one child alter would present and drive. In our state it is not against the law to go off the edge of the white line. I don't know how many times I was called by the state police to come pick her and the kids up in the middle of the night.
The doctors and social workers told this was having an effect on the kids like I did know. When she was stable I did divorce her. Shortly after that she started in again.
Gene

Dear Jen,
You, as you are right now, deserve to be in a forever relationship. It is an option but, depending on your triggers and the severity of your dissociation, the relationship may look different that other relationships. My husband and I have been married for 23 years. I've been diagnosed a little over a year. We just realized that we will never have a "normal" sex life (due to the type of abuse I endured). We can grow in emotional intimacy, which we have been doing this past year. My husband and I are also in marriage counseling, which I consider very necessary to us making it. He needs time to process his fears and frustrations in a safe environment just as much as I do.
But, the bigger question that I think you are asking is about your worthiness after being abused. The only way I can wrap my head around it is to think about someother little girl. If a little girl is abused.....Does a little girl deserve the abuse? Did the little girl cause the abuse? Does the abuse mean that she is unclean? The answer to each of these questions is a resounding and loud NO. The little girl did absolutely nothing wrong at all. She was being little and cute and totally innocent. You, Jen, are acceptable now, you, Jen, are a whole person worthy of love and acceptance. What was done to me and to you was horrendous, and causes us to have to work exceptionally hard at life. But, yes, we are worthy of love. And yes, DID makes close relationships difficult....but not impossible.
One thing that I have had to accept is that my husband has had a lot of growing, changing, and learning to do through this journey too. His learning and changing couldn't have happened unless he walked this journey with me through DID. He has learned that throughout our marriage he has blamed me for anything wrong in our marriage where the truth is that it was his lack of care and concern for someone other than himself that caused a lot of his anger and discomfort. He has come a long way in this past year. Before this, he never valued emotional intimacy. Now, he counts it as just as valuable as sexual intimacy.
Also, I want say that after I was first diagnosed that things were quite difficult. But now, things have settled into a bit of a routine and although we go through difficult times they are not as long lasting as before. Please know that you are worthy, valuable, and not stained. You have wounds that with help can heal.

Jen
You definitely deserve to, we all do no matter what. I'm no expert in anything, I don't have DID, but I do love a girl who does have it. My advice is to focus on doing everything you can for your own stability and enjoy life, and I believe you'll meet kind, supportive, and understanding people. From there one who will love you as you are, however that happens to be.

I was diagnosed with DID over a year ago...completely sunk my battleship. I am working with a great therapist who is helping me find my sense of balance. He knows of why I split...the reasons are many...and there was documentation of the last of it...though I don't have any solid recollection...just flashes. I was married for 18 years before my divorce. Been single now for almost 9 years. Here is my concern
Am I ever going to be a person who deserves to be in a forever relationship or is that just not an option for a person like me? I read all the posts before and it is rather discouraging. Because of my past and things I had no control over...I am no longer an acceptable person to love. I have become one of the untouchables...the unclean. Is it possible to be someone with DID and a good partner?

Chris
I am right now in the same situation!!!
She put a restraining order for a year and I'm so desperate and worried for our 3 year old baby.
We're married for 8 years and she's been diagnosed for 2 and is in psychotherapy since and it is a very mental challenge for me
That affect everything and now I fell that all that I have gone through and stayed by her ,
Was in vein.
I'm trust that GOD can turn our situation around !
I am learning that all of us that are in a relationship with them are also broken and absolutely can benefit from therapy.
Other wise would be so easy to walk away from a relationship that is so hurtful unfair !
But we have a amazing compassion knowing that they were not born with but harmed so strongly that we find pride of then survived.
Unfortunately for us sometime we are treated as their abusers that they didn't get the chance to fight.
My wife had 10+ alters and I was able to meet all of them and learned about,still did not prepared for the ride!

My wife has did and has recently gone to the police saying that I beat her and rape her. Help what can I do? No, none of what she says is true but she is convined that I am this monster and she is divorcing me and trying to take our young children.

Jennifer,
It must have been terrible to grow up in an environment such as yours. It also must be retraumatizing to see and hear your mother emotionally abuse you again. I do agree that you need to protect yourself. Even if it is your mother, and yes she is struggling, you need to take care of yourself and separate yourself from the abuse. It is healthy for you and for her to have strong boundaries against abuse. Her alters need to learn about appropriate boundaries and can only learn about them if others around her have strong ones. I hope the best for you.

My husband has DID. He has believed his alters were magic for the past year. He thinks I used to act that way too and sometimes am mean to him in my sleep, but most of the magic has gone away so I am not so much that way. Telling him it isn't magic has made his other alters very angry. He has two alters, very suddle if you didn't know him. One is childlike and playful and the other hates me. I do worry based on pictures he has collected that the alter that hates me sleeps around. I've dealt with it, and know if that is the case it's not him, amd have forgiven. This all started full force 2 years ago (married 4 years), at the time he remembered his chronic childhood sexual abuse. He has also become paranoid that people are after him, he also blacks out after the alter releases him. He has gotten significantly worse since we moved last year to a different state.
I am very worried, we are having another child soon and he refuses to recognize to get help. I rarely anymore see the real him. It is very stressful and hurtful to always be called names and yelled at, when he was never that way. I stay at home, as that is what the real him what me to do for our kids, but not the others. But I am isolated without a car, which he refuses to get another. He never has enough money and works excessive hours no matter what I say. I will never leave him, but am at a loss of what to do. Should I insist we move back or will that not help? I just don’t know and am very scared for him.

I (a single 45 year old devorsee of 11 years) was approached by a handsome, gregarious spiritual man, July of 2015. We got along quickly and couldn't stop talking to each other daily. He had shown signs of moodiness but i dismissed it as possible low blood sugar.So much was our attachment that against my better judgment of giving another year to know eachother, I agreed to marry him. Please follow your gut instincts! Three days after "I do" I asked myself "what did I do?!!" He ramble nonsence a threatened to leave me in the hotel. I was shocked and kept my eyes close not responding to him. For the next two months there was an argument at least once a week over silly things and at first there was an I'm sorry but as the contentious behavior continued there was either no recollection of the words or actions, let alone ever an admittance and plan to remidy the conflict. He would forget people we spent quality time with and act as if he hated me much of the time. Saying insulting things, belittling me and trying to offend me over things I enjoy. I finally lost it and blew up, told him to leave, he refused, so I insisted he not sleep with me because that was Scarry, he almost hit me twice awakening as if he didn't know me. A month went by and without a word he packed all his things and the t.v that was our wedding gift and left. Since researching D.I.D, so far I can see 4 individuals in him, at the hospital he had 4 different blood pressure readings. I thank God for peace but do warn anyone to truly give time and research into D.I.D. Its been a month since he moved out and he'll contact me about superfluous things but not once does he address plans or intentions for our "marriage" he was so sure about. I hope this discretion helps you reader know you're not alone, its real, its not you...you did not do this...the trama they had was theirs. Keep your mind about yourself. They need to want to integrate if not its a serious heartache.