Plural Community Reviewed in European Journal Article
Dr. Emily M. Christensen has published the article “The Online Community: DID and plurality” in the peer-reviewed European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, which will be in the June 2022 issue (Volume 6, Issue 2).
Most folk in the plural community know Dr. Christensen as either Dr. E or Emma from the System Speak podcast. The podcast was begun shortly after Dr. Christensen was diagnosed with DID, already with an established career as a psychologist, and with 5 adopted children. Their podcast began as their own exploration of their DID, and morphed into a blended podcast with interviews of high-level specialists in the industry and peppered with their own observations and explorations.
Using “plural” as an umbrella term around the entire plural & DID community, Dr. Christensen’s article discusses online (and hence offline) plural culture, the implications of there being a plural culture for psychology and in the treatment of people who show up to therapy, the importance of cultural humility when dealing with plural and DID clients, clinical implications of plural culture, emergence of plural terminology and the politics around plural culture. There’s also significant sections putting malingering, pretending, or maladaptive daydreaming on the table (presumably for future discussion and dissection).
Without judging the community, Dr. E addresses the importance in changes in the expectations and awareness that clients come to sessions with due to discussions in plural culture, and how psychology needs to adapt to a far more aware and savvy clientele who are much more empowered and aware of what they need from the therapeutic alliance.
It’s an excellent article and the PDFs should be available, though we’re not quite sure how to get them, through some time in March.
Content warnings: there are discussions of faking, maladaptive daydreaming, etc. that may be frustrating and teeth-gnashing to some. It is a clinical article, and Emma& mentioned that it was difficult and took significant time and effort to get the article past peer reviews and published. With hope these things eventually become easier while still meeting the rigorous guidelines to pass peer review.