Basic Definitions of MPD/SRA Terms
alter -- also known as alternate personalities or “sisters”; these are part of the core person who have, because of severe trauma, split off into separate, unique, areas of the mind. Often there are amnesiac barriers between the alters and they, like the core person, are unaware of the presence of each other. As the healing process continues, often these amnesiac barriers begin to crumble and the alters become aware of one another.
core personality -- the personality into which the others are integrated
DID -- Dissociative Identity Disorder; formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD)
dissociation -- (Webster) “separation from an idea or event from the main stream of consciousness especially as a defense mechanism. People (especially children) who experience repeated trauma, especially that associated with the personal holocaust of Satanic Ritual Abuse, use this coping mechanism to endure unbearable pain. I look at the mind’s ability to dissociate as a gift from God to prevent insanity in children.
integration -- also known as “merging”, this process takes place as alters and past events become known, amnesia is reduced and the alters take their “rightful place” within the core personality, no longer separate and distinct from him/her.
SRA – Satanic Ritual Abuse is the systematic worship and use of people in ceremonies
worshiping Satan.
switching -- the changing from one personality to another. This usually occurs when the person in triggered by something or someone.
trigger-- an event or person that (unconsciously or consciously) reminds the traumatized person of a past event or person. This causes the memory of the original event to come rushing into the person’s conscious mind, bringing with it all the terror or other emotions associated with that
event. In many cases, it also brings to the surface the alter personality that was present at the original event.
