Cynosure said:

I don't know the answer to either of these questions; but, I'm very interested to hear theories pertaining to the second one!

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OctoberLeigh said:

I know this is a far stretch but what if this explains life? What if whoever created us has "multiple personality disorder" and so do all of their personalities? What if we are all just manifestations of a "mentally ill" higher being? Think about it.

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MushroomTrip said:

I also don't see the link between multiple personality disorder and the existence of a creator. There's no law that says there has to be a creator in order for us to exist.

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Quote:

However, cases presumed to be of the
many-souls-one-body relationship frequently
turn out to be instances of split personality.
They are not exceptions to the one-bodyone-soul equation. In split personality some
dissociated nexus from the psyche of the
same soul gets possession of its body and
seeks separate and exclusive expression. It
is not another soul or spirit but another
group of impressions (sanskaras) of the
same soul or spirit. In split personality each
homogeneous nexus of the psyche takes
possession of the body for some time, to
make room for other nexuses of this or
previous incarnations. These other nexuses
are qualitatively different and are incapable
of being accommodated in the first nexus;
so they seek alternate expression instead of
simultaneous adjustments.

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Quote:

Since the one-body-one-soul equation can
have so many exceptions, the question of
determining the number of souls in
existence becomes complicated. There is
another aspect to this question which lifts it
beyond the ken of any need for enumeration.
The number of souls from this point of view
is infinite. There is one infinite, indivisible
soul which, through illusion, appears as
many separate souls. Just as the one real
soul is infinite in its indivisible being, the
many souls into which it appears to get split
are infinite in number. The shadow of the
Infinite is infinite and remains infinite.
Though the number of souls who attain full
or human consciousness is limited and
growing, the total number of souls of all
plants, animals, insects, atoms, etc. is
infinite and cannot be counted.

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soldatheero said:

Meher Baba talks about multiple personalities in his book 'Beams'. He says ultimately we are all one soul and experience being seperate individuals because of the grand illusion that is the universe.

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I'm getting this book tomorrow and I can't wait to read it. Thanks for posting this! Good stuff

OctoberLeigh said:

If an individual has multiple personality disorder, is it possible for each of the personalities involved to have other mental illnesses? For example, could one personality be manic while another is clinically depressed? Furthermore, if this is possible, could one or more of the personalities suffer from multiple personality disorder as well?

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No, a false self of a true person cannot have a mental disorder.  Fundamental logic works great here

hoodbran said:

The quotes above from Baba do read poetically, but remember if you are learning about clinical features of DID, I would use it as light reading as you don't want to skew your learning journey.  Clinicians stand fast and turn nature/nurture on its head; they like the biopsychosocial models of PD development, some would say incarnations are useful if the client leans toward the esoteric; I however do not.  Buddhist works are fine and a better example than, say, christianity, but for nothing more and certainly not for explaining a DSM-IV-TR psychiatric diagnosis.

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