{"id":845,"date":"2019-04-05T11:35:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T15:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/?page_id=845"},"modified":"2024-11-03T13:25:55","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T18:25:55","slug":"mutual-emergent-association","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/articles\/medicalisation\/mutual-emergent-association\/","title":{"rendered":"Mutually Emergent Association: An Alternative Model for Forms of Trauma-Based Multiplicity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Jamie Dawkins, 2019 (edited in February 2021)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mutual-emergent-association.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1217\" src=\"http:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mutual-emergent-association-1024x512.png\" alt=\"A\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mutual-emergent-association-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mutual-emergent-association-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mutual-emergent-association-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mutual-emergent-association-1536x768.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mutual-emergent-association.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_71 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/articles\/medicalisation\/mutual-emergent-association\/#Introduction\" title=\"Introduction\">Introduction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/articles\/medicalisation\/mutual-emergent-association\/#Benefits_of_MEA_versus_structural_dissociation\" title=\"Benefits of MEA versus structural dissociation\">Benefits of MEA versus structural dissociation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/articles\/medicalisation\/mutual-emergent-association\/#Summary_principles_of_MEA\" title=\"Summary principles of MEA\">Summary principles of MEA<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/articles\/medicalisation\/mutual-emergent-association\/#References\" title=\"References\">References<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/articles\/medicalisation\/mutual-emergent-association\/#Disclaimer\" title=\"Disclaimer\">Disclaimer<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Introduction\"><\/span>Introduction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Although we do agree that multiplicity can arise through trauma\u2014ours has a significant trauma-based component\u2014we don\u2019t have to marry ourselves to the standard DID model to explain it. We\u2019ve developed an alternative model, which we call \u201cmutually emergent association,\u201d or MEA. Like other forms of trauma-based multiplicity, MEA results from the mind generating several conscious agents to cope with extreme adversity. It\u2019s called MEA because a <strong>mutually<\/strong> supportive <strong>association<\/strong> arises as an <strong>emergent<\/strong> property after traumatic experiences. MEA can look like structural dissociation during a traumatizing period, but can become beneficial over time by creating an internal support system. In contrast, the authors of <em>The Haunted Self<\/em> claim that DID, or \u201ctertiary dissociation,\u201d must be cured; no form of multiplicity can promote long-term well-being. There is no room for alternative explanations or ways of being that allow system members to exist\u00a0<em>and<\/em> confront the trauma they faced in the past. (For more information about the problems with structural dissociation, read Jack\u2019s exhaustive critique <a href=\"http:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/articles\/deconstructing-structural-dissociation\/\">here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>Admittedly, the recommendations in <em>The Haunted Self<\/em> are outdated; many therapists tend toward treating the members of plural systems as individual people and focus on cooperation instead of fusion. Moreover, the DSM-5 requires that experiences of multiplicity cause distress before clinicians can issue a diagnosis of DID, suggesting that being plural in and of itself does not require a cure. This is a shift from the previous edition of the DSM, which lacked this criterion. The move away from considering all experiences of more-than-oneness as disordered indicates that there may be room for a theoretical construct of multiplicity that does not treat the system as disordered and simultaneously recognizes the importance of treating the trauma that engendered or accelerated the multiplicity in the first place.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_MEA_versus_structural_dissociation\"><\/span>Benefits of MEA versus structural dissociation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>In MEA, the language used to refer to plural systems depends on the structure of the system itself.<\/strong> It would be inaccurate, for example, to refer to us as \u201ca person with DID\/multiplicity\/MEA,\u201d since we view ourselves as several thinking agents. We\u2019re not parts of a single individual; we\u2019re several individuals who happen to interact with the world using the same vessel. Our selfhoods are an emergent property. In fact, <em>all<\/em> selfhood is an emergent property; it\u2019s just that in our case, we developed more than one based on our life circumstances. Someone who feels as though they do have aspects who are intrinsically part of them, however, may very well find that the \u201cperson with MEA\u201d construction fits them perfectly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MEA allows for the possibility of a system collectively integrating traumatic experiences and memories without system members fusing to form a singular identity. <\/strong> Members of a plural system can recognize that an event happened to them by simply using the collective \u201cwe.\u201d For example, we would say \u201cwe were abused growing up,\u201d even if the individual speaker in question wasn\u2019t around during our childhood or adolescence. I was here for most of our childhood and adolescence, but I stopped being a main frontrunner in the mid-2000s, when we were dealing with unstable housing and other chronic stressors. I can still acknowledge that something happened to us that exerts an effect on system members\u2019 behaviour without disavowing my separate personhood. The use of a singular \u201cI\u201d construction to refer to the system\u2019s autobiographical common memory isn\u2019t required. Fusion and traumatic processing are not identical events and should be distinguished in the literature and in practice. <em>The Haunted Self<\/em> fails to acknowledge this by offering a binary choice between \u201cdisordered and multiple\u201d and \u201chealthy and singleton.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Collective events affecting individual system members can be likened to light refracting through a prism. While the photons still travel through the prism, the effects of refraction will make them behave differently than if the light were simply shining without interference. We can be individual people and be affected by collective trauma and other experiences. One can also compare these interactions to a filter: individuals\u2019 expressions are filtered through collective experiences. For example, I react to events differently from Lilly or Hess, but I can still be affected by memories, subconscious tendencies, or external influences that we experienced at front.<\/p>\n<p><strong>System members can support each other in processing traumatic memories. <\/strong> For instance, systems can talk about past traumas in in-system meetings or notes passed to one another before talking about them with their therapists or psychiatrists. We do this through in-system conversations about past events. Our nightly check-ins allow us to process the past, discuss plans, and provide support to one another as we go throughout our collective life out here. We then share these topics with our therapist or trusted friends. If it weren\u2019t for our internal mutual support network, we would have had a harder time processing our trauma.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary_principles_of_MEA\"><\/span>Summary principles of MEA<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The cause of trauma-based or medicalized multiplicity\u2014abuse, neglect, and other extreme stressors\u2014is the disorder, not the plural system themselves. <\/strong>In trauma-based plurality, multiplicity develops as a way to <em>respond<\/em> to the traumas.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Multiplicity is value-neutral; it can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful to the system in question.<\/strong> This model focuses on beneficial forms of plurality that develop after acute or repeated traumas.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personhood is based on interiority and agency.<\/strong> Clinicians working with plural systems should treat system members as separate individuals if they prefer to be referred to that way.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What constitutes being mentally healthy is often dependent on an individual\u2019s, or system\u2019s, specific life context. <\/strong> A kind of rigid normative medical ethics that focuses on conformity is unlikely to apply well to all situations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The integration of traumatic material is not synonymous with the \u201ccuring\u201d of multiplicity itself. <\/strong> Conflating the two reflects ignorance, deeply ingrained bias, or outright dishonesty. I think it\u2019s usually the first of the three, but there are always exceptions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"References\"><\/span>References<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Van der Hart, Nijenhuis, &amp; Steele (2007). <em>The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization<\/em>. New York: W. W. Norton.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Disclaimer\"><\/span>Disclaimer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em>Please note that while our system has formal training and professional experience in adjacent disciplines, we are not psychiatrists. This article is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or support. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jamie Dawkins, 2019 (edited in February 2021)\u00a0 Introduction Although we do agree that multiplicity can arise through trauma\u2014ours has a significant trauma-based component\u2014we don\u2019t have to marry ourselves to the standard DID model to explain it. We\u2019ve developed an alternative model, which we call \u201cmutually emergent association,\u201d or MEA. Like other forms of trauma-based multiplicity, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1234,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"coauthors":[12],"class_list":{"0":"post-845","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry","6":"has-post-thumbnail"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=845"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1623,"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/845\/revisions\/1623"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exunoplures.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}