(Picking up from last post) Once the word got around on the inside that our space had been discovered and we were connected with someone who could and would be able to help, the strategies for how to “come out of the closet” so-to-speak started. It took a few weeks, but it went down like this.

ok, not quite yet. First you got to understand that Abigail was so far from consciousness and had been for so long that we had other personalities who were dominant at different times and provided leadership for the subdivisions of groups. So the personality who was dominant of one of the primary groups was out. I will call her Beth. She was Mom to the kids and wife to first husband, so she was primary personality almost all of the time in those days.

So, Beth was 1/2 awake and 1/2 asleep – asleep enough to “dream” and awake enough to be aware of her husband beside her and her surroundings. So we staged this “dream” that wasn’t really a dream at all. In the dream husband was chasing her and she ran into the bathroom and locked the door to get away from him. For some reason he called the fire department to help him get her out. Then she felt trapped and frantically sought for a way of escape. She decided to jump down the laundry shoot but part way down she got stuck. The firemen and husband were in the bathroom and some had gone to the basement to see if Ishe had gone down the shut. Then she became more awake but not able to move. In the “dream” which continued she became four different persons. They were different ages and sexes and looked very different from each other, and were all arguing about the best way to get out of the predicament she was in, yet at the same time they were all her. She finally was able to be fully awake and functional but she was deeply traumatized by that “dream” or whatever it was. Husband felt it was distressing enough to call the psychiatrist. When she described the “dream” to Dr. H, he decided to admit her. I think he realized it was time for the MPD to come out in the open, but he didn’t do or say anything along those lines. We adjusted to the new hospital, did the groups and other activities, and did a lot of praying and journaling and Bible study. On the inside we all kind of got cold feet so we pretty much stayed quiet.

After about a week or so with nothing happening, Dr. H decided maybe it wasn’t time for disclosure after all and he was going to release us. That was like a kick in the pants to us inside, so just as the team of people who were meeting together to plan discharge (that would be Dr. H, a social worker, a nurse, and Beth) entered the room for the meeting, a nine year old personality who’s name was Ellen came out. She talked with Dr. H and the others for about 20 minutes, answered questions, etc. until Dr. H asked if Beth could come back. It was a bit stressful and embarrassing to switch in front of people, but Ellen managed it. Dr. H asked Beth what was the last thing she remembered, and she told him it was watching and waiting for him to open the door to the conference room. He had her look at the clock so she would realize 20 minutes had gone by that Beth couldn’t account for. When Dr. H told her about Ellen, she had a hard time taking that in. Of Course, the discharge plans were changed and we stayed in the hospital while Dr. H became acquainted with some of the other personalities in Beth’s group and helped us set up an internal intercom system and an internal map.

There were other significant things about that hospital stay, but I will write more about them in another post.