Dear Dave,

I am currently involved in doing research along similar lines as you inquired about
back in 2002 and am wondering if there's anything you might be able to share with
me about what you learned. Do you know of any printed articles or any individuals
you could help me get in touch with?

I recently placed the following request into the Many Voices Newsletter:

RESEARCH PROJECT
RESEARCH REQUEST for Survivors and Therapists, to Share Experiential Information

I need your help in gathering personal stories describing:

(1) the differing medical/physical aspects of your “alters/parts/selves”(or those of clients) and (2) your experience of what happens when a shift takes place from an alter with a particular affliction to an alter without that particular affliction.

Examples may include but are not limited to Allergies, Addictions, Eyesight, Pain, Medications, Illness etc. Confidentiality Guaranteed.

For more info or to share your experience PLEASE contact Mandy Lynch.
(now integrated 12 years) at my e-mail address
MV will also forward your reply to Mandy, if you prefer to reply to LynnW

Surface mail may be sent C/O Many Voices, PO Box 2639, Cincinnati, OH 45201-2639
We will forward mail as requested

I would greatly appreciate any help or suggestions you might have.

Sincerely,
Mandy Lynch

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Dave,
I do recall seeing a show, a news magazine type show, where they said someone--a man I believe-- had put a person w/ mpd/did in a CAT scan, and gave them triggers known to cause switching. What they found was that the brain scan was totally different for each different alter, however I do not kow where you could find this info. It might have been either 20/20, Dateline, or the Discovery Channel, or TLC. Hope that helps.
sierra

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Dear Dave,

You are not lying. Physicians don't know everything; many are - please excuse this if you are a physician reading this- arrogant and seem to have a twisted hair you-know-where. Many are also incredibly good people with hearts of gold, capable of much sacrifice and dedication, with a balanced sense of skepticism and trust - blessed with an awesome purpose in life.

Physicians have an obligation to First Do No Harm- keep this in mind. It is not only a moral obligation, it is an oath. Secondly, if there is just one aspect of the medical community that annoys me the most, it is this kind of arrogance- which is really a defense against seeming ridiculous within the community. Look at it this way: you have to deal with their snickering or devaluation of your self-knowledge for half an hour. They would, if they believed you and said so, possibly have to deal with their peers snickering or devaluation of their reputation for years (at best)- depending on their peers and community. For them, the equation is simple. Stay true to raw scientific evidence backed by many studies (which means that these issues were chosen for funding; securing funding for research is always a problem) and keep secure funding sources, secure university medical position, no embarrassment, peer approval.

I've never been able to fathom how anyone could be so self-centered as to think that he or she has the secret to the scientific universe (or to someone's mind for that matter) just by virtue of many nights (and days) of no sleep whatsoever, taking a lot of crap from residents and others when a medical student, and basically working their butt off. Science is always changing, always evolving, and certainly is not static. Scientific phenomena considered impossible or ridiculous a hundred years ago is often considered the norm today. Gene therapy, cloning, retina identification, DNA identification, asthma (which was once considered psychological)...the list is quite extensive. In my opinion, the base reason that many physicians have difficulty with the conceptual nature of dissociation is that they attempt to make it too black and white, too concrete. It is anything but concrete. The short answer is: I am not aware of any studies, or any funding for such studies, for that matter. There are, however, many physicians who are content (usually, along with their crystal clear awareness that body and mind are not discrete entities) to respect anecdotal evidence.

All the best, Gwen