People often turn to therapy when undergoing huge life changes. My new graphic memoir, The Third Person, focuses a lot on therapy sessions between me and therapist “Toby.” One thing that can arise in talking with another person is miscommunication—the disconnect when each person is attaching a completely different meaning to the discussion, and you feel as if you’re not being heard. It’s particularly frustrating when that person is tasked with helping you.
Toby had previously diagnosed me as having Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) without telling me about the diagnosis. But then, it seemed, he began to have doubts… Maybe I didn’t… And so, he started looking for any sign I might be making up having it. Of course, I had no idea what he was accusing me of making up. In the previous session I had mentioned how cathartic a certain movie was for me, which led to this discussion.
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From The Third Person by Emma Grove, courtesy Drawn & Quarterly.
