This paper uses the myth of Medusa as a containing narrative to explore the aetiology, recognition and treatment of emergent dissociative identity disorder or DID, in apparently high-functioning people. Both the 'hiding' nature of DID, and disbelief in therapists are identified as impediments to recognition of the disorder, despite the high prevalence of DID. The paper describes the impact on psycho-neurobiological development of both disorganized attachment and group sexual abuse at a young age, both typically present for DID survivors, leading to multiple ego centres in the psyche. DID is perceived as a creative protective mechanism against knowing, that also seals the abuse survivor into a lifetime of fractured self-experience, and exile from relational depth with others. Two case studies illuminate a key feature of DID, the existence of lost but ever-present child selves/alters, and how these may present within the therapeutic relationship. The author supports the facilitation by the analyst of self-diagnosis and describes how careful attunement to inner turmoil and confusion, can act as a containing mirror within which to discern the individual needs of a multiplicity of selves/alters, leading to increased self-agency, internal co-consciousness and the ability to function more authentically with others.

中文翻译：

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促进隐藏的分离性身份障碍的出现：寻找迷路的少女美杜莎。

本文以美杜莎的神话作为一个包含性的叙述来探索在明显高功能人群中出现的分离性身份障碍或 DID 的病因、识别和治疗。尽管 DID 的患病率很高，但 DID 的“隐藏”性质和对治疗师的怀疑都被认为是识别该疾病的障碍。该论文描述了年轻时无组织依恋和集体性虐待对心理神经生物学发展的影响，这两种情况通常出现在 DID 幸存者身上，导致心理中出现多个自我中心。DID 被认为是一种创造性的保护机制，可以防止知道，这也使虐待幸存者终生陷入破碎的自我体验，并从与他人的关系深度中流放。两个案例研究阐明了 DID 的一个关键特征，丢失但始终存在的儿童自我/改变的存在，以及这些如何在治疗关系中出现。作者支持分析师对自我诊断的促进，并描述了如何仔细调整内心的混乱和困惑，可以充当一面包含镜子，在其中辨别多种自我/改变者的个人需求，从而提高自我能动性，内在的共同意识和与他人更真实地运作的能力。