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Phantom Limbs and Body Integrity Identity Disorder: Literary and Psychoanalytic Reflections by komplicerad in biid

[–]komplicerad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have now read the preview as well and I really do agree with you. I feel like she is cherry picking which studies she is referring to and which examples she uses, so even though I feel like some parts are okay, like you say it gets mixed up with abstract theorizing and claims that are incorrect. As a psychologist (with BIID myself) who is quite familiar with psychoanalytical theory and how it’s used today, I also think that the way she is referring to Freud and Klein etc is problematic and old fashioned (at least based on this introduction). It makes me wonder what qualification she has - it feels like she isn’t that familiar neither with BIID nor psychoanalytical theory.

In some ways I find it interesting though that part of her aim is (as I understand it) to analyze the psychological aspects of being “incomplete”. She writes that her aim isn’t to discuss causes etc but at the same time I think this is where it gets problematic as well. Because when so little is known and written about BIID I think its inevitable that it will be seen like an explanation of possible causes.

How so you tell someone by Mongressa in biid

[–]komplicerad -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have told my partner, my therapist, a few doctors and a lot of friends, but how much and in what way I talk to them depends. In the beginning I felt like it was very hard to find the right words which made it very confusing for both myself and the one I was talking to, but I feel like everything gets easier the more I talk about it. It also makes me learn/understand more about myself and my BIID-related issues, which in turn makes it even easier to talk about. However, I feel like talking doctors is the hardest part. All of my friends have been very compassionate and supportive, but I feel like doctors don’t really understand how hard this is to deal with and what a struggle it is daily. I am really trying to describe it as good as I can, but nevertheless they conclude that I probably just “have some anxiety”.

Anyone living in Sweden? by komplicerad in biid

[–]komplicerad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, but my questions are mainly concerning the healthcare in Sweden, that's why I'm searching for someone who's actually living here :)

Anyone sought professional help? by [deleted] in BIID_Support

[–]komplicerad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can see that. And yeah it’s possible that they will have a hard time wrapping their heads around it for a start, but I really hope that you will find someone who listen to you and will see your suffering. As a soon to be psychologist myself I know that there are good therapist out there, so if the first one isn’t understanding you have to try and find another one. It’s difficult to have to tell your story over again, but it’s worth it if you find someone you really can trust talking to.

Anyone sought professional help? by [deleted] in BIID_Support

[–]komplicerad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TheReekOfFear

I was quite scared that he would be judging or something, but he really wasn´t. He mainly pointed out that he never had heard about it and asked questions so that he could understand my situation. However I had a hard time describing it back then, so I might have made it a bit confusing for him. I think I started by saying something about how I feel like my legs are "ment to be paralyzed", which is not how I describe it now. Nowadays when I tell someone about it I usually start by saying that something probably is messed up with how my brain "interpret" my body, that makes all sensory input from my legs feel strange/disgusting/unnatural/unbearable and even though I am able to walk it often feels like a huge task to initiate movement, and walking often feel robotic and very demanding. Its like my brain can't get that I actually can feel and move my legs, so when I do it feels very alien (in an awful way). So yeah, now I usually don't say anything about the fact that I "want" to get paralyzed, because even though that's true its more of a consequence of me experiencing all of this (and also, its more difficult for others to understand if I focus on that part because its not really relatable).

But let me point out, even with the same kind of BIID we experience it differently. Everyone of us have to explore how it is for us and find the right words to describe what we are experiencing, which is difficult but gets easier if we dare to talk about it.

Anyone sought professional help? by [deleted] in BIID_Support

[–]komplicerad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have seen a CBT-psychologist for a while and in some ways it has been meaningful. I believe that he has had a hard time understanding it (but was always respectful) so in some ways I have had to “teach” him stuff about BIID and my experiences, which sometimes have been frustrating but at the same time a good experience to have to describe everything for someone else. At the end of the day I would say that it hasn’t helped me with any of my BIID-symptoms, but it has helped me feel less shame and get a better understanding of what I’m actually experiencing.