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Welcome to Ouregaiya! Welcome To Our Worlds!
Have another look at our "blue galaxy" header. Beautiful, isn't it? It's a good representation of our worlds, many and varied. Some are not yet explored, some not even known of, and perhaps they never will be.
Maybe you happened on to this web page by chance. Or perhaps you're looking for information for a term paper or an article for a newspaper. Maybe you or someone you love has learned they are plural: that they have multiple personalities. Whatever the reasons, we'd like to share with you some facts -- and a few of our thoughts and beliefs.
I am Jazz, of the Oure Gaiya system. Many people of all ages reside within my shared body, and we help and support each other. I personally often begin clamoring for change NOW!, and often don't stop to think of the situations of those I am advocating for and with. Please bear with me as I too am learning.
Multiplicity is not an illness or disorder. Mental health experts are now beginning to understand this. That doesn't mean that all doctors get it. Some may still have the old prejudiced, backward ideas about multiple personalities... just like any other preconceived notions Western society has had over the decades.
For example, many people, including professionals, still believe that multiple personalities means chaos and bizarre behavior, like Sybil. Some multiples really are very disorganized and everyone needs to learn to cooperate for the benefit of all. But not all multiples are that way. So your group of selves, your inner family, might be IN disorder, but the existence of your system is not itself a disorder. Cooperation and communication are the keys. Some multiples need professional help to stabilize their inner community and learn to work together. Others figure it out on their own.
Here's a common occurrence. Someone who knows they are multiple goes to a therapist for assistance -- let's say they're having job-related stress or anxiety, or difficulties in a relationship. In the course of telling the doctor about themselves, they disclose they are plural. Diagnosis? Dissociative Identity Disorder. Yet what they went for originally had nothing to do with being multiple. They're having trouble for other reasons, NOT because they are multiple!
Multiples who recognize the others inside without therapy or hypnosis do exist. Mental health professionals need to recognize that the old stereotypes are just that, instead of diagnosing these self-recognized collectives with delusions or thought disorders.
About These Pages
You'll find a lot of information on these pages, but the true goal of this site is activism.
It will be difficult to change the ideas and attitudes of society, especially the medical community --- but these are our lives and we need to take control of the helm. Now is the time for self advocacy and empowerment. There are so many of us for whom being plural/multiple is NOT an illness, it is a way of life!
The public's general view of multiple personality/multiplicity/plurality somewhat resembles the old ideas of homosexuality. The American Psychiatric Association defined homosexuality as a mental illness needing a cure, until the 1980s. Thank goodness most (definitely not all) people came to their senses and learned that being gay is a way of life, part of who you are. It doesn't define who you are as a person though, anymore than the color of your eyes.
We need to stand up for ourselves like the gay community did nearly 40 years ago and like the autistic community is doing now. We need to travel the road that the African Americans and all people of color paved for us. People with disabilities are the most recent group to claim their rights as individuals and to ask to be treated as such. No matter what they try to tell you, whether it be friends, family or even the medical community, remember that being plural is in no way an illness, something to be cured of.
Please stay tuned to these pages, especially the activism page. We so hope we can accomplish what others in the past have. Encourage and support taking a stand and saying "no more" to exploitation, objectification and ridicule. If you have an idea for activism, or a need for advocacy for yourself or others, please contact us.