^ Empowered Multiples - Astraea

Sep 29, 2014 02:05 PM

http://astraeasweb.net/plural/glossary.html#median<--- Links within this note section found by clicking link to Astraea's original source)

Empowered Multiples - Most often, it refers to multiples who do not take a victim stance and who are not overly dependent on psychotherapy to the point that they become enmeshed in the therapy culture. Any multiple system can be empowered. Empowerment is the ability to take responsibility for one's life and make conscious choices rather than simply going along with what someone else says.

Empowerment is for all multiples. It is not only for natural (non-trauma) multiples; you can be empowered and be a multiple who was born as one person and split due to child abuse. In fact, if that's your situation, empowerment is what you need more of, and is something your therapist (if any) ought to be encouraging.

Empowerment does not mean "perfectly functioning in every conceivable aspect with not the slightest trace of a problem in any area of your life and no abuse or trauma of any kind at all in your past." Empowerment does not mean rejecting therapy, or even medication, if those are helpful to the system. Empowerment is simply placing a high value on personal ability to choose, rather than becoming overly dependent on authority to define and guide your life. Even a therapist -- even a good one. Empowerment also means the right to interpret one's own system, rather than automatically believing everything therapists (or anyone else) tell you about yourselves. Empowered multiples are those whose people learn to cooperate, perhaps to communicate with each other (whether through notes or directly), to organise themselves into a responsible operating system, and see multiplicity as a positive part of their lives -- regardless of how their multiplicity originated. (Shaytar)