Are you in the ministry of deliverance? Then this subject is invaluable if you are serious about getting people set free. Disassociation is known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). Deliverance ministers who do not understand this subject will find that in many deliverances, they hit a brick wall and are unable to minister complete freedom to those individuals. While those ministers who understand this subject are able to take those same cases and minister true and lasting freedom to them. This is serious, because treating alters or alternate personalities as demons will cause spiritual abuse, and drive the alters deeper into bondage and farther away from opening up where they can receive true healing from the Holy Spirit.
When a person experiences devastating trauma or abuse, their mind may not be capable of coping with the pain and torture that their mind is subjected to. Either one of three things may happen; that person may mentally snap and wind up in a mental hospital, commit suicide because the trauma is too much to bear, or a part of their mind separates from the rest of their mind to hold the pain and hurtful memories, so that the rest of that person can go on with life.
When a person disassociates, a part of that person reaches out and encapsulates that hurt and painful memory until the time that healing is received. It is better for the hurt/pain/memory to be in the alter until it is healed, or else the person would likely be unable to bear the mental anguish of such unhealed memories, wounds, pain and hurt. I have to agree with Bob Larson in that disassociation is a gift from God that allows people to cope when they would otherwise turn to suicide or mentally lock up because of the trauma.
When dealing with an alter, in reality, you're really communicating with that part of their mind that has been locked up or separated, and it can seem like a whole another person in there. That is why they are known as multiple personalities. These personalities can seem like entirely different people, even carrying distinct tastes and yes, they can contain demons too. Yes, you may find an alter in a woman which is convinced that it's a guy, which goes on to show you how distinct and unique alters can be. I know that it seems hard to grasp, but when you begin to work with seriously tormented SRA (Satanic Ritual Abuse) victims, you will begin to see how much of a reality all this is. Some of these alters are formed when the person is subjected to torture that is humanly unthinkable. As a result of being subjected to unspeakable torture, that person's mind can fracture and cause many unique personalities that are much different from the core person.
Alters also have their own wills, just as part of us can wish to do what is right, but part of us can feel compelled to do just the opposite. Some alters can be good-hearted or bad-hearted. Just as parts of a person's life can be unyielded to the Lord, so also can some alters. One alter can love Jesus, while the next alter hates or despises Him. When ministering to the alters, it is important to present the light and healing of Jesus to them, so that they may open up and receive the work of the Holy Spirit to restore them.
Alters can also act on behalf of a person at times and be responsible for deeds by which the core person has no memory of, such as saying things that the core person has absolutely no memory of and so forth. While a demon cannot violate a person's will, it may have an alter in such bondage that the alter will do the demon's bidding and commit horrible acts.
When I first learned of alters and disassociation, I thought for sure these ministers were out of their minds! I had figured for sure that they were dealing with demons and were deceived into thinking they were alters. As the evidence grew and my experience was challenging my belief, I was forced to take a closer look at this subject. My goal is to minister to hurting and bound brothers and sisters in Christ, NOT to be politically correct about everything. With an open heart and mind, please consider these basic reasons as to why I support the reality of disassociation:
Other ministers who don't believe in alters, are failing miserably when working with people who have disassociated. As a matter of fact, the people are often walking away more bound and hurt than when they came in for ministry! This is because alters are surfacing and being treated like demons in a deliverance, which traumatizes them to go further down into that person, and carry even more hurt, trauma, and pain. These same people are being sent to Bob Larson's DWJD (Doing What Jesus Did) teams, and they are finding true freedom and healing from their bondages. Real-life experience tells me that those who don't accept the reality of disassociation, are hitting walls that they cannot get past and can only take a person so far in their deliverance.
Good-hearted alters will often confess their love for Lord Jesus, while demons simply do not confess their love for Jesus. The Bible does tell us that any spirit which confesses that the Lord Jesus came in the flesh is of God:
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1 John 4:2-3
Apparently, there is something inside that person, which is not a demon because it will confess it's love and allegiance to the Lord Jesus and Jesus' Blood. Demons, on the other hand, will not confess their love for Jesus and His Blood. Anybody who is experienced in the ministry of deliverance will testify to this. Demons HATE even the word blood when it is referring to Jesus' Blood that was shed for that person.
Alters will often hold painful memories that the person knows nothing about. Sometimes a person's entire childhood would be hidden from their memory. When you access an alter, they can be quite aware of everything that took place in detail. If that person had to cope with such memories, it would drive them to insanity, which is why the alter was formed, to help the core person cope and go on with life. Demons are not here to help us cope, but to drive us to insanity and destroy our lives. Alters have quite different goals in mind than demons do concerning the wellbeing of the person.
The Bible does make reference to healing the broken or shattered soul (heart). Consider this passage:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.
Luke 4:18
The NT Greek tells us that the word brokenhearted in this passages literally means, "To crush completely, that is, to shatter (literally or figuratively): - break (in pieces), broken to shivers," and also, "the heart, that is, (figuratively) the thoughts or feelings (mind); also (by analogy) the middle: - (+ broken-) heart (-ed)." This gives us good reason to believe that the human soul (heart) can indeed become fractured into pieces.
Let's say that a person has went through unspeakable trauma in their childhood, and as a result, their mind has disassociated, and for some strange reason, parts of their childhood memories are somehow missing... they have absolutely no memory of what took place. Now, in some more extreme cases,a person may not remember anything at all from their childhood! Somehow those memories are separated from the rest of their mind, right? Now, when doing deliverance work, you may encounter a part of them that is quite aware of what took place during that time-frame but for some reason, during a normal conversation with the person, they have absolutely no memory whatsoever of what took place. A part of their mind where those memories are stored, is somehow separated from the rest of that person; should we dare call that part of their mind a demon? That part of their mind is holding trauma and therefore needs to receive healing, not to be treated like a demon. Yes, demons can and do work diligently to keep that part of their mind separate from the rest of the mind, but that does not mean that this separated part of their mind (an alter) is a demon.
The core personality or person is the main part of the person's mind.
An alternate personality or alter is a part of somebody's mind that is separate from the rest of their mind.
A switch is when one alter (or the core person) goes down, and another one comes up. The person may seem to change into an entirely different person when this happens. Switches can be triggered by lights, sounds, colors, or just randomly for no reason. Switches can also take place due to heated arguments or excessive drinking or even stress.
There are quite a few symptoms to look for in somebody who has disassociated. Here are a few of the symptoms to look for:
Memory lapses: A person may have parts of their past, perhaps their entire childhood, that is unknown to them, or if time seems to disappear suddenly (one minute it is 3pm, and within the blink of an eye, it is 5pm), or they suddenly find yourself somewhere that they don't remember going. This is because alters are manifesting on their behalf during those times. Alters would hold those memories instead of their core personality. If they have people claiming that they did things which they honestly do not remember doing, then it could have been an alter doing bidding on their behalf.
Alters usually carry human names: In most cases, alters will carry a human name such as Kathy or Mike. If you are doing deliverance on somebody, and suddenly you are facing something in that person which claims to have a human name, that is a clue that you're likely not speaking with a demon but an alter.
Underlying anger or hurt: If a person has done all they can to release hurtful or painful memories from their past, but there still seems to be an underlying root that just won't go away, then it may be an held within an alter. If a person just cannot seem to break free from unforgiveness and hurtful feelings (which makes them easily hurt or offended), then there's a chance an alter is holding a lot of pain in that person which needs to be released.
Escapism or withdrawal: People who have disassociation often have traumatic pain that is still not healed or fully released. This can cause a person to turn to escapism in an attempt to drown out their inner pain. They may withdrawal from relationships with others and live in their own little world, because there is so much turmoil taking place inside them.
Alters are not demons, nor do the carry the same goals. Demons are there to kill, steal, and destroy (see John 10:10), whereas alters are there to help the person cope and survive. Alters generally care very much about their core person, which is the reason they were created in the first place, to protect and help the core person cope with the trauma. Recently, we had an alter come on our forum and introduce himself. In an alter's own words, here is why he existed:
"Just let me tell everyone why I exist. A long time ago this person that I am apart of went through a lot of hurtful things to where that it was so bad that I took over and took that pain for someone else."
Another alter came to our forum and tells of how it was formed:
"I took over when the core person could no longer handle what was happening to her."
This is exactly how alters are formed; a part of that person's mind encapsulates the pain and torture so that the core person doesn't have to deal with it. Alters are often found in people who have been exposed to abuse, rape, trauma, and ritual abuse. Satanic Ritual Abuse is by far the worse of all torture that a person could go through and creates very deep-rooted bondages.
Although this comes with experience, there are some very good things that you can look for when discerning between alters and demons. Here are some things to look for:
Look at their eyes when it is manifesting. Demons may give you a strong stern look while an alter doesn't have the same fierceness. Alters will usually seem like people while demons are just plain evil. Now don't get me wrong, some alters may be angry or seem evil, but they don't have the same fierceness that a demon would. This is something that you will get sensitive to as you gain more experience.
Alters often manifest or come to the surface crying or bursts of emotion expressing pain or torment. This is because they are frozen in time, and are experiencing the trauma right now, which has taken place perhaps years ago.
Alters generally have human names. Demons generally do not. If something manifests and claims to have a human name, then it's likely not a demon but an alter. Alters can have names that demons would have, such as lust or anger. Bob Larson opened my eyes to how demons and alters can, at times, have the same name, such as an alter of lust along side a demon of lust. Then they can switch back and forth to confuse the minister and cause the minister to traumatize the alter by commanding it to come out. Just the minute the alter comes up and you're talking to it, a demon by the same name manifests and you begin driving it out, then it suddenly goes down and sends up the alter so that you traumatize it by shouting at it.
Don't forget to test the alters by asking each one if it loves Jesus. Any alter that refuses to love Jesus is a suspect, a possible demon. Although there are valid cases of evil-hearted alters which will refuse to love Jesus. But this is a good place to start. Good-hearted alters should confess their love for Lord Jesus, while demons simply do not confess their love for Jesus. The Bible does tell us that any spirit which confesses that the Lord Jesus came in the flesh is of God:
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1 John 4:2-3
Yes, demons can try to deceive us into thinking they are alters, but with discernment we can have a better idea of when this is happening.
Demons often torment alters, just as they would the core person. They can inhabit an alter just like they would inhabit the core person. Alters who understand what is going on will hate demons, because they know that demons are there to torment and harm them as well as the core person. The following was spoken by demon who was boasting of how he was tormenting the alters and the core person:
"I am not an alter but I am something else inside of someone. I torment all the alters and the core person."
Not all alters have demons, but many times they do. Since demons enter in through trauma, and alters are also created through trauma, it makes the likeliness of a demon inhabiting an alter becomes reasonably good.
Special thanks to Bob Larson's teaching series on this, he pointed out that cutting is a sign of disassociation. He went on to explain that there are two reasons for this:
1. There is an alter which is in bondage to shame, and is convinced that it deserves pain. So by harming the flesh by cutting, burning, etc. It feels it is doing what it should. No person in their right mind would harm themselves on purpose for such a person, but an alter may be convinced that it deserves this harm.
2. There is an alter which contains so much inner pain and turmoil, that cutting is a way to transfer the pain to the physical, which can feel good to them as allows for a release of the turmoil and torment that is taking place on the inside. For such alters, it is a means for a release.
It is important that we do not treat such alters as demons, or it could cause them to further harm themselves, and possibly commit suicide.
When you get an alter to surface, it may come forth with bursts of emotions (usually crying or sobbing) from all the torment, pain and hurt that it is holding. What may have taken place years ago, that alter is experiencing right now because it may have never surfaced before... it's latest memories are what it experienced when it was formed. Other alters can surface without such expressions of emotions, because they have been regularly surfacing and have had time to put the memories in the past to a certain extend.
We have had a handful of alters come to our forum and post messages. What this means is that the alter in that particular person was out at the time (manifesting), when they came to our forum, signed up, and posted messages. I would really like to share what they posted here, to give you an idea of what alters are all about. I have changed/removed the names here to help protect their identity.
"I have been apart of someone else for a long time now and I have been afraid to talk to people until now. I am apart of someone that has been hurt all of their life. Just let me tell everyone why I exist. A long time ago this person that I am apart of went through a lot of hurtful things to where that it was so bad that I took over and took that pain for someone else. There are many others just like me in this one person."
"My name is Brian but I have taken on the initials SRA. The person I reside in was a SRA person. I am trying to keep her safe. I have not spoken to anyone ever but this seems to be a safe place. I took over when the core person could no longer handle what was happening to her."
"My name is Jean and I am 12 years old. I am apart of someone else. I have been locked inside of someone. I have been to afraid to come out. I have seen there are other parts of people that have been coming forward will someone talk to me."
I wanted to share with you those few just to give you an idea of what alters have to say about who they are, why they are there, and how they love and care about the core person. They contain a lot of pain, hurt, and inner wounds that the person has experienced, and they are there to help the core person cope by taking the painful memories and such on behalf of the core person.
How to minister to disassociation
Keep an eye out for spirits of anger, rage, hate, unforgiveness, etc. when dealing with individuals who have been hurt. These spirits may need to be driven out before you can address the spirits behind the disassociation. Try to cast out any spirits you can before ministering to the alters, because once the demons are gone, the alters will feel more comfortable and free to open up and receive healing. Demons will attempt and would love to interfere with this process. If you can get a demon talking to you, you might ask it if there are any alters present in the person, and if so, what are the names.
When working with alters, it is important to get them to release painful memories, feelings, and such so that the Holy Spirit can bring healing to that part of the person's mind. They can also have legal grounds of their own that may need to be broken before driving out demons.
You might call up the alters by speaking something like this, "If there are any parts of [person's name] that have disassociated, I would like to talk with them, please come to attention." You can usually switch between alters just as you would demons, but keep in mind that unless the core person has given you authority over the alters, you do not have authority over them as you would demons. Just as we don't naturally have authority over another person's soul, so also we naturally don't have authority over parts of that person's soul.
Alters must be loved, understood, embraced, and accepted; completely the opposite with how we would treat demons! Alters are often tormented by hurt and pain, and it is vital that they feel comfortable releasing that in order to receive the healing of the Holy Spirit in that area of the person's soul.
What keeps an alter from receiving healing and letting down the walls that keeps it apart from the core person? It is fear and unforgiveness, which is there because of the great trauma, hurt, and pain that is held within that part of the person's mind. That is why it is vital to be loving, understanding, and compassionate to alters as we work with them. It is our goal to get them to feel comfortable with us, so that they will open up and release the bound up feelings of emotion and woundedness. Telling them that it's okay to cry and let those hurt feelings out is a good idea, because unless those feelings are released, true healing cannot take place. Holding on to pain and torment will hinder the work of the Holy Spirit, and will keep that alter from receiving healing.
Speaking truth about the love of Jesus, and the desire for God to heal the inner wounds is important, because the alters must know that what you are doing for them is for their good and God desires for them to be made whole. These are some great passages to share when ministering to alters:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.
Luke 4:18
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Psalms 23:3
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Psalms 147:3
The next step is to get the alter to pray to Jesus, and transfer the pain, hurt, and inner wounds to Jesus. It may be helpful to quote this scripture, which tells of how Jesus paid for our emotional wounds and took them upon Himself so that we can receive His healing and wholeness:
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:4
In NT Greek, the word sorrows in the above literally means, "Anguish or (figuratively) affliction: - grief, pain, sorrow."
Once you have an alter communicating with you, now is a wonderful opportunity to find out if there are any others, and perhaps he/she can give you further information on why they are there, what their names are, etc. Proceed to repeat ministering healing to each one of the alters.
Every now and then, you may come across an alter who does not know how to talk, because it was formed when the person was yet a baby or small child. In such cases, try to get ahold of another alter who can speak, and get that older alter to communicate with the younger one for you. Think of it as a translating alter!
Alters, just as the core person, can have legal grounds which allow demons permission or access to inhabit and torment them. It is important to get the alters to break any ungodly soul ties, repent of sins, renounce ungodly vows, and so forth, in order to give the demons no right to access this part of the person's mind.
The next step is to proceed to drive out any demons from the alters. Do this as you would casting demons out of a person who hasn't disassociated. You can switch between the alters by saying something like, "[Alter's name], would you please come up?" Another helpful tip I learned is to command the demons to come out of all parts of the person, which addresses the demons that may try to hide out in various alters.
Communicating with alters are a great way to find out which demons are present. They are more intelligent than you might think, and can often provide a wealth of insight into that person's spiritual bondage.
If the alters have not already merged with the core person, now would be a great time to pray and welcome the healing power of the Holy Spirit to come and bring healing to those parts so that they can merge with the core person.
There should be a greater sense of wholeness in that person's mind. Memories should start coming back to the person, although now they should be healed and no longer hold the same pain and torment that they once held. Those memories will be seen differently once healed.
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Psalms 147:3
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
"Is it a reasonable goal to see the person integrate, where all the alters have merged back into the core person?"
Yes! The Bible tells us that God has given us a sound and clear mind (see 2 Timothy 1:7), which means that anything less is not the will of God for that person.
"Can the alter re-join the core if it's demonized? Or is it completely locked up?"
After the demon has been cast out then it is necessary (and good) for the part to rejoin the core person. In most cases, parts do not rejoin the core if they are indwelt with demons as the demons will not allow it. Furthermore, some demons actually "lock up" the alter to hinder the healing process. Sometimes the core person needs to get a key from the demon before you can unlock the part that has been hidden away.
"Can disassociation be handed down or start in the womb?"
Yes! This is a whole another teaching though.
"An alter tells me that it is 5 years old, what does that mean?"
If a broken part reveals they are 5 years old, that usually means that the abuse/trauma occurred at that age hence the age of the broken part. Alters do not age as their ages are stationary.
"Can one alter communicate with other alters?"
In most cases, yes, but in some cases, no. It really depends on the level of bondage and how much the alters are locked up.
"If there are alters in a person which rejects Jesus, does that mean the person cannot be saved?"
No, absolutely not! It is up to the core person to accept Jesus, not the alters. The point of getting the alters to confess their love for Jesus is to (a) help determine if they are a true alter or a demon, as demons would never confess their love for Jesus, and (b) get the alters to open up to Jesus, so that they can release their pain and allow the healing power of the Holy Spirit to operate.
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