Comments on: Pretending: therapy prescribed by psychologist

By: Something shocking and creepy, deaf wannabes, pretenders and others - Page 2 - AllDeaf.com

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 19:50:16 +0000

[...] to encourage and support the only way I have ever found to deal with BIID…to use a wheelchair. Pretending: therapy prescribed by psychologist � transabled.org � Blogging about BIID BIID is not diagnosable by DSM IV-TR criterion. That is not to say that you do not have a mental [...]

By: Something shocking and creepy, deaf wannabes, pretenders and others - AllDeaf.com

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:12:07 +0000

[...] Hello all. I would like to make a few points that seem to be lost somewhere in this discussion. Body Identity Integrity Disorder is a real illness. It’s not Munchausen’s (nor by Proxy) and it’s not hypochondria. It’s an inexplicable desire for disability that in the vast majority of cases goes back to very young childhood. (see http:/www.biid-info.org ) Someone asked what the medical community "thinks" of BIID and what resources there are. To be quite frank, there are NO resources available to sufferers of BIID because it is so rare that the vast majority of doctors and mental health professionals haven’t heard of it. A lot of people have said "those people are mentally ill, that’s disgusting (or creepy, or whatever other derogatory term used), they should go get help." I agree, we are mentally ill. However, mental illness is not "disgusting." I have a real condition. Having any kind of mental condition (be it BIID, or schizophrenia, or Alzheimers, or depression) doesn’t make a person any more disgusting or creepy than you are for being deaf. We all have our issues. I have mine. You have yours. How is one person’s health issue "better" than someone else’s? Do you subscribe to the disability heiriarchy? It’s ok to be deaf, but it’s not okay to have some rare neuropsychological condition? Seems hypocritical to me. Secondly, the vast majority of us have seen shrinks. The three that I’ve seen had never heard of BIID and basically all told me "I can’t help you, there’s no treatment protocol for that." That’s not just my experience, that’s basically the response we all get when we try to get help. It’s not that we’re not trying to get help. It’s there there’s no help available. We’ve exhausted all our resources. That leaves us in a very difficult place. Feared and reviled and called creepy and disgusting, but nobody can help us. We live with demons in our head and the only way we have to still them is to pretend, or actually try to accomplish our desired disability. Do a little research online and you’ll find that BIID sufferers who have actually acheived their goal are in the vast majority very satisfied with the results and the obsession goes away, allowing them to get on with life. Those of us who don’t want to or can’t go that route are left with pretending as the only way to deal with the obsession and feel somewhat mentally normal. I am still in therapy, and my psychologist is very supportive of my pretending. For those of you who have said we should "get help"…I did get help, and the help I got was for my therapist to encourage and support the only way I have ever found to deal with BIID…to use a wheelchair. Pretending: therapy prescribed by psychologist � transabled.org � Blogging about BIID [...]

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 04:43:44 +0000

Hello Eric,

You’re welcome to “hang around” here. While I think there are several similarities between GID and BIID, and I know many transabled individuals who are also transsexuals, I don’t know if the ratio is so big. Where did you find that story by an MD? Do you have a link? I’d be interested in seeing it. The one statistical study that was done showed (from memory) only one or two transsexuals out of over 50 study participants.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 04:25:22 +0000

I am a transsexual man, and have had “transabled” feelings for as long as I have had transsexual feelings. I see this like being in the closet about being gay or lesbian or transsexually identified. I have been living as a male since January 13, 2003. I have had one surgery so far and I look forward to my final surgery soon. I cannot describe what life is like to come out of the closet and finally be myself. I would never look back. But I have never told anyone about my transabled feelings. I just found information on it earlier this year, and almost everytime I am alone and online, I am looking at sites. I just found this one now, and it has changed some of my thinking. However, I found a story written by an MD about how there are a lot of people who have transabled feelings who are also transsexual. I have no idea where his statistic came from, but I don’t know what to think of this. I wonder if any of you readers have thoughts on this. I can relate to being transsexual but have always been confused about feeling transabled, and I think this is because there is a local GLBT organization that affirms, there are slowly more rights and protections for GLBT people, but there is nothing out there about this that isn’t either porn or just junk. Please write… I am curious to know your thoughts. I’m glad to know I’m not alone. It makes me feel like I’m not crazy.

By: Claire

Claire — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:16:50 +0000

Thanks Jim, I appreciate that. :o)

Hannah, thanks for stopping by, as you know I’ve emailed you privately.

By: jim

jim — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:02:00 +0000

This might be the best thing I’ve read on this site yet! (And there’s been a lot of good stuff, too!) In my case it is so true.

I moved back to Illinois, was severely depressed (suicidal)about my divorce and the direction of my life. My transabledness also one of the many factors. Since I got re-acclimated with freinds, family and work back here, I still had those bad thoughts. But, in February I knew the “lay-of-the-land” around here again and I began spending all day, every Sunday as a para. Being able to do that has helped those bad thoughts go away. I still have a lot of sadness, but with a full day a week in my wheelchair, suicide has not entered my mind. It is tremendous therapy for me, no matter what other professionals say!

Thanks, Claire!

By: Hannah Price

Hannah Price — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:13:43 +0000

Claire, I would love to speak with you directly about your experiences. Are you based in the UK?

I am writing from a television production company called Media Zoo. We are researching BIID, ‘pretending’ and associated issues for a new documentary on a terrestrial channel.

We are interested into speaking to anyone who suffers from this condition or is affected by it in any way.

I understand that BIID is a very sensitive issue. I assure you that any contact with us will be highly confidential. At this point we are just interested in people making contact with us, and there is no commitment to be part of the show.

Please contact Hannah for more information or for a chat on Hannah@mediazoo.tv or 0207 978 7667 as soon as possible.

By: Claire

Claire — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:47:58 +0000

Sean: thanks, you’re right, my use of the word “role play” was in no way intended to mean it was a game. It’s an accepted form of therapy.

Marie: I’m fascinated to know that transsexuals also experience what I call the “post-trip crash”. Somehow, that validates the whole experience for me. Thank you.

By: Marie

Marie — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:16:21 +0000

Fascinating and completely spot on. Transsexuals who live a double life experience the same depression when they have to revert to the wrong mode of living.

Glad to see a shrink encouraging people to do things instead of guilting them into the closet.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 03:21:38 +0000

Thank you for this. I find it fascinating that some therapist finally start to recognise the value of “pretending”.

I think it’s important to make a distinction between “role-play”, as a form of therapy, or as a way to appease the internal emotional turmoil we go through, and the idea that ‘play’ is synonym with ‘game’.

For the vast majority of transabled individuals, using a wheelchair, or tying a leg behind one’s back is not a game, and while it is an enjoyable experience, it’s not done just for the sake of having fun.