Quote:I hadn't wanted to stick to the DID/MPD explanation, because I really don't know if that's what I'm experiencing; however, doing otherwise seems to require that I divulge my personal understanding and personal mythology (about being a soul-collector), which frankly is going to sound pretty crazy. I don't feel that I can trust non-psych experts to understand it. At this point, I'm unsure if I should broach the multiplicity at all, even though I've mentioned it in group already.
I see no potential benefit explaining multiplicity to people of a group largely unrelated to the subject matter. You've already stated that you don't trust non-psych experts to understand it, and I personally don't see what benefit there would be even if they, in fact, -were- able to understand it.
Quote:At this point I feel isolated, because I'm the only person who I feel understands what I'm going through, and it's making me not want to stay there. Hence the self-care part of trying to get across my experience...and the questioning of if I'm multiple and not exactly trans*.
People may not understand your multiplicity, but considering the nature and topic of the group, I can assume that they know very well what you are going through on the very subject that brought you together in the first place. If you wish for someone who understands your multiplicity, seek a psych expert -- the one thing you feel confident would be open to and perhaps even shed light on the condition. But the purpose of the group, I assume, is primarily to deal with gender identity; instead of allowing your difference to form a rift between you and your peers, focus instead on the similarities and branch from there. If in the future you think it worthwhile *and* are fully comfortable explaining your multiplicity to these people, it will be a different matter.
Quote:Any recommendations on what to do? I do see an intern later next week who may be more open to my talking about this. I can also shoot off an email or so. I'm just feeling "stuck" at this moment, and in addition I'm unsure if I'm essentially a transman-in-(slow)-process or if I'm overall androgynous and multiple.
Stop trying to apply labels to yourself and look for happiness. Whether you call yourself a trans, androgyne, multiple, whatever-you-want-to-put-here, it doesn't really matter. These are labels, they are not clear reflections of who you are, and they're really only useful when talking to people beyond oneself for convenience purposes. Explore. Settle into something that you are happy with free of these labels; they very easily become self-imposed restrictions. Only when you're confident you've found this happiness should you start trying to give it a name.
I've also implied it before, but while the root cause of something is certainly interesting, it is not as immediately important as the trait itself. The reason you have a certain gender identity is not as important as the identity you have.