A Testimony in Relation to "Dissociative Identity Disorder" (DID)

by Francis MacNutt
Mar/Apr 2004

[Introductory note from Francis: Sometimes people question whether it helps to take a course in healing prayer, when all they need is the Spirit to instruct them. In an ideal world, in which people really are guided by the Spirit that closely, they would be right. But we can learn from others; otherwise, we wouldn't need teachers and preachers and prophets in the church.

One area, which is well illustrated in the following story, occurs when people suffer from multiple personality disorder (now usually called "Dissociative Identity Disorder"); they may have up to hundreds of "alters" — parts of their personality that have been broken off. This is found, especially, in victims of satanic ritual abuse. Some of the personalities are really parts of the person that have been split off and need to be re–integrated into the person's true self. On the other hand, there may also be evil spirits attached to these personalities that need to be cast out.

This sorting out between parts of the person that need to be integrated and the evil requires a real gift of discernment, ordinarily with the help of a professional counselor.

Sadly, some prayer ministers decide that all these personalities should be cast out. The prayer ministers are well–meaning, but trying to cast out parts of the true person that need to be integrated can result in destroying the wounded person they are trying to help.]

John, a coordinator of prayer teams at our last Fishnet Conference (for about 500 people in Rutland, Vermont, in June 2003), sent us an account of a fascinating experience he had had while praying for a woman (whom we will call "Jane") who had suffered for years with depression, anxiety and panic attacks. To the prayer team she revealed the presence of inner children, which gave the impression of a multiple personality disorder. The prayer ministers then introduced John to Jane, since he had experience working with.another woman who had a similar problem. Here are some excerpts from John's letter to us at CHM:

Jane looked at me and observed, "He is frightening to me," to which I responded, "I understand, and its okay." She then asked, "How are you going to get rid of them? Will you squash them, or what?" ("Them" refers to the various inner children.)

I replied, "No, they are not going to be hurt in any way. They are beloved and they are welcome here. I would like to introduce them to Jesus, if they do not already know him, because Jesus would like to help and to heal them. Jesus already loves them. Would you introduce us to these inner children?"

Jane said, "Abigail is here." I said, "Welcome, Abigail! Do you know Jesus? He would like to bless you and heal you. All you need to do is to ask him to help you and to be your healer and Savior." Something quickly seemed to happen and then Jane said, "Beth is now here, along with several others who came along with Beth. I don't even know all their names."

I said, "Since Beth is here, I assume you are all here. I would like to introduce each of you to Jesus, who would like to bless and heal you. All you need to do is to ask him to heal you and to be your Savior. Then I believe he will bring you all together as one beloved person and will give you any further guidance you need to complete your healing." Beth had several questions about Jesus that were answered. Again, something seemed to happen rather quickly, and Jane said, "Isn't this strange. I'm sitting close to you, and yet I feel safer than I can remember feeling, even though you are a man." (John later discovered that she had been sexually molested at an early age.)

Later that evening Jane came to me and said, "Would you tell me how you learned to do what you did?" I then told her of my only other experience of ministering to someone like her and said, "The rest must have been the guidance of the Holy Spirit."

She said it was amazing that healing could happen so quickly and so easily. She had searched for years in therapy, trying to get healing, without understanding the problem that was represented by these inner children. Some prayer ministers even had suggested trying to cast them out through a deliverance ministry. Nothing had worked. At the same Fishnet conference we found there were two other persons with similar multiples who also had experienced healing.

Jane later wrote John to say she had received a great revelation and healing at Fishnet and was continuing to receive professional Christian therapy and prayer support to finish the good work God had begun. She wrote:

True medical MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) personalities are not acquainted with each other and the person changes personalities in an outwardly visible way. I do not do that and I have always known that these children represented pieces of me. I spoke about them many times and no one ever suggested that I had dissociative problems. My personality was fractured by sexual abuse, as you so gently put it when you talked to me. Jesus helped me create these children so I could survive in the midst of terrible trauma. How loving were your words to me concerning how these children came into being. It has been hard over the years listening to people telling me to cast them out.

People should be careful how they treat and name this problem. "Fractured soul" works well for me... I do not doubt that the same type of integration process can be used by God, no matter what you call it. l still have work to do integrating my fractured–off pieces. The prayer I received revealed the source of the problem and healed some major stumbling blocks that I did not know existed. Praise God. Proper guidance from trusted and competent professionals is still needed when we receive this kind of revelatory knowledge and healing from the Lord. The work of healing the fractures created by sexual abuse is rarely a one time miraculous event. Actually, had I known what God was going to do ahead of time, I honestly might have chosen not to do it. However God knows my humanity and he circumvented my objections with great love and care and I am very grateful.

Footnote: When Satanic Ritual Abuse is connected with multiple personalities, the healing usually does not go as quickly or peacefully_as in this case. — F.S.M

Francis MacNutt is a Founding Director and Executive Committee member of CHM.