MeDIDa: Jack Stauber's Opal

MeDIDa: Jack Stauber's Opal

Episode 10 of MeDIDa, and we are discussing Jack Stauber's Opal. Jack Stauber's Opal is a short musical film that premiered on Adult Swim in 2020. The short depicts a child, Opal, as she explores a dark house after being drawn into it by a wailing siren song, and is repeatedly mistaken for another young girl known as Claire. Jack Stauber's Opal is not explicitly depicting DID, but it is explicitly depicting an abusive household and the impact of that on a young child, and as a result I believe it shows strong evidence of the early stages of structural dissociation and DID. I'm curious as to if you'll agree... Does Opal depict DID? If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com [medidapodcast@gmail.com] Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague

MeDIDa SPECIAL: Memoir Review and Author Interview, Fractured Motherhood by Maggie Walters

Episode 9 of MeDIDa is a Special Episode, this time a Mother's Day special! I am reviewing the memoir Fractured Motherhood, and I also sit down again with Maggie Walters for an interview! This episode is dedicated to all those who did not have the mother that they needed growing up. Fractured Motherhood has been independently published through Blue Gum Publishing in 2026, only officially released 15th April, and discusses her journey in parenting and also her own relationship with her parents, and how DID/MPD impacts her parenting. Walters has once again been incredibly vulnerable in sharing her life with us, showing the complicated and messy parts in a deeply authentic way, while also demonstrating that parenting with DID is not what you'd think and breaking down stigma around it. You can buy Fractured Motherhood through Maggie Walters website, https://www.maggie-walters.com [https://www.maggie-walters.com], as well as through Amazon or other book retailers, and I would highly recommend! If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com [medidapodcast@gmail.com] Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague

MeDIDa: Petals of a Rose

Episode 8 of MeDIDa, and we are discussing Petals of a Rose Petals of a Rose is a 2023 short film created by Dylan Crumpler, co-written by Dylan Crumpler and Holly Crumpler and draws heavily on Holly's lived experience with dissociative identity disorder. The 15-minute film shows a day in the life of Rose, a women living with DID while she tries to navigate a Valentine's Day date with her boyfriend, Jeremy, without triggering her alters. Petals of a Rose claims to be an accurate representation of dissociative identity disorder, but does it succeed? Let's discuss both the positives and the negatives of the plural community's favourite DID film. If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com [medidapodcast@gmail.com] Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague

MeDIDa: The Swan Book

Episode 7 of MeDIDa, and we are discussing The Swan Book The Swan Book is a 2013 novel written by Alexis Wright and published by Giramondo Publishing. Set in a dystopian future, with climate change and political fallout being a central theme, the book follows Oblivia, a mute young woman who was gang raped as a child, who goes on to marry the first Indigenous President of Australia, and her struggle for autonomy in a collapsing world. The Swan Book offers an intimate awareness of the realities facing Aboriginal people; the energy and humour in her writing, which draws freely on myth and legend, finds hope in the bleakest situations. The Swan Book does not intentionally depict multiplicity or DID, but there are a lot of indications that Oblivia may be multiple... Join Avoticat and special guest, James, as we discuss whether The Swan Book is a good representation of plurality! If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com [medidapodcast@gmail.com] Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague

MeDIDa SPECIAL: Memoir Review and Author Interview, SPLIT A Life Shared by Maggie Walters

Episode 6 of MeDIDa is a Special Episode! I am reviewing the memoir SPLIT A Life Shared: Living with Multiple Personality Disorder, and I also sit down with Maggie Walters for an interview! SPLIT was independently published through Blue Gum Publishing in 2024, and chronicles Maggie’s journey with DID/MPD in her life so far. Walters also does author talks to share her lived experience, opening the conversation and helping to break down the stigma associated with DID, along with running workshops for mental health professions, as well as for aspiring authors and providing author support, particularly those trying to navigate independent publishing. This book is available through Maggie Walters website, as well as through Amazon and other online booksellers (though I highly recommend buying it directly from Walters herself) and is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. SPLIT is a memoir that is open, honest, and deeply vulnerable. While media representation is important in helping people see themselves in stories, and media still has a long way to go with DID and multiplicity depictions, nothing will do a better job of it than the actual voices of those lived experiences. If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com [medidapodcast@gmail.com] Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague