ABSTRACT
The title of this chapter has been chosen to bring metaphoric realities to mind that mirror the conceptualization associated with an IMD to make the concept more accessible. An IMD is no more confounding or mysterious than the summation of processes that occur in a fire or a symphonic piece. Even so, it would be difficult to describe either phenomena if an individual has never witnessed or heard the summation of such experiences.
The author shares some of the early influences that brought him to the door of considering IMDs. The reader is subsequently challenged to consider the concepts of causality, epistemology, reality, and stress as certain initial IMD considerations are applied to, and explored, such as Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP)/Factitious Disorder by Proxy (FDBP) and Parental Alienation (PA). Systems thinking, particularly family systems thinking, is discussed, and it is reasoned that in Parental Alienation, although alienating behaviors are “initiated” by someone, it is not the child . It stands to reason from a systems perspective that children do not alienate themselves from a parent. Some initial practical examples of how to address an IMD as a pathological dynamic are provided.
To underscore these examples, various metaphors are brought forward. Like an IMD, the creation of a fire requires certain conditions. It is the sum of these conditions that turns a spark into a flame. The same kind of summation of processes occur in a symphony via the collective efforts of the orchestra’s woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings. Though these phenomena may by be narrated, such descriptions are often insufficient to do these experiences justice: the warmth and crackle of a campfire, for example, or the sound that rises and builds across an orchestra performing a symphony. Fire and MSBP/FDBP are compared, and symphonic pieces are compared to PA, followed by a case example toward the end of the chapter.
