Ampersand is an up-and-coming app made for plurals, similar to Simply Plural and Octocon except entirely offline. While downloadable and usable, it's still in alpha. I discovered it a few days ago and instantly fell in love with its dashboard and customization options.
My and my alters profiles on Ampersand. Note the ability to have backgrounds on your profiles, and the space to note role (or whatever else you fancy putting there - we used it for role and emoji designation)
How does it compare functionally, though, to something like Simply Plural? I'll use SP as the main point of comparison here since it's what we're used to using and have the most experience in, and I feel like a lot of plurals that use organizational apps like these are using SP.
Similarities:
Front logging. SP displays it on a scrollable timeline with the ability to see fronters side-by-side, where AMP uses a calendar that you can leaf through to see all who fronted that day in order.
Alter profiles. Both apps use markdown, are able to display images, have custom fields, alter colors, profile pictures, pronouns, etc. Simply Plural lacks Ampersand's ability to display gifs in avatars however. Ampersand's alter profile colors also effect link colors within descriptions and custom fields, and will tint the profile to match the color.
Custom fields. Similar across apps, but AMP only has text fields so far, where SP has options for dates and colors.
Message boards(?). I've not used the feature in any meaningful capacity in SP, but AMP has a dashboard that displays message board messages, and I've been enjoying using that.
Overall system profile. Very similar to SP, AMP has an overall system profile page to display your information - member count, profile photo, description, and name. Unlike SP, since AMP is fully offline, you can make your name anything and not have to worry about if a username is taken.
Custom fronts. As far as I can tell, they work the same way across apps, but I haven't experimented a ton with AMP's version of them.
Front status. Similar across apps, just type in your status.
Archiving alters. The same across apps.
Alter search. Better in SP, I've not quite figured out how to search for alters by things like tag or role - or if that's possible.
Now for the differences...
Simply Plural:
Has folders. This I feel is sorely lacking in Ampersand, as we're polyfragmented and like most of our alters tucked neatly away out of view so we don't get overwhelmed.
In-app chatroom. Another lacking feature for AMP that's super handy to have, though we don't use it much, when we need it it's a lifesaver.
Friends system. Since AMP is offline, there's no way to share your information with others or to see others information or fronters - which some might like!
App reminders and notifications. Handy. We have a permanent notification pinned to our phone to show us who's logged as fronting at any time.
Some examples and screenshots of SP:
Ampersand:
More profile customization options. Backgrounds, gif display, personalized profile/link colors, and another row of display information (the "role" section).
A journal. We haven't tested it and don't plan to use it since we have an analog journal, but it seems to display on a calendar you leaf through like you do with front and message board history.
Passive influence logging and "main fronters". When logging a front, you can set an alter to be the "main fronter", which will change the "hello" header text to their name. You can set other alters to "influence" the main or other fronters, which will change the outline color and set their status to "influencing xyz"
Has tags. When importing your information from SP (which you can do btw - as well as with PK and Tupper!), your folders will be converted to tags. They display underneath your role on your profile, and you can set them to display in list view as well.
Examples and screenshots of AMP:
Overall I really enjoy and even in some ways prefer Ampersand, and the fact that it's still in alpha has me excited for what they'll add in the future. I'd really like them to add the things Simply Plural has that they're lacking - namely folders and an in-app chatroom. I will say, if you're polyfragmented like us, it LAGS when changing just about anything related to members. We had to import from PK to only get the alters that front frequently instead of all 150+ of us, and I have no idea how poorly it would perform for any system with member counts into the several hundreds or thousands. Remember - in alpha still.
metadata is part of your message. your name, your avatar, all communicate things about you. if your message was sent by a different user it would often be interpreted differently.
this is even more true for plural systems, who, with tools like PluralKit (or even just emoji signifying), have to decide for each message who to indicate said a thing, or whether to indicate such information at all.
with an established rapport, a lot of meaning can be conveyed with the use of a proxy. something that would be rude out of one headmates mouth may seem friendly from another (see: calibration). but less positive associations can be built too. "oh god you're in front is everything ok?" is not necessarily a nice association to have with your existence (although perhaps useful for some).
tightly built rapports with other systems can convey a lot. "oh you immediately fronted when i talked about this fantasy, is that good for you~?". "you two are in front together a lot, do you like each other or something~?". there is space to build very intimate understandings of a system's inner workings.
but this creates a dilemma with more distant relationships. if someone doesn't know your system well enough to pick up on the extra information provided by a choice of proxy, how much do they need that? oftentimes systems will end up offering headmate explanations, system diagrams, simplyplural accounts, etc. early on in a relationship to frontload this information and open up those communicative potentials right away, rather than letting someone learn over time. but for large systems this can also be overwhelming, a lot of information for someone to internalise at once.
a tension is created, between plurality as a model for understanding yourself, and as a tool for communicating with other people.
do you show a full system diagram? or only a simplified version with the headmates you think someone is likely to meet. how much do you elide variations between similar headmates to simplify yourself for other people. it's often a terrible plural anxiety, to think you're too big or complicated for many people to care to understand. but these are also decisions made every time someone "lies" about a proxy, choosing to hide the fact a more vulnerable headmate is in front, or when someone chooses a less accurate but more socially appropriate avatar for public spaces.
models of plurality as a socially realised identity, and as a form of internal self understanding will probably always be in tension. but it's worth thinking about their interactions
Tumblr Post of our Endogenic and Non-traumagenic Plurality Research
Endogenic & Non-Traumagenic Plurality By Guardians System, a diagnosed traumagenic DID system with PTSD and CPTSD For use by everyone, to be
Endogenic & Non-Traumagenic Plurality
By Guardians System, a diagnosed traumagenic DID system with PTSD and CPTSD
For use by everyone, to be read by EVERYONE
Brought to you by sysmeds who say âIâm not reading all thatâ (/j)
Feel free to DM on Twitter at GuardiansSystemOpen for anonymous questions on Tellonym also under GuardiansSystemOtherwise, just comment! :)
Lists of Links
Put together by community members! (Not thoroughly checked)
Plurality/Multiplicity + Syscourse Resources and Findings
Pastebin by ButterflyBlood - contains info from the DSM-3 to the DSM-V, medical info, community info, Tulpa info, syscourse info, and a video
Cambrian's Thread of Experts
Thread by the Cambrian Crew - contains info from Dr Eric Yarbrough (Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association), info from Dr Nijenhuis and Van Der Hart (two of the writers of the Theory of Structural Dissociation), info from the ICD-11 and DSM-V-TR, and an interview by Dr Richard Loewenstein (lead editor of the DSM-Vâs section on DIssociative Disorders)
Studies into non-disordered and/or endogenic plurality
Pastebin by Oliviaset - contains multiple science/government links and a video
Collected Plurality Info - 8 pages of resources - Fractal System
Document by The Fractal System - contains explanations on multiple types of plurality and references links to each, contains community info, history info, academic info, and more
Scientific Papers on Endogenic Plurality - r/Plural
Post and comments by numerous systems/supporters - contains a massive amount of uncategorised links to all types of information on non-traumagenic plurality
Multiplicity Links - SARAH K REECE
Site by Sarah K Reece - a previously diagnosed traumagenic DID system that no longer fits the criteria but is still a system, links focus mainly on general helpful system information
Scientific Articles on Nondisordered Systems
Document by Tabellenblatt1 (?) - contains info specific to non-disordered plurality, including the interview by Dr Richard Loewenstein
Ex Uno Plures - Articles
Community site by Plures House - contains explanations on plurality, info on living plural, info on personal experiences, medical info, philosophical info, social info, and syscourse info
An Endogenic Proof Masterlist - Plural Anomaly
Document by Plural Anomaly - contains community info, academic info, and criticisms on the Theory of Structural Dissociation
Plurality Studies - Multiplicity and Plurality Wiki
Wiki made by numerous community members - contains uncategorised abstracts from medical info and info on Tulpas
Non-Traumagenic & Endogenic System Information
General medical/clinical studies and research
It's just a body: A community-based participatory exploration of the experiences and health care needs for transgender plural people
Study by numerous people including a system - repeatedly references and explains multiple types of plurality, both traumagenic and non-traumagenic
Multiplicity: An Explorative Interview Study on Personal Experiences of People with Multiple Selves
Study by numerous people - uses some outdated language, however, explores how systems exist both with and without Dissociative Identity Disorder
Conceptualising multiplicity spectrum experiences: a systematic review and thematic synthesis
Study by numerous people - explores how multiplicity exists outside of Dissociative Identity Disorder in a medical context in order to recommend appropriate health services
Critiquing the Requirement of Oneness over Multiplicity: An Examination of Dissociative Identity (Disorder) in Five Clinical Texts (Alternative Link)
Study by Kymbra Clayton - explains how multiple selves can be healthy without the need for singularity
NORMAL DIMENSIONS OF MULTIPLE PERSONALITY WITHOUT AMNESIA
Study by multiple people - uses slightly outdated language, describes how multiplicity can be considered natural without the dissociative disorders, and how the dissociative disorders could simply be expanding upon multiplicity
Cognitive processes in dissociation: An analysis of core theoretical assumptions
Study by numerous people - discusses potentially healthy dissociation and the existence of dissociation without trauma
MODES OF EXISTENCE: TOWARDS A PHENOMENOLOGICAL POLYPSYCHISM
Study by Mick Cooper - discusses alternative ways for multiple selves to exist
A plurality of selves? An illustration of polypsychism in a recovered addict
Study by Peter T.F. Raggatt - discusses the normality of non-traumagenic multiplicity and different ways for natural plurality to exist
A Jungian Perspective on the Dissociability of the Self
Study by Brian R. Skea - includes multiple mentions of Freud, extremely explicit and triggering language, and repeated use of outdated terms, however helps to provide an understanding of much older views on non-traumagenic dissociation and plurality
TRANSGENDER Mental Health - chapter 11
Book by Dr. Eric Yarbrough of the American Psychiatric Association - states repeatedly throughout the chapter that plurality is only a part of dissociative identity disorder and exists without the disorder, as well as trauma only being reported in some cases of plurality and that trauma is not the only cause for plurality, and states that plurality itself is only a collection of alters
"I've Learned to Treat my Characters like People": Varieties of Agency and Interaction of Writers' Experiences of their Characters' Voices
Study by multiple people - describes authorsâ common experience of accidental multiplicity caused by their characters gaining autonomy
Dissociation in Trauma: A New Definition and Comparison with Previous Formulations
Article by Ellert R S Nijenhuis and Onno van der Hart (two of the writers of the Theory of Structural Dissociation) - page 27, at the end of the article, they recognise mediumship and similar practices as a âdivision of personality,â which is what they refer to the dissociative disorders as
Exploring the Experiences of Young People with Multiplicity
Research by Zarah Eve and Sarah Perry - begins with multiplicity only sometimes being applicable for a DID/OSDD diagnosis, and continues that multiplicity itself and the dissociative disorders are not the same, as well as some respondents not associating their multiplicity with trauma alongside the dissociative disorders not applying to some of the respondents, and having a section for some multiplicity not being based in trauma
Comparison of Brazilian spiritist mediumship and dissociative identity disorder
Study by multiple people - in comparing Dissociative Identity Disorder with Brazilian Spiritist Mediumship, it was found the two shared very similar results, only that the Mediumship results appeared slightly healthier than DID
Tulpamancy
Studies and research specifically on Tulpas, though can apply to other plurality
Tibetan Buddhist with a Tulpa - Opinion on Plurality
Post by Dharma Yokeyodasampa - a Tibetan Buddhist with a more traditional Tulpa asking community members for questions, discussions include what they think about plurality, western Tulpamancy, how their Tulpa feels, and the difference between western Tulpamancy and the Tibetan practice. (This is a post compiling and explaining most of it, with a response from Dharma.)
Personality Characteristics of Tulpamancers and Their Tulpas
Study by multiple people - examines and explores what Tulpas are, what they do, their role, Tulpa experiences, some history, and more
Sentient companions predicted and modeled into existence: explaining the Tulpa phenomenon
Study by Kaj Sotala - describes a theory on how Tulpas may be psychologically caused via âfeedback loopsâ (can also be applied to various other types of plurality, such as multiplicity caused by authors/artists and caused by other disorders)
A Time for Tulpas
Thesis by Nick Stager - discusses what a Tulpa is, experiences with Tulpas, the development of Tulpas, how other practices may be similar, how an author can accidentally create Tulpas, and more
Tracking the Tulpa - Exploring the "Tibetan" Origins of a Contemporary Paranormal Idea
Book by Natasha L. Mikles and Joseph P. Laycock - explains what Tulpas are, how Tulpas are created both intentionally and unintentionally, some of the history behind Tulpa, and Tulpas based on theosophy instead of the Tibetan practice
Tulpas and Mental Health: A Study of Non-Traumagenic Plural Experiences
Study by Jacob J. Isler - explains what Tulpamancy is and how it can differ from Dissociative Identity Disorder but still be pluralÂ
Paranormalizing the Popular through the Tibetan Tulpa: Or what the next Dalai Lama, the X Files and Affect Theory (might) have in common
Article by Ben Joffe - explains what Tulpas are, how Tulpas develop, Tulpa experiences in the outside world, the difference between Tulpamancy and the Tibetan practice, some of the history behind Tulpas, Theosophy-related Tulpas, and Tibetan Sprulpa experiences
Making Friends - Transcript of a Podcast on Tulpas
(Slightly incorrect: more info here) Discussion by multiple people - explains multiple personal experiences with a Tulpa, actions of a Tulpa, accidental creation of Tulpas through writing, Tulpas taking over the physical body, Tulpas having a different identity, purposeful creation of Tulpas, discussions with professionals (Richard J. Loewenstein,) the difference between Tulpas and psychosis, the similarity between Tulpas and Dissociative Identity Disorder, how without distress then it canât be disordered, and more
Daring to Hear Voices
Dalai Lama - Buddhist practices are open to those who need them
Clinical Information
Helpful medical information not specifically related to non-traumagenic systems
DID Brain Pattern Study Doesn't Measure Up - December 2018
Critique by Spot&Cerberus - discusses the multiple flaws with the MRI scan on DID patients
Moral Status and the Treatment of DID Study by Timothy J. Bane - discusses the current known treatments for DID in the context of integration being commonly used, how it may be unethical and unhealthy to force integration, and that a multiple can healthily exist
DID, OSDD, and UDD Diagnostic Guide (NZ)
Diagnostic guide by ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) - the New Zealand guide to diagnosing patients with DID, OSDD, and UDD, includes history of the diagnosis, problems with the diagnosis, alternative diagnoses, requirements for a diagnosis, what to avoid in a diagnosis, what to look for in a diagnosis, and similar
The Theory of Structural Dissociation
Theory by multiple people - the most commonly used theory to explain dissociation, often specifically related to dissociative disorders
Problems with the Theory of Structural Dissociation
Research by multiple people - discusses multiple problems with the Theory of Structural Dissociation, including it being a theory, the discarding of derealisation, depersonalisation, dissociative fugue, dissociative amnesia, the lack of association with trauma and PTSD in the DSM-V, and proposes some different ideas
ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics
Book by the World Health Ogranisation - Dissociative disorders on 6B64
DSM DID ALTERATIONS
DSM-V-TR
DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition)
Book by the American Psychiatric Association - Dissociative Disorders on page 336
DSM-IV-TR
DSM-IV
DSM-III-R
DSM-III
DSM-II-SPECIAL
DSM-II
DSM-I-SPECIAL
DSM-I
Plural History
Explanations and references to different parts of plural history
Plural History - 1811
Collection by Lb Lee - contains multiple parts of history in which systems of all types have existed (there are 4 different chapters)
A Partial History of Plural Self-Advocacy
Collection by Alt H - describes times in history starting from 1987 when non-traumagenic plural advocacy was recorded
It's Not Just a Tumblr Thing - Kerry Dawkins
Article by Ex Uno Plures - contains references in history to plurality outside of and before Tumblr
A Brief History of the Use of "System" in a Non-DID Space
Collection by Lb Lee - describes the history of the word âsystemâ being used to describe those with multiple selves, and how it isnât a disorder-specific term
A Quick'N'Dirty History of "System" as Plural Slang
Collection by Lb Lee - explains the history of the word âsystemâ and the different uses
"Endogenic" was not coined by Freud
Collection by Sophie in Wonderland - a discussion on the anti-endos claim that âendogenicâ was coined by Freud
Origin of the term Endogenic
Explanation by the Lunastus Collective - details how the term âendogenicâ came to be created, what led up to it, and what happened after
I saw a post saying we should just believe RAMCOA surivors... okay... so how about this one?
Explanation by Sophie in Wonderland - describes how and why anti-endos think âsystem hoppingâ was stolen by endogenic systems from RAMCOA systems, including an explanation from the RAMCOA system that anti-endos reference
Community Explanations
Explanations on endogenic plurality by community members (sources are used)
Debunking the Anti-Endo Carrd - Guardians System
To be updated
What do Sysmeds say That is Transphobic/TERF Rhetoric?
Post by multiple people - a discussion on the comparison of sysmeds and transmeds, and how their arguments and the language they use is the same
Why Not Just Use Thoughtform?
Collection by Sophie in Wonderland and Olivia Set - describes why some parogenic systems prefer using Tulpa over ThoughtformÂ
Debunking Sysmeds - Claims and Rebuttals
Carrd by Ozymandias& - lists claims that anti-endos make against endogenic systems, and critiques the claims alongside referencing studies
I would define a plural system as having multiple, compartmentalised, self-conscious agents - SophieInWonderland
Collection by Sophie in Wonderland - an explanation of the validity of endogenic and non-traumagenic systems complete with referenced research and studies
Studies and Research into Endogenic and Non-Disordered Plurality
Masterpost - Academia on Endogenic and non-traumagenic plurality
Post by Inclusive Syscourse - contains an explanation on the validity of endogenic and non-traumagenic plurality complete with referenced research
Claims There is No Research On Endogenics
Post by Unknown - a list of research on endogenic and non-traumagenic plurality alongside explanations and descriptions
Origins of Plurality and Levels of Dissociation
Study by The Phoenixes - uses the DES to gain insight into plurality not caused by trauma
The Tulpa Carrd - explain the nature and origins of Tulpamancy and what surrounds it
Carrd by Unknown - lists an explanation and some history of Tulpamancy alongside references to research
Likely Origins of "Tulpamancy is Cultural Appropriation"
Post by the Dragonheart System - critiques a Carrd claiming that Tulpamancy is cultural appropriation, referencing research and studies
Resources
General helpful resources for all systems
Multiplicity Wiki - A wiki by plurals and multiples, for plurals and multiples
Wiki by multiple people - contains terms, definitions, and general information on all types of plurality and multiplicity
Layman's Guide to Multiplicity
Guide by Unknown - contains terms, definitions, information, explanations, and experiences on multiple types of plurality
The Plural Association - For Dissociative Identity Disorder & all other forms of Multiplicity under the Plural umbrella
Organisation by the Stronghold System (?) - contains help sites for all types of struggling systems, alongside helpful information and articles on multiple areas
Pluralpedia - the collaborative plurality dictionary
Dictionary by multiple people - contains a massive amount of information on the majority of plural terms and history
Endogenic Hub -Â a site dedicated to endogenic plurality
Hub by the Hordes System - contains information and experiences on multiple types of non-traumagenic plurality, alongside explanations of what plurality is
More Than One - Plurality (or multiplicity) is the existence of multiple self-aware entities inside one physical brain
Site by Unknown - contains information on terms, different system origins, denounces myths about plurality, and different plural experiences
The Dissociative Initiative - For, by, and about people with multiplicity, dissociation, and amnesia
Run by Sarah K Reece - a support group for systems that contains different information and resources on plurality
Tulpa Info - "For Science"
Guide by Unknown - multiple different languages, explains what a Tulpa is, why they can exist, and where to begin when making a Tulpa
FAQ
If youâre a sysmed, you might end up here! Congrats if you do!
What is a system? A system is anyone who has more than one entity/identity in the body/brain.Â
What is plural/multiple? They mean pretty much the same as "system", only "plural" was made exclusively to be inclusive of every experience that involves many in the same body. E.g. if someone is an anti-endo or sysmed and uses the hashing "plural" to find friends, they're going to attract inclusive folks who support endos.
What is DID? DID stands for Dissociative Identity Disorder. It is a disorder in which a system experiences severe dissociation that heavily impacts their life on a day-to-day basis.
What is OSDD? OSDD stands for otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder and is used when they experience similar symptoms to DID but are missing one of the diagnostic criteria. E.g. OSDD-1A is used when there's a lack of distinct identities or no identities. OSDD-1B is used when there's a lack of memory gaps. (The separate OSDD categories don't properly exist as a diagnosis themselves - they are carried over from DDNOS.)
What is UDD? UDD stands for Unspecified Dissociative Disorder. It's often used as a placeholder diagnosis by professionals to say that although there is a dissociative disorder, they're not sure what it is.
What is a non-disordered system? A non-disordered system is a system without DID, OSDD, or UDD. They don't experience the disorders or do not fit the criteria.Â
What is traumagenic, endogenic, mixed-origins, etc.? Traumagenic is a system that is formed from trauma. Endogenic is a system that is formed without trauma. Mixed-origins is a system that has multiple origins, E.g. some alters came from trauma and some did not.
What is a Tulpa? A Tulpa is a created identity that comes from repeatedly feeding information on one character or multiple characters into the brain. It can be purposeful or accidental.
DID/OSDD/UDD are trauma disorders? The diagnostic criteria for the disorders don't include trauma being necessary, nor does it anywhere else in the category. Trauma disorders and dissociative disorders are also categorised separately, and there are past studied cases of DID that weren't caused by trauma. The DSM-V-TR also includes a section that states trauma isn't necessary for a diagnosis.
You need trauma to be a system? The DSM-V specifies that a diagnosis of DID cannot be applied to cultural plurality. Culture-related plurality has existed and been documented for centuries, erased by colonisation and racism. Common cultural plurality includes Tibetan Buddhism, many Two-Spirit folk, medians, and mediums. These and more are all plural.
Dissociation is a trauma reaction? Youâll find nearly every if not every professional refers to some dissociation as âtrauma-related dissociationâ - take, for example, Kathy Steele, one of the writers of the Theory of Structural Dissociation, whose work consists almost only of âtrauma-related dissociationâ. That wouldnât be necessary if dissociation only came from trauma. Dissociation is commonly shown to exist both inside and outside of other disorders. Itâs especially common in BPD, ADHD, MADD, autism, and a few other disorders.
So only cultural and spiritual plurality can be non-traumagenic? Theyâre the most well-researched, but not the only non-traumagenic plurality. There are a few different theories as to how other plurality can form. Many experience their plurality caused by mostly unrelated disorders - autism, ADHD, BPD, Bipolar Disorder, MADD, etc. Others report accidentally creating alters, especially those who focus on characters, such as writers, artists, and authors. Yet more simply say they were born with their plurality, or grew up being plural without trauma being the cause. We believe plurality that hasnât existed since birth could be caused by a âfeedback loopâ (here) in which oneâs brain, after being fed repeated information, begins to predict the information, therefore creating actions to fill that prediction. This could be used to explain Tulpamancy (repeated info), artists/authors/writers (repeated info), ASD (masking and special interests), ADHD (masking and hyperfixations), BPD (splitting and more), MADD (repeated info), Bipolar (different states), and so on.Â
Endogenic systems harm traumagenic systems? We and others have asked multiple times for sysmeds to tell us why they think endogenic systems hurt them, and every time weâve either received silence or something thatâs already been covered. Besides that, anti-endos hurt other traumagenic systems with their BS far more than endogenic systems might hurt them.
Anti-endos hurt traumagenic systems? Yup, and very frequently, considering sysmeds repeat the exact same information. Sysmeds say you have to be disordered to be a system - traumagenic systems exist without being disordered. Sysmeds say endogenic systems stole traumagenic terms - a mix of the communities coined the majority of system terms, and âendogenicâ was coined by a traumagenic system. Sysmeds say what someone went through isnât traumatising or horrific enough - traumagenic systems can be caused by any amount of trauma, no matter how âinsignificantâ it seems. Sysmeds repeatedly tell endogenic systems they need to have trauma - telling someone they have to have trauma when they either donât or have amnesia around it can be incredibly damaging and has hurt many traumagenic systems. Sysmeds say they need to go to a psychologist or a therapist and be diagnosed - many traumagenic systems canât be diagnosed. Many endogenic systems have trauma, just know they werenât formed from it, and anti-endos repeatedly mock them about having trauma. Thereâs much, much more, but to end it, as a traumagenic system, weâve personally been assaulted, harassed, threatened, told to kill ourself, and had our trauma completely invalidated and discarded by anti-endo traumagenic systems.
Expired Links
Looking for alternatives
Endogenic Research (Text Form) - NightFallSystem
----------------------------
Hey everybody.
This is a list of the research and resources we've compiled over the last year or so that refers in some way to plurality, especially in the context of being endogenic and non-traumagenic supportive.
We often argue this subject on Twitter, alongside (hope you don't mind the tags) @cambriancrew and @sophieinwonderland . We've included a few of their posts in this, as they do share some wonderful information. Sophie deals in mainly Tulpamancy, we believe? And Cambrians does a wide range of things. They've both been incredibly helpful, so big credit and massive thank you to those two (and anyone else in this document) :)
Feel free to link this post or the document itself to anyone. Link it everywhere. Feel free to tag us too, as your friendly neighbourhood endo-friendly traumagenic DID system with PTSD and CPTSD. Our collective pronouns are phe/phex/phins, and we're collectively called Guardians or Guardians System.
Hope this helps some folks! If anything's wrong in this post, mention it in the notes (we think that's how Tumblr works?) and we'll adjust it in the Google Document. Alternatively, if you'd prefer to remain anonymous or would like to talk to us directly, you can check our LinkTree at the top of this page. We're always open to feedback and new research! We're especially interested in making our document more reader-friendly, as it can be a bit of an eyesore. but we're not the best at formatting documents.
If we do receive updates to edit some information, we'll be doing so on the document, so always double-check there in case there's been a change. If there are enough updates, we'll redo this post, but hopefully, that won't be necessary for a long time, because formatting all this in Tumblr is more than enough for us.
âYou canât [identify as a thing] without [negative prerequisite] because the two are intrinsically connected and if you say otherwise youâre faking.â
Transmeds:
âYou canât be trans without dysphoria because being dysphoric IS being trans, and dysphoria is a mental disorder! So being trans is a mental disorder!â
Sysmeds:
âYou canât be a system without trauma because DID and OSDD are only caused by trauma, and are the only ways to be a system! You canât have DID or OSDD without trauma therefore you canât be a system without a disorder!â
Itâs the conflation of a normal state of existing (being trans and being plural) and disorders related to them (gender dysphoria and dissociative disorders respectively).
They will further go on to embody more similarities:
Transmed: "You aren't trans, you're just talking about your personality."
Sysmed: "You arent plural, you're just talking about your mood."
Transmed: "You need to transition if you're really trans."
Sysmed: "You need to submit to psychiatric treatment if you're really a system."
Transmed: "Brain scans prove that binary trans people exist, therefore non-binary trans people can't exist."
Sysmeds: "Brain scans prove that traumagenic systems have something going on, therefore non-traumagenic can't exist."
Transmed: "Nobody wants to be trans. Its hell and anyone who enjoys being trans is faking."
Sysmed: "Being a system is hell. Nobody wants to be a system, and anyone who says otherwise is faking."
Transmed: "If you're not dysphoric, you're probably just gay."
Sysmed: "If you didn't have trauma before a certain age, you must be mistaking your symptoms for something else."
Transmed: "These people are claiming to be trans for clout."
Sysmed: "These people are claiming to be plural for clout."
Transmed: "Fine, you're not normally cis, but what you're experience is nothing like what I experience with my gender dysphoria. Therefore you shouldn't call yourself trans. Find your own words." (Ignoring the amount of enbi folks who have been a part of the trans struggle since the beginning.)
Sysmed: "Fine, you're not a normal singlet, but what you're experiencing is nothing like what I experience with my trauma and system distress. Therefore you shouldn't call yourself a system. Find your own words." (Ignoring the fact that endogenic and non-disordered systems have been a part of the plural struggle since the beginning.)
Transmed: "Every trans person is dysphoric. Even if you think that you're not dysphoric you have to be by definition. How could anyone live in a body that doesn't match their gender without dysphoria?"
Sysmed: "Every system is distressed. Even if you think you're not distressed you have to be by definition. How could anyone live in a body with other people and not be distressed over it?"
Trans/Sysmed: "People won't accept us because of those weirdos."
The similarities between sysmeds and transmeds is vast. I think there are a lot of sysmeds get all bent out of shape about that label because they don't realize how much their position mirrors transmeds. We've noticed quite a few of these sysmeds are young. I get the feeling they just imagine transmeds as this boogeyman that's super easy to spot and obviously absurd.
But I remember it wasn't that long ago that transmeds were everywhere we looked. They were mainstream as far as trans issues. Their positions were reasonable and inviting. They offered a way to be trans without questioning the patriarchy. They provided someone to kick down on like had been done to us so frequently already. They offered explanations that justified our existence to a society whose acceptance was always conditional.
So yeah, sysmeds copy the shit out of transmeds, whether they like to or not.
small summarization of how everyones sonas have changed over the years. the first are not when they started to exist, just when they began actually drawing a 'sona' for themself.
at the bottom is our currently understood timeline, to compare to.
Seeing a lot of immediate panic over sp being discontinued, and i would like to note, Amaryllis says they'll be keeping the app up as long as they can, and if the app ever will go down, we all will be given a warning prior to it.
looking into simply plural alternatives now and honestly its looking like good ol pen and paper may be the best for us. our iphone is too out of date to support octocon, and we don't like logging switches into pluralkit (too confusing)
although we also suck at remembering to write things down, so lets be real. its all gonna stay in our head and then we'll forgor
andulkaphoto
kianamaiart
germansingergirl
janainaart
origamiaround
