Mit Grita e DR

Evan || 20 || Gay🏳️‍🌈 || 20/12 B-day🎉

[mlmmom-evy10]

Decided here to make an introduction post!

Hi everyone! My name is Evan.

I’m an alter in a DID system, who’s just living his life. Some things about me include: I just turned 20, I’m gay and in a happy relationship, and I really enjoy tea & writing.

There’s a bunch of inside specific things like my status and species, but that can be expanded on in the future- when I know myself.

My abilities are quite spread out which makes it hard to figure out my species, since I can shapeshift by changing my skeleton structure (can also add (and maybe remove) bones). And my favourite thing to shift ‘into’ is a pair of wings.

Additionally, I’m quite involved in the inside’s Demon Realm- but there’s too much to say about it in this little introduction post. Any questions about myself, the DR or being an alter are welcome, as long as they’re not mean.

An image I found that closely resembles what I look like inside and my general style.

Welp that’s it loves, thanks for reading. Feel free to ask questions ❤️‍🩹

[echoes-in-the-multiverse]

Truths & Myths: Pluralpedia Part 3, Analysis of the Binary Star system Metaphor.

Written by Olive. This is both an educational post and a personal post because it goes over the analysis of a metaphor.

At a minimum, a diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder requires the presence of two distinct dissociative identities. This means that some individuals with DID may only have two identities, while others may have more. However, some individuals may believe they have only two identities, but in reality, there may be other identities that have not yet been identified due to amnesic barriers and communication disturbances, and these realisations may come years after the individual is aware they have DID.

The term "non-native" is not accurate, as all dissociative identities are formed within the brain of the individual, either as a child or through further fragmentation as an adult. It is not possible for dissociative identities to be created in someone else and then transferred to another person's system. In previous posts in this series, we have discussed how DID is formed and how dissociative identities can be identified through varying brain activity.

On the Pluralpedia page, it refers to the astronomical term Binary system. In this section, I would like to evaluate the use of binary systems as a metaphorical representation of systems.

Firstly, a binary system is a system that contains two stars in some type of orbit around each other, which could include an orbit around a distinct centre of mass or may appear more that one star is orbiting the other star even though it is still technically around a centre of mass of both stars. In the theory of one star orbiting another, this creates an idea of a dominant star and a non-dominant star. This reflects language used in the ICD-11 to describe Partial Dissociative Identity Disorder, where the individual will have a dominant distinct identity and a non-dominant distinct identity. 

Furthermore, to continue with the metaphor of dissociative identities being represented by stars, in binary systems, there are various types of stars. These different types of stars could potentially symbolise the difference in alters within an individual. For instance, a binary system could consist of a main sequence star and a red giant. In this scenario, the red giant, being larger, could represent a protector alter who is more powerful. Additionally, the fact that it is an older star could represent the protector's wisdom or heightened awareness of the individual's trauma. It could also serve to illustrate the varying ages of different dissociative identities. Other possible combinations could include a red giant and a white dwarf, or a main sequence star and a white dwarf.

There are varying levels of connections between stars in binary systems, which can mirror the level of communication between the parts of a system. In Detached Binary systems, two stars are completely separate, similar to how dissociative identities in DID systems may not have any communication at all or may have challenging communication, especially in early recovery. They may be aware of each other or only notice the influence other parts have on them. Like how both stars in a binary system will "wobble" around a shared centre of mass, which is influenced by the other star. This is one way that binary systems are identified in astrophysics. 

In Semi-detached binary systems, one star has a mass transfer stream to another star. This stream is similar to how some parts can have semi-fluid communication and even have the ability to be partially aware of what one part did when having executive control. This happens when amnesia is lower therefore black-out amnesia is less and more awareness is possible. 

In a Contact Binary system, the stars appear to be one big star with two main cores. This is similar to when dissociative identities are integrated, meaning they can function as one because amnesic barriers have been removed and there is a greater connection in memories. This may lead to fusion, becoming only one identity, but alternatively, a system may remain integrated and live under functional multiplicity.

However, even though this metaphor seems to be relatively good in describing the basics of Dissociative Identity Disorder in terms of dissociative identities, the big problem with comparing it to binary systems in the universe is that binary and multiple-star systems are very common. Our solar system is a large anomaly when compared to the rest of the universe in terms of our star, the arrangements of planets and well the fact it has life. Using this metaphor to someone who understands astrophysics may give them the impression that DID is more common than it is. Even though any percentage of the population will equate to a lot of people in a visualised sense, its proportion is not suitable for a comparison of the proportion of binary and multiple-star systems.

One potential issue is the formation of binary systems. When there is gravitational instability in the disk surrounding a protostar, it can lead to disk fragmentation and the formation of two stars from one disk cloud. While this accurately reflects the concept that dissociative identities stem from one whole rather than multiple wholes within one body, the use of the term "fragmentation" may perpetuate the misconception that DID is caused by the splitting of one whole personality. In reality, DID develops because the personality never fully forms as a whole. However, the larger concern is the fact that binary systems can also form through the "Dynamical Capture of a star," where two independently formed stars interact and begin orbiting each other due to their gravitational pull. This is not an accurate representation of how dissociative identities function in DID. It is dangerous to suggest that DID can behave in this way through the use of this metaphor, as it may lead some individuals to believe that they can gain or transfer alters or even choose to form a system as an adult. This can be harmful, as it may prevent individuals from seeking proper treatment for their symptoms or addressing underlying conditions that may be contributing to their experiences.

If you are interested in physics metaphors to describe DID, we have posts on the Grand Unified Theory and Black holes.

[echoes-in-the-multiverse]

Black Holes: A metaphorical view of Trauma in Dissociative Identity Disorder. Part 1

Written by Olive. This is a personal and educational post.

This post covers in more detail why new dissociative identities may be formed in adulthood and define integration in terms of the end-goal treatments for DID.

When trying to understand the complexities of life, metaphors are very powerful tools to visulise our experiences. We find many aspects of Black Holes can be an analogy for the way trauma interacts in the lives of individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). In this post, we will explore the anatomy of black holes and explain how we relate each aspect to our lives, whilst providing an educational light on the disorder’s realities. 

Singularity.

At the centre of every Black hole is a point known as the singularity. This point is considered to be where all the mass of the black hole is centred under infinite density. When something passes the event horizon of the black hole, it will travel inwards towards the singularity.

At the heart of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) lies chronic, severe childhood trauma. We envision this trauma as a singularity, events from which all experiences are affected and the initial formation of alters. Even alters formed later may stem from this foundational trauma. The trauma is deeply stored within us like an infinitely concentrated source of pain. It disrupted our childhood integration, leading to remaining fragmented, and continues to hinder integration efforts today. 

The Event Horizon.

Past the event horizon, considered the boundary that defines the black hole, the escape velocity required to overcome the gravitational force of the black hole is greater than the speed of light. This means nothing can escape from a black hole, not even light. 

Trauma is not always visible, it can be mental, emotional, or even physical and does not leave a lasting effect on the body. This can be reflected by the fact that light cannot escape from a black hole therefore it cannot be seen and is only observed from objects around it. Victims may not be believed if they do not have “physical evidence” on their body but evidence of trauma can be seen from the history of the environment around them. 

The event horizon of a black hole can be likened to the window of tolerance for individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Once something breaches this threshold, causing overwhelming stress or trauma, it can lead to fragmentation in the brain. It's crucial to understand that the nature of these experiences can vary greatly. They can be as seemingly insignificant as a photon of light or as impactful as an entire planet. Similarly, some black holes may exist near planets without consuming them, reflecting how different individuals respond differently to potential trauma.

This metaphor illustrates how anything can be traumatic for a system, potentially causing a split later in life. The severity of the trauma does not need to match that of the initial childhood trauma for it to cause further disturbances in integration. Everyone has a unique window of tolerance, which is why not everyone with severe childhood trauma develops DID, but all individuals with DID have experienced chronic severe childhood trauma. 

This can result in systems having dissociative identities that are very specific, such as being the only one to handle money, or whose whole role is to complete a mundane task of life, such as being the one to take a shower or hoovering because this may for some reason overwhelm an individual, such as the fact it is repetitive or it could be overstimulating. Even the thought of being in a situation that could reactivate traumatic memories can cause the brain to split, such as dreading a visit to a family member, this shows examples of fragmentation being a defensive mechanism because the individual will now be able to handle the situation and did not need to be retraumatised for the brain to become aware that the current system is overwhelmed by this task. This conceptual framework is supported by the work of Van der Hart, Nijenhuis, and Steele (2006) in “The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization”, where they discuss patients developing new dissociative identities in adulthood and the theory that later in life structural dissociation becomes a mental defense tool, despite beginning from traumatisation. 

Hawking Radiation.

As is also presented in the work of Hawking (2018) in “Brief Answers to the Big Questions”, in quantum theory, space is filled with matter and antimatter pairs, such as a proton and an antiproton, that spontaneously appear, collide, and then annihilate each other. If this spontaneous appearance occurs near the event horizon of a black hole, the matter particle can either fall in or escape and appear to be radiated by the black hole. Theoretically, the anti-particle is traveling backward in time so if the anti-particle falls into the black hole this can also be a way it loses mass. As the anti-particle travels it will eventually in time reach where it first appeared and then travel forward in time because the gravitational field scatters it. This process is known as Hawking radiation, and it explains how black holes dissipate over time and why the very first black holes formed in the universe are no longer present. 

The process of Hawking radiation can be likened to the slow yet significant role of processing trauma. To be effective, it must proceed at a pace an individual can handle, and it may never feel certain when a breakthrough in trauma recovery will occur. However, it brings hope that healing from the trauma that caused DID and its symptoms is possible. Through therapy, dissociative parts can become more integrated, meaning they will have a greater connection of memories without amnesic barriers and better communication. This can lead to either functional multiplicity, where all integrated parts work together while maintaining multiple dissociative identities, or final fusion, where all dissociative identities fuse into a single, unified personality. A clear distinction between fusing dissociative identities and integrating them is further supported in the work of Llyod (2023) in “Integration and Fusion in DID/OSDD: Part Two”, which verifies my use of the word ‘integration’.

Written by Olive. This is a personal and educational post.

Bibliography

Van der Hart O, Steele K, Nijenhuis E. The Haunted Self : Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization. W.W. Norton; 2006.

Lloyd M, The CTAD Clinic. Integration and Fusion in DID/OSDD: Part Two. YouTube. Published December 17, 2023.

Hawking S. Brief Answers to the Big Questions. Hachette UK; 2018.

[echoes-in-the-multiverse]

Spanish Version:

Our collective art name is Whisper Studios. Welcome to the first product by Whisper Studios :D

The pose reference from this drawing comes from @kaosdisabledsupport on Tik Tok. Modified slightly as the original pose uses two crutches but we have modified this as we are a cane user.

We may be disabled, but having a disability is not all we are.

Living with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) is undoubtedly challenging, but it does not define who we are. It is important to recognise that living with a disability and adapting to everyday life should not be the source of inspiration for others. Instead, let us be inspired by the achievements, strengths, creativity, compassion, and passions of disabled individuals.

Disability Awareness Month.

[echoes-in-the-multiverse]

Truths & Myths: Pluralpedia Part 1, DID Formation.

In the fact check, we cover how DID is formed.

Welcome to our "Truths and Myths" series! In this series, we aim to debunk misconceptions and provide accurate information about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). We will mainly focus on DID as it is the disorder we are most familiar with on both a personal and research basis.

Each post will highlight the accurate and inaccurate parts of each term, from the best of our research ability. Then, at the end, we will explain the full story of what DID actually is and provide our sources. We will be taking requests for terms anyone would like us to review. Otherwise, we will use random terms we find.

This first post is an exception to the random terms as we wanted to go over the formation of a DID system.

 To develop Dissociative Identity Disorder, a child must experience overwhelming, severe, and repetitive trauma during their childhood. Having a dissociative disorder such as DID, PDID (ICD-11), or OSDD (DSMV) is the only way to have forms of dissociative identities.

As previously mentioned, DID can only be formed from trauma.

However, it has been suggested that individuals with a natural ability to dissociate or use dissociation as their primary response to trauma are more likely to develop DID. This innate ability allows them to reach a high level of dissociation and form dissociative identities. It is important to note that there is currently no confirmed link between this ability and the development of DID, but it is a proposed logical theory that would need more research.

Furthermore, certain biological factors can make an individual more susceptible to trauma, such as being born biologically female or being neurodivergent. For example, biological females are statistically more likely to experience s*xual abuse, which may have been the trauma they experienced as a child that led to the formation of their system.

Additionally, it is crucial to clarify that Dissociative Identity Disorder cannot be present at birth, and therefore, one can not be born with a system.

Though I suppose technically, in the way the theory is currently proposed, people who have DID never had a "singlet" phase. Otherwise, they would not have been able to form a system or develop DID.

The theory of how personality is structured suggests that the personality comprises "modes" that contain cognitive, affective, behavioural, and physiological representations. These modes also represent a plan for encoding experiences and responding to internal and environmental demands.

For example, a person may have a "mother mode" activated when caring for a child, and this mode would have planned what care a child needs. However, the person will also have other modes, such as one associated with demands about their work or demands for defence in verbal ways. In a regular adult, all modes are connected to each other and are under a "conscious control system," which allows for an integrated self-state. This is why it may feel you have fluctuations in your personality or feel differently around your family than your friends. They are different modes, but importantly, they are all integrated together, unlike in an individual with DID.

DID occurs when this coupling process of modes is disrupted by dissociation caused by trauma. This results in smaller, more isolated pockets of modes, leading to multiple conscious control systems that represent different and discontinuous modes. Each of these systems has its own aspect of self, reflected by the modes within it.

The coupling process can be disturbed when a child tries to displace their thoughts, feelings, and emotions onto a “not me” in order to escape what they are experiencing and carry on with life and allows the child to remain for example creative or have a sense of humour even in very difficult circumstances. This leads to disconnected feelings and disorganised attachments to primary caregivers, which means the integration of modes is impossible.

One's I specifically used to write my explanation:

Revisiting the etiological aspects of dissociative identity disorder: a biopsychosocial perspective. (Section under Dissociative Identities)

McLean Hospital. (Section under What is Dissociative Identity Disorder?)

Other external sources that also validate my claims but were not used specifically in the writing:

Cleveland Clinic. (Section under What causes Dissociative Identity Disorder)

NHS (Section under Causes of Dissociative disorder. It is important to note that this covers all dissociative disorders, not specifically DID)

Better Health Channel. (Section under Causes of Dissociative Disorders. It is important to note that this covers all dissociative disorders, not specifically DID)

Thank you for reading our first part to this series. Feel free to send us an echo to our page or leave in the comments any questions or suggestions for future parts to this series.

Made from the collaborative efforts of the system who run this blog.

[echoes-in-the-multiverse]

Truths & Myths: Pluralpedia Part 2, Brain Activity in DID

In the fact check, we cover brain activity in switching, brain activity between EPs and ANPs in DID and how this compares to actors trying to imitate having dissociative identities.

All parts exist within one biological body, parts are caused by different brain activity, which means other parts cannot have their own DNA. Moreover, parts do not have physical bodies, any claim to a body is a visualisation tool aiding the part to develop its identity and gain comfort. This visualisation also does not have DNA but that does not mean it cannot be changed. Parts can have different types of relationships though, some parts may consider each other family. This is related to how people have biological or chosen families but in relationships between parts, they reflect those family types rather than actually being those family types.

In the fact check section, we will show studies where actors could not successfully simulate dissociative identities and switch between them. This shows how a person cannot gain dissociative identities by believing they have them or trying to create them by will or want.

Genealogist fact check:

Using quantitative electro-encephalogram (QEEG), it was seen that the change between dissociative identities was seen as beta activity (beta waves are high-frequency, low-amplitude brain waves in the awakened state and are involved in conscious thought and logical thinking) in the frontal and temporal lobes. The frontal lobe is responsible for reasoning, social understanding, executive function, voluntary muscle movements, learning, and recalling information. The temporal lobes are most commonly associated with processing auditory information and encoding memories.

Willogenic fact check:

There have been studies conducted to examine the differences in brain activity between ANPs and EPs in patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). The terms ANPs and EPs originate from the theory of structural dissociation, which will be discussed in a separate post. In summary, an ANP (apparently normal part) is responsible for carrying out daily tasks, while an EP (emotional part) holds traumatic memories and prevents them from being experienced by the ANPs. Instead, the EPs relive the trauma, rather than being able to experience the present moment like an ANP would. According to this model, EPs are present in patients with PTSD, CPTSD, OSDD, and DID but DID is the only disorder that involves multiple ANPs, setting it apart from the others.

Study one:

In a study, EPs and ANPs in DID patients were shown angry and neutral faces to observe changes in activity and reaction time to a changing coloured dot on the face. This was compared to a control group of actors attempting to simulate an EP or ANP state. The results showed that EPs in DID patients had higher activity in the right parahippocampal gyrus when presented with either face, compared to DID ANPs. The right parahippocampal gyrus is involved in the recall of autobiographical memories, with a right hemispheric predominance, and is also part of the re-experiencing of symptoms in disorders such as PTSD. This supports the theory that EPs play a role in storing traumatic memories. 

The observed activity also suggests and supports the idea that EPs within DID may perceive safe individuals as dangerous and when confronted with reminders of traumatic memories, they may reactivate those memories. While there were other findings in the study, further statistical evidence and a larger sample size are needed to conclude. However, the control group was unable to replicate the activity and reaction time of DID ANPs and EPs. Their reactions were the opposite. When attempting to simulate ANPs and EPs, the actors showed an inverse reaction time and neural brain activity for each state. For example, when the actors were meant to act like ANPs, they tended to react like EPs in DID patients. For ANP-simulating controls neutral faces were salient, they did attract much preconscious attention, as happened for authentic EP. The current findings add to the psychobiological evidence that DID is neither an effect of suggestion and fantasy, nor role-playing.

Study two:

Additionally, a study was conducted to measure brain perfusion, which refers to the passage of fluid through an organ, normally the delivery of blood to a capillary bed in tissue, during rest. The study compared DID patients to controls and found that DID patients have a higher resting state metabolism, the rate at which calories are used, in the Default Mode Network (DMN), which is active when the person is not focused on the outside world such as daydreaming, of the brain. This can be explained by the fact that DID patients’ brains are more focused on attending to their self-states during rest, something that the control group did not experience. 

Moreover, compared to an EP in DID, ANPs in DID showed more metabolism in the bilateral thalamus, the part of the brain that relays sensory and motor signals and regulates both alertness and consciousness. Furthermore, the study found that EPs in DID have increased regional cerebral blood flow in the primary somatosensory cortex, several motor-related parts of the brain, and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. The primary somatosensory cortex is involved in action planning and execution, indicating that EPs are highly aware of their body being in a threatening situation. This heightened awareness would trigger the need for defensive motor reactions, making it difficult for them to fulfill the instructions for resting. The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex has many roles important ones such as processing the sense of self and modulating and regulating emotional responses and heart rate in situations of fear or stress.

“Neural processes associated with intended and motivated role-playing of ANP and EP were clearly distinct from those correlated with being ANP and EP following rest instructions.” (From first source in the list)

Conclusion:

Overall, these studies clearly show different alters are due to varying brain activity but also show that DID has a biological backing whose results cannot be replicated through acting or attempting to immediately the presence of dissociative states. 

However, it is always important to note that more research should be done with larger samples, but the studies spoken about here at the time of their research were the largest.

Genealogist:

Revisiting the etiological aspects of dissociative identity disorder: a biopsychosocial perspective (Section under Neurobiology of DID)

Beta waves. (Section under Technical Aspects of Brain Rhythms and Speech Parameters)

Frontal Lobe.

Temporal Lobes.

Willogenic:

The Brain in Dissociative Identity Disorder: Reactions to Subliminal Facial Stimuli and a Task-Free Condition.

Default Mode Network.

Bilateral Thalamus. (Section under Abstract)

Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex.

Feel free to send us an echo to our page or leave in the comments any questions or suggestions for future parts to this series.

Part one of this series covered DID formation.

Made from the collaborative efforts of the system who run this blog.

[sapphichaewon]

i can be your girlfriend i can be your boyfriend i can be your significant other i literally can be anything cause im not a girl im not a boy im just a secret third thing that can switch from masc to fem to androgynous in a blink of an eye

[daily-spooky]

[mlmmom-evy10]

Voyeur brings a

🎶 “Have you seen that new movie? I heard it was great!” 🎶

vibe to the cinema that Tom doesn’t really like.

(Lyrics from El Control by Krokodile)

Edits:

thought it was a bit chunky so I’ve moved the “All spaces are safe… just watch what you say” here,, might make a new post with it if anyone wants?

[ryuko-archive]

still don’t really understand how some people have trouble just being nice

[the-fault-in-our-balls]

Oh my gosh you’re such a good person. Hey everybody come look at how much of a good person this is.

[ryuko-archive]

i literally cannot comprehend how you got offended by this but thanks for proving my point anyway

[dolcifool]

[echoes-in-the-multiverse]

Symptoms and causes of Dissociation.

Educational Post. Trigger warnings tr**ma and ab*se are uncensored.

Written by Oliver.

Dissociation is a mental process in which a person will disconnect from their thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity. Importantly, however, everyone’s experience with dissociation is unique.

Short-term dissociation is a common occurrence in anyone. For example, when someone drives a familiar route and then has no memory of the journey, or when someone gets absorbed into a film, game, or book and loses their awareness of their surroundings, including the passing of time. Additionally, during a period of fatigue or stress, short-term dissociation may occur. It is vital to understand that dissociation is a natural response to a traumatic experience. Due to the fact, that we may not always be able to physically leave harmful situations, the brain will detach itself from the moment to protect us from distress.

Long-term dissociation occurs when the person continues to dissociate after the traumatic event has ended. This can happen if the person does not fully process the experience during previous dissociation episodes. This becomes problematic when dissociation happens frequently and in situations where it is unhelpful, such as affecting concentration, learning, and relationships. If a person experiences trauma as a child, dissociation may be the only coping mechanism they can learn to deal with trauma. This is because as a child a person's brain and personality are still developing, making the ability to learn other coping mechanisms difficult. In the case of childhood trauma, dissociation can be seen as an adaptive response because dissociation helps reduce the overwhelming stress caused by trauma. However, if dissociation persists when the danger is no longer present, it becomes a maladaptive response. In these cases, an adult will automatically respond by disconnecting themselves from the situation, without taking the time to determine if the perceived threat is a real danger to them.

What are the types of dissociation?

Dissociative Fugue is where a person may travel a long distance and then when they become alert they are disorientated as to where they are or how they got there. A person may also forget details about themselves during this time. 

Dissociative amnesia is a type of amnesia that differs from fugue and is not explained by normal forgetfulness. In the case of dissociative amnesia, a person will forget important life events. Possibly including forgetting abuse or incidents or periods of time. These periods can range from minutes to years. As a result, the person will have gaps in their life, which causes them to be unable to remember information about themselves, and their life or produce a cohesive narrative. Moreover, it may manifest as a person finding objects they forgot they owned or struggling to perform once-easy tasks.

Derealisation is a type of dissociation in which a person experiences a sense of detachment from their surroundings. This can present as a feeling of the world being foggy and lifeless, this may also feel as if the person is viewing the world through a veil of a plane of glass, creating a disconnect between the person and the world. Furthermore, it may exhibit to the individual as the feeling they are watching a movie, playing a video game, or living in a dream. This altered perception can affect the way objects appear, causing objects to change in size, shape, or colour.

Depersonalisation is referred to as an “out-of-body experience”. In this state, a person may feel as though they are watching themselves from the outside or floating away. The boundaries between the person and others may become blurred, making it difficult for them to distinguish themselves from those around them. In addition, they may feel disconnected from their emotions as if they are only observing them. A person may even feel disconnected from their own body, to the point of alienation from their body where they do not recognise their face or body in a mirror.

Identity confusion is where a person may find it difficult to define the type of person they are. They may feel their beliefs, opinions, thoughts, and tastes change a lot. 

Identity alteration may make a person feel as if they are losing control to “someone else”, they experience different parts of their identity at different times and switch between parts of their personality. They may act like different people, including children. They may use different voices, names ranges of language, tones, or facial expressions. A person may also experience distortions in time, place, and current situation. The person may be able to confirm the experience of identity alteration, but often the part of the self that presents for therapy is not aware of the existence of dissociated self-states. If identity alteration is suspected, it may be confirmed by observation of amnesia for behavior and distinct changes in affect, speech patterns, demeanor and body language, and relationship to the therapist. 

Each type of dissociation has its respective dissociative disorder. However, if you have Dissociative Identity Disorder you experience all types of dissociation. Due to this fact, the diagnosis of DID takes precedence over any other dissociative disorder diagnosis, and you will not receive a diagnosis of both DID and another dissociative disorder.

What causes dissociation?

Experts believe trauma is the underlying cause of dissociation. The theory as to why this occurs is if you are young or are in a situation where you cannot enact the fight or flight instinctive response your body will react passively. Often linked to dissociation, the freeze response is a passive reaction to danger, in which your body becomes immobile. The fawn response is another form of passive response, this is where the person will try to please or win over the source of the threat to prevent harm.

Dissociating during a traumatic event serves as a way to separate parts of the experience so they can be dealt with separately. This may cause a person to have their actions, feelings, thoughts, sensations, perceptions, and memories feel separated. Amnesia is caused when these traumatic memories are stored in areas that cannot be accessed day to day. Alternatively, a person may remember what happened but not remember or feel the emotions or sensations that were part of the experience.

In DID, a person may feel as if different memories or sensations happened to different people, which is often referred to as having different identity states. This coping mechanism helps the brain deal with overwhelming experiences during childhood, but it can make developing a clear and unified identity as an adult challenging.

Sources:

Mind Charity

International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.

Written by Oliver

Educational Post. Trigger warnings tr**ma and ab*se are uncensored.

[hikaaa-bi]

tma took its sweet time to get into the romance while tmagp is here like “love triangle? jealousy? lingering feelings for your ex-lover? rivals to lovers workplace romance? spooky workplace polycule? buckle in because we’re doing it all!”

[catchymemes]

[galactic-dragoness]

[loszeged]

[neko-mancy]

[bugmoment]

[an-eldritch-nightmare-deactivat]

[mlmmom-evy10]

My favourite bits from First Shift (TMAGP-001)

[mlmmom-evy10]

Okay- but why did the static on Lena's question make me thing of Jon's static when he uses his powers??

It was much softer, but still-- hmm

[lonelyslutavatar]

Tmagp theory: Gwen is being fed information from a source (singular--as emphasized by Lena). What if it's Augustus/Jonah trying to gain back control and he's taking advantage of Gwen's desire to rise up in the ranks to get what he wants. The same way Jonah contacted Gwen, Jon is trying to reach Sam because he's just curious enough to actually take his message seriously. What if he's been trying to do the same thing with Colin and Alice? What if Colin/Alice have already made direct contact with Jon/Martin and are reacting to it in different ways? What if the reason why Colin started acting paranoid was because Jon contacted him recently and tried to reveal some things to him? Or Jon already showed him proof of SOMETHING and that's why he made that comment about seeing the "real stuff".

Alternate theory: Alice is ALREADY in contact with Jon/Martin and that's how she already knows how to treat the actual horrors (to not pay attention to it and do a bad job categorizing the statements ala Gertrude)

Another theory: Teddy was actually recruited by something else but he just says it's insurance. Considering he's probably part of the main cast, he's definitely gonna come back with a bigger role