Welcome to the blog for the Rosetint sys we're here to stay you can't get rid of us
NOT an rp blog, there's just a shit ton of fictives here (including me, the one writing this)
We also run @rosetintedresources!
We're mainly using this blog just to shitpost and just post about stuff we like, there won't be many tags besides personalized ones we like and signoffs... and probably the reblog tag. I know a few who might like reblogging things.
... art tag is #obligatory art tag
There has been a slight update, as people have most likely noticed there are now vent posts on this blog. We kindly ask that if you dislike seeing vent posts, block and move on. Get your opinions elsewhere and don't show them to us. We may be on the internet but this is our corner. We deserve a voice as much as the next person. <- Oh hey Cor -🍇
Boundaries:
Basic DNI! Just stuff that makes us uncomfortable, pedos, nazis, etc etc, additional DNI is under the blog title! We'll update this as needed
Bodily a minor so. Yeah be nice.
Some source mems are really sensitive to a lot of us, so it'd probably be better if you don't mention it at all unless one of us brings it up.
We're people! Just talk to us like people. Please.
Okay donation asks are going to be ignored too
Syscourse and discourse related things will be deleted and blocked. We don't care who you are. We don't care if you mean well or not. We already made that mistake once and we really don't intend on doing it again.
Five's new party trick: being in the background and not saying a word until I forget he's there and then when someone in the know(tm) asks us about him i check back and BOOM jumpscared
[a non-definitive list of things I wish I had known in early CDD system discovery]
When you are first discovering your system, or are just finding out you have some form of CDD [complex dissociative disorder], things can be really confusing and scary. Memories and Alters may surface, you might get more dissociative symptoms [or become aware of them], and just a bunch more that adds to a feeling of disorientation with your own life and identity. Things are uncertain and stressful, but I assure you, everything is okay and you will come out on top of things safely!
In the beginning of rediscovering my own system in 2021, I was really lost because I didn't turn to the internet for resources or go to professionals for help. I was almost entirely in the blind when I was getting to know my system! I didn't interact with any other systems or seek out CDD specific advice and care until December of 2023. That's all to say I was in a similar position as you may be. I was quite lost, confused, and scared as I was coming to terms with the fact that I, as an alter, did not have full control over the body and what we did, and that my memory could, and had, fail me. It was just an uncertain time, but now that I'm into recovery, I know that there are things that would've helped me going into system discovery...
If you're an already discovered system [i.e. you already know and have established contact], maybe you will learn something new or maybe you will come out with a new outlook on something! Or it might not help at all! Which is okay because everyone is different!
That being said... Strap in! this post is EXTREMELY long!
[this is not an understatement- this post is criminally long]
Notes : Before I jump into the numerous points of this post, I have to preface this post with the fact of this post may be discouraging at times. I'm being so serious, but in my opinion, this post has important points. The only issue is that what I'm saying can come across as negative or fakeclaim-y, but I am not fake claiming anyone in this post! Do not take what I say personally!! I don't know who's reading this! You could be my best friend or a stranger from across the world! So you have to remember to take things with a grain of salt because, as you'll see immediately in the first point you know you better than anyone else does. I do not know you personally, nor do I know your system or situation. Take what resonates with you, and leave the rest, if that makes sense? Just hear me out before you dismiss this post as not worth your time.
Now we can actually get into the post!
-> DO NOT LET SOCIAL MEDIA WARP YOUR PERCEPTION OF CDDS OR YOUR SYSTEM
This is more a warning than the rest of this post because this is THE MOST important part of early system discovery. While I did not personally engage in most social medias during my own system discovery, this is a point I know will be important for others, especially those in early system discovery... But what do I mean by this?
Well, for starters, this is the main reason why a lot of systems struggle with validating themselves and their system. It is not healthy to compare your system to other systems. It is not healthy to look at other systems, not relate, and think that somehow means you're not a 'real system'. While sharing experiences and discussing your system, as well as listening to the experiences of other systems, is beneficial, comparing yourself to other systems will make you feel like shit. This is where a majority of posts dealing with invalidity come from. You let the internet and misinformation to shape how you view systemhood as a whole.
The notion that a large alter count is invalid is from social media.
The notion that a system is 'too complex' is from social media.
The notion that there is such a thing as too many introjects is from social media.
Seriously, I could go on. These do not matter at all, and those are not the only examples I have seen [just the most common]. Having a complex system, being introject heavy, and/or having a large system are all seen in scientific material, so the notion that it somehow makes you invalid is based in comparison and social media misinformation. You need to keep your head on your shoulders when interacting with social media, or you will damage your relationship with systemhood. Not to mention, you may internalize misinformation!
For some, not comparing themselves to others is MUCH easier said than done. I used to be one of those people! And I still am sometimes! but that's something I am working on. Which... For the sake of not only you as an alter, but also your system, I am seriously suggesting you to work on validating yourself via self help or a therapist. From one system to another, working on this will limit your denial phases and imposter syndrome. Like I said before, I'm a chronic compare-er, but when I learned to validate myself and my system, I no longer go through denial phases as a collective. Self Validation is the biggest key to flourishing as not only as a system, but also a key to thriving in life. Obviously validation from other's isn't harmful in any capacity and is very much required to flourish as a person too, but you seriously shouldn't give a fuck about people online who try to invalidate your system or system structure. Let me repeat that in a more direct way...
YOU KNOW YOU BETTER THAN SOME ASSHOLE ON THE INTERNET.
You know you even better than me too! Obviously!
With self validation, I will not leave you empty handed because simply saying "do this" is not enough for this point. I'll give you a few links and resources that will help kickstart your journey into self validation while discovering your system.
Here's my self-help link masterlist for self validation [this is a link]
-> POINT ONE ALSO INCLUDES AVOIDING SYSCOURSE.
I cannot stress how bad syscourse is for you, especially in early system discovery. From what I have seen from the very few syscourse blogs I follow, as well as mutuals and friends i talk to, it is draining and harmful for your mental health. I don't personally believe in engaging with syscourse, so I avoid it when I can- maybe I'll read a post or two, but I don't throw myself or system into it. I can imagine debating can be fun, but most syscourse is not real debating. Emphasis on *most* because I have seen real debate in syscourse spaces. Sadly though, the majority of posts I see within syscourse tags are either riddled with misinformation- from both of the sides of syscourse- or are filled with unwarranted vitriol [again, from both sides]. Not to mention the MANY posts of well researched systems just tiredly correcting the same things over and over and over again. My advice? Ignore it! Just stick to the silly memes, text posts, ask games, and informational posts. If later, when you feel more secure in your system and you want to engage with it, I support that! Just avoid it in the beginning.
-> Trauma is the response to the event, NOT the event
Thankfully, I've seen this talked about more than once in the system community, but I think it's important to talk about this here too. In order to explain this point properly, we have to discuss what trauma is. So... what is trauma?
" [Psychological] Trauma is the unique individual experience of an event or enduring conditions, in which: 1. The individual's ability to integrate his/her emotional experience is overwhelmed, or 2. The individual experiences (subjectively) a threat to life, bodily integrity, or sanity. (Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995, p. 60) " [source]
What does this mean in the context of CDDs?
For one, a lot of systems have a hard time seeing certain traumas as traumatic for whatever reason, and for two, it's important to be reminded of this fact when going through system discovery. It's very common to be dissociated from all or most of your trauma in some fashion, whether it be emotional amnesia or black out amnesia. That means it doesn't 'feel' traumatic or there just isn't anything there. As you go through system discovery, its very highly likely that you, or your alters, will uncover trauma of some kind. Whether it be examples of emotional neglect or specific traumas, but sometimes it can be hard to accept that it was trauma or that you went through whatever. It's also common for people to misconstrue that trauma is a specific type of event when it just. is not. A lot of things can be traumatic, and someone's reaction to the same trauma will even be different.
TW: Car Crash talk, but nothing graphic.
I'll give you an example. Imagine four people got into a car crash together. Each person will have a unique response to that event. The driver becomes deeply traumatized and can never step foot in a car, the front passenger finds a weird thrill in it and seeks out similar experiences, back passenger one is traumatized but able to work through it, and the final passenger walks out fine, with no trauma. This is an example of that fact- that everyone reacts differently to the same or a similar event. One person can be deeply traumatized by, let's say, bullying, but another person may learn how to not care about what people think.
Trauma is unique to you, and you alone. What you find traumatic will not be exactly the same as another person.
I will say there are exceptions I can think of where it is always traumatic for a child, but it applies there too. Each child's response to a certain trauma is unique. This point kind of lines up perfectly with the next point because the very common misconception that trauma IS the event is built in misinformation and social media comparison [there it is again].
-> You should do your own research, but keep in mind some of the information you will find about CDDs may be outdated or filled with misinformation.
This is also important when you're getting to know your system because the first step to system discovery is doing research on your diagnosis or suspected disorder. It can help with validation because it is an external source of it! Seeing a medical paper or article that describes symptoms that align with yours is super validating! Not to mention seeing more than just one? It's amazing how much it truly helps with validation! HOWEVER. I would also extend your research into other dissociative disorders [such as DR/DP, P-DID, OSDD etc], as well as Maladaptive Daydreaming, since you may find co-morbidities or that your experience lines up better with another disorder. This is not to say you AREN'T a system, but it is an important point to bring up. It can just be that you have a different type of system than you thought! For example, believing you're an OSDD system, only to discover with research that your experience aligns more with DID.
This leads into the fact that when you're doing research on DID or any other of the CDDs that exist, you are likely to encounter misinformation, whether it be outdated information in articles or reading something on tumblr that just isn't factual! This can be confusing and mess up your ideas on what a system might look like or present as. It can even affect how you view your own system! That's why you have to do your own research! Researching can even bring validation to your experience when you research CDDs!
I will provide a few cursory resources that you may want to read as you begin researching! Keep in mind that these links do NOT account for full, proper research. This is just your kickstart!
Here's the masterlist of cursory DID research links [this is a link]
I will also add that looking into other's experience with CDDs is also a part of research! It's important to look into the experiences of other systems, but keep in mind the first point regarding self validation and comparison.
-> Identity, even in CDDs, is fluid.
A very basic and simple sum up of what DID is:
DID is the result of an inability to integrate the facets of an individuals personality during early childhood, usually due to multiple trauma-based reactions [such as neglect, abuse, natural disaster, war and other adverse experiences].
(Thank u Circ for ur help!!)
... and why do I bring this up?
Within a person who has integrated, and therefor does not have a CDD, those facets all still exist. The only difference is that they are more cohesive and as one, but all the facets are are still there. Identity within EVERYONE is fluid. Things change for even singlets! As you grow as a person, your identity shifts to reflect what you have learned. Like someone might find a gender identity they hadn't heard of that feels just right or they come across a new term that fits them better than the previous one- or they use it for a while and feel it doesn't fit them in the end. Things like this happen to everyone, including individual alters. This means you may have an alter that identifies as one gender, one sexuality, and it may change- that can be REALLY confusing as you're discovering your system because you may assume that it's a new alter all together, when it isn't.
Why I wish I knew this in early system discovery is because it would've saved me A LOT of headache when trying to log and keep track of alters. It can get really draining when you assume that every little identity shift is a new alter when it just simply is not. Sometimes it is, especially in systems where the alters present as very similar to each other, but I would stick to assuming they are not an alter until proven otherwise. This really only applies when you think you are a new alter, and not when it is through internal communication because, in my opinion, internal communication is more reliable when you're tracking alters. It's good to have an alter to 'back you up' so to speak, but it won't always be like that, especially in the beginning. This kind of leads me into my next point of this point [haha... point-ception].
-> System Discovery, and systemhood, in general, is a lot of guesstimations [guess work].
I just recently saw a post about this in the CDD tags. I actually think it's by the same author of the tumblr post I linked, but I wanted to elaborate and go into it in my own perspective. A lot of discovering your system is guess work and reading 'vibes'. This applies to a lot of aspects of systemhood- from an alter's identity to you're headcount [which I will get to later in this point]. It makes everything extremely confusing, meaning it can cause you to feel confused and discouraged, and memories that surface may seem unreal. When it comes to validating yourself and your system, you need to keep in mind that, once again, you know you better than someone else. Sometimes, there won't be external validation for things that come up with your system, such as memories that seem to have 'no evidence', but my therapist gave me some advice for this; if it's affecting you as if it's real, it's best to treat it like it is. This applies to things like body and other flashbacks. Maybe even extending to you thinking you may have a system! You have to learn to validate from the inside to know that, regardless of if it's ""real"" or not, it affects you. Does that make sense? If not I can make a follow up post to better clarify.
I mentioned headcount, and I do want to elaborate on that especially. Your Alter count is a huge amount of guess work, and is never really "concrete". You will never know cut and dry the amount of alters in your system because things fluctuate and identity is fluid. You will likely see people with a listed, exact alter count, and while that is there lived experience, things even change with people you see on the internet.
-> Alters can lie
This one is possibly the most discouraging part of this post, but a very important point to bring up. Alters, despite being the result of a failure to integrate as a child, are very much like their own people [at least, when differentiated], and people can, and do, lie. This is not to say you can’t trust your alters, but rather a reminder to be mindful when interacting with your alters, especially if you’re working with a persecutor of some kind. This is one of the ways your brain defends itself within CDDs, and isn’t any sort of moral failing on you or your alters. Alters lying can look like lying about your trauma [either exaggerating or hiding it], lying about themself, lying about aspects of the system, or other different ways.
For my fellow OCD havers ;
This is something that still messes me up with my OCD. Here is my advice to you ; if there is an alter you trust more than the others, ask for their help to be a rationalizer when you're talking to alters you feel you may not trust as much as the others. This works best if it's a gatekeeper, but it's not a necessity for the alter to be one. This is not meant to be an interrogation. It's meant to help with cross referencing. One alter might say one thing to that alter, but tell you another thing. Otherwise, my advice is to remember that if it's affecting you as if it's real, it's best to treat it like it is.
-> Start keeping a nightly journal.
Whether this be in the notes app or in a physical journal, trust me, this is a good one. Not only will it help you keep a good grasp on what your days look like, but it can also encourage external communication, which is one of the most reliable ways to communicate as a system. Sometimes it can be hard to get everyone to get on board with journaling, but I encourage you to try. I would say that you try to subconciously try to build up the idea of doing things even when you don't want to- its a hard thing to do, but if I can do it, I have confidence in the majority of people who read this post... Keep the journal in a noticeable place, or if it's on your phone, make sure that it is easily accessible. There are plenty of apps that can be used to journal as a system.
What to do if journaling is not accessible ;
If for, whatever reason, you can not write in a physical journal, or type on your phone or computer, I suggest taking voice recorded journal entries. An audio log! Not only will it make you feel cool and like you're from a detective movie [or maybe that's just me lol], but it also accomplishes the same exact purpose as having a physical journal. It can even make it easier for you if you have struggles reading. HOWEVER, if you don't feel safe enough to keep an audio log, I would go towards an app that you can use [but if it's not accessible, negate this whole point].
-> Communication is hard, but once you learn the basics, it only goes up from there.
In the system community, you're mainly interacting with other systems who have already established some form of communication within their system. It can be discouraging to see so many systems who have a grasp on communication, but you don't have any.
Learning any form of system communication, external or internal, is a learning curve. HOWEVER. When you learn the basics of any communication, it only gets easier.
Here's a link to a post full of links aimed at building communication between systems [this is a link]
With that, I'm going to end the post here! I could honestly make more points, and if there's really a need, I'll reblog with additions, but I think this is good start! I hope you learned something from this long post, and feel free to send in asks if you need any clarification! I might not be speedy to answer, but I'll do my best.
And your final reminder that I'm not a medical professional, just a system trying to help other systems.
Thank you for reading my post, and I hope you have a good day/afternoon/evening!
DID/OSDD/overall CDD ask game bc i love answering questions and am in a silly mood :))
This is like, half serious stuff, half silly goofy stuff so if ur using this ofc answer questions at ur own discretion. Also the use of the word "you" can be the collective or individual "you"! Answer how you want
👁 Was discovery a sudden or gradual thing for you? (eg. did it feel like everything came to light all at once, or did you slowly but surely notice and piece things together?)
🌕 Did you have any awareness of other alters before discovery? if so, how did you view them (e.g. "moods", ocs, imaginary friends, etc.)
🫧 Who fronts the most in day-to-day life? Do you have a host, a "main cast", everyone switching/fronting equally, etc.?
🍎 Does anyone have any very passionate/specific food/drink preferences (love or hate)?
☂️ Are you more overt or covert? Are there any alters who break this norm (are exceptionally good/bad at masking)?
🎭 What term(s) do you use for alters? (eg. alters, parts, identities, people, headmates, etc.) Feel free to share reasoning!
🎊 Is there a prominent gender among alters? How do you present your gender(s)?
🍃 How frequently do you switch? Is this frequency comfortable/manageable for you?
☁️ Do you have day-to-day amnesia? If yes, what does that feel/look like for you?
🌈 Any happy/"success" stories from opening up to people/reaching out for support you'd like to share?
🎲 Do you have any collective hobbies (activities everybody/almost everybody enjoys doing)?
💥 Do you have any physical symptoms related to dissociation/switching/etc.?
☄️ What symptom/aspect of the disorder is hardest to deal with in day-to-day life/something that's more irritating/difficult/complicated for you?
🌼 What symptom/aspect of this disorder actually doesn't bother you/is actually helpful/you're grateful for?
💡 What's one thing that you do to help ground yourself?
⭐️ Are you usually aware of who's fronting? How do you figure out who's fronting when you don't know/can't tell?
🦉 Is there anything you wish you could make everybody instantly know/understand about CDD's?
👓 Are there any characters you feel really "seen" by (whether they're meant to be a representation of a CDD or not)?
🎸 Are there any songs/albums/artists that you feel "seen" by (whether they're meant to be a representation of a CDD or not)?
note: this ask game is made and intended for those w DID/OSDD/p-DID/etc. please only use this if this applies to you :))
DID is (approximately) as common as autism; 1-2% of the human population have it. That means every 100 people you meet, one or two of them are likely to be autistic, and one or two of them will likely have DID. This means that, statistically, you will meet up to 100 systems across your life (and that’s only the ones from DID!) And that’s just based off the average number of people you meet (10000); you will likely see significantly more!
DID is not rare, and even if you don’t have it, someone you know likely does.
They may even have an autistic friend that you can meet.
It's such a good reminder that DID is way more common then people think. That learning about it is good because like people with other conditions it's good to be prepared to be gentle with people from all walks of life.
I'll add a few things I know from therapy and reading. Just a heads up, I talk only about traumagenic dissociative disorders because that's what I know, that doesn't mean I don't acknowledge the existence of other forms of plurality and system origins, I'm just not able to talk about it.
According to my psychiatrist, who is not specialized in DID but in trauma disorders, DID/OSDD/pDID and other forms of traumagenic dissociative disorders are present in between 1 to 2% of the population.
It doesn't need to stem from "extreme" trauma but from repeated trauma mostly, no matter the severity of it. Things as "mundane" as loneliness or emotional neglect can cause it because it is most and foremost a coping mechanism. If you are more enclined to dissociate to cope, you are more enclined to develop DID even from "mild" experiences. As shown in the book "The Body Keeps The Score" about PTSD, two people can experience the exact same traumatic event and one is going to dissociate to cope, while the other will not.
That's why some people will go through extreme trauma and not develop any dissociative disorders, while some others will experience milder experiences and develop DID/OSDD. It's kind of a matter of how your brain responds to things more than the events itselves.
Still, according to my psychiatrist, the issue with DID/OSDD, etc, is that it is WILDLY underdiagnosed. People love to say that "everybody has DID," but in fact, psychiatrists are absolutely not trained to diagnose these disorders. My therapist told me that she had to educate herself and that she wouldn't have even thought of doing it if she wasn't specialized in trauma disorders. They don't have any classes about it in school, or barely so, and most of them don't have any tools to diagnose nor treat these disorders. So, the people who are the most likely to actually get diagnosed are the most severe cases who are going inpatient or are hospitalised because they can't function as they are.
That doesn't mean that a system that is functional is less valid than another that has to be in and out of treatment. It just means, like any other illness/disease, that severity is on a scale, dissociative disorders and trauma disorders are a spectrum, and it fluctuates.
We knew we were a system years even before we stumbled upon the online DID/OSDD community. Some other systems are not aware they are one until they get a diagnosis. It just depends. At the end of the day, all you really have to think about is being able to live your everyday life without it being a constant struggle. That's what matters. But saying that DID is an "extremely rare disorder" caused only by "absolutely horrific extreme unfathomable traumas" is false and contributes to the underdiagnosis and, therefore, lack of care that people with these disorders face.
The lifetime prevalence of OCD is 2.3%, and you never see people call OCD "extremely rare" and saying it's statistically unlikely for someone to have it.
But because dissociative disorders are so much more mystified and stigmatized, a similar rate for them is apparently "extremely rare".
It's not even like actual information on it from professionals and researchers is particularly difficult to find, either. This article is literally the first Google result for "is DID rare" (and the Google overview that pops up BEFORE it even staight up says "no, it's not"...)
By the way, DID is more common than schizophrenia (0.75%), and yet you're more likely to be questioned for claiming to have DID than you are for claiming to have schizophrenia.
