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@satan1csystem
i pledge myself to you.
getting incredibly stoned with your headmates. is peak self care
Plural culture is begging your headmate to front evey time you're feeling too many negative emotions because you're not equipped to deal with all of that yourself at the moment. We can't do this right now, please get the guy who feels less emotions and exists to chill over here now.
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ꔫ Lovecore alter template ! 𖹭
˓ made for simply plural, feel free to use in any other thing
˓ you can either remove the text and replace it with your answer or just write your answer next to it
˓ please like and reblog if using, requests are open, read pinned for info !
˓ text to copy and paste (including both dividers) is under the cut and in comments, don't remove the credit pls, endos dni !
plural culture is "we're safe now. we're an adult. we live in a safe home with someone who loves us and takes care of us and makes us feel secure. it's 2024, we moved out of our parents' house years ago, and we're safe now. we're safe. we're safe."
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plural culture is being so fucking tired
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Plural Witch culture is
Am I sensing something supernatural or is that just someone close to front?
Am I remembering past lives or another alters memories?
Some of us aren't religious.
I forget offerings as a mix of too many thoughts and struggling to adult with multiple people.
Is one of us an energetic vampire or just the idea of one?
Based on old mythology we'd either be fae or possessed and honestly I'll take fae thanks.
I am genuinely confused as to if our soul may have lived many lives... help.
-Charlie
Being spiritual and plural can be so difficult sometimes :/
Real
Here’s my metaphor for systemhood that I tell my singlet friends.
Imagine you’re playing a first person video game. You have the controller, you control your character. It’s a normal first person game. You are an alter, the character is the body. This is fronting.
Other people live with you. Sometimes, they come into the room and sit and watch while you play. They sometimes try to guide you, give you advice on what to do next. They don’t always agree, and they can argue with each other. Other times they scream at you that you’re doing everything wrong and you suck at this game. This is co-consciousness.
Imagine how distracting it would be for people around you to tell you what to do, or to scream at each other or at you, even if they have good intentions. It wouldn’t be easy to focus on your game, would it?
Then sometimes, something happens in the game that prompts you to hand off the controller to someone else so they can play and you get a break. This is (some types of) switching. This can be good.
Other times, someone rips the controller out of your hand or fights you for it. This is (other types of) switching. And sometimes, six other players hook up their controllers, but there’s only one character to play as. So all of you have your controllers, but you’re all trying to play the same character. This is cofronting.
Imagine how difficult that would be. Imagine how hard it would be to try and play a game while someone is trying to take the controller from you, or while six other people are trying to play too.
There are also times that nobody is playing, or you can’t decide who should play. What’s happening to the character in the game? What are they doing if no one is playing? This is dissociation. The character is doing nothing. They’re stuck.
This is the best metaphor I have come up with for being a system. It’s something a lot of people get because they’ve played games before.
Wow i feel seen
plural culture is having an autoimmune illness that imbalances your hormones and blurring/dissociating like mad + losing communication because of it.
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DID is so exhausting because this morning we were singing loudly and dancing around the apartment with our cat, Jelly, as we unpacked. things we never do, especially when we know people are home like our roommates were.
but the last 4 hours have been spent trying to approach a headmate as to why it's almost 6 am and they won't let us sleep and all we get is an overwhelming feeling of anger and anxiety as they refuse to communicate with us.
I know this takes time. It hasn't been long since we figured this out at all, but it's so draining and debilitating at times.
Its kinda sad the amount of damage systok has done and continues to do to the system community, you're allowed to love your system, you're allowed to still be connected to your source, you're allowed to miss people from your source and you're absolutely allowed to want to meet others from your source, you're allowed to experience things other than Constant Misery™ when thinkig about your system
Just went “I think I’m faking. What do you think, guys?” internally. Yeah. So how’s your day been?
Reminds me of the time [I think it was me, pretty sure at least] the host back then was freaking out in a denial spiral and said:
[You're just a hallucination]
Response: [I'm pretty sure I'm not a halucination]
[That's what a hallucination would say]
Yeahhhhh, that's still a joke with the front team lol
DID systems, help? epileptics, help?
so i've been doing a lot of research about DID because I have a character in my book that's a DID system who is being introduced soon
yesterday, i spent a good four or more hours researching DID, different terminology, and other things to know so i can do the best i can at representing this disability properly. still have to work on coming up with alters for my character, though. that'll take me some time.
i've made a note on my phone with different terminology and things to know and i wanted to make sure that everything is correct. if any systems see this, could you please comment or dm me your preferences or anything that might be hurtful to the DID community?
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here is my note:
People with DID refer to themselves as systems. When someone talks about a sub-system, they're referring to a specific group of headmates separated from others in a certain manner.
The "core" is the original birth personality of the system. Also called the "original" or the "host."
Words for "alter egos" include... • Personalities • Alters • Headmates • System members • Selves • Parts • Insider
When an alter has control of the body, they are the "executive" or "host personality." The action name is called "fronting" or "hosting." Also referred to as an alter being "out."
When a different alter starts to front, it's called "switching." The feeling that you think you're about to switch is often called feeling "switchy."
"Co-conciousness" is when alters are aware of what the executive alter is saying and doing. Also referred to as being "co-aware."
When a system is experiencing "integration," two or more alters are blending to make a reasonably cohesive---but still multi-faceted---identity. Can also be referred to as "blending" or "co-hosting."
"Losing time" refers to when a system experiences dissociative amnesia.
"Persecutory alters" are alters that are protective alters trying to protect the system in harmful ways. They are often aggressive, hostile, and---as the term implies---persecution. They're alters that mistreats, controls, and oppresses a DID system in an effort to manipulate the other alters into a coerced behavior.
"Opposite-gendered alters" are alters that are of the opposite sex than that of the core's sex. Example: a female system has a male alter. They are often developed to handle trauma that the core personality could no longer handle. Also referred to as "cross-gender alters."
"Age sliding" is when an alter's age can change depending on its feelings at the time.
"Emotional bleedthrough" and "memory bleedthrough" is when one or more system members experiences emotions or memories that are not their own and have come from a different system member.
"Fragments" are alters that are incomplete---therefore often referred to as "incomplete alters." They often hold a single memory, handles a single emotion, or does a certain task.
A "gatekeeper" can control which system members are in and out.
An "internal self-helper" is a leader in a system who knows who everyone is. They work to maintain stability and help everyone. An important note, they rarely front. Often abbreviated as "ISH."
The "inside" of a system is the internal world where alters can reside when not interacting with the outside world.
An "introject" is an alter based off of someone from the outside world. Can be either a real person or a fictional person. A "factive" is an alter based off of a real person. "Fictives" are based off of fictional characters. There are also "fucktives," which are mixtures of fictives and factives. "Songtives" are alters that personify a song.
The "main" is the alter that is in front most frequently. Is typically the core personality, but not always.
An "otherkin" is a non-human alter. They can be an animal, a mythical creature, a non-physical being, or something else.
"Programmed alters" are alters that are programmed to return to the abuser(s) or believe certain things. Typically well-hidden and isolated from the rest of the system.
A "protector" is an alter that is programmed to keep the system safe. There are various types of protectors---examples include emotional, physical, sexual, and internal.
A "secret keeper" is an alter that keeps information about abuse or other information away from the rest of the system's knowledge.
When a system "splits," it is when there is enough dissociation to result in the so-called creation of a new alter.
Age-related terms: • A "little" is a young alter, typically under the age of seven. • A "middle" is also a young alter but is over the age of seven. They are not in teenage years. • A "teen" is another young alter that is in its teenage years.
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i put all of the terms in quotation marks ("---") so i could find them easier in the note since its so long.
if any systems could and would be willing to help, that'd be amazing!!!
the character that i have is also epileptic. they were diagnosed at age six. i've been doing a lot of research about epilepsy, but everything comes up with symptoms, what to avoid, and how its treated. i need how it feels to have a seizure and what its like to live with epilepsy. so if any epileptics could and would be willing to help, that'd be amazing!
my alters have been down lately, so this is for them and anyone else who needs to hear it:
alters whose voices/accents don't present themselves when speaking are valid
alters whose writing looks exactly like the host's writing are valid
perpetrators and persecutors who are nice are valid
alters who get mean, even though they're usually nice, are valid
alters who haven't fronted in forever are valid
alters who front daily are valid
alters who go nonverbal when fronting are valid
you're all valid, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
It’s normal in DID to not have communication with parts at first (or even for a really long time). It’s normal to not have any fictives. It’s normal to not have assigned roles. It is normal to not have an inner world. It is normal to use I/me instead of we/us and it is okay to do so. It is normal to not have overt switches or obvious parts fronting. It is normal to have blackouts. It is normal to not switch for days, weeks, or even months on end. It is normal to be more switchy after a traumatic or triggering situation and then not switch at all for long periods of time. It is normal to not have a ‘system name’. It is normal to not know much about your system at all as the host. It is normal to not remember the trauma that triggered the disorder.
These are all extremely typical experiences of DID. You are not wrong. You are not weird. The vast majority of cases are covert without flashy symptoms until periods of more overt presentation arise, usually under stress, new trauma, or triggering situations (such as having a baby, getting married, death of an abuser, etc). The average person will be in the mental health system for a decade before being diagnosed and most cases are in adults. There is nothing wrong with not experiencing the type of overt DID that is popular to portray both on social media and in media as a whole. It can take years to map out your entire system and years to establish communication with parts. It’s okay to take time to figure things out. Have grace and patience for yourself. It’s going to be okay.
it's okay if some days you don't feel like a system. it's okay if some days everything's quiet and you're the only one in front and it feels like it was all a dream.
a huge part of how i'm getting over my system denial is saying 'who cares?' if a voice in my head is saying 'you're not actually a system, you're just confused'. who cares if i'm a system? who cares if i'm a singlet? my symptoms are my symptoms, and they're still there whether i label myself as a system or a singlet or whatever else. i don't have to justify my experience to anyone else. if it turns out i'm a system, great. i now know what my symptoms mean. if it turns out im a singlet, also great, i learned more about myself anyway.
i don't have to stress about being one or the other. i can just be me.
Well this is validating
Switching Tips and Info
Hello! We’ve often said here that for our system, switching is involuntary and happens automatically or with the help of our gatekeeper. However, we often get asked here about switching, how it works, how to practice switching, and how to switch for the very first time. In general, we’re probably unequipped to confidently answer these questions. But we’ve decided to put together this post with information we’ve picked up from therapy, research, and learning from other systems. We hope this can help you and your system learn to switch more effortlessly!
Disclaimer: We are not an expert or clinician by any stretch of the word! We are one DID system sharing our experience and information we’ve picked up during our time in treatment and system spaces. This post comes from the perspective of a system with DID, though much of this advice could be potentially useful for all sorts of systems!
What is switching?
Switching is a common occurrence in systems when one headmate swaps places with another in order to perceive and interact with the world. Systems of all sorts can switch, not just those with dissociative disorders like DID or OSDD! Switching can look incredibly different from system to system, and may vary based on a wide variety of factors such as:
System origin
Previous history with switching
Degree of dissociative barriers
Comfort levels with fronting and switching for each headmate
The presence of a system manager or gatekeeper
Safety of the system overall
And more!
Do all systems switch?
No, not every system wants to switch or is capable of switching! Many systems exist with one primary fronter and many headmates who either cofront, are coconscious, or never front to experience the outside world at all. Switching is not a requirement to be a system, and it’s not even a requirement to have a dissociative disorder.
Many systems may find that headmates have switched before without noticing it! Before a system’s “syscovery,” headmates may lose time, experience identity shifts, or interact with other system members without ever realizing that they’re plural. In fact, an overwhelming majority of systems with disorders like DID and OSDD are covert, meaning their switches and other symptoms often go unnoticed by other people or the systems themselves!
How can I switch with my headmates?
We don’t have any surefire way to guarantee switching, as every system is unique and no two systems function in exactly the same way! However, here are some ideas for you and your headmates to try in order to help a switch occur.
1. Open communication
Communicate with as many headmates as you can on a regular basis. Keep an open dialogue, and talk to your headmates about fronting, what that might look like for them, and any worries they have about potentially fronting in the future. Try to address each headmate’s fears and concerns to the best of your ability before expecting them to front. Imagine together what it might look like for other headmates to front. Try to understand what happens to headmates in your system who aren’t fronting: do they enter your system’s headspace/inner world? Do they stop fully existing or enter a sort of stasis? Are they still able to perceive the outside world at all? Having a stable, steady line of communication and an understanding of how your system works can help make it easier to allow other headmates to front when the time comes!
2. Seek out a gatekeeper or system manager
Many, but not all, systems have members whose role is specifically to manage who fronts and control switches. Our own system has a gatekeeper who handles the majority of our switches! If you haven’t already, try to learn whether or not your system already has an established gatekeeper. If you do, establishing a connection with that headmate and communicating with them will be essential for switching in the future.
If your system doesn’t have a gatekeeper/manager, that’s fine! A headmate with this role is not required for system to experience switches. For those who do have them, however, cooperating with managers and gatekeepers can help make switching a smoother, more painless process!
3. Ensure safety
Don’t attempt to switch if your system is not 100% safe, and only try to switch after all headmates involved feel comfortable and secure. NEVER try to force a headmate to switch who doesn’t want to. Respect each other’s boundaries and rights to personal autonomy.
When you’re ready to try and purposefully switch, do so in a safe, comfortable, secluded environment. Try to limit distractions and opportunities for interruptions. Check in with headmates that you have access to, and ensure that everyone feels safe and comfortable before attempting to switch.
For minors, traumagenic systems, and those who currently live with abusers or those who have harmed them: it may be for the best to not attempt to switch until you’re in a situation where you are distanced from those who have caused you harm (be them parents, friends, loved ones, or anyone else). Unfortunately for many systems, this may mean waiting until you have moved out of your family’s home in order to put some space between you and your system’s abusers.
Trying to switch when you’re not 100% sure of your system’s safety could absolutely cause more harm than good! The safety and well-being of your system is more important than providing headmates with opportunities to purposefully switch. There will be plenty of time in your future to learn more about your system and attempt to manage switches! Until then, it’s probably best to allow your system to function in ways that ensure your safety and the safety of your headmates.
4. Use positive triggers
Positive triggers are external stimuli that can help bring certain headmates closer to the front by reminding the system about that headmate and what they enjoy. Having a wide range of positive triggers at your disposal can help make it easier to get a headmate to switch with you! Here are some examples of what positive triggers can look like:
Music for each headmate, including playlists, albums, artists, and songs
Stimboards, moodboards, inspiration boards, and other collections of images that speak out to each headmate
Cooking, preparing, or eating a food, snack, or beverage that a particular headmate enjoys
Engaging with hobbies, media, and activities that a particular headmate is known to like
And more! Get creative with your system and brainstorm different positive triggers you can incorporate into your lives in order to help facilitate switches in the future!
5. Manage expectations
Unfortunately, not all systems are able to switch. Some hosts and other frontstuck headmates may never be able to fully leave the front. Cofronting with another headmate and allowing them to make decisions and treat the body as their own can be a great way to allow other system members to front, even if it’s not a full-fledged “switch.” Switching can look incredibly different for different systems, and even for different headmates in the same system! So don’t be too discouraged if you or your frontstuck members aren’t able to switch out fully - cofronting and being coconscious are both valid ways for other headmates to experience the world.
Where can I learn more about switching?
There’s lots of information out there to help all kinds of systems start learning about or managing switches! Here are some links to websites where you can learn more.
Note: some sites which are geared towards created, spontaneous, or endogenic systems may suggest purposeful dissociation as a way to trigger a switch. While this may be useful for some systems, adding more dissociation to the lives of those already struggling with dissociative disorders is a very bad idea and should be avoided! So if you are diagnosed with a dissociative disorder (DID, OSDD, DPDR, etc.), suspect you may have a dissociative disorder, or suspect your system is trauma-formed, it may be best to avoid following advice from sites aimed towards paromacers, those with thoughtforms, and nontraumagenic systems. For everyone’s convenience, we have starred (*) links to guides which involve purposeful dissociation so systems who already have trouble with dissociation can avoid them! If you’re not sure whether or not your system has dissociation issues, it’s best to PLAY IT SAFE and avoid these kinds of guides. Please use critical thinking and your own discretion when reading about switching online!
Terminology note: some of these sites use “tulpa” language, which is known to be racist and culturally appropriative. Please keep this in mind when browsing these sites. In our personal life, we use “paro/paromancy” language instead to avoid causing further harm to marginalized groups.
Intentional Switching (DID) from DIS-SOS
Switching and Passive Influence from DID-Research.org
*Fuliam’s Guide on how to switch from Tulpa.info*
*Malfael’s Guide to Switching from Tulpanomicon*
Our own resource post for questioning systems has lots of links to resources on dissociative disorders and other forms of plurality, many of which may have sections or advice on switching!
Questions? Comments? Something we missed?
We could write whole books on the many different aspects of switching, and how switches can vary from system to system and headmate to headmate. We’re sorry if we’ve left something out here that you or your system thinks is important! This post didn’t touch on passive influence, rapid switching, physical symptoms of switching, and many other switching-related topics. This is just a general overview with some advice on switching intentionally and voluntarily!
If you have any further questions, feel free to comment on this post or send us an ask and we’d be happy to answer to the best of our ability! We may not have all the answers, but we’re happy to share what we know. If you made it this far, thanks so much for reading! Stay well, and have a great day!