system maps from 2024, 2025, and 2026, drawn almost exactly a year apart from each other. real names have been redacted. it's interesting to look back at how our understanding of our system has changed over time, and how we chose to map it at different stages of our journey!
IVE STARTED MAPPING OUR SYSTEM THIS SHIT IS PEAK WE SHOULDVE DONE THIS SOONER
Learn Obsidian it's a very cool software there's nodes there and we like nodes. It's very overwhelming at first but there's probably some tutorials out there. It's very fun
Who I was changed regularly, faces coming and going without warning; I was so many, too many, thus I wound up being nobody. Nothing stayed static — I never stayed static — there was no starting point. We were a jumbled, erratic galaxy, a constantly-shifting kaleidoscope of constellations, incapable of being neatly filed into a list.
[ID: A white note with the colorful plural rings on the left reading "CDD treatment center "... take a seat!"" ID end]
TW mentioning of TBMC, programming
read more under the cut
System mapping can be a really helpful tool when trying to get to know your system and what you experienced. Getting to know your system takes a long time, don't try to rush it. Also don't overwhelm yourself when you first start tracking, try to start with very basic information and add onto it as you learn more about your system. No need for aesthetically pleasing templates and extremely long questionnaires, although feel free to do that if it helps. Maps should be redone frequently to add new information and catch system changes. It's usually recommended to keep them in a binder or otherwise together in an app or journal.
Please evaluate your own environment and how safe you are at the moment. See how much information you can safely track in your specific situation. A safety net may be helpful for system mapping especially later on when it's more about what happened to you.
Don't share sensitive system information with people you can't trust. You don't need to prove anything to anyone. Keep your medical data safe.
What is safety? (link)
Tracking general information:
Tracking alters: tracking alters can be helpful to see how they differ from each other and to get a basic understanding about the members of your system. usually people track information like names, age, pronouns, sexuality, gender, likes, dislikes, how they look in the inner world and what role/job they fulfill in the system. other helpful information can be personality traits, how to tell if fronting and triggers.
Tracking inner relationships: tracking relationships between alters can be helpful for seeing how they are connected to each other and what could be subsystems. it can also help you see on which alter communication you still need to work on. you can do this visually with mind mapping apps or on a piece of paper.
Tracking sub- /sidesystems, layers: this can be a tricky task at first and not every system has subsystems, sidesystems or layers. subsystems refer to some kind of internal alter group that is connected in any way. they may be from the same split, split off from the same alter at different times, front together, hold the same memories, are in one area of the innerworld, etc. sidesystems are systems formed from mind control programming that are extremely separate from other sub- /sidesystems with a very high amnesia and only containing programmed alters. they function similar to subsystems but with higher amnesia and usually no awareness of other sub- /sidesystems. layers are often referred to as vertically stacked and separate parts of the innerworld. they can appear differently than vertically stacked. a sub- /sidesystem may also be a layer or can access multiple layers.
Tracking front changes: this can be helpful for seeing how much who fronts and who may be frequent fronters or hosts. it can also help with recollection of what happened before you where in front. it can be tedious and it isn't helpful for everyone. you can simply track switches on paper in your physical journal, use a plural app or use a community plug in for obsidian tracking.
Tracking the innerworld: tracking the innerworld can be helpful in getting to know your inner structure more. not everyone already has a innerworld and not everyone is able to build one. but it's always good to try and give your alters a safe place to communicate in the innerworld. you can track areas of the innerworld with apps like foretelling or other world building apps, create your own template for another app or a physical journal. you can also make pinterest boards to visualize them better.
Tracking trauma related information:
this should only be done in a private place and probably separate from alter profiles/pages so they do not get triggered while just tracking basic information. please do this with caution and don't dig for more information. only track this when you feel safe and know how to cope with flashbacks and other symptoms that might come up.
Tracking splitting dates and causes: again not everyone is able to do this but it can help with understanding how your splits are connected to real life events. this is a heavy map to do and takes a long time, feel free to take as many breaks as you need, don't rush this. you can start with doing a map of traumatic or other big events that happened throughout your life, a timeline would be helpful for this. don't write too many details just big events that help you connect the years to memories. then you can connect the alter who split during that time period with the events that caused them to split. later on you can also track who split from who or merged with who.
Tracking flashbacks: this is helpful for understanding what happened to you and so you do not forget the flashbacks you have. tracking reoccurring themes in dreams/nightmares, bodily flashbacks, phobias without known cause, emotional flashbacks and memory flashbacks all can help you figure out the connection of those events.
Other sources to check out:
Mapping for DID/OSDD systems (link)
System mapping isn't easy (link)
System Work in a Sand tray (link)
With what to track?
every method will have very personal pros and cons, this is something you need to try for yourself and evaluate what helps you best.
physical journal
plural apps like hivemind, ourcana, pluralspace, plural log, ampersand, Lighthouse etc.
note apps like notion or obsidian (there are some templates online to help you set it up)
Looking back on old system maps and similar things is really interesting and kinda funny. Soooo much confusion about everything. It's impressive how far we've untangled this mess, but there's still a long way ahead of us.
