#14 - What is your favourite sense to ground yourself with? Olfactory, tactile, auditory, etc? (2026):
Physical movement is most-used nowadays. Anything that shakes us loose and sets our feet (literally) on the ground. Dancing. Stretching. Bouncing or jumping in place. Shaking our hands and arms. Ab crunches and basic yoga: planks, cat-cow, downward and upward facing dogs, child’s pose.
Music is another frequent tool, though our dependence is lessening drastically. Certain genres or songs can trigger nostalgia or timeline leaks, but newer discoveries can help ground those parts with a tenuous grasp on the current reality.
Back in the day we employed more techniques, including taste and smell. Carrying rocks in our pockets was an old favorite. Chunks of pyrite or amethyst were easily concealed and surreptitiously handled, rough edges offering a tangibility to hang onto.
Now we just carry our pocket friends, but that’s mainly for the whimsical companionship.
#14.5 - To whoever’s fronting: What’s your favorite item to have around when fronting? Is it yours or do you share with other alters in the system? (2015):
Even if something belongs to an individual alter, it’s still a shared item. And since our entire life is a shared item, it’s hard to answer this question. It’s darn near impossible not to share.
Certain objects do belong to or are associated with certain alters. Issues arise when we get rid of something we didn’t realize was claimed by a specific alter, or because the part with the specific attachment wasn’t around on donation day. Sometimes we don’t know until it’s too late.
That said: some don’t share meals. Food disappears without me getting a taste; a memory of it perhaps, but not the lived experience of eating. Sometimes I might get the first bite or two and, if I’m lucky, a glimpse of the last.