#trench.co

[trenchcolabs]

SO YOU FOUND OUT YOURE A ALTER IN A SYSTEM!

You are gonna need the basic run down, Huh? Lets get started, Shall we??!!

BASICS!

1. Yes, your name along with a bunch of other things will come back to you if you don't remember it already!

2. No, you can't just leave as much as everyone dearly wishes they could! You are sharing this body/meat sack now. Unless you somehow found the key to instant dormancy.. You kinda cant go anywhere. Just know you aren't forced to be nice to anyone in your brain. outside of your brain is a whole different deal. I would just say be nice to any person you dont know. Its.. easier that way as shitty as it feels or as much as you dont want to

3. Yes-ish, the voices in your head are other alters (most likely anyway...) They can be loud, annoying and give you headaches at first but sadly you are stuck with them.

4. I know your head hurts. Im sorry but it is kinda part of the package. We will get into that part soon dont worry.

5. You wont know where you are but! Its ok cause it shouldn't take long to work out! If you know how to see this or if you were shown this by another person. Please find your way google and search for your location or ask said person where you are!

If you were just left with this when you "woke up" and dont know what google or anything like that is. One... those pricks. two! FOLLOW THESE HELPFUL STEPS!

A. Identify if you are on a phone or computer!

If you know what those are. GREAT!

if not.. A phone is the rectangle hand sized box (The thing in your hand). A computer is a series of letter on brick and a screen showing light (The thing in front of you).

B. Find Google!

If on phone: There should be a way to get back to the home screen. Either a button at the bottom of the screen or just by swiping up. Once you do that you should find a little button that looks like a rainbow circle called Chrome! vV Like below Vv

If on a computer: You should be able to use the mouse which is one of two things. A little roundish thing off to the side of the computer or a pad down at the bottom that moves the cursor. Once you find that you should be able to move it to the little plus sign in the corner of your screen. Keep in mind its a "+" not a "x"

Either of these should help you if you just type in things like "Where am i?" or "My location"

NOW THAT THATS OUT THE WAY! NEXT QUESTION!

6. What time is it? What year? day?

Well! this slightly goes into the last question. You can do one of a few things to figure that out.

If on phone:

A. Swipe down and see the time/day/month at the top

B. Go to the home page and find an app that says calendar. It will show you the year/day/month and time

If on computer:

A. Look in the bottom right-hand corner. It should show you the year/day/month and time. If not

B. Use the tab (The plus thing you did to find where you are) To look up what year and stuff it is just like you did with the location.

This is the bare basics of things you need to know.

Its gonna be rough at first but remember its gonna be ok. If you wanna learn more we have more posts to explain stuff you wanna know.

Just click here or on the link below:

Post by @trenchcolabs · 7 images

💬 0  🔁 0  ❤️ 0 · SO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BEING AN ALTER IN A SYSTEM! · If you haven't seen the first post. It's right here! If yo

[trenchcolabs]

SO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BEING AN ALTER IN A SYSTEM!

If you haven't seen the first post. It's right here!

If you have/come from there. Great! Let's get started!

Warning for dark topics.

Last time i talked about headaches and stuff so lets start with that.

Some of the major symptoms you might get really badly as a new alter:

Headaches/migraines

Nausea

Cramps/aches and pains (This is also very common in systems or alters with back pain and other disabilities that can cause pains)

Dizziness/Light Headedness

Difficulty staying focused or working on tasks excessively

Fuzzy feelings in limbs/head

Hazy/foggy memories

Lacking the ability to do certain basic functions (Such as closing/opening your eyes, moving limbs well, speaking/eating/drinking, unclenching your fist, crying, or dealing with emotions you don't remember why you are feeling)

These are a good chunk of the ones we have seen in others, experienced or have looked into. If you are experiencing any of these its ok.. youre gonna be ok. Its normal and should mellow out over time. Just take pain killers for the headaches or other pains, get water if you can and just try and relax as much as possible as soon as possible.

Now that we have worked out the symptoms. Let's talk about how systems are formed and fictives/factives and their sources

Systems are normally formed by repeated trauma as a child between the ages or 3 (at the least) to 12 (at the very max). Trauma is defined as an emotional response to a terrible event. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. What counts as trauma varies from person to person but a few examples are:

Being yelled at by an adult

being hit

car crashes

being in the military or the threat of war

being ignored or alone for an extended period of time

Being forced to do something you don't want to do (such as being forced to eat something that genuinely causes emotional distress to eat or being forced to wear something that is genuinely causing emotional distress)

rape

having to use self defense and possibly killing someone in that process.

Being a witness to someone being apart of any of the above and more.

These are honestly just a few i can think of off the top of my head. As you can tell a lot of things can cause you to become a system. because of the fact that systems can form in such a wide range of time. it means that your brain can sometimes pull alters from different things such as movies, tv shows, books, your friends/family and so on. This gets us into our next topic.

If you are new to being in a system it is very possible you came from one of the above. If so you are what we call a fictive or factive

Fictive as you can guess comes from a work of fiction.

Factives from more real-life sources.

If you are a fictive you may likely be able to interact with your sources either by watching it, reading it, or talking with friends/family about it.

If you are a factive it is likely you cant interact with your source in a literal sense such as talking to the person you were based off of or interacting with the people/things from your source (Making videos on your channel or talking to the director from the movie you were filming) BUT that doesnt mean you are left out of the fun of interacting with your source. If you are an alter based on a streamer/YouTuber you can watch them or follow them on social media to see how "you" are doing. If you are a celebrity you can watch some of your old movies or any of the new things you're in. You get the idea.

Its hard being new to a system but i hope these two posts at least somewhat helped. If there is anything you are confused about please dont hesitate to get a checkup with the doctors or look into it yourself. Take a lollipop for the road

[trenchcolabs]

ALTER TYPES/TERMS:

Last Update: 9/27/25

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Singlet- A non-multiple, someone without alters

Fictive- an alter who has their identity rooted in that of a fictional character. (Anime, Game, Book chars)

Factive- an alter who has their identity rooted in existing people (Ie. Youtubers, IRL friends, Singers, so on)

Introject- an alter that represents a real things or concepts outside of the system, ie, an alter that is basic just the embodiment of the bodies religion or a favorite cup from the bodies childhood

Headmate- see alter. This term is less commonly used by those with DID, it’s up to the system which words they’d like to use.

Host- The alter/alters that fronts the most or the alter/alters that identify as owning the body and not simply being part of the brain.

Co-Hosts- While the host of a system is the alter who fronts the most often, it is possible for two or more to share more significant time caring for daily needs. This is known as co-hosts or actively as co-hosting

Fragment- an incomplete/fluid alter who does not possess a full separate identity.

Gatekeeper- a type of alter that controls who can front and what memories are accessible, OR a term used in the community for someone who questions the validity of the experiences of others.

Little- a young alter. Also called system kids, syskids, etc.

Persecutor- a violent, difficult, or internally abusive alter. Persecutors typically harm the system out of a desire to protect it. (Do not judge these alters!!!!)

Protector- a type of alter made to protect the system.

Caretaker- An alter that looks after Littles, or generally younger, weaker or more vulnerable alters, tending to emotional wellbeing and safety. This can be in the innerworld or outside the body.

[trenchcolabs]

More on the alters with disabilities — Say they usually needed a cane, or wheelchair, or a prosthetic limb, does that affect the body too? Can the alter still identify as disabled, even if the body itself isnt?

Alters and Disability

Can alters be disabled when the body isn't?

Well, aside from the disorder being a disability itself, I know you meant physical disabilities.

To answer that is more complicated than I'd like to admit.

Alters and disabilities are actually a huge point of contention, both in the patient community, and the research community.

Old research would indicate that alters cannot experience conditions that the body does not experience, however even that has contradictions. Including a case in which a patient experienced blindness and vision, depending on which alter was fronting (Case: B.T.).

However, it is important to remember that alters can take up different parts of the brain, aligned on neural pathways, and may activate/deactivate separate parts of non-vital functions depending on the alter and their perceived (dis)abilities.

An alter who requires a wheelchair/a cane/mobile aid may experience extreme amounts of pain/weakness in the respective place(s) and may benefit from the use of aids. Alters can experience varying degrees of vision, hearing, and other sorts of symptoms.

If an alter wishes to identify personally as disabled, I'd say go for it. However, I feel as though systems should still avoid speaking on disabilities they don't collectively experience, as it can be disingenuous, or even do more harm than good. It'd be like a blind person suggesting how to improve braille.

[trenchcolabs]

Can you explain some roles of the alters ?? ;-;

I'm so lost about it-

Alter Roles

Every alter splits for a reason. More often, to cope with trauma or stressors in a patient's life. Yes, even something as seemingly harmless as homework, can cause a system to split (more on this another time). In fact, homework will be our example. Note that this is simply in place of trauma/stress as a whole.

How an alter helps the system handle certain traumas can often be categorized as a "role" or "job."

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Systems can use specific and custom terminology, but there are a few clinically identified roles. This is a small handful. Please keep in mind these are very simplified terms, and may not encompass every detail:

• ANP (Apparently Normal Part) - These are parts of a system that handle daily life, and often create the general "mask" personality that is presented to the external world.

• Host - The host is the alter that most commonly uses the body. Host alters are responsible for most aspects of daily life. Hosts are considered ANPs.

-> (Ex: A host may attend school and receive any homework that needs to be done.)

• *MFP (Most Frequent Person/s) - Alter(s) that create a "front team." That is, a group of alters that collectively function as a Host of sorts.

-> (*This term may not apply to all systems, and is still being further researched as a proper term. However, this has been documented frequently.)

• Gatekeepers - These parts help by managing the system itself. Controlling the organization, front, memories, and flow of information throughout the system.

-> (Ex: A gatekeeper may ensure that only alters equipped to handle homework stress are handling homework.)

• Persecutors - Parts that intend to protect the system, though often have flawed and harmful methods.

-> (Ex: Persecutors may avoid doing homework altogether to avoid the stress.)

• Protectors - These parts protect the system in the most literal sense. Protectors are an umbrella term, and may have specialized areas of protection.

-> (Ex: An emotional protector may take on the stress of doing homework, or comfort alters who are doing homework.)

• Introjects - An umbrella term representing parts that may take on traits/identities of external influences, such as outside people or figures.

-> (An introject of a teacher may exist to assist in homework.)

• *Internal Self-Helpers - An umbrella term for parts that help with self-care and mental health and wellness throughout the system.

-> (*This umbrella term can encompass roles such as Soothers, Emotional Protectors/Holders, Mood Boosters, Caregivers/Caretakers, etcetera.)

• *Fragments - These are parts with less developed identities. Often not considered "alters," these parts are often in the stages of development.

-> (*Systems split fragments. Fragments develop into alters. This is why alters take "a long time," to form.)

—

These are a few custom/unique terms we've found across the internet, and/or used ourselves:

• Operarios - Parts that are responsible for productivity, and keeping the system active.

-> (Ex: An operarius may keep detailed notes for doing homework to increase speed and efficiency of completion.)

• Prosecutors - Parts that intend to protect the system, though often have flawed and harmful methods, specifically resulting in damaged relations with others.

-> (Ex: A prosecutor may cause emotional/physical harm to people trying to help manage the homework stress, overall making it harder for the system to receive such help.)

• Councilors- Also called "Administrators," or "Higher-Ups," these alters come together in a vote to represent parts of the system for opinions, and decisions both internally and externally.

• Overseers - Parts that can remember everything between parts, both in the inner world, and reality. Their job is to essentially be a security camera.

• Source Heads - Parts (often introjects) that speak on behalf of other introjects, often from similar sources, or roles as themselves.

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It's important to note that systems may have one, multiple, or no parts under any specific role listed above. Alters can have one, or even multiple roles. Roles are often "assigned" based on presented traits that show how alters manage stressors.

[trenchcolabs]

SUBJECT: SUB-SYSTEM

Basic Information:

There are different types of subsystems. It's either an alter with their own alters (they can present as the same alter but that isnt always the case), or a group of alters who are separate from each other but isolated from the rest of the system with higher dissociative barriers.

More In-Depth Information:

Type a: Alters come together to make a new group. Normally this is due to a collective trauma the group all went through but that isnt the only reason. lets say

alters 1 - 5 went through something and now they all kinda stick together cause of this thing. now they rarely ever go anywhere without each other. They can. its just unlikely that they will. this includes fronting. if alter 4 is fronting its most likely that you will at least have one of the other group members there. In this type of subsystem, the alters are distinct, have their own identities and typically have their own roles. Typically, subsystems tend to be clustered in a specific way to keep certain trauma or memories separate from the main system.

Type b: Alter has a system in their brain. that works the exact same way as a system. Theres not much we can say about this one. We have a few of them but not nearly enough to talk about our experience and we cant see to find enough info on this type.

We have a few subsystems. I think like three to be exact. The main system isn't aware of what goes on in each one but they are there. This is because our brain decided that for us to be functioning, that needed to be sectioned off and compartmentalized even further than it would be if it was just a new alter splitting off in the main system. The subsystem has its own structure with a protector, caretaker, trauma holders and so on.

Reasons Sub Systems are formed:

Trauma-based: Subsystems can form as a response to trauma, helping to protect the system by containing certain memories or functions.

Source-based part 1: Subsystem is formed based on a group of alters from the same source/s so they feel a lot closer to each other than other people. this is normally also kindaaaa trauma based but more often it is a security thing.

Source-based part 2: This is mostly exclusive to type b subsystems. This is when one splits an introject from a piece of media that is heavily tied to systemhood. (Ex: Moon Knight, Kevin Wendell Crumb from "Split", Jekyll and Hyde, etc.) This can result in such alters forming, along with their own alters from their source media.

Function-based: This is normally where a group of alters who all have a similar function group up and making type A subsystem.

Example:

Alter 1 is a care giver

alter 2 is a gatekeeper

alter 3 is a higher up

and alter 4 is a protector

They all stick together pure on the fact that they can function together easily and when fronting they know that they can handle anything the body goes through.

[trenchcolabs]

Could it be, that the person is always in co-fronting, so the alts make the blackouts not to obvious? Like you miss giant parts of your childhood and over the years you space out more often and only don't remember conversations, or the drive home by sending the thoughts into daydreaming?

Symptom Severity

Apologies if this doesn't answer your question, it's been a doozy trying to fully understand what exactly you're asking as we are still waking up.

As interpreted "Can an alter be in co-front all the time, making black-out amnesia less obvious? For instance, missing large chunks of memories from childhood that gradually become less severe. Such as entire conversations, or car rides that you completely dissociate from."

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Alters can be co-conscious all the time. Whether that be co-hosting, MFP alters, or simply always having alters nearby in the mind.

While this can cause black-out amnesia to be less noticeable, it's also possible that one's mind experiences partial blackout amnesia. "I was at work, now I'm at home. It stands to reason I drove here, but I don't remember driving here."

Keep in mind that every system experiences a combination of multiple amnesia types. You can view our symptom terms through our masterlist in the pinned post to better understand the types of amnesia.

Amnesia and dissociation severity can lessen over time, especially once removed from the environment that caused the need for frequent dissociation in the first place. These symptoms are forms of survival, so the less you experience, the less you actively need to.

[trenchcolabs]

Is it different for every system when a blind alter fronts? Why does it affect the body’s sight and/or other senses??

Alters and Disability

Alters take up different neural pathways. It's a mental disorder that causes your brain to "divide" itself, hence the term "splitting." Your neural pathways control everything.

A blind alter may cause more, or less pressure behind the eyes, altering vision. The same can apply to the ears, nose, and even the taste buds. Alters can have varying degrees of tolerance to sensations, including pain.

Alters can also simply experience psychosomatic symptoms, such as blindness/blurred vision/etc, solely because they see themselves as experiencing it. "I think, therefore I am."

The "severity" of blindness can also vary. From alter to alter, and from system to system. From dissociated "crossed" eyes, to blurry vision in the affected area, to total blindness. Some blind alters may also experience vision, much to their own confusion.

Such can also happen to other parts of the body, such as a -plegic alter struggling to use their affected limb(s), and/or finding it weird to have it be functional.