Since we don’t know a lot to do with innerworlds, I focused on the communication part of today’s prompt for summer system education week.
I wanna share some resources I’ve found on system communication and journaling (which I’m a huge advocate for. Out of the many different ways we’ve tried to communicate, journaling has been the most helpful for us.) I also recently got a pre-set-up journal recommended by my therapist, and I’d like to share some of the things in there as well.
Ok, before getting into journaling, here are some general system communication resources I’ve found:
Internal Communication- The Core of Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder
Developing Internal Communication - Starting with the Basics
Reducing Amnesia - Developing Co-Consciousness
Integrating ‘new’ parts
Staying Organized with Dissociative Identity Disorder (talks about some different communication methods)
For journaling, my first source is about How to Journal for DID. I’d also like to note some tips:
In free journaling, make sure to put the date, time (if able), and name of the alter journaling. If you’re unsure who’s journaling, put who you might be, who you’re closest to, who you may feel like a mix of, or if you really can’t tell, just put Blurry (or Unknown, if applicable).
Try to write every day. Set a reminder for yourself on your phone or something if it will help, set aside some time to just write.
If you can’t think of anything to write, and prompts don’t help, just start writing. It can be anything, notes, activities, even drawings count. Also beginning to write makes it easier to continue and let ideas flow.
You can write to no one in particular or to the world, but you can also write to other alters. Some conversations can occur back and forth in your journal pages. Even if it takes a few days or weeks for the other alter to see your writing, it can still be helpful.
Read through your journal and re-read it from time to time. Are there entries you don’t remember? Or ones you vaguely remember but feel different reading them as you? You can also write responses to alters asking questions or writing to you.
If you want, feel free to mark out different section for different alters, or a section specifically for talking to others in the system, etc. You can mark them with small post-it notes or bookmarks, so you may know more easily where to look for certain information or notes.
Next I’m gonna share the sections of the journal I got, along with some resources to go with different sections (many are from did-sos.com, because man, it’s a great resource site). Some are relevant to multiple sections, but I’ll only write each one once. I’ll put these below a cut since this post is already turning out to be a little long.
Link to get this journal if you’re interested
Keep reading
camp dumbass
i ahvent consumed any markiplier lore content since 4 years ago this is my recollection of their dynamic
trans women r literally so cool theu get tits AND a prostate?? i thought only markilpler could do that
My three girlfriends. And yes, they smoke weed.
Not-so-friendly reminder that you cannot be a system without trauma.
Some more proof; done by me, a person living with DID.
This is not syscourse, this is fact.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness (DSM-5), a history of childhood abuse and neglect is prevalent in 90% of cases of dissociative identity disorder (DID). The remaining cases involve medical trauma, terrorism, and childhood prostitution. Ninety percent is overwhelming. Other research claims that rates of abuse and neglect in DID are actually much higher.
DID develops in response to severe, recurring trauma in childhood. Children are not fully equipped to cope with continued, severe instances of abuse, so they may develop dissociation as a survival skill, which can then develop into DID. It makes sense, then, that the rate of childhood abuse and neglect in people with DID is so high.
https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/dissociativeliving/2016/04/the-undeniable-connection-between-did-and-child-abuse
The authors interviewed 102 individuals with clinical diagnoses of multiple personality disorder at four centres using the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule. The patients reported high rates of childhood trauma: 90.2% had been sexually abused, 82.4% physically abused, and 95.1% subjected to one or both forms of child abuse. Over 50% of subjects reported initial physical and sexual abuse before age five. The average duration of both types of abuse was ten years, and numerous different perpetrators were identified. Subjects were equally likely to be physically abused by their mothers or fathers. Sexual abusers were more often male than female, but a substantial amount of sexual abuse was perpetrated by mothers, female relatives, and other females. Multiple personality disorder appears to be a response to chronic trauma originating during a vulnerable period in childhood.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2044042/
The main cause of DID is believed to be severe and prolonged trauma experienced during childhood, including emotional, physical or sexual abuse.
Recurrent episodes of severe physical, emotional or sexual abuse in childhood.
Absence of safe and nurturing resources to overwhelming abuse or trauma.
Ability to dissociate easily.
Development of a coping style that helped during distress and the use of splitting as a survival skill.
While abuse is frequently present, it cannot be assumed that family members were involved in the abuse.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is the result of repeated or long-term childhood trauma, most frequently child abuse or neglect, that is often combined with disorganized attachment or other attachment disturbances. DID cannot form after ages 6-9 because individuals older than these ages have an integrated self identity and history. Trauma later in life can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder or complex posttraumatic stress disorder, other dissociative disorders including other specified dissociative disorder, somatic symptom disorders, or possibly borderline personality disorder, but DID requires an unintegrated mind to form.
https://did-research.org/origin/
Other helpful links!!
DSM-5 on DID and
A explanation of each DD
NAMIs fact sheet on DID
Please see this account for OP
A PDF research paper done on the link between DID and childhood abuse
My own multi-part research thread
A post about biomarkers in the brains of pw/OSDDID