Sometimes when I am here on psych central and I get upset or nervous about something I am reading on line I start getting floaty far away feeling. depending on what I felt about what I read I can pretty much know which memory piece my brain will replay if I continue to float off for instance if what I read made me feel angry I know that if I float off the memory piece known as margo will be replaying.

I take a second to remember that margo is just the memories of when I felt mad. Memories have no control over me because I am the biolgical tangible person and a memory is not tangible. so that memory piece cannot replay if I do not float off to la la land. So I know the choice is mine if I don't want a particular memory piece to replay I use my grounding tools to remain mentally connected and not off daydreaming in my mental safe place.

I also think about what would I do if I was surfing on other websites that did not have message boards and I read something that upset me what do I do there -

I either ignore what I am reading and stay on track of my researching or I close that window with the offending site.

The same for example If I was on NAMI where people are allowed to write things as long as the info about mental disorders is factual and varifyable and they don't have an ignore button and a pm section, and moderators on site 24 hours a day -

would I sit there continuing to read something that was upsetting me, sometimes to the point where I would dissociate? - no I would log out or move on to other threads.

the same here at psych central Whaty can I do when a thread or post upsets me?

I can let something I am reading upset me into my continuing to float off or I can take care of the trigger - my reading reading a post or thread that happens to upset me, or I read it knowing full well it would upset me -

I can log out of the site or I can read other non triggering posts and threads.

I have many times also pointed people to the fact that there is an option here at psych central that other websites don't have and that is the ignore button.

If I know that someone is always writing things that I don't like -

I click on the persons name
Scroll to the bottom of the page that comes up
click on the icon - ignore this user

By doing that I no longer have to read anything by the person that is posting things that I do not like.

I also point out to people that the blog area is great for when you want to post things that are controversial or goes against the mass media and society misconceptions. I myself have moved a majority of my DID info into my blog area so that those that do NOT want to read about what DID is according to specialists in the field of DID vs the mass media misconceptualized version, and my experiences with having DID, Therapy for DID and my research for the past 5 years on the topic of DID, don't have to.

Blogging is just like keeping a journal you can put anything you want in it. The only difference is it has to conform to what the website is about for example psych central is a website that people come to for factual varifyable information about mental disorders so when I blog on specifically on DID I know that I have to have only factual varifyable information regarding what DID is, symptoms and so on.

Anyway - Reading posts threads and blogs are optional. no one is standing here holding a gun to my head forcing me to read things that upset me.

Just like my surfing anywhere on the world wide web - game sites, mental disorders, chats, blogs, my.space, yahoo, you name it - Im the one that turned on the computer and Im the one that controlds my on line experience. Its my responsibily to make sure that if I am reading triggering material that I take care of myslf. Its not other on line members responsibility to babysit me and not post how and what they want to because I want and need to read just upbeat things that day.

Heck Some of my abuse happened during parties, so one day someone posting a picture of a ballon upset me. no its not that persons fault they were just cheering up a friend by posting a ballon.

if everyone stopped posting things that each and every member didn't like or got upset about then no one would be posting anything. one persons cheering happy go lucky post can be another persons monster balloon

So the bottom line is I can let people know when they are posting to me wrong for me but no matter how much I hate how someone is posting to another person its not the posters responsibility to babysit me and change their wording - don't use the word blue or red or spit (not my real triggers) and so on and styles softer and harder and so on to fit me.

Just like in real life therapy and support groups its MY responsibility to take care of me by using the optins available.

Here my options are -

I can log out when encountering something that upsets me

I can walk away from the computer

I can ignore the person and or thread

Or I can surf elsewhere on the site and world wide web.

Im the one thats in control of my on line experiences.