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Claritytoo · Jan 02, 2013, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amandalouise

Claritytoo...I had many alters that were like this... not just with the feeling of worthlessness...there was anger, happiness, depressed, ashamed, and even sexualized alters.. my therapist explained to me that DID type alters have their own way of being, their own jobs, purposes and reasons for being. what that means is that each alter has their own feelings, their own ways in which they perceive their self and the world around them, and they have their own way in which they present their self. Here where I live and work these kinds of alters are called "categorical". the DSM calls this type of alter "distinct"

for some people with DID type alters they are able to teach their alters things like safety, and that theres no need for the behaviors like self injury, and suicide that they were created for, hold and embody.

for others there is no way to get through to these type of alters.

for example with me there was not getting through to them, there was no way to communicate with them, there was no way to teach them, that their job, purpose and reason for being was no longer appropriate and no longer needed.

the only thing my therapist and I could do when it came to my alters not being safe with me / the other alters was by my entering the mental health unit and remaining there until it was safe for all of us again.

for those that are able to be co conscious and can communicate with their alters to help them understand they are not worthless and do not need to act out in unsafe ways, do so in many different ways. this is because there is no one way. what works for one doesnt always work for another...

some ways that those I know have used successfully is...Journaling, talking inside, asking insider questions on how to help them,. for a rare few hypnosis worked, emdr, CBT, and other therapy techniques have also worked for things like this..

only you and your treatment providers know how to best approach this situation and only you and your treatment providers can say what will and what wont work for you.

my suggestion if this continues to be an issue for you contact your treatment providers ie your medical doctor, your therapist or other mental health provider. they will be able to help you and all those with in to be safe and remain safe with your self and others inside.

Thank you for sharing your experience. When you say distinct do you also mean fragment. I refer to my parts that have one job as fragmented parts. I don't like the word fragmentated but I use it to differentiate between my parts that have one job and the others who function in the world. I don't try to teach my fragmented parts anything. I listen to them and ask them questions. It is up to them to decide what they want to do. If all alters were originally created to protect and help than I believe if they are able to reason they will figure out if their actions and thoughts are protecting and helping. At some point one of my alters started to direct their anger toward me. When I became aware of him I asked him about this. I realized he was angry because I had never acknowledged his effort to protect me from painful memories. I explained that I didn't know of him because it was his job to hold the memories so I will not remember. I apologized to him for not acknowledging him and his help. He had not thought about it in that way. He seems to understand why I had not acknowledged his help. He accepted my apology. I have not ask him how he intends to act toward me in the future because that is for him to decide. But he seems ok with me now. I am finding that there is a lot of misunderstanding between one another but that once we talk it out we seem to be back on the same page. I have a lot of co consciousnesses which allows us to talk to one another. I am also finding out though that I switch more often then I realized. I did speak with my t today and that helps me move forward. I explained to my t that I believe my alters were created through reason and I also believe they can return through reason. We are all one and for me I would like us to be one.