"We"

So I have a question... I was looking at that dissociation thread and took that test again. And it reminded me of something that happens.

Anyway, so I have "other me" who is like a me that is not me but is... We talk. She's my friend, I guess... I don't know... she helps me make decisions and stuff. I know she's not seperate from me but also she is kind of, I can't really explain it. I've had her around for longer than I can remember. It's always been.

Okay, so I realize that I think of me and other me as two people. And I will say things (out loud even) like for example with Halloween coming up the receptionist in the office upstairs has candy on her desk for all of us. So I said to other me yesterday, "We should go upstairs and get some candy." And other me says back "Yes, we should." Now, this is me talking to myself I guess... like I use my voice for both of us. Sometimes she talks in my head, but also outloud. This one I said it out loud. I realized I said "we" and I was like... huh...

Does anyone else who has this other something do that?

I don't really have any answer DH. Accept that I think our brains and world are really complex. Consciousness is way too complicated for us to understand, yet we have been gifted with it anyways.

I used to have a whole fantasy world, and I don't like the word fantasy, but I created a whole bunch of friends, and me's and I would live in that world most of the time when I was awake. Some people would say this isn't a healthy thing to do. But I did it as a way to cope in the world I was in, and it did get me through. Maybe it is what I needed to at the time to get through. It had a purpose, it did a function, so who is to say it was wrong.

In the case of Dissociation, or even to the extreme of did, it's pretty subjective, even in the psychiatric world. No one seems to be able to agree on a lot of it.

Why you do this, who knows, well you might, but I doubt anyone else would have the true answer to to that outside of an educated guess which could be correct or not. Does it bother you, or are you ok and comfortable with it? I wouldn't see a problem with doing this unless it was impacting you in a negative way. Sometimes it seems like things only start to bother us when we start to realize it is unique to us. Or it doesn't seem to be the norm. When we start to analyze them, well that's one gift of consciousness.

Sorry, I don't have any answers to this, see. But if it is bothering you I hope you find out what you want to know.

Do you have any ideas about why you do this, or when you starting doing this?

Thanks, Anika.

I don't know when it started or why. I have no memory of that. It's just always been, I guess. Or if it hasn't always been, I don't know when it started. I didn't even realize much of it until more recently. I'd never heard of dissasociation before until I came here and some people talked about it and it sounded oddly familiar. Kind of one of those "oh, I do that... strange."

Like you said, I guess I didn't start thinking about it until then. And now I have been thinking about it and like, right now I'm talking to you as... I don't know how to say it... the outer me. The me that everyone knows. Then the other me is the inner me and doesn't interact with other people, only me. When I'm interacting with people, she is in the background, observing??? I think that's how to explain it... but when I'm alone then we discuss everything. Like I said we're like friends... the friend I tell things to and then she gives me advice, or comfort, or something...

But, I realize that even when I'm not alone I am discussing things with her sometimes... or let's say I am playing a game. And I'm going along playing and I normally play alone. But she's there, too... also playing? And although we have the same character, it's like we decide together what to do next or where to go, even if not talking out loud...

Hmmm... odd...

I'm a 'we'... Have been forever, always think of myself in the plural form. We should do this... you know we really... I bet you... we must pull ourselves together...we really shouldnt wear that, its so not 'us'... Yip, my other me has been christened with my middle name since I was 15... And yes I know its weird that we argue, bet and brainstorm, but atleast I'm not alone. I think she is part of the reason I'm so über-introspective, she brings fresh perspective to the table. Dhx, I get it

I know Freud is discounted by many, but I do hold fast to his contention that everyone has an id, an ego & a super-ego...different parts of the whole. I think it's common for folks to dialogue with themselves -- BP, or not. Sometimes we have to separate the different parts of our personalities from our mental illnesses; or, at least for me, that's what works. Mileage may vary, though. Good luck sorting this out, Dark_Heart.

Oh good. It's good to hear it's not just me.

DH,

I have done this as well for a long time. I have conversations in my head especially when making a decision. In fact when I was diagnosed as bipolar, I was half afraid it was schziophrenia (spell?) because I talk in my head. As long as your cognizant of the fact that it is just "we" I don't see a problem.

Thanks for sharing!

Peace & Hugs,

TnT

I don't know if it's the same, but I have different "me's" throughout time. meaning that I have the child me, the teenager/young adult me, and the adult/current me. I see us as all different people yet related. Usually I argue with them, judge them, and hate them. We don't usually get along very well, probably because I blame them for all the crap that happened to me, us. So I'm probably really f'ed up.

Lauru, I have the same experience. I assure you, I am not effed up at all.

What you said actually makes a lot of sense to me. After all we change so much, and the old self is not the new self, but did help get us where ever we are. I am not a child anymore, but the child me I still remeber, there are still parts left, why not communicate.

Was just thinking tho, what if you tried to fogive your other selves, and see if you could find frienship with them ? Might help maybe ? I dunno I am just thinking.

I've done this for most of my life. So glad to see that I'm not the only one! I've been known to drive my staff crazy with "WE need to go check on Mrs. Jones" or "WE have to call the family about this med error" when it's ME who really needs to take care of business. I try hard not to do this anymore at work, but it tumbles out of my mouth naturally and I don't always catch it.

I don't have a history of dissociative disorders and have never really thought of myself as two essences of the same person.......but then, being bipolar does sort of set one up for that. Hmm...I gotta think about this a little more.

I know that's what I should do, but it is so hard to do. It's all about the self hatred. I know to get better that I have to change that. I guess right now I just can't do that. Hopefully one day I will be able to.

My other is not very nice most of the time. But she makes me do things I need to do. Sometimes she does the talking when I get in arguments with people. And she'll defend me saying, "You are driving her (me) crazy, you are taking advantage of her (me)". I'm aware and know it's me talking but it has slipped out like that before.

The mindfulness therapy was pretty cool. I learned to get along with the other better, learned her true purpose was just to help me be safe and happy and productive and all that. My self talk has improved.

Panic attack at my office yesterday I was talking out loud saying, "We have to get out of here now now now". So I suppose I do have a We, but it feels normal to me, maybe the id, super id, all that.

Well, other me is the same age as me. She's grown up with me. She doesn't look the way I look. She looks the way I think I look. (Like, when I look in the mirror I often get confused because it's not what I expect to see... it bothers me when that happens, and it happens a lot.) But other me has a appearance that I think should be, but isn't. Anyway... I don't know if that makes sense. Like she's been around so long we used to be kids now we're adults, the same age.

Other me is nice. She's not mean to me. When I'm having really bad negative self-talk, she tries to talk me out of it. When I'm having SI problems she tries to stop me. But at those times the darkness is over powering me, so she seems very far away and really at some of those times I seem very far away, too... like outside myself and watching what's going on but disconnected from it... So, I don't know.

Also when other people are mean to me she will become angry at them and take my side. But, like I said, she doesn't interact with anyone but me. So, she doesn't just start yelling at people.

It's confusing.

Thanks everyone.

Lol! My other me is so similar, yet sOOooO different. She grew up with me too, we are 2 sides to the same coin. She has bigger boobs, and fuller hair, oh and she has a mole in her face too she looks like I wish I did, but more gutsy than me, and lends me her voice when I lose mine. She taught me that 'creamy*****' is an acceptable level on the *****Ometer,so that she doesnt have to come out and scare the crap outta people who mistake my sweetness for weakness I love my other me,she keeps us strong.

Well, my other me is the same height as me. But she is slender and willowier (is that a word?) Her boobs are smaller than mine by 1 size. She has long straight hair, just like me, but it always looks nice and does what she wants. Her face is completely different than mine. I can't describe it all I can say is that it's pretty (where I am not...) And she doesn't need glasses.