[SQLVR]

Hi,
I read somewhere that having imaginary friends as an adult is a form of dissociation, is this true?

[crazylife]

I have read that too, i guess it could be but also a manifestation of other mental health problems.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by SQLVR

Hi,
I read somewhere that having imaginary friends as an adult is a form of dissociation, is this true?

Here in New York United States of America no, imaginary friends is not a form of dissociation. in fact in DID, one of the dissociative disorders the diagnostic criteria clearly states having imaginary friends has to be ruled out in order to be DID...

your treatment provider can explain in detail about this.

the short answer as understood here in New York USA by the mental health field is that there is a fine line between how alters and imaginary friends are created.... one (imaginary friends) is created willfully and consciously created where as alters with DID are created during an extremely traumatic abusive event by a child.

Dissociation is something that happens to a person, not something they willfully and consciously do..

dissociating is a reaction kind of like sneezing is a reaction to being exposed to an allergin - pollen, or blinking is a reaction to bright light or sunlight.

dissociation in itself is a feeling type reaction - feeling numb, feeling like you are not in your body, feeling foggy headed...,

then it continues on through the various dissociative disorders - dissociative fugue, dissociative amnesia, depersonalization, derealization, dissociative disorders not otherwise specified and DID.

Dissociation is not an activity like playing house or tree fort with your friends or creating imaginary friends to play / talk with..

example when a person is dissociating they dont say -

"today Im going to dissociate (feel numb, feel spacey/foggy headed/ like Im out of my body, floaty.... and other symptoms of normal and abnormal dissociation) and after I am feeling all these derealization, depersonalization, dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, DID, and normal dissociation symptoms of being foggy headed, numb, out of my body feelings Im gonig to play / talk with an imaginary friend named Rosie"

an example of dissociation is something like - Im sitting in a meeting and the meeting is quite stressful, I start feeling foggy headed and everyone sounds like they are far away from me, I couldnt connect with them. Im so numb I cant think or feel,....

[Puzzle_]

Im not sure but, the alters I am co-consious with...I had no idea about for the longest time, until therapy..and when I met them they told me their name and I cant influence much besides back and forth conversations with them, I suppose if I imagined someone up willfully they would be whatever I want them to be...which is not the case with this particular alter I'm co-con with,
He does whatever he wants, when he wants, how he wants, wears what he wants, like waht he wants....and I cannot really interfere much besides comment on it, and sometimes he has something to say...sometimes ignores me.

So , I dont know, I figure with an imaginary friend one could have more freedom?
Not sure. AmandaLouise's answer seems good to me though, rather than my jumbled up nonsense haha

Puzzle_Puzzle_

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Puzzle_

Im not sure but, the alters I am co-consious with...I had no idea about for the longest time, until therapy..and when I met them they told me their name and I cant influence much besides back and forth conversations with them, I suppose if I imagined someone up willfully they would be whatever I want them to be...which is not the case with this particular alter I'm co-con with,
He does whatever he wants, when he wants, how he wants, wears what he wants, like waht he wants....and I cannot really interfere much besides comment on it, and sometimes he has something to say...sometimes ignores me.

So , I dont know, I figure with an imaginary friend one could have more freedom?
Not sure. AmandaLouise's answer seems good to me though, rather than my jumbled up nonsense haha

Puzzle_Puzzle_

this is exactly one of the distinctions of alters vs invisible friends, my therapist and I talked about when it was discovered I was dissociating.. how my alters did not follow "friend" rules like doing what I wanted them to do, come out only when I wanted to talk and play with someone.... my alters took total control of how they think, act and do just what they please. they had their own way to be and nothing was going to influence them otherwise.

[ImMentallyILL]

Kurt Cobain was awesome and had imaginary friends.