Light-headedness?!?

Anyone else ever have light-headedness as a part of DID? On and off all day today I've felt dizzy, the light-headed kind, just like when I was a little kid and would wear my Dad's strong glasses and try to walk around in the yard. It was fun but made me feel like my head was not staying put. That is how I feel today.

I think it is DID related because I'm not overly anxious (any more than normal ), my blood pressure is fine, I've eaten well and it doesn't get affected by food, and I have no other symptoms or pain. I actually feel kind of amused while it is happening.

Oh, and I almost forgot this part. When I was driving back home (not feeling dizzy when I got in the car), I suddenly felt like I was shrinking in the seat and the car got bigger. I announced loudly in my head "littles are not allowed to drive, it isn't safe, remember what we agreed to with Jerry [therapist]" and the feeling went away immediately. Is this something that happens when becoming co-conscious with a little?

Am I going crazy? Can this be part of DID? Anyone know?

Elizabeth

i dont have did but i dissociate allot. i get lightheaded in sessions sometimes. one time when i first started, i could barely see straight. im not sure why.. iwhen i would try ..i got light headed and zoned out.

given you are not triggered in any way -

from your post -

"I'm not overly anxious (any more than normal ), my blood pressure is fine, I've eaten well and it doesn't get affected by food, and I have no other symptoms or pain. I actually feel kind of amused while it is happening"

and

"just like when I was a little kid and would wear my Dad's strong glasses and try to walk around in the yard. "

Then its most likely not DID related. A person dissociates into altered memories by dissociating to get away from a problem that is upsetting them. they are triggered (upset) by something in their life - they see, hear, taste, smell touch or are touched by something some one that reminds them of an unconcsious memory. unconscious memories are memories that are stored at a level of thinking that the person has no awareness of.

If this was DID related you would have no memory of putting on your fathers glasses and how it made you feel.

you would be acting out the memory WITHOUT being aware of why you are doing so and usually without being aware that you are even acting out a memory.

And even then you would most likely not know what you have done or that its from that memory of putting on your fathers glasses. Someone in your present life would be asking you if you are alright because you walked like you were drunk the other day kind of thing.

or you have worked in therapy and you remembered that memory while remaining co conscious (in that light headed foggy off tilt way) and in which case because you now know where the memory is coming from you no longer experience feeling like that when remembering the memory of putting on the glasses because being co conscious while the memory replays restores that memory in the conscious level so that you no longer have to be dissociated to think about that memory and feelings. basically you would no longer be acting out that memory.

In the second situation - the driving the car if something upset you right before the situation happened yes it is a DID situation. something you experienced made you remember being in a car so you felt little. but the shrinking feeling a person cant litterally shrink from adult to child and feel themselves shrink so that part Im not sure about. I have never felt myself shrinking during a switch and neither have anyone that I know with DID. and professionals have never told me about a shrinking sensation or even asked me about a shrinking sensation so I don't think that is part of switching.

I know that when i take certain medications I can feel a shrinking sensation when I am doing my relaxation visualization that said "sink into the support you are sitting on so that you are in a comfortable position" But other then that I don't experience a shrinking sensation.

Other than the shrinking sensation yes this is what it is like being co conscious, you recongnize a feeling and have control of stopping it and grounding yourself back in the here and now so that you are no longer acting out your memories. you can think and talk about them just like a normal memory with out acting them out.

on the shrinking - Ive felt this way sometimes, and it is mentioned once or twice in the book sybil. But, I don't think it really is the feeling of srinking down to the size of a child, but more the feeling of shrinking back/tunnelyish. But i sort of know what you mean by it.

tunnelish yup know that one.

the book sybil right now alot of that book is in controversy as to how much if any of it is actually Shirley Masons (Sybil) experiences. manuscripts in Shirley Masons handwriting has been located in which her experiences are alot and possibly drastically different then what has been portrayed in the book and in movie making the directors and writers in scripting have whats called writers disgression (sp ?) where they are able to change what really happened to add more dramatics that didn't happen and still be able to call the movie based on a true story. "based" means it started out as a true sory. It does not say it is TOTALLY true. There is also talk and rumors and so forth that a new movie based on Shirly Masons manuscripts is in the scripting for a new movie. My moto with going by books is that if I can't contact the author and or the person the book is about to talk to them about their book then take it with a grain of salt - read it but know the content may be as removable as brushing away the spilled salt.

yup, thats kind of what I was getting at actually!

I mean, without actually being Sybil, there is no way to tell if the feeling she was experiencing in the book was even a shrinking down - all it mentions is shrinking.

thought so. hang in there.

Thanks, EV. I'm not sure what was going on for me today--maybe it was a form of dissociation.

Thank, myself. A lot of things to think about for me. As far as the shrinking goes, I don't think it was a switch as much as it was "breakthrough" feelings. Like when I know that *I'm* not scared but suddenly feel scared. I dunno. Some days I'm not sure about much anymore.

Yes, Rainbowzz, I know what you mean by the tunnely shrinking back. This was a little different. Wish I knew how to explain it better. Thank you.

Oh, and from another thread I read, I really hope your ear infection clears up. My husband's eardrum ruptures sometimes too and I know it hurts!

You're welcome and you're not alone I have had a few days where things have felt strange and unsure too. hang in there.

Elizabeth,

My therapist says that the dizziness, lightheadeness is part of DID. For me, it seems to be the dissorientation from one altered state to the next. Sometimes it's not a trigger that brings one out, but a need for them to be heard or a need of someother kinds, like companionship or expression or a fear of going to therapy.

My T advises that I use grounding techniques at that time to help stabalize things, remind myself that I am in the present, what's around me etc.

It's been my experience, the dizziness, disorientation - is part of the DID. But, everyone is different and I think it manifests itself in different ways, depending upon a persons history and need and the creation for the alters in the first place. Just my experience.

Hugs,
Anne

(((Elizabeth)))

I get the swirlies too..like the room spins..or real light headed..floatie feeling..real short bursts..not during every switch..but it does happen frequently..and my T's have told me this is part of being DID and dissociation processes, somatics, etc..but I also agree with SongBird, and what has been passed along to me by Professionals too, that every one does it differently, some of the characteristics are standard for the disorder..but the way we adapt them is up to our systems..

Take care Elizabeth...

Eva, Anne---agree with you both. Have similar experiences. T says all part of DID and also recommends grounding and sometimes a nap.

((((((((((Anne, Eva, white_iris)))))))))

Thank you. I should start practicing more grounding techniques when this happens. It is so good to know that someone else experiences this (well, wouldn't want you to have this though). I like the idea of a nap--my 2yo takes one every afternoon so I can try to sleep when she does.



Elizabeth

<font color="blue">Naps are like the best thing in the world. Sometimes, it's the only thing that saves me. Trying to fit one in after work, before getting supper ready - often gets to be difficult.

But naps are a great thing.

Anne </font>