[innocentjoy]

So I kind of have a random question, not sure if this has already been discussed or not.

I was wondering if anyone else imagines rooms inside their body, when working with your system?

I have an attic in my head, when I 'look' inside, where if there's stuff that needs to be dealt with, I can see boxes piled up, etc. I also have a cabin where my heart is, which is the safe place for everyone to gather and be taken care of if they need it, and some kind of cellar in my belly, that used to be a dungeon and now is a store room with lots of shelves.

I know I have a vivid imagination to begin with, but was wondering if anyone else uses visuals to look inside themselves like this?

IJ

[Jennifer1084]

My t has been encouraging me to set up a conference room for everyone but that doesn't seem to sit well with me but find your setup something that would be more accurate to how my system works. Though I am just now jumping back into dealing with the dissociation after 4 years of shoving it away and denying. But I think it is a great way to understand your systems set up, everyone's internal world is different because we are all different in at least one way

[Gr3tta]

Myselves all have rooms!

[Kiya]

I've heard of and read about inner landscapes, but have none myself. It's just who is "up front" and who isn't. Sometimes we can see each other, or will exchange a look. Sometimes I know I am very far away, trying to give the up front person help.

[Claritytoo]

Originally Posted by Kiya

I've heard of and read about inner landscapes, but have none myself. It's just who is "up front" and who isn't. Sometimes we can see each other, or will exchange a look. Sometimes I know I am very far away, trying to give the up front person help.

I thought I didn't have an inner landscape. My t also asked me if we could set up a conference room so everyone could get to know each other. But while in session one of us got stuck, we couldn't enter the dark hall at the top of the steps We were able to get into our room but than couldn't get out because we had to go into the dark hall. With my t's support we decided to change where the door to my room opened into. After a little while we agreed to have our door open into our t's office. We changed the landscape. We walked out of the room into my t's office instead of the hall. Than later while driving home we decided to blast out the end of the hall, make a huge hole in the wall to let the light in and so that we could see the sky. In my landscape the dark hall is gone. I still can't do the conference room but we started to move into a house in Florida where everyday is sunny. I haven't visited there in a few months but I know it is still there. We used to live in an apartment bldg in the city but that was vandalized two or three years after we began therapy. (this is what is in my brain) My visits to my place in the city and in Florida happen during sleep. Always the same place. Most times always the same people. We come and go when we want. We all live in the brain and our body is it's own self. That is how we are.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by innocentjoy

So I kind of have a random question, not sure if this has already been discussed or not.

I was wondering if anyone else imagines rooms inside their body, when working with your system?

I have an attic in my head, when I 'look' inside, where if there's stuff that needs to be dealt with, I can see boxes piled up, etc. I also have a cabin where my heart is, which is the safe place for everyone to gather and be taken care of if they need it, and some kind of cellar in my belly, that used to be a dungeon and now is a store room with lots of shelves.

I know I have a vivid imagination to begin with, but was wondering if anyone else uses visuals to look inside themselves like this?

IJ

this is actually a quite common therapy technique around here where I live and work and is for many things not just dissociative disorders. when I was having work related problems my therapist had me close my eyes, breath and imagine a safe place, room or otherwise. I imagined a cabin in the woods next to a calm stream. now any time I have a problem I close my eyes and "go visit my cabin in the woods.) another place my therapist and I worked on was having a playground where other parts of me can play when I am triggered. the other parts of me had their own safe places depending upon who/what they were, what their job, purpose reason for being was...example Rainys place was a dark fort under a blanket because thats what and who she was, what her job purpose, reason for being was...to find a dark place under a blanket and cry when ever she was in control of the body. Sunnys place was full of sunshine and happiness because thats what her job, purpose reason for being was...to be happy and do happy things when she was in control of the body....

each one of my alters had their own way of being, their own jobs, purposes, reasons for being and their "places" reflected who and what they were.

[innocentjoy]

Thanks for the replies I'm always interested to see how similar/different my mind functions from other people. Jennifer, I hate when my t uses the term 'conference room' with me, but I can usually picture a different kind of room where everyone can come in, like my attic, etc. Claritytoo, I used to have a dungeon but with help from my t we were able to change that room around, so one of my parts wouldn't keep ending up there. Like the dark hall you were talking about, we were able to change it.

[Gr3tta]

Originally Posted by Jennifer1084

My t has been encouraging me to set up a conference room for everyone but that doesn't seem to sit well with me but find your setup something that would be more accurate to how my system works. Though I am just now jumping back into dealing with the dissociation after 4 years of shoving it away and denying. But I think it is a great way to understand your systems set up, everyone's internal world is different because we are all different in at least one way

Remember conference room can be aanything! Meet on a beach, a hillside, a sauna, a closed museum, whatever you want!

[Kiya]

My old T also tried the conference room idea, but it didn't work out for me either.

[possum220]

The only thing I can "see" inside is a trap door in my neck. I can't open the door. It has been shut forever. However, mostly when I dream, there are so many rooms in so many houses and I just keep searching from room to room and I never see to get to the end of the rooms.

[Claritytoo]

What I learned in therapy is that if everyone agrees we can change the rooms. Take out the scary ones and have rules that while in the house we do not hurt each other. It is neutral ground. This doesn't mean that everyone has to like each other just that the house is a safe space for everyone. Everyone seems ok with that. I think they also get tired of always being at odds with one another. It's live and let live in the house. I think most are relieved by this. It's a good thing.

[Kiya]

Originally Posted by possum220

The only thing I can "see" inside is a trap door in my neck. I can't open the door. It has been shut forever. However, mostly when I dream, there are so many rooms in so many houses and I just keep searching from room to room and I never see to get to the end of the rooms.

interesting. when I dream of houses I am trying to escape them - but they tilt and waver. the doors shrink or grow. the property expands and I can't get away. or doors lead nowhere, passages lead on forever. doors open up to sky hundreds of feet up. One t said dreaming of a house means the mind.

[Kiya]

Originally Posted by Claritytoo

What I learned in therapy is that if everyone agrees we can change the rooms. Take out the scary ones and have rules that while in the house we do not hurt each other. It is neutral ground. This doesn't mean that everyone has to like each other just that the house is a safe space for everyone. Everyone seems ok with that. I think they also get tired of always being at odds with one another. It's live and let live in the house. I think most are relieved by this. It's a good thing.

does sound like a good thing. it's a free for all internally for us. take no prisoners.

[Claritytoo]

We always wanted a safe house so we made our own.