[Claritytoo]

The word triggered was extremely difficult for me to understand. trigger constitutes something negative to me. It took a long time before I figured out "triggered" just means the reason for why I switch. Which for me is dependent on the task in front of me. So if I have to drive one of three parts will show up, or if I have to food shop ( I hate food shopping) our food shopper will show up. Certainly if I became fearful or angry those parts who deal with those feelings would show up. There are times when fear is triggered and I don't know why or anger is triggered and I don't know why. Those are the only two things where the term triggered applied. All the other switching is functional for daily life. I am now comfortable with the term triggered although I think it needs to have a broader definition so as to remove the negative connotations.

Anything that causes change (switch) hun. Going to cook causes the cook to appear, going to work causes the workers to appear. Even a thought causes a switch.

Everything is a trigger, actually, or it certainly feels like it.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Claritytoo

The word triggered was extremely difficult for me to understand. trigger constitutes something negative to me. It took a long time before I figured out "triggered" just means the reason for why I switch. Which for me is dependent on the task in front of me. So if I have to drive one of three parts will show up, or if I have to food shop ( I hate food shopping) our food shopper will show up. Certainly if I became fearful or angry those parts who deal with those feelings would show up. There are times when fear is triggered and I don't know why or anger is triggered and I don't know why. Those are the only two things where the term triggered applied. All the other switching is functional for daily life. I am now comfortable with the term triggered although I think it needs to have a broader definition so as to remove the negative connotations.

the broad definition of trigger is ..... anything (person place or thing) that causes something / someone to react, happen or exist.

examples...

mixing the colors yellow and blue is the trigger to change those colors to the color green.

labor is the trigger for how a human child is born

height is the trigger for my phobia panic attack

Yeast triggers bread into rising

my dogs barking triggers me into action of taking them out to do their business.

the word trigger in the broadest definition is the building blocks for life, how we live and what we do with our lives. anther way of looking at the word trigger in the broad scheme of things is.... cause and affect.

[Claritytoo]

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

Anything that causes change (switch) hun. Going to cook causes the cook to appear, going to work causes the workers to appear. Even a thought causes a switch.

Everything is a trigger, actually, or it certainly feels like it.

I am saying that the word trigger had negative connotations for me. I thought in order to be triggered there had to be something bad happening. It took me a long time to realize that trigger just meant switch. I was very resistant to my t when she said we were triggered. Her use of the word caused me to feel very confused because I didn't fully understand what triggered meant. It just means to switch. And we do that all the time. That is all I was saying.

Your absolutely right! For me It was a life time of triggered to anger, triggered to drink, triggered to do drugs..l

It wasn't till recent that I also figured it out to mean effect a switch, also.

I've got an itchy trigger.

[Kiya]

Triggers can be positive - a smell reminds someone of something and that triggers a good thought or memory or brings back a nostalgic moment.
In Intensive Outpatient, the instructor used the word "reggirt" which is trigger backwards just so it would not trigger people (then he went on to use actual words defining horrid moments that send me running from the room )
It is good to recognize that "trigger" doesn't have to be a bad thing and that yeah, I think of our switching as more of being cued: to drive, to shop, to put our "mask" on so others can't see us, to be real with friends. Whereas our 5 senses give triggers that can bring up good or bad feelings.

[Claritytoo]

Originally Posted by Kiya

Triggers can be positive - a smell reminds someone of something and that triggers a good thought or memory or brings back a nostalgic moment.
In Intensive Outpatient, the instructor used the word "reggirt" which is trigger backwards just so it would not trigger people (then he went on to use actual words defining horrid moments that send me running from the room )
It is good to recognize that "trigger" doesn't have to be a bad thing and that yeah, I think of our switching as more of being cued: to drive, to shop, to put our "mask" on so others can't see us, to be real with friends. Whereas our 5 senses give triggers that can bring up good or bad feelings.

Well said. I do think that there is too much negative verbiage regarding the DID condition. I would take a guess that most therapist and patients see "triggered" in a negative light. I like the word Cued. It's the actions after being cued that may be angry, fearful, happy, aggressive etc But the actual mechanism within us isn't bad. In it's day it was instinctual and saved us. And just like the instinctual creation through dissociation, I believe there is some type of internal process to release the system we created. Talk therapy helps to shine light on the existence of the system. But I truly think there is an instinctive process to release the system. If we created it, we have to be able to either continue changing the system or decide to release it. I would most likely have to change mine because I don't have a central self. Sorry I ramble.

[Kiya]

I didn't notice any rambling, but that did give me "food for thought" - about us being able to remove it ourselves since we created it... huh.... interesting.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Claritytoo

Well said. I do think that there is too much negative verbiage regarding the DID condition. I would take a guess that most therapist and patients see "triggered" in a negative light. I like the word Cued. It's the actions after being cued that may be angry, fearful, happy, aggressive etc But the actual mechanism within us isn't bad. In it's day it was instinctual and saved us. And just like the instinctual creation through dissociation, I believe there is some type of internal process to release the system we created. Talk therapy helps to shine light on the existence of the system. But I truly think there is an instinctive process to release the system. If we created it, we have to be able to either continue changing the system or decide to release it. I would most likely have to change mine because I don't have a central self. Sorry I ramble.

not sure what you mean by..... instinctive process to release the system....

if its what Im thinking ...that people who have DID can release/remove\change their system of alters...here where I live the answer is no not all systems of alters can be changed/released removed...

short version is Alters with DID have a job, purpose, reason for being...if their job, purpose, reason for being is to contain one moment in time /one traumatic event for example all that alter will be able to do is what that job, purpose reason for being is....

example one of my alters job, purpose, reason for being was to protect the secret at all costs, even if that meant self injury\suicide. nothnig my treatment providers and I could do to change\release/remove that alter. we tried contracts, we tried consequence/rewards, we tried self nurturing, you name it. in the end all we could do was inpatient to the mental hospital when that alter was a danger to herself and others. this very dangerous behavior ended only after the alter was integrated\merged back together with me (the aware self) everything they were became me. then since it was my own thoughts and behaviors I was able to finally have control over whether I self harmed or attempted suicide.

everyone's system of alters are set up in what ever ways they needed in order to survive, and if the jobs, purpose's reasons for being does not include such things as being able to change\evolve\be removed / be released/... then its not going to happen. just the way DID type alters work, some are able to do this and some can not.

[Claritytoo]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

not sure what you mean by..... instinctive process to release the system....

if its what Im thinking ...that people who have DID can release/remove\change their system of alters...here where I live the answer is no not all systems of alters can be changed/released removed...

short version is Alters with DID have a job, purpose, reason for being...if their job, purpose, reason for being is to contain one moment in time /one traumatic event for example all that alter will be able to do is what that job, purpose reason for being is....

example one of my alters job, purpose, reason for being was to protect the secret at all costs, even if that meant self injury\suicide. nothnig my treatment providers and I could do to change\release/remove that alter. we tried contracts, we tried consequence/rewards, we tried self nurturing, you name it. in the end all we could do was inpatient to the mental hospital when that alter was a danger to herself and others. this very dangerous behavior ended only after the alter was integrated\merged back together with me (the aware self) everything they were became me. then since it was my own thoughts and behaviors I was able to finally have control over whether I self harmed or attempted suicide.

everyone's system of alters are set up in what ever ways they needed in order to survive, and if the jobs, purpose's reasons for being does not include such things as being able to change\evolve\be removed / be released/... then its not going to happen. just the way DID type alters work, some are able to do this and some can not.

What I am saying is Dissociation is something humans can do naturally. It's not something that we are taught. Some people are more able to dissociate than others. So my thinking is, if humans have the natural capability to dissociate then humans may also have the natural capability to turn it off. (no offense to alters). We just don't know how. It's like, if someone never dissociated they can't just start. Because they wouldn't know how. I know what it feels like to dissociate. I don't know what it feels like to not dissociate. When my therapist would try to explain how she thinks, I was completely lost. I had no working knowledge of what she was talking about. But when I read something on this site I get right away. Because it is how my mind works. It is what I know. So the question for me is, how do I work toward not dissociating if I don't know what that feels like or how it works. I can't figure out the path I need to take because it is not what I know. This is why I need to go to therapy. Because a therapist knows the questions to ask that allows you to see what is going on in your head. At least for me that is how it was.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Claritytoo

What I am saying is Dissociation is something humans can do naturally. It's not something that we are taught. Some people are more able to dissociate than others. So my thinking is, if humans have the natural capability to dissociate then humans may also have the natural capability to turn it off. (no offense to alters). We just don't know how. It's like, if someone never dissociated they can't just start. Because they wouldn't know how. I know what it feels like to dissociate. I don't know what it feels like to not dissociate. When my therapist would try to explain how she thinks, I was completely lost. I had no working knowledge of what she was talking about. But when I read something on this site I get right away. Because it is how my mind works. It is what I know. So the question for me is, how do I work toward not dissociating if I don't know what that feels like or how it works. I can't figure out the path I need to take because it is not what I know. This is why I need to go to therapy. Because a therapist knows the questions to ask that allows you to see what is going on in your head. At least for me that is how it was.

I see thanks for clarifying that for me. yes there is a way. its called grounding here in my location. when someone starts feeling their dissociative symptoms they use their grounding skills which brings that person back to the present moment rather than dissociating...

example when I start feeling dissociated (numb, spaced out, disconnected...) I use my grounding skill/tool of getting physical and getting in touch with nature by rowing my canoe around the lake. this puts me back in touch with myphysical body and I no longer feel dissociated.

[Claritytoo]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

I see thanks for clarifying that for me. yes there is a way. its called grounding here in my location. when someone starts feeling their dissociative symptoms they use their grounding skills which brings that person back to the present moment rather than dissociating...

example when I start feeling dissociated (numb, spaced out, disconnected...) I use my grounding skill/tool of getting physical and getting in touch with nature by rowing my canoe around the lake. this puts me back in touch with myphysical body and I no longer feel dissociated.

That is not my experience. If I am dissociating into a part who is in a panic or fearful state, Or a little one that doesn't drive, I can ground myself with something really cold. Grounding causes me to switch to another part who is not in a panic or too little to drive. The cold distracts the part that is out and that allows another part to come forward. I am always dissociated. just some parts function in the world and others don't. I read about people who have a core person who they can ground into. I do not. When I ground myself anyone can show up. Usually it is the older ones who function in the world. I have three who regularly function in the world. So it most often is one of them. Sometimes it can be a protector who also functions in the world but not as appropriately as the other three. And sometime that makes things even more scary for some of the others.

I'm sorry for that. My dissociation is in an instant, but usually into someone that can deal with the situation. It's like I'm a walking Rolodex, spin me.

I don't know about grounding, because once it's beyound manageability, things change until
one can handle it. Not to comforting when doin 70 mph down the freeway and the revolving door effect happens. Just me though, thought I'd say, but we're like all not the same.

Something about self preservance kicks in trying to keep us functioning.