Switching.

There seems to be so many things triggering at the moment. Saw the psychologist today, Ive never ever been so aware of so much switching, it was so rapid, sometimes I can feel it, like a fade backwards, other times it's instantaneous. Sometimes I have some awareness of what's happening but not always.

We have another little. the session left me feeling tearful, exhausted, totally wiped out.

Psychologist said the whole system is under threat. Not really sure what that means but maybe that's why they were switching so suddenly?

in my location when a treatment provider or anyone else says the whole system is under threat it means something has triggered the switching...

kind of like (using a completely normal and natural situation anyone male female, mental disordered or not is taught in school) if you are walking down a street and see someone across the road you may think about how dangerous it is to be out walking after dark and what can happen. you may think that person is a threat or danger to you.

well in my location it is believed that dissociation is a reaction to a trigger... something happens to cause the one in control (host or alter) to dissociate. the act of dissociating causes the switching from one to another.

so before I was integrated, when my treatment providers would say to me something like it seems that my whole system is under threat I sit down and try to work out what is happening that is out of the ordinary\triggering the switching rapidly from one to the other.

my suggestion take time to breath and think about what things may be triggering you to dissociate. triggers can be anything positive or negative. its what ever is something you or the one in control can not handle at that moment so they had to switch to someone else who could.

I know what your saying, I go through them changes also. For me it's like perceived fear that's the threat, a mental trigger. Being mental, it's a focus, not like an incidental trigger through my day.

Like amanda said about walking in the dark, I switch through the many versions of each of fight, flight, freeze, and fawn instincts- depending on whose jobs it is to deal with what. This also applies to social and life situations, looking for an other to step up to handle the trigger. It can get fearful having to confront another person and say "hi", to like strangers. Expressing myself is fearful, too.

It's like one would step up and say "not me" "no you do it", then the next, then another....like a revolving door. Usually the body dazes out and twitch with each switch, like going through a Rolodex till it randomly stops at the unlucky winner.

Lol.....ya, that so freaking funny when that happens. Omg, we drank a bunch of coffee this morning! I feel so giggly and warm and fuzzy!

Well, whatever was being said just faded away, but I know it's about switching! And we just switched, why? I no idea why, but it feels good to get out. It's been a day and he just took over. We switch a lot. I guess it's because we do.

Switching is just what we do! Luv!

Hi thanks for the replies, helps. Sometimes I can't always work out what sets it off. Like you amandalouise I'm being told the dissociation is triggered by something.

I like the revolving door picture, I switch so fast. I felt so drained the switching was so rapid.
My T says switching and then keeping that particular alter "up" takes a incredible amount of energy. But sometimes I'm not even aware of the switches.

i have no idea sometimes what triggers me..i just find myself dissociating a lot the last few months..more than happened in a long time anyway.

i have been under stress, but i didn't realize i was because i didn't exactly feel it to the degree i have in the past where i would know it..and trying to figure out lately what causes it is leaving me at a loss.

yesterday, i was working and started to dissociate..or was it the day before..and it was very hard to 100% focus on finishing what i had to do. then things kind of eventually leveled off, and i was back in more control...but then it randomly happened again later on for no apparent reason...although, i have noticed kind of that i'll feel dissociative and then be hit by a lot of things, feelings, thoughts, sometimes random images that mean nothing...but it is very exhausting...i have a hard time sleeping/staying asleep, so it's extra exhausting when so much is going on inside even if i am not that aware of it.

Hi sometimes I know what's triggered me, sometimes I haven't got a clue, sometimes I might be able to work out x, y, z was happening to trigger me. I was badly triggered yesterday, later talking it through I was able to work out a few warnings but it's fuzzy so I'm not sure which started it, but other triggers came on top of the initial start. It was like layers of triggers!

If I'm having a really bad day of it it wipes me out, I need a rest! But then laying down they're chattering. I tell them to shut up,I'm tired, sometimes works, sometimes not!

It takes time to see. I usually just look at the function of the one out. Or make it easy and say "everything triggers me" like I do!

Enviroment, situations, emotions, thoughts, moods, time, dates, energy, sickness, people, visuals, events, surprises, music, smells, dreams, perception, reactions, objects, drugs, desires,...are some of the things that trigger a switch in us.

One just have to keep observing. I find that when things "change", I look to see what exactly is happening and who jumped in. I'm sorry, it's easy for me because of co-con.

How about having a notebook everyone contributes too?

We're pretty good about wearing the body out and pushing it late that crashing isn't hard to do, matter of fact, minutes is what it takes.

Hi yes I've been using notebooks for a while if we have appointments or lists of things to be done. I'm trying to journal too, might help.

My T is trying to work out how much co - con we have. I know we've got some, particularly with 3 of them. So far my T says we've found 10, but I think there are more.
Don't think we are as far through as you yet. Thanks

Just give it time, you'll get there. That's great about the co-con part. It like really hit me hard as to what it really is like as I posted in an earlier thread. It took a lot of getting used too, and trust that it's for real real, because still at times it's like "no waaaay." It's just so surreal.

All we do is pretty much walk, talk and fight each other. We come and we go, it's not like we're totally linked. We can only talk up front, then they fade away.

We did a lot of listening, searching into the darkness, waiting. It was through automatic handwriting that we first made contact, then the voices came and they got stronger.

I hope that it goes just as well with you.

Wow, sounds like good therapy for someone that is homeless found to have dissociative identity disorder....with just about nothing to lose at this point......

Just make sure that therapy is kept in the therapist office only....


Yes, this is part of my system's story...When I see key words exhausted wiped out....I get triggered about how my therapy was amongst the community every where spirit followed like a medium.

This is where I get lost with my system. We dissociate all the time in order to function. Some drive better, some handle work better, some protect better. Yes we have some who do not function well in the world and sometimes that causes issues but usually when we are not seen. I see my dissociating as a necessity to be in the world. And not a means to not be in the world.