[LostOne369]

Do you alters have names? Mine don't seem to have any?

I only had one that had a name, but she integrated 18 years ago! I didn't even know there were others until a year ago this Sunday.

Nowadays, I have 'labels' that I use for them - just for myself, when Im trying to communicate, or thinking about stuff and need to find a way to remember everything. But they dont actually have names, they certainly haven't told me any names (or told me anything else for that matter!) Any names I use for them, are because they remind me of people I know with those names in real life, or the label reflects who they are (i.e. 'the girl in the woods').

[finding_my_way]

i used to have a list of the ones i knew of. they did have names. but then i got scared a few years after i wrote the list and threw it away/deleted it. i am not sure how much it matters now though because i think things changed...and either a lot of them disappeared or i dunno...didn't exist to begin with? i have no idea.

you would think i wouldn't 'forget' each one and their names, characteristics, etc., after years of having known them, but there are some i actually do not remember things about....which kind of makes me doubt myself all over again.

i think also though that some had name changes too..so that doesn't help much either.

i have some newer ones with no names though.

I've been keeping a list for everyone, it's got 30 plus names on it....I'm polyfragged (hundreds) fer sure.

Not all has names. It's gotten to a point that we started just labeling ourselves by the job we do...it's easier so that we don't have to memorize a phone book and cross reference by who does what, unless they want to personalize.

Nobody here goes by the body's name, we just respond to it.

We let the alter name themselves if they want to.

[LostOne369]

Interesting...I sense personalities and ages, a nickname or two. A couple go by numbers. I wish they had names. Somehow that would make it easier to explain?

[Ellahmae]

I see personalities and ages. Only one of mine had a name when I started therapy. Then one named herself and a couple of the others. The rest my T and I gave nicknames to, they don't seem to mind.

Originally Posted by LostOne369

Interesting...I sense personalities and ages, a nickname or two. A couple go by numbers. I wish they had names. Somehow that would make it easier to explain?

In our system...we are all equal...nobody controls another, so nobody tells anyone else what to do unless they are anti-system.

We ask each other.

With all that said....have you tried asking them their names or if they want one? Numbers are fine.

I do automatic hand writing too if they aren't coming in loud and clear. After awhile, I discovered that their voices were sounding the words as they were written. So now we have perpetual head gab happening.

[LostOne369]

I haven't tried to ask. Most of the time I've been trying to shut them up. They've been trapped in my head only and argue. My gosh the noise in my head. Maybe I should try. The others exist as noise in my head. Once in a while someone pops out when I write and takes over the writing. Then in therapy last week, someone started to talk. I sort of know who that was. But she couldn't say.

We all need to try to - she needs to open her mind and try to give them the voice.

Figuring out how my system functions helped. Each alter has a job to do....once we understood our roles, we were able to work together peacefully (more so then not).

True that everyone has their own opinion...which is fine....but getting along in co-operation is much better being like in a shared space. I hope yall find your peace.

[Ellahmae]

Originally Posted by LostOne369

I haven't tried to ask. Most of the time I've been trying to shut them up. They've been trapped in my head only and argue. My gosh the noise in my head. Maybe I should try. The others exist as noise in my head. Once in a while someone pops out when I write and takes over the writing. Then in therapy last week, someone started to talk. I sort of know who that was. But she couldn't say.

We all need to try to - she needs to open her mind and try to give them the voice.

The first time I was told to talk to them I lost my mind. I was yelled at by them. I thought it would be horrible. For me though, once I started talking to them and discussing stuff one of my main ones, the ceo, said thank. All she wanted me to do was listen. I still try and shut them up as I'm fighting with the whole actually being real factor but some days I can communicate more and it helps. Hugs.

[Icecream-4]

Hi, I'm new. A great thread for newbies. During this week's T session a aggressive, secretive alter suddenly told me his name. My T asked if he had a name, aloud I said no but inside he told me his name, I laughed -freaked me out a bit, T asked "what name did you just hear?"

Sometimes I try talking to them but there's too much chatter to hear any one individually.
I sometimes try ignoring a little who always wants a certain teddy for bed, in the end I give up, get for her. Sometimes I tell them all to shut up because I need sleep.

Originally Posted by Icecream-4

Hi, I'm new. A great thread for newbies. During this week's T session a aggressive, secretive alter suddenly told me his name. My T asked if he had a name, aloud I said no but inside he told me his name, I laughed -freaked me out a bit, T asked "what name did you just hear?"

Sometimes I try talking to them but there's too much chatter to hear any one individually.
I sometimes try ignoring a little who always wants a certain teddy for bed, in the end I give up, get for her. Sometimes I tell them all to shut up because I need sleep.

Hi, what name to you hear that caused you to laugh, or was it a surprise to actually hear one?

I'm glad it's semi quiet in here, like there is a black veil between the front and back. When someone speaks up front it's direct, but for some reason at 3-5 a.m. It's usually like a party. What I've done is get up, drink a cup of coffee, get on here for 30 minutes, then it's quiet again from distraction, I'll usually go back to sleep for an hour or two.

all of us have names
in most cases, they are names that were chosen by the individual alters

[flockpride]

names? yes. they emerge in safe environments.

[Ellahmae]

Some have names. Some don't. Some named themselves. Some were named by other alters.

[Shaly78]

Are you diagnosed? Ask your therapist pdoc whom ever told you, since you've researched that you want to know what your diagnosed off of. Behavior or whatever so that you all can assign a name. They are not suppose to withhold that information from you. Later on. you should get communication and naming will become easy because you can just ask inside....

Yes, I really believe if your remembering nicknames from the past that you either said about yourself or just over and over has something to do with it. Use those nicknames to start if you don't want to involve your therapist or pdoc for obvious reason you all have to both be comfortable and trust to openly discuss dissociative identity disorder in this way.

[Gr3tta]

All my alters came with names.

[Luce]

Most of mine had their own names, especially the ones that were most active. Some of those had typical names, and others had names that related to their purpose or characteristic but were not a name that a real person would be called.
Some partial or single purpose alts had no names, and we gave them one. Some didn't want a name at all.

[coldwut]

I gave the others their names, which was actually fairly easy for me. It's usually hard for me to come up with a name for something. I just chose a name that I thought fit them best and I think they like their names. That or they don't mind since they were nameless for quite awhile.

You can look up names and see how they react to those names. I guess it's worth a shot.

Don't worry if they like their name or not. They have their own opinions on what they like or dislike, so it's not uncommon that they'll change their name to suit themselves.

Some of my others don't mind being assigned names because they are like that. Some insists on being called by their chosen name.

I like names because it personalizes us, especially the more developed ones that fronts and are out for a time. The lesser developed others generally don't care all that much.

I read somewhere where a psychologist (who?) said an individual is better described as having different states of ones self instead of other people which makes me thinks that everyone has multiple versions of themselves which makes names a preference over being a necessity.

Some others are more developed and prefer to be called something more in align with their essence, individualality, likes, feel, perception,...

Being co-conscience, it's like having different versions of one self, but with multi-perceptions.

So having individual names is not a must or a requirement.

Just my thoughts.

[Ocean5]

I'm still new to this...and tried to stop thinking about it. I find notes written in different hand writing .... very freaky. My words, different handwriting.

Once found note on desk telling me, "I am ...."

Name wasn't even in a language I knew or recognized. When I researched turned out to be an old language not used in almost a 1,000 years!

Name was word for "Orphan." Whomever wrote it told me he was an "Orphan." Which sent me into shock because part of me has always felt like an Orphan. Yet how did I write out name for Oprhan from an ancient language?

*deleted rest*

[Icecream-4]

I had another tell me her name. The name bothers me, reminds me of a pet I had. This probably sounds mad but it was upsetting me so internally I've tried to persuade her to chose something else I can call her but she won't.

I've had that with hand writing, wondered who'd done it?! I don't feel I know all their names,not sure mine all have names. Not sure if that'll change in time as I am becoming more aware.

[Spaceyspace]

Than you for this thread. I dont know why I didn't see it when I posted earlier about the same question. I seem to have frequent problems with missing information of any sort for which I am looking.