[FireBird]

Hi all, I don't drive and am terrified to do so. I have at least 10 personalities that I know of right now and some of them are weird and not typical with DID such as my alien personality, my "God" personality, and my bird personality. There are many reasons on why I don't drive a car. Sometimes I freeze and forget to think and breathe, and obviously I switch personalities and I can't control when they come out. Say I'm driving along and then suddenly I turn into the 2 year old personality and not know how to do anything. Then I crash and either severely injure myself and others or possibly kill myself or others. When I freeze its not for long (just for a few minutes) but if I freeze for a few seconds that is all it takes to get into an accident. So, do you drive? If so, how do you drive with DID and switching constantly?

[__zh]

switching isn't constant for all ppl with DID. many folks have varying degrees of diss. so some folks have no issues w/ operating a motor vehicle. while others experience accident after accident until their licenses are revoked.

we know ppl who have had to give up their license for a while during treatment due to the increased spaciness and inability to focus long enough to safely drive. we know ppl who have had their licenses taken away by law enforcement because of numerous accidents or infractions on their records.....often these folks do not recall any of the accidents and are bewildered by having their license taken away as they don't remember any driving or accidents. ah the weirdness of individual dissociation!

pdoc suggested we have service dog w/ us at all times in the car when driving. pdoc noticed dramatic improvement in ability to remain present when dog was w/ us. now rarely drive w/o dog in vehicle w/ us. dog is in back seat but nuzzles us when we appear to be drifting away/switching. nothing like a cold wet dog nose in one's ear to bring one back to the here and now.

it is important you recognize your limitations in driving if the dissociation is affecting your ability to be a safe and responsible driver. if that means not getting your license then perhaps that is the best choice for now.

please do what you must to stay safe and to guarantee the safety of other motorists on the road. good luck firebird.

[Kiya]

hi firebird,
yeah, i drive... but i think i have an alter that does that specific function. I can tell when that alter is not present and i have been scared at times.
Sometimes i'm really spacy and have to work hard for concentration on what i'm doing... sometimes younger alters take over (like leaving therapy as a 12 yr old and driving on the freeway with me arguing about being given the wheel. She got scared when a semi passed too close and gave me control)...
Sometimes i just have to sit and wait until i can drive. I have ended up lost before and panicked ( i don't usually get lost, and thus never panic about being turned around).

I think Zh's right... if you think you shouldn't be driving - you're doing the right thing.
kiya

[Gracey]

I drive. Have since I was 16. I only recently was dxed with DID however, but apparently "they" (my innies) have some kind of system worked out. Rarely have I spaced out while driving, but the adults who are there are certainly capable.

i drive and i lose time alot while driving mostly on long drives but i try my best to prevent this by using grounding techniques the whole time to keep me focused... ive never crashed thank goodness but it is extremely scary...

[Rhapsody]

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FireBird said:
how do you drive with DID and switching constantly?

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I drive and have the entire time since I was Dx with DID ten years ago (give or take a year) - but then on the other hand, I have to say that I do not switch constantly so I think that has helped me a lot.

The worse that eve happened to me while driving was that one of my alters would come out to see the world with me and she usually went limp (numb) in one of my arms, therefore, I had to learn to drive well with just one free arm.

And then there were the few times that I got from point A to point Z and yet I could not tell how I got there - nor the route I drove.