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When I am not the others

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When I am not the others

Postby Baldanders » Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:15 pm

I’m not sure how to word this, so bear with me. We are also afraid that someone(s) will jump down our throat and say this isn’t really happening to us, we made ourselves up, etc. I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll start with the issue and see where I go from there.
I don’t know who I am.
I know I’m not Luke (caretaker), Creature (child), Hyde (mostly female twin), or the other one. Whenever "I" (the one fronting if I can use that term) am not any of them, I say I am [body name] (mostly male twin).
Except I spend a lot of my time as “[body name]” not knowing who I am. “[Body name]” has wildly different personality modes (all of which are real), that we’re not sure if I (we?) am a single person or a group of alters (if I am allowed to use that word). Sometimes, I (we?) will feel like the same person and just a different mode/facet. Sometimes, a personality mode will feel separate. Sometimes, I/a personality mode will have a sense of personality, but sometimes, I/“[body name]” just feel disoriented and foggy and not know who I (they?) am.
I am not sure if I am making any sense, so if you are confused, please ask for clarification instead of making assumptions.
How can we figure it out?
Does this happen to other people?

Yes, we know to talk to a professional. We are currently waiting and wait times are long. I am asking what people with similar experiences have found helps them that we can take a look at while we wait.
Official dx: DDNOS, BPD
Suspected dx: C-PTSD
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Re: When I am not the others

Postby Verdandi » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:13 pm

If it helps, I/we often can't identify who's talking or who's "there" at a given time. Some people get better at it over time as they are more comfortable with the diagnosis and some systems stay mysterious. I've identified most everyone in my system for years and yet even when I recognize the one fronting they may hide the name from me at that time. Mine are cagey about names for some reason. In my system we have one host face the world and "filter" everyone else so we can pass for normal most of the time. Sometimes a different strong alter will fill in that role but usually they still filter the rest. Very rarely do my inners interact with anyone else directly. So that makes it harder too to identify- because their influence and interactions are happening internally or secondhand and may be shared or overlapped with several others at the same time.
I don't know if any of these things are relevant to your system, but maybe they will be a comparison to help you feel not so alone. It's ok to not be crystal clear on who you are at any given time. You will figure it out along the way. Welcome!
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Re: When I am not the others

Postby Baldanders » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:23 pm

Thanks very much for your support! Yeah, it helps to know we are not alone.
Yeah that sounds like us a lot of the time too. We aren't cagey about names, but we do tend to change them or consider changing them often.
Official dx: DDNOS, BPD
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Re: When I am not the others

Postby brockovich4321 » Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:11 am

Hopefully noone here will jump down your throat for asking such a question.

I am struggling with a similar concept today. I dont know who I am when I am not the others. To the point I feel there is no "me". My life feels like a run away train that I am riding but have no control over.

Lately I have felt our system shifting and changing again. Maybe I am just becoming aware of some others. There is some behaviour I don't feel like I can pin to anyone I've identified. I'm not sure if i can away.

Even when I feel like I am me, not anyone else in particular, I later realize otherwise or an instant switch occurs.

I think I have a couple of others who are very similar, so I cant really tell them apart yet, I just know what I'm feeling/the way im behaving is not 'me'.. not that i feel there is a me.. I am the one housing them, the body through which they live.
30yo female, formal Dx DID, aka 'me'..
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Re: When I am not the others

Postby Baldanders » Wed Apr 26, 2017 5:25 am

Hopefully, but I am paranoid and have bad experiences with people.
Thanks for responding.
Official dx: DDNOS, BPD
Suspected dx: C-PTSD
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