dissociation different form or alter

Something strange has been happening the last few days and I am not sure what or if anyone else can relate. I have been working with grounding techniques as a lot of stress is happening. The first thing T always says in her office when grounding besides breathe is "can you feel your feet?", "can you feel your butt sitting on the couch?", "can you hear the birds sing?", "can you see the picture across the office and describe it?".

Yet, as I am trying to ground right now the feet do not seem like mine, nor the body. It is as if on some level I have disowned the body or do not feel welcome in it.

Maybe this post will not make anymore sense to anyone here as it doesn't me, but I am wondering. Will talk to T when she gets back but it is still over a week.

We experience this.

There are three ways we experience this:

1. Different alter. Some alters have a different proprioceptive sense of the edges of the body. One of our alters is substantially larger than this human body and has additional limbs (wings) which she can feel when she's out. We've had to convince her to walk more gently because she used to walk like she weighed the weight she would were we actually that size, which this body is not able to withstand without experiencing mild injury. Other alters are about the same size and shape as the body, but know it isn't theirs and feel like they're occupying something that isn't connect to them.

2. Depersonalization/derealization. The body doesn't feel real, or it feels like it's the wrong size, or like it's a stranger's body, but main front who identifies with the body is still the one fronting. This mostly happens when we're incredibly stressed out and don't want to exist in this reality.

3. General dissociation. This is when grounding techniques like your T uses are most helpful for us. Sometimes we just don't even really feel like we're in the body at all, sometimes we're third-person floating above.

-a few Crows

Thank you Crows that was very helpful.

I think I've experienced something like this for many many years. What I've felt was that different parts of my body were either too big or too small. Usually my legs, sometimes my arms. Or otherwise just feeling like they don't belong to "my" body, somehow. Bad things when looking I the mirror also. I've also felt like I was floating above or standing beside my own body, rarely with seeing the body from a third person. Which was freaky. Just read Crow's post. That's comforting to not feel so alone about this. I wish I had advice to give but I hippie sharing helps, since I think I can kind of relate and let you know that you're not alone and that you're going to be okay.

I think I can kind of relate and let you know that you're not alone and that you're going to be okay.

This is why the forums are so important to us. This made me cry. What I needed to hear in general right now. Thank you!

You're welcome! I'm glad i could help, despite the typos