Can you only switch in specific circumstances?

It's pretty frequent for me to not be able to switch unless I do something specific first.. For example Sophie is 8 and really like this one game I have, and she's actually bugging me right now to play it so she can come out. Michael is 19 and he bugs me to go get a hot dog and diet coke (his favorite) if he wants to come out. Sometimes the nice Buddhist girl (no one has been able to communicate with her, but we know she's there) asks me to go paint something, go read something because she wants to come out.

Does anyone else do this?

Sure...

I have 325 so I have a lot of variance. Different ones come out for different things and at different times in my life. Some come when just triggered. Some come when they need attention. Some come when they want something - like candy. Just like anyone, they have their own buttons that get pushed that cause them to react. Often several want out at the same time, and they cannot choose, but they can try really hard and often win. I don't think they can just decide they want to come out, I think it's more complicated or less complicated actually. It's an automatic thing that happens in the brain. Just like the brain without DID, will switch from one state to another when it is triggered. (triggered has more than one meaning of course)

I think - Most of this happens in the brain without any alter doing it either. They may feel like they are doing it, but it is the brain itself.

For example:
Level 25 are my system managers.
All other levels think the system managers control things.
Level 25 says they don't. It just happens.

tylas wrote:It's an automatic thing that happens in the brain. Just like the brain without DID, will switch from one state to another when it is triggered. (triggered has more than one meaning of course)

I think - Most of this happens in the brain without any alter doing it either. They may feel like they are doing it, but it is the brain itself.

Thank you!! This makes so much sense, I knew there had to be an easy way of saying it. So, what is florid/polyfragmented DID if you don't mind me asking?

Poly means many.

Polyfragmented, just means you have a bunch of alters - usually the term is used when there is 100 alters or more.

I am glad that makes sense! I have spent the last year or so trying to make sense of all this and it's finally becoming clear thanks to my brilliant T!

tylas wrote:I am glad that makes sense! I have spent the last year or so trying to make sense of all this and it's finally becoming clear thanks to my brilliant T!

I've spent the last 3 months in denial and now I'm going back and forth a bit on it.. but I know 4 alters and regularly speak to 3 of them, and there are 1 or 2 that haven't introduced themselves yet that I know for sure are there.
So I've been doing better