dumb questionz..!~

wow.. ty j².. : ) thatz what i think.. ur insight alwayz helpz.. fer shure.. [r]

Thank you for the replies, everyone. I suppose I should ask my therapist to make sure. In case anyone else is curious about the answer and she knows it (this would be the MRI thing) I'll post it.

One last question, for now at least. I'm afraid it's another terminology one. Is "split" still the word to use to describe the formation of an individual identity? And is formation a standard word too, or is there a different one?

Thank you.

There you reached another term that created a bit of a discussion.
That thread can be read here.
*trigger*
In the discussion in ends up coming down to is the lack of integrating existing or new behvioral states and whether it is right to call this splitting. The alters, according to this theory, was not "always there" or "split from a core", but rather that a lack of integration from the start coupled with new behavioral states one is not able to integrate creates DID parts (ANP or EP) and that this is not accurately described as splitting due to the failure not being splitting of an existing part but the inability to integrate another.

I think, again, it's a matter of what theory you subscribe to but also what you personally think the word means. In literature splitting is still used as far as I can tell and I have not seen any other words for it

I personally wrote:

If we have no way of defining, why would it be wrong to use the word split? If we can't know, is it not good enough to use a word that most of us associate with "before this alter was not there, not it is" kinda? (though yes, I realize that it really means "this is yet another behavioral or personality state that I was unable to integrate into an already existing one). I figure if we have one word for it, and that might not be the perfect or best word, but we don't have a different word to use instead - it's kinda hard to not use the first word anymore. I prefer to use the word split because most of us know what it means, if not neurologically.

*end*

Yeah, I dislike the word, even the sound of it, but there's no other term I know of available that we all understand to describe the creation of alters. So we use it, much like we use the word alter, which I believe is a contraction of alternate personality, which is kind of bogus. I imagine a commentary in a store where a clerk says, "excuse me, sir, I do not feel at all comfortable with your demanding attitude. I do believe you have triggered me. Please allow me to absent myself whilst my alternate personality steps forward to interact with you."

The word split has connotations which could be misleading. In my own system, it describes more or less the creation of some alters, suggesting that someone derived from someone else. So Dan split off from or was derived from Jack at age nine. We believe it happened during an extreme emotional state where Jack simply could not incorporate and didn't want the rage he was feeling. But then I accidentally created Aaron at age 44, sort of imagining in reverie what it would be like, if I had DID (which I suspected), to have an ideal alter, what might he be like. I similarly created a mentor in Marc at age 12. Did they split off from me due to a lack of inability to integrate an emotion or experience? Not really, not how I recall it happening. Neither seem to hold anything traumatic.

My use of both split and alter are rather sloppy here, but that's kind of my point. Words are used in context to get one's point across. We use them because we more or less know what they mean. And all words carry connotations.

um.. for me.. split iz a weird word.. it fitz for some.. for otherz.. no.. ell has splitz in the classic sense.. trauma splitz.. kitty had 2 versionz.. younger and older.. different levelz of trauma.. but then.. lola came around at camp when the body waz 11.. gem & minie didn't split.. they waz born from lola.. inside.. pregnancy.. no trauma.. and there are some kidz in here.. the disney kidz.. thatz what we call them.. came around when the body waz little.. 7ish.. that want a fairy tale ending.. and one other came recently.. when lola and linn lost their engagement.. she iz more proactive.. the new girl.. but only with ell and kitty do we know who split from who.. with lola.. and the disney kidz.. itz mysterious.. and for me.. same thing.. i waz here for a long time.. a happy force for the system.. no trauma.. just positive energy.. so the term iz misleading.. but it doeznt seem like there iz a better word.. [r]

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