How do your/you alters work?

Sorry for another thread already, I'm just so curious!
Anyone can answer for themselves:
-Is your "alter-selection" (sorry for stupid words, it's just my english) really clear-cut, or do they sometimes come and go, become forgotten forever etc?
-Do all of them sometimes surface, or are some of them "secondary" and just stay inside your mind, maybe as friends to the main alters or so?
-Do they all have clear names and ages?

For me? I still don't consider these (my own ones) legitimate alters (I don't have actual DID, just... some... stuff going on), but they do come and go, there are secondary ones that I sort of interact with (in my mind), but who are never "me" (more like imaginary friends?) and actually most of these don't have absolute names (I might make up a temporary names though) - I know who these are, so I feel no need for names

I don't have a diagnosis but this is how it works for me:
I have approximately 10 alters I know quite well and most have names. None of them had names to begin with as I just knew they were there but didn't understand what was happening before I discovered DID. After that I gave them names that they approved of so I could easily refer to them. One of the littles wouldn't accept any of the names I came up with though and ended up accepting a name my boyfriend gave her. Maybe 2 have known ages (approximates anyway) but the rest are either unknown or are the same age as me. The 2 I mentioned don't age with me either.
I sometimes have smaller alters/fragments that can appear once and I don't see them again, or it I do, it's rare. These tend to be very depersonalized alters/fragments if that makes sense? They will have an odd way of viewing the world and won't accept reality or see it as I do. Some of these don't feel much emotion either.
I'd say all of them surface but normally they are co-conscious with me, or another dominant alter.

Thank you for your reply!

CageOfSouls wrote:I'd say all of them surface but normally they are co-conscious with me, or another dominant alter.

If you want to, feel free to explain more about how they are co-conscious but still surface instead of staying secondary? I might understand what you mean, but not sure if I understand it correctly

CageOfSouls wrote:I sometimes have smaller alters/fragments that can appear once and I don't see them again, or it I do, it's rare. These tend to be very depersonalized alters/fragments if that makes sense?

I think it makes sense, although I can't instantly wrap my mind around how it feels like. Maybe (tell me if I'm wrong!) it could be something similar to that, if some of my less than secondary "background characters" (no, I'm not confusing this with writing stories, 'cause I never write about my actual inner world) just wanted to make themselves known, even if they're not fully developed personalities?

I almost said that for me they never age, but in fact some have aged very slowly over several years And (this might sound inception-like) some of them are mentally younger than their "official" age

lindi wrote:

CageOfSouls wrote:I'd say all of them surface but normally they are co-conscious with me, or another dominant alter.

If you want to, feel free to explain more about how they are co-conscious but still surface instead of staying secondary? I might understand what you mean, but not sure if I understand it correctly

What I mean is the alter comes out and is mainly in control but I consider it co-conscious because I am somewhat aware of what is going on and remember most of it, and sometimes I can take over if needed but I normally don't have much influence.

lindi wrote:just wanted to make themselves known

I don't think it's really that, they feel more like 'empty' fragments which are there when nobody surfaces. Does that make sense?

CageOfSouls wrote:What I mean is the alter comes out and is mainly in control but I consider it co-conscious because I am somewhat aware of what is going on and remember most of it, and sometimes I can take over if needed but I normally don't have much influence.

Oh, okay! I think I have the same "arrangement" actually, but less severe, 'cause I basically never have amnesia, and only a couple of my equivalent of alters are so strong, that I could end up doing some regrettable, clearly "out of character" things.
The others are rather harmless and harmonious, except for causing some weird/inconsistent/objectively "horrible" thoughts (they don't feel subjectively horrible, and I don't take them seriously).
The only sort of "amnesia" I have is, that sometimes I'm completely clueless afterwards why I did something. I remember what I did, and I remember that I felt a motivation (often even what it was, on a very superficial level), but I can't for the life of me figure out how I felt that it was a good idea at the time

CageOfSouls wrote:I don't think it's really that, they feel more like 'empty' fragments which are there when nobody surfaces. Does that make sense?

Now I think it does

Hi, this might not make much sense.. I am coming out of one of the alters/fragments i mentioned earlier and i feel so all over the pace. I thought i would post here before this moment passes and gets forgotten. I have been sitting here for a while and i first became aware when i started to 'wake' while looking at a blue light in front of me and i couldnt move right.. my whole body didnt feel quite connected, i felt like floating. i also felt waves of nausea and felt like i was about to get lost again if i didnt focus my self on something so i am here and i am becoming more real and awake as i type. I feel like i might blck out any minute thought.. I just feel so ****ed up.. I don't feel like I am me..

I'm sorry about that last post... It shouldn't have been put on your thread. I wasn't thinking, it was rude to do that. I can't even delete it now sorry again

lindi wrote:Sorry for another thread already, I'm just so curious!
Anyone can answer for themselves:
-Is your "alter-selection" (sorry for stupid words, it's just my english) really clear-cut, or do they sometimes come and go, become forgotten forever etc?
-Do all of them sometimes surface, or are some of them "secondary" and just stay inside your mind, maybe as friends to the main alters or so?
-Do they all have clear names and ages?

For me? I still don't consider these (my own ones) legitimate alters (I don't have actual DID, just... some... stuff going on), but they do come and go, there are secondary ones that I sort of interact with (in my mind), but who are never "me" (more like imaginary friends?) and actually most of these don't have absolute names (I might make up a temporary names though) - I know who these are, so I feel no need for names

Well we kind of feel that we're exception to several rules buuuut...

---Is your "alter-selection" (sorry for stupid words, it's just my english) really clear-cut, or do they sometimes come and go, become forgotten forever etc?

Well, there's only the two of us, so there isn't a whole lot of "selection going on.As for which of us is "in control", well that's a matter of circumstance.

---Do all of them sometimes surface, or are some of them "secondary" and just stay inside your mind, maybe as friends to the main alters or so?

We are both conscious, always. We experience everything together.

----Do they all have clear names and ages?

Yep! We named ourselves, and both of us are the same age as the body, 16.

Thank you for replying, Chessplayer! Interesting how several people actually have co-consciousness! And I hope that you already feel much better, CageOfSouls! It was perfectly fine to post about it here, I just wish that the feelings of being lost and unreal will pass and you'll have a great day instead!

Yes, I'm completely fine today. Last night I was trying to trigger myself so I would at least be in a better state and I managed to trigger a little with a disney film I haven't seen yet