Nonhuman Alters

Firedrake wrote:i think(?) you're aware of this but "walk in" isn't a legitimate DID/OSDD term. it's a term that was coined by malingerers (people faking their system in order to escape consequences and people misinterpreting their symptoms as DID/OSDD), claiming that their alters just "walked in" instead of forming from trauma- the only way an alter can form. having people/creatures in your mind is not inherently DID/OSDD. it is actually quite common in people who are prone to fantasy or have malidaptive daydreaming.

don't worry! you're not the only one who's been effected by the misinformation. i was manipulated a lot by malingerers in the past.

- archer

I think it's cool that you're a dragon, very fierce and protective! I know that "walk-in" is not a legitimate DID term. I only used this term to describe what the experience was like: "possession, walk-in." This happened when I was 18 and I had no context to understand or describe what had happened. I didn't know if it was a spiritual or psychological phenomenon. It was so confusing, it was part of the reason Tdae and I split. I just figured out a couple of years ago that I have OSDD, and I'm 40. Now we know Wolfie was always a part of us.

I never met the kind of abusers you describe, but I have some concerns about my auntie and her church friends. They do psychic readings, energy work and stuff like that. She believes she can channel spirits and calls herself a "light worker." I think she's self-deluded and self-absorbed. She believes in the possibility of a "walk-in" but not DID. Go figure. Her proselytizing about things she knows nothing about is really getting on my nerves and I've been trying to decide whether it's worth it to check her nonsense. Does this sound anything like the abusers you have encountered?

2/3rds of my alters are wolves including me. I think its speices dysphoria honestly. Or possibly linked to being transgender im not sure.

If you go on Deviantart and search "osdd", there is a (beautiful) drawing of a system where only one alter is human and the rest are animals. According to the artist, though, all but one alter now see themselves as human "in the mindspace". (The artist is also a furry, so it makes sense that they'd start out as animals.)

Interesting.

Hannasue, Definitely some species dysphoria here, and species hate. I remember being six years old and saying I wished the humans would go extinct. I've always hated the humans for their selfishness and cruelty, and they made me savage like them. Tdae's system is more in touch with those feelings than I am.

Truly_Happy, I looked at that site. Someone did a beautiful piece with animals, and they have a dead one too.

I wish I hadn't posted a personal family issue here. Please disregard.

sorry, hope you guys don't mind me (the other host) responding instead of archer. he hasn't fronted all day i don't know what's up. someone needs to front and give me a break from this hell ahhhhhh

Hannasue wrote:2/3rds of my alters are wolves including me. I think its speices dysphoria honestly. Or possibly linked to being transgender im not sure.

wolves are amazing. all dogs are amazing. they're my favorite animal. (that may be influence from a special someone though haha)

Truly_happy wrote:If you go on Deviantart and search "osdd", there is a (beautiful) drawing of a system where only one alter is human and the rest are animals. According to the artist, though, all but one alter now see themselves as human "in the mindspace". (The artist is also a furry, so it makes sense that they'd start out as animals.)

Interesting.

(never thought we'd be discussing furries on a DID forum lol) i found it, damn they have lovely art. i think it's pretty funny how something similar has happened in my system. i'm pretty sure our nonhuman alters started out as completely nonhuman, but now they all sort of resemble humans in the headspace. i don't know when the change happened.

myce wrote:Hannasue, Definitely some species dysphoria here, and species hate. I remember being six years old and saying I wished the humans would go extinct. I've always hated the humans for their selfishness and cruelty, and they made me savage like them. Tdae's system is more in touch with those feelings than I am.

Truly_Happy, I looked at that site. Someone did a beautiful piece with animals, and they have a dead one too.

species hate, you definitely hit the nail there. i'm pretty sure that's how all my nonhuman alters formed. hate towards the human race. lung still carries that.

myce wrote:I wish I hadn't posted a personal family issue here. Please disregard.

you're fine! if you'd still like advice, you can pm me.

- derek

Hey, what about alters that look like cartoons rather than real people? We have a lot of those, most appearing in anime style.

Hey Firedrake,

Most of us are humans, but we have a few non-human or somewhat-non-human alters. Sven's a human ghost, Shadow's a robot-y–shadow-y–entity, and neither TA/S nor Serenade are humans. I don't know if anything prompted Shadow to be a robot other than a desire to be calculating, ruthless, efficient etc. or just my desire to be an INTJ (even though he's an ESTJ. and I love being an INFJ.) Serenade is a fictional introject, so that explains why they are a computer program. Same with TA. I still don't know why Sven is a ghost other than "can't kill me if i'm already dead".

Interestingly enough, while Serenade isn't human, their counterpart Ceran is. I don't know if that's because Serenade came before I understood DID better and Ceran came after, or if there is a different reason... or just because.

Just my 2c (:
Host

Truly_happy wrote:Hey, what about alters that look like cartoons rather than real people? We have a lot of those, most appearing in anime style.

yes i believe we look more cartoon-style than realistic in the inner world. not sure why, i think it just depends on the person and what content they were exposed to as a child.

shininglights wrote:Hey Firedrake,

Most of us are humans, but we have a few non-human or somewhat-non-human alters. Sven's a human ghost, Shadow's a robot-y–shadow-y–entity, and neither TA/S nor Serenade are humans. I don't know if anything prompted Shadow to be a robot other than a desire to be calculating, ruthless, efficient etc. or just my desire to be an INTJ (even though he's an ESTJ. and I love being an INFJ.) Serenade is a fictional introject, so that explains why they are a computer program. Same with TA. I still don't know why Sven is a ghost other than "can't kill me if i'm already dead".

Interestingly enough, while Serenade isn't human, their counterpart Ceran is. I don't know if that's because Serenade came before I understood DID better and Ceran came after, or if there is a different reason... or just because.

Just my 2c (:
Host

very cool! there's always a reason behind why alters are what they are. i wouldn't recommend trying to figure it out unless you're in a safe place and able to get professional help if things go downhill, though. speaking from experience.

- archer

myce wrote:

Firedrake wrote:i think(?) you're aware of this but "walk in" isn't a legitimate DID/OSDD term. it's a term that was coined by malingerers (people faking their system in order to escape consequences and people misinterpreting their symptoms as DID/OSDD), claiming that their alters just "walked in" instead of forming from trauma- the only way an alter can form. having people/creatures in your mind is not inherently DID/OSDD. it is actually quite common in people who are prone to fantasy or have malidaptive daydreaming.

don't worry! you're not the only one who's been effected by the misinformation. i was manipulated a lot by malingerers in the past.

- archer

I think it's cool that you're a dragon, very fierce and protective! I know that "walk-in" is not a legitimate DID term. I only used this term to describe what the experience was like: "possession, walk-in." This happened when I was 18 and I had no context to understand or describe what had happened. I didn't know if it was a spiritual or psychological phenomenon. It was so confusing, it was part of the reason Tdae and I split. I just figured out a couple of years ago that I have OSDD, and I'm 40. Now we know Wolfie was always a part of us.

I never met the kind of abusers you describe, but I have some concerns about my auntie and her church friends. They do psychic readings, energy work and stuff like that. She believes she can channel spirits and calls herself a "light worker." I think she's self-deluded and self-absorbed. She believes in the possibility of a "walk-in" but not DID. Go figure. Her proselytizing about things she knows nothing about is really getting on my nerves and I've been trying to decide whether it's worth it to check her nonsense. Does this sound anything like the abusers you have encountered?

A walk-in is not just a malingerer term. It's also when two souls create a contract and swap out, leaving the incoming soul with no childhood memories (aside from the body's accessible memories). It can explain some instances of childhood amnesia and some instances of multiple personalities, and the two souls sometimes co host/inhabit the body. I also don't identify as human, and Ariyah, Crow and I are something akin to Demon looking creatures. It's really weird to look at a picture of our body and not always recognize it.