some questions about challenging introjects

I have kind of a basic question about this. Is there any utility to the concept of an introject at all? All alters arise from someone's experience as they grow and develop (in the context of disorganized attachment and trauma) and often take on characteristics of external people or fictional characters or pets, etc. The only difference I can gather about an introject is that they (and the system) believe they ARE that external person. But as long as one is clear that they are an alter like any other, I don't see how they would be treated differently (and it seems like it might be counter-productive to do so).

So I guess I'm wondering if a protector or persecutor introject would need to be treated differently than any other persecutor or protector alter, or a helper introject would need to be treated differently than a helper that was a less direct representation of an outside person.

Good point, and we agree. We believe it stigmatizes the system member in question, and that such stigma is not helpful. This is not to criticize anyone for using the term, but only to suggest that we should consider reframing as you suggested.

Thanks,

MDs

we don't use the word introject within our system. we do use "xy-imitating-part".
It makes it clear for us AND that part, that they are not another person or just a copy of something, they belong to the system and are currently imitating a person. They can also stop imitating that person and change.

Currently working with H, who has been imitating the older sister in many ways. But she also holds our very own love for horses. She will turn out to be more "us" than the sister.

thinking that an introject is only imitating is sometimes not enough either. Sometimes their job is to hold our un-welcome feelings that we disowned by having them have them. Those feelings or expressions of personality still belong to the system as a whole. I am thinking of rage, but also of sadistic tendencies or the capacity to be mean. Every human being has that inside. And it's not just an imitation of an abuser. We do have the same capacities for evil inside of us and that is hard to accept.

the solution has to be to end the disowning of what the part carries for us.

MakersDozn wrote:To be clear, our system member is far more than a representation of our GM or of her effect on us

birdsong87 wrote:we don't use the word introject within our system. we do use "xy-imitating-part".
It makes it clear for us AND that part, that they are not another person or just a copy of something, they belong to the system and are currently imitating a person. They can also stop imitating that person and change.

Yes. I am not the grandmother.

Rachel

hey what is an introject and can you not use all the big words too much?

I had a dream and we were inside the house and the mom was there but it wasn't the real mom it was me that was the mom and I was mad or she was and then she got real mad and I got scared but I know it wasn't her it was a me that was her and I think that's what an introject was but I am not really sure.

we were fighting about cleaning. and how they never appreciate all the cleaning up and saving. it was weird.

what are they and where do they come from and how do you get them? and just plain words please. I'm not good at the fancy smart talk.

- me and some little b's including madison

and the house we were in was like the inside so I know the me that was her is on the inside with us but she's been asleep on the couch but she's awake now I think. anyway. please help explain for the learning please. we feel very nervous and scared and unsettled.

An introject is when an inside person reflects an outside person and acts like them. Introjects can be good or bad just like other parts and inside people. A good one might be made by a part wanting to be like someone they admire and look up to a lot. A bad one gets made when a part believes what a bad person told them so much that they start acting and thinking like the bad person. It's called internalising and it means you take the things from the outside people and make them part of you.

ok. thank you that's easier to understand. like how some of our parts are like real tough like the guys in the movies.

I get it. so it's not bad. it's just "is". ok.

we didn't know we had that part. and we got kind of scared about it because we were fighting in the dream. but secrete just fighting about how nobody appreciates all the hard work cleaning. but I do think it meant the inside even tough we just cleaned the outside real life house. there was other things in the dream too. like a baby. and the park place where the alligator canals and tunnels are. only we didn't go that deep and there was only 1 baby alligator so that part wasn't bad.

the dad of the kid was in the dream too but I don't think he is a me. I think he was just in the dream anyway. inside is confusing. there's always more secret things you find out. inside is really really big. and there's LOTS and LOTS of parts. and they are NOT all on the team even though the B's think they got everything all figured out.