Alters changing emotional states after being in body.

I'll try to explain clearly but I might fail:

Was upset, devasted, staying in bed upset. I thought, for some reason, that I am "No-one" the alter. I thought "maybe I'm No-one" Then No-one said "hey Paul it's No-one, wake up the host is awake and crying" Paul replied "good" No-one said "good she's crying" Paul said "no. Good you're awake" to No-one.

The bf had been blustery as usual and I was just feeling lower and lower and sad. Paul and No-one took over, it seems they had a good day. There is a general rule in my system that too much negative energy is bad for the body so I think that's why they took over and somehow had a good, nice day with the bf. I don't know how but they do. I can't have nice days with him.

Now I'm back. I'm not exactly clear on when I came back I think it was during a film. But I don't feel sad and miserable, I feel ok. It's like I've inherited the emotions they left in the body - hang on apparently they took herbs to reduce anxiety and elevate mood. Maybe it's that. I dunno. I'll ask anyway.

Does anyone find their emotions change like they inherit the emotions left in the body and not pick up where they left off? Beth is saying it doesn't work like that it's the herbs but it could work like that?

Hi,

Host says he sometimes feels like we've been feeling when he comes back into the body but it doesn't last very long. More kind of like the body's feeling down or he's left handed for a few minutes or stuff like that. It helps if it's a good mood (or not if it's not). Either way I'm glad your day got better.

Iain

Sarandipity wrote:Does anyone find their emotions change like they inherit the emotions left in the body and not pick up where they left off?

Yep, this is exactly what happens. When Jack, who's very chill, fronted for me early on, I even tested this and tried to return to the upset I was experiencing (or even remember it) but I found I had forgotten it and just couldn't go back.

Emotional states almost always linger after a switch for me and for my adopted son. We both change emotional states on purpose by switching. It's become a healing mechanism and a way to help us function.

For example, both of our infant alters have healed tremendously and are very calm. Having them front, even briefly, is always calming. Having other littles front at bedtime definitely helps us fall asleep more easily and quickly, though there's no guarantee that adult alters won't slip back front. When someone fronts after the infants are in the body, no matter who it is, they're relaxed.

One of our son's most mature, calm and level-headed alters can usually pull the rest of the guys in when they're spinning out of control, from panic, anger, boredom, triggers. It felt manipulative when I first started calling Zack forward to shift gears when things were going bad but they now rely on him to reset things. It's something like he is just far enough out of the range of everyone's worries that their panic or whatever dissipates once he fronts and his detached calm remains if they switch back in.

My T has said that therapists who instruct their DID clients not to dissociate at all costs are doing many of us a disservice. Dissociation is a key way that our minds developed and function, it's natural for us, and it's not at all necessarily negative. But it's important to define what I mean here by dissociation since it can mean a lot of things. I'm talking about switching or fuzzing out a bit, a sort of going away without fully switching.

Our systems are both cooperative and co-conscious so I think that helps. We don't lose time and we've both been in therapy for several years each so switching to the right alter at the right time is, in my opinion, exactly what we need to do. Unless we're in therapy and one of us is working on something, I find it illogical for either of us to force any of us to remain forward if they're upset or not coping well or having a rough time when there's nothing to be gained by leaving things like that.

Speaking just for me, we're all the same person, so if another part of me does a better job in a specific situation, I have no interest in holding on to fronting. Why would I? I can't always just switch moods or modes like a singleton may be able to but I can switch among alters. It's not like I push a button for a switch, it's more of a negotiation or invitation with another, or sometimes it's stepping back. It doesn't work to switch with just anybody, for sure, but it works with enough of us to help us function better.

I was talking to my T a few days about going to the dentist. Even though dentists used to be a HUGE area of triggers and panic, we're mostly past that and we're now able to just dissociate and not be fully present for a painful procedure. We're just barely there, almost like our own natural form of laughing gas. My T said she has to work while at the dentist to imagine herself at a beach and she has even tried to dissociate with limited success. I think we both agreed that my ability to dissociate is more desirable for this situation.

Sarandipity wrote:Does anyone find their emotions change like they inherit the emotions left in the body and not pick up where they left off? Beth is saying it doesn't work like that it's the herbs but it could work like that?

This happens with us, too. It varies per person, of course, but when Katya (a self-described, and affirmed by others inside, "little ray of sunshine") has been out or is close, there is an unmistakable positivity and infectious energy.
Sometimes when Pixie's been out or close, I find a bit more feistiness or spunk more than I would ever usually have.
Kaleb is serious and studious... Kitten industrious and productive... these are, of course narrow generalizations and NOT all-encompassing of them, but you get the idea. Sometimes if Angel's around or close, especially after nights or naps with nightmares... there's a sense of angst, shame, depression even.

There's often "bleedover" (as I call it - borrowing on the Assassin's Creed concept of "bleeding"- information from time in the animus machine in memories translating over to the person in the machine learning things and abilities their ancestor did that they "lived through" vicariously). So yes, in short, it is something WE experience too.

Point in case, recently there was a concert tour announced for Pixie's all time favorite band. They'd broken up years ago, haven't toured in near a decade. I tried to get tickets, but they were selling out so fast, and was going to get more expensive ones than I was really comfortable paying (I like them too)... but she stopped me- as much as it broke her heart, b/c she was protecting us by trying to stop a fight with my wife before it happened over spending that much money (for 2 tickets, plus taxes and fees, it would have been close to $400- and that's NOT counting getting to the city 5 hours away and a hotel for the night of the show)...
BUT all day after the tickets sold out- she was very very sad, depressed even... blasting their music inside all day consoling herself with the heartbreak. _I_ felt that... all day long.
I was disappointed, but not NEARLY as upset as she was... but she had been close, out even, and felt it personally and deeply... and inside it bothered her enough I was aware of it- and it ABSOLUTELY carried over some to me- and I felt it all day. It directly affected MY mood, too.

Ok so going by your responses and my own experiences and Beth saying it doesn't work like that for her I'm formulating a theory on this. I can't help it, I studied science for years in various forms.

Some alters, or not the host, are able to enter the body and change the mood. Some are left with the mood or the host is left with the mood. But alters that are not the host are not effected. Beth says she steps in and out where she left off. Paul usually does except when he had the heart attack he had to have a holiday.

Sorry I just remembered something I need to note before it goes, Pat was in the body last night and not drunk. He posted on other sites about the bf being abusive and I went to that site today to find a video on trauma, dissociation and replays to his post. Which was helpful because my brain all day was telling me I'm in the wrong and the bf constantly shouting is ok which it is not.

No-one can get internally high and be high outside too without taking anything. She also brings the foot problems from years ago.

So my hypothesis is that some alters can change body mood and leave others with it but some can't. And some step in and out the body exactly as they are. It seems to me that it's mostly the host that is left with residual feelings?

Which then leads me to another pondering, if this hypothesis is correct, do I have any emotions of my own? Probably I do or I wouldn't be upset the other day. I dunno.

Do you guys think it's more the host that gets left with residual energies?