Isolation and DID

Anybody know if anyone has studied the effects of Isolation in people with DID before? ..or whether they're doing it now during this worldwide lockdown?

Are people finding more alters are going dormant as you're not able to go out as much? (to social events or just work daily if you've been furloughed or your place of work was forced to shut down).
..or is it having the opposite effect and more are coming to the front?

Several within our system are curious how other systems are being affected by this international emergency? ....and if life doesn't go 'back to normal' for a long time yet how do you think this will this affect the development/evolution of people's systems?

Kit & Gang

Here, physical social isolation is our everyday routine so this does not change much for us. The moving of appartment had more effect to who comes to front more often and who hides. But it is indeed interesting to see how other systems react.

-David-

I have ended an invasive relationship as well as gone into isolation so it could be the ending of that relationship not just the isolation but this is my experience.

Alters have basically vacated. That's how it feels. Obviously they must still be around. But I feel like they vacated.

I didn't like the bf and they did keep me completely out of the relationship, only mentioned me as "internal"

I feel pretty much exactly how I did before they had this relationship. So it's like I'm "back to normal"

I always feel a presence of duality. That's my best way to describe it. Like I'm not alone. But I have always felt that. I would be playing computer games and me and "other me" would do deals on who would play which game. But I do feel like she's around with me but not the other alters.

I keep getting sent or feeling like I'm sent a message that me and other me are "the twins" but that doesn't seem right from what I heard about the twins but then inside and outside presentation can be very different I think. I know I'm Sarah and other me is Sarah too. It's like having a silent partner who you're never quite sure what she's up to but I trust her, I think she trusts me. She thinks she's smarter than me all the time but I don't mind if she is anyway.

So yeah, I feel like my old self which involves a duality that doesn't bother me. And other alters are not necessary because the toxic relationship guy has gone. Sometimes I can feel like a mild presence of one of them, like they're helping out or watching, Pat cooked the roast dinner for example the other day but Rose are it. Passive not like they fully took over.

So for me it's quieter alter wise. But like I said that could be as much to do with the breakup as the isolation.

I definitely feel alot calmer. More chilled out. Once I get over my morning panic attack of being in a pandemic. I wake up, panic, calm down and then I enjoy how things are praying to avoid getting ill. But generally internally quieter.

ArbreMonde wrote:Here, physical social isolation is our everyday routine so this does not change much for us. The moving of appartment had more effect to who comes to front more often and who hides. But it is indeed interesting to see how other systems react.

-David-

We have had a more isolated daily life for several years now, though we've always had at least one dog to walk twice a day so we'd get enough interaction via other dog walkers saying hi or stopping to chat briefly and let the dogs play. Other than that socially we only went out on (family) birthdays and xmas day..and the occasional shopping trip and lunch out to the nearest city/shopping centre.. oh and there was a person seen by the system as 'Maddie's friend' who also insisted on visiting a couple of times a year. I'm not very big on physical contact other than cuddling the dog but did usually hug family members briefly at the end of a visit.

This year we've had no social or physical contact since xmas day. Due to the 'lockdown' here starting in March when our first social birthday events (and Mothers Day visiting) was usually due. A sibling has been coming to cut our grass as the gardener is self-isolating, we've had a brief chat with them standing in the driveway before they left and they've dropped off food when we couldn't get a home delivery slot.

Still walking the dog, only have one now and he's considered a 'senior' now so he's managing with the alotted once a day early morning walk and playing in the garden all day. But at that time we don't see anyone. Daily routine hasn't changed too much otherwise.

Would like to see family in summer hols if poss even to just have a BBQ in garden so I feel I've completed the 'birthday routine', (by going out for a meal) even if its delayed. The same for xmas day, hoping a second wave won't have hit by then meaning we're back to strict lockdown and alone for xmas day. Again that's more the stress of a 'special day' routine completely changing (cos of the autism) and cos its one of the few days of the year I look forward to.

I'm trying to prepare myself incase it can't happen at all due to a sudden worsening of the situation in the UK. (after Germany experiencing a sudden rise in numbers again after loosening lockdown rules) but the autism makes it challenging even though in theory I understand that sometimes in life things have to change unexpectedly and sometimes forever (like when someone dies so you never see them again). Sometimes having an alternative 'back up plan' for certain days helps (if it's just going to be postponed). How stressed stuff like this makes me feel can trigger an unplanned switching of alters.

Sarandipity wrote:
I definitely feel alot calmer. More chilled out. Once I get over my morning panic attack of being in a pandemic. I wake up, panic, calm down and then I enjoy how things are praying to avoid getting ill. But generally internally quieter.

oddly the thought of 'being in a pandemic' doesn't cause the panic, it's the possibility of routine suddenly changing like if I started getting symptoms I wouldn't be able to cope with going to hospital so would have to hope symptoms were so mild I didn't need to and would probably cope by blocking it out/let another alter up front who wouldn't realise so would just carry out the daily routine without panic.

Another worry is if family members we rely on in an emergency get it and suddenly have to be in hospital with us not able to visit and then having to accept communication from a total stranger to let us know they passed away or something. The worry been it would cause such a severe dissociation again that 'I' disappeared for years like what happened previously when I was unable to cope with what life had dealt us, as it's literally taken me years to get back to this point!

Was hoping once it died out that would be it if myself and important family could get through this year but now 'experts' are saying it could be seasonal and come back every year like flu! ..and life might never 'go back to normal'

Sarandipity wrote:"

I always feel a presence of duality. That's my best way to describe it. Like I'm not alone. But I have always felt that. I would be playing computer games and me and "other me" would do deals on who would play which game. But I do feel like she's around with me but not the other alters.

I completely forgot I'd posted this topic! I liked to play video games (or thought it was me who liked them!) it seems to have stopped after Thea took over and then Maddie. (Though Maddie did use wii fit as weekly physio)

Since Kit came back we are enjoying them again. How far we seem to get in a game and what game we choose seems to depend who is up front. Kit seems to be able to trigger Bobby more who really enjoys the Final Fantasy games and Zelda series, but will do exercise games on her own. Have never been the 'gym bunny' type so games like Wii fit and Ring Fit do make it a bit more fun.

Sioux likes Yoga and prefers to follow exercise videos. She will usually incorporate the cycling game on wii fit at least once a week for Daisy who likes to ride round on her pink mountain bike with the little dog (in the game) collecting the flags! she likes some of the balance games too.

Kit and Bobby tend to take over on the games consoles though and spend hours on the fantasy games once they get started. Kit wants the new PS5 but only if it will play all their older games too (have a large collection of PS2 games) then she can get the later FF games that came out on PS3 and 4 that we missed as never had those consoles. They are both currently playing through FF10 on an old PS2 in the bedroom as our bedroom was always 'our safe place' for many of our system as it was the only place they could 'come out' for many years.

Oddly even though we now have the whole house to ourselves and have for many years, some alters still see the bedroom as our 'safe place'. The front room/lounge tends to get used for sitting to eat dinner, watching something recorded off satellite, the dogs playroom on rainy days, painting at the desk or easel (though sketching and colouring tends to get done in the bedroom while watching TV at night). Kit and Bobby will play on the switch in here cos the TV is better and the scenery on Zelda looks awesome on a 4K TV and of course if anyone does visit they sit in the lounge when they are chatting with whoever is 'up front' entertaining them.

tbh we haven't minded lockdown its been lovely and quiet when we have taken the dog out for their daily run and have plenty to do for the rest of the day so we haven't experienced the 'cabin fever' feeling or boredom that a lot of neuro-typical single entity people mention! We have the dog and each other for company and its safe for anyone who wants to come out to do so (cos all outsiders believe we're in vulnerable group and can't be visited!)