Mapping the system

I feel that in our system we are more like parts of the same person (tho some of us have a lot of visible traits from abusers and other ppl etc) than fully different personalities. Something between OSDD1 and DID. We don't really distinct ourselves consciously, at least yet, like we know that someone or some of us are younger and like cute stuff and some of us are more masculine or older and so on, but like I don't know if there is one or two younger parts and things like that.

So how to start mapping our system?

Myself, I'm not really good at mapping yet, but I did find some things that help me. I group together those who are related (Brothers/sisters/etc), those who are inner world friends. Oh, and if I know their system role (such as protector), I will list them under that. I might also make a mention (for my own notes) about similarities between certain ones.

I find it is best to have one, or more, of the insiders help (if possible).

It can take a while, it has taken 5 years to know there's at least 10 of us and many fragments!

It’s taken me a long time to find parts too, good to know I’m not alone

we found the easiest way was to use a blank pad of paper and arrange ourselves into age groups and types. honestly, it seems to be a never-ending process, considering that when an insider surfaces we have to redo it.

Mapping a system has a lot to do with how your system is organized (or maybe how you choose to organize yourselves). In the past, we've used an Android app called Mindly. First, we organized ourselves by origin and role, like who came from trauma and who came from the media or the imagination, and who held trauma and who was a helper. The next time we mapped the system (maybe years later), we were able to organize ourselves via family groups as almost everyone had gotten married to someone else in the system. (Now, I think we're back to who came from what and what role.)

Our best way to keep track was making an Excel spreadsheet. You can have a lot of flexibility there.

Your system sounds very different from ours, of course, since we are each quite distinct, but maybe you can still find ways that the parts are different enough to map? Look luck, anyway. I hope you find a way that works best for your system personally.

- Imre

We used hand writing. Often we would feal like "I don't know who I am" and then we would write "who are you" and we would note if the handwriting was new, familiar but not 'ours'(ie someone else who has been out before is influence/blending) or if we recognised the handwriting as our own. Age we feel when front is another good grouping. Once we could talk to each other we worked out who goes where based on what's the earliest thing that each alter can remember. For example there are a 2 of us that can remember back to about 7 years old one of them is a teen and one of them is a big. In perceived age and handwriting they are different but in terms of run time they are the same their memories compliment each other.

Every system is unique and there are loads of ways to map them. Even if you feal you don't know much there will be something you can use to try and make sense of it. Just be prepared for what you thought was definitely the system map to be torn up and rewritten with new information several times over.

Our latest mappipng is made using a powerpoint presentation. We looked for pictures of everybody, added our main functions (system functions like caretaker, or action-functions such as "doing the dishes" or "freeze trauma response"), the traumas we hold if any, other personal, important informations, and so on.

We are doing this for the new therapist we have, it is our "homework". Well it was not requested to be a powerpoint but we missed making powerpoints presentations and it allows for more creativity.

__
Isaïa.