Passive influence

In the context of dissociation, passive influence experiences are pathological, ego-alien intrusions by dissociated self states into the host personality's executive functioning and sense of self. Passive influences include "made" actions, "made" emotions, and "made" thoughts. Similar appearing symptoms are hallmarks also of psychosis, which is why so many people who have a major dissociative disorder (DID or DID-like DDNOS) are misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia. Here is a new book that describes passive influence symptoms and explains clearly how although such symptoms are common in both dissociation and psychosis, dissociation and psychosis are distinctly different pathologies:

Psychosis, Trauma and Dissociation: Emerging Perspectives on Severe Psychopathology
Andrew Moskowitz, Ingo Schafer, Martin Justin Dorahy; John Wiley and Sons, 2011. Page 169-170:

Patients with dissociative disorders may [...] have passive influence phenomena, such as the experience of their bodies being controlled by an outside force, or thought withdrawal. A common passive influence symptom is automatic writing. Made thoughts, feelings, and impulsive actions are also commonly experienced.

If alters are in conflict with each other, the host personality may be chronically dominated by conflicting passive influences and may appear borderline or psychotic.

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So is passive influence where an alter leads you to do or say something that you're left thinking.... why did I do that? Like when I can't stop Poppi saying sh*t that I really don't want to say myself? But this is different from if Poppi outed herself and said it herself?

Yes, when an alter hides inside you and compels you to speak or act for them, that is passive influence. Passive influence is covert.

When an alter takes executive control and speaks or acts for herself, while you remain aware, in effect you are a passenger in your own body, that is different. That is overt. Some authors confuse this with passive influence but the experts count this as co-conscious or co-presence.

I put this book on my reading list!

I am getting to know at least my level one alters very well and know who influences what and when. If you can do this, and talk rationally to that part, you might see this behavior decrease. When you are in a situation where this part is likely to feel hurt, talk to them and calm them.

Winnie is the one of mine who is jealous, possessive, controlling, etc.... and has been the host quite often. Oddly enough her tormentor was the Mother who hated her and blamed her for the abuse her father did.

There might be others on other levels that are far more messed up, but Winnie is the most vocal about it with feelings and words. Those on Level one come to the surface the most.

http://dx-dissociative-identity-disorde ... grade.html

I can really relate to this as someone who has dissociated self states but not alters. I've experienced exactly what you described - "made" thoughts, "made" emotions, and "made" actions. Although for me, this happens not so much on a regular basis but on more of an occasional basis when I am really triggered. It doesn't often happen in my day to day life. It happened to me quite often when I was seeing my last therapist, and I think it's because it was a very unhealthy relationship and was constantly overwhelming and triggering me.

What if it is an unaware person with DID? how would this passive control effect them when they say things and really didnt want to? Does it bet blocked out or do they just get alarmed?

Thanks for posting this Una+!

mow59 wrote:What if it is an unaware person with DID? how would this passive control effect them when they say things and really didnt want to? Does it bet blocked out or do they just get alarmed?

I was unaware for most of my life. At times I felt simply out of control. I would feel compelled to do or say things that I did not want to do, often things that were not in my best interest. Now I am aware and no longer feel not in of control. But I am still not normal. My affect is extremely variable, and often confusing for other people. Sometimes it confuses me too. For example, several times this past week I woke up in the middle of the night and cried, in anguish about something. I was aware at the time of why I was crying, but when I woke again in the morning I could not remember why, only that I had been crying and at the time I had a reason for it. With effort I was able to recover a vague memory of what I was crying about, but I myself don't feel the anguish. Currently, what I mostly feel is ambivalence and conflict over a number of issues in my life that previously were concrete, or so I thought.

I struggle some with passive influence by our abuser alter. He will become outraged at things that I would react to with silence or a short calm statement. My boyfriend jokingly called me a cum-dumpster while we were walking, and on impulse I said something that I can't remember, slapped our coffee out of his hand, and lightly punched him in the arm. I wasn't outraged, but the abuser is so strong that he makes me say things and sometimes do things that I wouldn't normally do. It hurts me a lot when this happens, and just talking about it hurts me. It also bothers my boyfriend, naturally.

Our abuser/persecutory alter is very uncontrolled and crazy. He sees himself as a disease. He hurts other parts and seeks to corrupt them. He used to cut me but I somehow put an end to that, or maybe something else is preventing him. But there is a lot of passive influence from him. Sometimes I just feel some of his immense anger, and I start despising and loathing everyone around me. I think that he did what he did to my boyfriend to push him away or damage our relationship. Although I don't think he has the power to destroy our relationship.

Other times I will have an overwhelming experience of his feeling of senselessness and self-loathing. Once, his feelings struck my body and I convulsed and fell to the ground. I spent the night feeling what he felt, and none of my own feelings at all. My thoughts were completely psychotic. I was experiencing his awareness fully. And the worst thing is, he knew that I was going to get hurt before it happened. He knew, and he tried to warn me by getting me to cut my arm... I didn't pay attention to it. As a result I was hospitilized later because I hadn't listened and lost my medication and my car for it.

Yes, YES. I have this happen to me. From the automatic writing, right down to the relationship damaging and "random" crying. I hate this, don't know how to make it stop.

-- Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:30 am --

Also worth mentioning is that people get really hurt and frustrated with me when this happens, and always always call me crazy. Or tell me that I'm a psycho...because that's how it looks.