Alters often feel like they aren't real, that they don't actually exist, that's called depersonalization. Depersonalization is something that many people experience system or not, but with Alters it can be much more severe. Depersonalization can be a constant thing for some alters, some alters it's not. Depersonalization is a hard thing to deal with, everyone in our system has felt it at one point or another. Depersonalization can worsen for people who struggle with it all of the time when they front, or it can show up for alters who don't have it when they front. Things like differences in height, reflections, and people referring to them by the hosts name can cause or worsen depersonalization. People who front often such as the host get used to it but for less frequent fronters it can be incredibly scary and disorienting. Please keep in mind that host and frequent fronters are not immune to depersonalization and it can effect them just as strongly at times.
Alters my also experience dysphoria in the body. Many things that cause dysphoria in non-systems (singlets) can cause dysphoria for alters such as skin color, biological gender, voice, body shape, etc. Alters physical forms in our head space are often much different than our body is and that makes a lot of problems for us.
ways that we cope with these aspects of fronting are journaling (which you will come to find we do a lot), leaving reminders around in places like on our mirror reminding who ever is fronting that they are real and are valid, and talking about it, whether that be in talk therapy or another alter.
-dochi <3
art credit: Miles Johnston
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DID from a system
Randomdissociative identity disorder from the point of view of a professionally diagnosed system! we would love to share our experiences as a system, so feel free to ask questions!
