On having voices in your head.

[atropine]

So... Basically, I hear voices. Only they’re not just voices; they’re people.

I have spoken about this before on other websites, but I wanted to be "out" in all the places that matter to me... And I have really not done anything about it until now. Which really is suckish of me, considering we’re talking about people. In my own head or not, they are still people, and being dishonest and cowardly about them (or with them) is not the sort of person I want to be in life. So, basically, I am outing myself concerning this issue on all the sites I am on (that matter), Even if I have brought it up before, I’m bringing it up one last time, because this time we’re just going to stay out and go about our lives as if this is all normal. Because to us, it is normal. And if we can help make it less of some creepy Hollywood-movie thing or some wacko Oprah special, all the better.

"...ever been so connected to an "imaginary" person, whether your favourite comic-book superhero, the tragic nemesis of a Shakespearean play, your fictionalised interpretation of a famous author or an entity of your own creation, that you literally couldn't get them out of your head? That you felt as if in some way, whether silent and unmoving or active and participating, they were with you or by your side? That their worlds and experiences were a personal story that they shared with you - or that their journeys were more than merely stories, but that to the both of you, they were as real as any other?

This is what we call a SoulBond."
~ Soul Whispers
.s o u l // whispers -- v3.0reflective -- soulbonding: an introduction

"...the experience of many individuals sharing (and most likely cooperating together towards running) the life of a single body. Different individuals can present 'at front' at different times."
~ Plurality
Plurality CIZ - BiOrgResources

This is what we are. This is what I am. I’ve know that “I” am technically a “we” since I was about three years old. I have always hated talking about it, because to be frank... it’s weird, it sounds nutty, and I am already weird/nutty enough without adding to it. There’s always been a lot of shame, discomfort and self-hatred associated with this. After all, hearing voices is supposed to be a mental disorder, right? What happens when they’re not just voices, but thoughts and feelings, likes and dislikes, personalities and allergies and love lives and families and friends and histories and... That’s an entire person. Not just a “voice” or a “character” or a “personality”. That’s a real, actual, existing person.

And that’s what these people are to me. People. And it’s about time I start treating them like people, not like a disease, a mental problem or a role-playing game gone too far. It’s not an over-active imagination. It’s not something wrong with my brain. It’s a difference, that’s all, and one that’s not terribly uncommon. I’ve come out about this before, on other sites... but then I got scared and deleted everything. Not any more. I don’t know what causes it or why, but it is what it is, so...

I’m going to let the others post replies and sign, if they like, since we feel gneerally safe here. If you see things like “~Bob” under a post, that would be them. If you see various font colors and sizes, again... that’s their doing. I’m not keeping a lid on whatever they want to do anymore. This is basically just to let you know that there isn’t five thousand flesh and blood people sharing one of my accounts, and to let you know what is going on when suddenly you see random posts by people who may or may not reference me, my life, etc, but are not me. It’s not like I expect anyone to really CARE, mind you, but if anyone does... there you have it.

I’m not sure if this a discussion or what. I don’t know what there is to say, really, besides “I have people in my head and some of them are from tv shows” and “these people are going to be hanging around on here”. This is more a coming out thing, and if people want to discuss it, that is fine.

- A

 

[YmirGF]

So... Basically, I hear voices. Only they’re not just voices; they’re people.

I have spoken about this before on other websites, but I wanted to be "out" in all the places that matter to me... And I have really not done anything about it until now. Which really is suckish of me, considering we’re talking about people. In my own head or not, they are still people, and being dishonest and cowardly about them (or with them) is not the sort of person I want to be in life. So, basically, I am outing myself concerning this issue on all the sites I am on (that matter), Even if I have brought it up before, I’m bringing it up one last time, because this time we’re just going to stay out and go about our lives as if this is all normal. Because to us, it is normal. And if we can help make it less of some creepy Hollywood-movie thing or some wacko Oprah special, all the better.

"...ever been so connected to an "imaginary" person, whether your favourite comic-book superhero, the tragic nemesis of a Shakespearean play, your fictionalised interpretation of a famous author or an entity of your own creation, that you literally couldn't get them out of your head? That you felt as if in some way, whether silent and unmoving or active and participating, they were with you or by your side? That their worlds and experiences were a personal story that they shared with you - or that their journeys were more than merely stories, but that to the both of you, they were as real as any other?

This is what we call a SoulBond."
~ Soul Whispers
.s o u l // whispers -- v3.0reflective -- soulbonding: an introduction

"...the experience of many individuals sharing (and most likely cooperating together towards running) the life of a single body. Different individuals can present 'at front' at different times."
~ Plurality
Plurality CIZ - BiOrgResources

This is what we are. This is what I am. I’ve know that “I” am technically a “we” since I was about three years old. I have always hated talking about it, because to be frank... it’s weird, it sounds nutty, and I am already weird/nutty enough without adding to it. There’s always been a lot of shame, discomfort and self-hatred associated with this. After all, hearing voices is supposed to be a mental disorder, right? What happens when they’re not just voices, but thoughts and feelings, likes and dislikes, personalities and allergies and love lives and families and friends and histories and... That’s an entire person. Not just a “voice” or a “character” or a “personality”. That’s a real, actual, existing person.

And that’s what these people are to me. People. And it’s about time I start treating them like people, not like a disease, a mental problem or a role-playing game gone too far. It’s not an over-active imagination. It’s not something wrong with my brain. It’s a difference, that’s all, and one that’s not terribly uncommon. I’ve come out about this before, on other sites... but then I got scared and deleted everything. Not any more. I don’t know what causes it or why, but it is what it is, so...

I’m going to let the others post replies and sign, if they like, since we feel gneerally safe here. If you see things like “~Bob” under a post, that would be them. If you see various font colors and sizes, again... that’s their doing. I’m not keeping a lid on whatever they want to do anymore. This is basically just to let you know that there isn’t five thousand flesh and blood people sharing one of my accounts, and to let you know what is going on when suddenly you see random posts by people who may or may not reference me, my life, etc, but are not me. It’s not like I expect anyone to really CARE, mind you, but if anyone does... there you have it.

I’m not sure if this a discussion or what. I don’t know what there is to say, really, besides “I have people in my head and some of them are from tv shows” and “these people are going to be hanging around on here”. This is more a coming out thing, and if people want to discuss it, that is fine.

- A

Let it roll, baby. I'm good with it. This could prove to be quite interesting and educational.

 

[Student of X]

 

[Draka]

Question, how does this differ from D.I.D.? Is it the same thing, or somehow different? And if it is different, how would one know as it appears to mirror D.I.D. in description?

If it is not D.I.D. in any way and everything is fictionalized in a person's head, is it not just an over-active imagination? Granted, I've had characters from dreams and stories "stick" with me for a while, I think that's pretty normal for just about anyone, but clinging to them for an extended period of time does seem quite different.

I'm just curious how this actually works out, as I have a bit of experience in my life in dealing with someone with more than one "person"/personality (even different names, moods, mannerisms, everything) and am wondering how this differs.

 

[Revoltingest]

I had a tenant a few years back who took medication to keep the voices at bay.
But what's reallly weird was that he wore pullover sweater vests.
I hope that latter probem doesn't afflict you.

 

[Super Universe]

So... Basically, I hear voices. Only they’re not just voices; they’re people.

I have spoken about this before on other websites, but I wanted to be "out" in all the places that matter to me... And I have really not done anything about it until now. Which really is suckish of me, considering we’re talking about people. In my own head or not, they are still people, and being dishonest and cowardly about them (or with them) is not the sort of person I want to be in life. So, basically, I am outing myself concerning this issue on all the sites I am on (that matter), Even if I have brought it up before, I’m bringing it up one last time, because this time we’re just going to stay out and go about our lives as if this is all normal. Because to us, it is normal. And if we can help make it less of some creepy Hollywood-movie thing or some wacko Oprah special, all the better.

"...ever been so connected to an "imaginary" person, whether your favourite comic-book superhero, the tragic nemesis of a Shakespearean play, your fictionalised interpretation of a famous author or an entity of your own creation, that you literally couldn't get them out of your head? That you felt as if in some way, whether silent and unmoving or active and participating, they were with you or by your side? That their worlds and experiences were a personal story that they shared with you - or that their journeys were more than merely stories, but that to the both of you, they were as real as any other?

This is what we call a SoulBond."
~ Soul Whispers
.s o u l // whispers -- v3.0reflective -- soulbonding: an introduction

"...the experience of many individuals sharing (and most likely cooperating together towards running) the life of a single body. Different individuals can present 'at front' at different times."
~ Plurality
Plurality CIZ - BiOrgResources

This is what we are. This is what I am. I’ve know that “I” am technically a “we” since I was about three years old. I have always hated talking about it, because to be frank... it’s weird, it sounds nutty, and I am already weird/nutty enough without adding to it. There’s always been a lot of shame, discomfort and self-hatred associated with this. After all, hearing voices is supposed to be a mental disorder, right? What happens when they’re not just voices, but thoughts and feelings, likes and dislikes, personalities and allergies and love lives and families and friends and histories and... That’s an entire person. Not just a “voice” or a “character” or a “personality”. That’s a real, actual, existing person.

And that’s what these people are to me. People. And it’s about time I start treating them like people, not like a disease, a mental problem or a role-playing game gone too far. It’s not an over-active imagination. It’s not something wrong with my brain. It’s a difference, that’s all, and one that’s not terribly uncommon. I’ve come out about this before, on other sites... but then I got scared and deleted everything. Not any more. I don’t know what causes it or why, but it is what it is, so...

I’m going to let the others post replies and sign, if they like, since we feel gneerally safe here. If you see things like “~Bob” under a post, that would be them. If you see various font colors and sizes, again... that’s their doing. I’m not keeping a lid on whatever they want to do anymore. This is basically just to let you know that there isn’t five thousand flesh and blood people sharing one of my accounts, and to let you know what is going on when suddenly you see random posts by people who may or may not reference me, my life, etc, but are not me. It’s not like I expect anyone to really CARE, mind you, but if anyone does... there you have it.

I’m not sure if this a discussion or what. I don’t know what there is to say, really, besides “I have people in my head and some of them are from tv shows” and “these people are going to be hanging around on here”. This is more a coming out thing, and if people want to discuss it, that is fine.

- A

The universe is much, much, much more complicated than humans realize.

You are not crazy and you don't have a "disorder". You're exactly as you were intended to be.

Every human has a connection to God through what we call the soul. The soul is our conscience (please don't confuse this with the word conscious). The soul also connects with many other individuals so, essentially, a hundred people may all have the same soul. The soul is not bound by time either so it can and does connect with people from the past, present, and future.

When people hear voices or have past life experiences what is really happening is they are getting feedback through the soul from it's other connections. You don't have multiple personalities, you only have one, it's just that your body is being taken over by the others at times, kind of like a radio channel that gets interrupted by another stronger signal. Some of these other personalities will be kind, some might not be.

 

[Thief]

So... Basically, I hear voices. Only they’re not just voices; they’re people.

I have spoken about this before on other websites, but I wanted to be "out" in all the places that matter to me... And I have really not done anything about it until now. Which really is suckish of me, considering we’re talking about people. In my own head or not, they are still people, and being dishonest and cowardly about them (or with them) is not the sort of person I want to be in life. So, basically, I am outing myself concerning this issue on all the sites I am on (that matter), Even if I have brought it up before, I’m bringing it up one last time, because this time we’re just going to stay out and go about our lives as if this is all normal. Because to us, it is normal. And if we can help make it less of some creepy Hollywood-movie thing or some wacko Oprah special, all the better.

"...ever been so connected to an "imaginary" person, whether your favourite comic-book superhero, the tragic nemesis of a Shakespearean play, your fictionalised interpretation of a famous author or an entity of your own creation, that you literally couldn't get them out of your head? That you felt as if in some way, whether silent and unmoving or active and participating, they were with you or by your side? That their worlds and experiences were a personal story that they shared with you - or that their journeys were more than merely stories, but that to the both of you, they were as real as any other?

This is what we call a SoulBond."
~ Soul Whispers
.s o u l // whispers -- v3.0reflective -- soulbonding: an introduction

"...the experience of many individuals sharing (and most likely cooperating together towards running) the life of a single body. Different individuals can present 'at front' at different times."
~ Plurality
Plurality CIZ - BiOrgResources

This is what we are. This is what I am. I’ve know that “I” am technically a “we” since I was about three years old. I have always hated talking about it, because to be frank... it’s weird, it sounds nutty, and I am already weird/nutty enough without adding to it. There’s always been a lot of shame, discomfort and self-hatred associated with this. After all, hearing voices is supposed to be a mental disorder, right? What happens when they’re not just voices, but thoughts and feelings, likes and dislikes, personalities and allergies and love lives and families and friends and histories and... That’s an entire person. Not just a “voice” or a “character” or a “personality”. That’s a real, actual, existing person.

And that’s what these people are to me. People. And it’s about time I start treating them like people, not like a disease, a mental problem or a role-playing game gone too far. It’s not an over-active imagination. It’s not something wrong with my brain. It’s a difference, that’s all, and one that’s not terribly uncommon. I’ve come out about this before, on other sites... but then I got scared and deleted everything. Not any more. I don’t know what causes it or why, but it is what it is, so...

I’m going to let the others post replies and sign, if they like, since we feel gneerally safe here. If you see things like “~Bob” under a post, that would be them. If you see various font colors and sizes, again... that’s their doing. I’m not keeping a lid on whatever they want to do anymore. This is basically just to let you know that there isn’t five thousand flesh and blood people sharing one of my accounts, and to let you know what is going on when suddenly you see random posts by people who may or may not reference me, my life, etc, but are not me. It’s not like I expect anyone to really CARE, mind you, but if anyone does... there you have it.

I’m not sure if this a discussion or what. I don’t know what there is to say, really, besides “I have people in my head and some of them are from tv shows” and “these people are going to be hanging around on here”. This is more a coming out thing, and if people want to discuss it, that is fine.

- A

Stay with us....all of you.
It will be interesting to see how this works.

I believe in life after death.
Speaking as we do here will vanish with our last breath.

Speaking in the spiritual realm will then be mind to mind.

You may actually have a gift the rest of us will have to wait to gain.

So any chance the others have lived...and 'moved on'?

We are in the paranormal section.
Are we headed in the same direction?

 

[Thief]

I had a tenant a few years back who took medication to keep the voices at bay.
But what's reallly weird was that he wore pullover sweater vests.
I hope that latter probem doesn't afflict you.

Hey buddy!....I used to wear pullover sweater vests!

 

[apophenia]

So... Basically, I hear voices. Only they’re not just voices; they’re people.

Everybody hears voices, or at least a voice. We call it our self and generally don't consider it a problem. When people procrastinate, they are effectively hearing multiple voices with different points of view.

It is only a problem if it's a problem - if you are bothered by it, or if others make a problem of it.

If I were to eat a strong marijuana cookie, I would find myself occasionally having conversations with myself, as if there were more than one of 'me',and I may find that very amusing.Some people find that experience disturbing. So clearly the function of the virtual self constructed in my brain is modulated by specific neurotransmitters .

Our brains create an identity, the 'illusion' which is the main subject matter of the dharmic religions/philosophies. You are telling us that your brain creates more than one identity. That's fine, some people have six fingers. The neural networks in your brain work in an atypical fashion. You have the illusion of a group whereas most of us have the illusion of a consistent individual, even though our personalities are in fact context dependent to a large degree.

I guess you have already thought all this through yourselves.

I would be interested to hear how you all get along - is there any need to negotiate amongst yourselves, or is the process spontaneous and hassle-free ? Do you share a collective will and life aims, or is there conflict of interests ?

On that point, most people have conflicting aims and predilections even with only one virtual self, so my first assumption is that your various identities play out much the same inner dialogue as mono-personalities do with just one voice. Can you describe the process of decision making, preferences and inner conflicts for us ?

 

[Revoltingest]

Hey buddy!....I used to wear pullover sweater vests!

But apparently you're now cured.
Congrats!

 

[atropine]

Question, how does this differ from D.I.D.? Is it the same thing, or somehow different? And if it is different, how would one know as it appears to mirror D.I.D. in description?

Is it okay if I do a bit of copy/paste from an FAQ I wrote?

While some people call this "Multiple Personality Disorder" or "Dissociative Identity Disorder", they are not quite the same thing. MPD is a disorder where for some reason, usually from abuse or a traumatic situation, a person developed other personalities in their mind to help cope with the trauma suffered; these personalities are real, but they are usually part of the original person and were created by that person. DID is similar in that it is a disorder that tends to stem from abuse or trauma, but the difference is that most professionals think the personalities don't exist and are merely the original person trying to cope with the trauma they suffered; DID replaced the term MPD in the United States (mostly), but it is still seen as a separate thing in other countries. While MPD and DID could (and do) fall under the multiplicity umbrella, many multiples are "natural multiples"... people who may or may not have been abused/traumatized, for whom multiplicity is just a natural state of their being.

Essentially... DID is a disorder that is brought about, usually, when a person is traumatized and/or abused. These people tend to not know they're multiple, and there tends to be a lot of chaos and self-destructive behaviors surrounding them. And there's nothing wrong with people who have systems like that, it's just different.

If it is not D.I.D. in any way and everything is fictionalized in a person's head, is it not just an over-active imagination? Granted, I've had characters from dreams and stories "stick" with me for a while, I think that's pretty normal for just about anyone, but clinging to them for an extended period of time does seem quite different.

Rather, they've clinged to me! There are some "fictional" folk we picked up along the way that I do NOT enjoy having in here, because they do muck things up sometimes and they do create complications in relationships with other people. For example, we have one who identifies himself as The Joker, from Batman. Is he "really" The Joker? I don't know. Regardless of whether he is or not, it's how he identifies, and that is the image he gives, the back story he gives and his attitude. For all intents and purposes, that is who he is, or who he chooses to be, so that's how I treat him. And dear god, I'd prefer he not be here. He's rude, angers easily, is socially awkward (more than I am and that's rather sad), creeps out my boyfriend and my mother, and makes life a little less easy for everyone just because he can. He's also intensely creative (albeit in a rather demented way), and has a great sense of humor, so eh. Point being, while I would rather he not be here, he is, so rather than trying to debate the hows and whys, I try to focus on accepting them as-is and figuring out how we can all work together. Are they "real"? Are they "fictional"? Are they really people from fictional places that, as it turns out, aren't so fictional after all? No idea! A guy online named Dragonhawke says it pretty well:

"If you experience it, then it's real in at very least that sense. It may not be real to other people, but when you're using your own brain as the universe of discourse ... that kind of reality is really all you need to be concerned about. In an individualistic sense, the boundary between imagination and reality begins to blur; as long as you can function in both, it's really not a problem."

So, there's that.

We've had some troubling real-time side effects from whatever this is, such as allergies changing. We never used to have problems with tomatoes, but one of ours does have a problem with them, and when he's around we cannot eat tomatoes. Some of ours are vegetarians and some are not; when one is vegetarian and meat gets eaten, we get rather sick. Also, where we are ticklish changes, which is just... bizarre.

Another person puts it like this:

"However, think about this: If we were merely roleplaying or acting, pretty soon we'd get tired of it. Nobody can go on acting out a role forever. Actors periodically tire even of method acting, yet neither singlets nor persons in groups are known to tire of being themselves. Also, watch a multiple system over a period of time. You will see that persons in the group are complex persons in themselves. This would be very difficult to fake. The most convincing characteristic of multiplicity is the effortless lifelong persistence of selves."
-- link

We've been at this for all our lives. The chances of it being just something I made up to have fun, "escape" or anything else is rather slim. There are complications that arise from it that I would rather not have, like when I was in school, I'd black out and not understand why I'd be "sleeping in class" many times a week but not be getting caught or yelled at.

Just popping in to say that, really, that was my fault. I was interested in the classes, and he wasn't-- and he wasn't accepting of the fact that we were really different people, or that we were there. We needed time out, and he wouldn't give it to us, so some of us took it by force. And while we now realize that wasn't exactly kind of us, it helped in the long run since we learned to work together and he learned that we are real and we are here.
- Rak

... Yeah. Safe to say, this isn't something I would have picked for myself. I wouldn't change it for the world now, but if someone had offered me the choice? I don't know. I wish it was all fantasy sometimes, but it's not.

I'm just curious how this actually works out, as I have a bit of experience in my life in dealing with someone with more than one "person"/personality (even different names, moods, mannerisms, everything) and am wondering how this differs.

They really do have different names, moods and everything. Because to us, and many people like us, they really are people. Regardless of where they come from.

I had a tenant a few years back who took medication to keep the voices at bay.
But what's reallly weird was that he wore pullover sweater vests.
I hope that latter probem doesn't afflict you.

Thankfully, nope! Not a single sweater vest in sight!

The universe is much, much, much more complicated than humans realize.

You are not crazy and you don't have a "disorder". You're exactly as you were intended to be.

That is uplifting to think about.

Every human has a connection to God through what we call the soul. The soul is our conscience (please don't confuse this with the word conscious). The soul also connects with many other individuals so, essentially, a hundred people may all have the same soul. The soul is not bound by time either so it can and does connect with people from the past, present, and future.

That is a very interesting concept. I never thought of it in that way before.

You don't have multiple personalities, you only have one, it's just that your body is being taken over by the others at times, kind of like a radio channel that gets interrupted by another stronger signal. Some of these other personalities will be kind, some might not be.

That might make sense. I don't personally identify as having multiple personalities-- they really are other people that just happen to be sharing a space with me. Some of them do identify as parts of me, but "parts of me from somewhere else". So honestly, your idea might have quite a bit more weight than I thought at first glance. Interesting.

Stay with us....all of you.

We have no intention of going anywhere, heh. For better or worse.

You may actually have a gift the rest of us will have to wait to gain.

We don't see it at all as a gift-- we're really not that special, you know? Many people out there are like this, on some level. Some know it, some don't.

So any chance the others have lived...and 'moved on'?

Some of them... well, quite a few of them, really... identify as having died, and wound up here. This is, for them, the only real way they have to keep living and to enjoy a lifetime that they never had the chance to have. We don't know the how or why, and for us it's not too important, but some people might be interested in that aspect I'd suppose. It might say something about the nature of life after death... though we think there's more than one way things work, so what one person might experience after death isn't the same for all people.

 

[atropine]

We are in the paranormal section.
Are we headed in the same direction?

I figured this was the best place to put it. I'm not sure where anyone is going. :areyoucra

Everybody hears voices, or at least a voice. We call it our self and generally don't consider it a problem. When people procrastinate, they are effectively hearing multiple voices with different points of view.

But it does tend to be the voice of the person who is in the body, rather than different people entirely. Or so I've heard. Never really experienced what it's like to be normal as far as that goes, since this has been a life-long experience.

It is only a problem if it's a problem - if you are bothered by it, or if others make a problem of it.

I would tend to agree. It can be problematic, but that's more because there's a bunch of people with different lifestyles living in one 5'8" x 300lbs space. For example, forgetting appointments, misplacing things, exercise and diet routines getting messed up, someone renting the movie Twilight... blargh! And there have been incidents of self-harming, as another example, but it was due to the shame and the more desperate of us trying to get my attention. Some of them have their own mental problems, which is another reason for me coming out and learning to deal with this, because it's not good of me to pretend them away because of my own limited ideas of what is real and not real. But in essence, the experience itself isn't the problem, and it's nothing that cannot be helped by me being more accepting and letting the others have their say, when they feel they need to say it.

Our brains create an identity, the 'illusion' which is the main subject matter of the dharmic religions/philosophies. You are telling us that your brain creates more than one identity. That's fine, some people have six fingers. The neural networks in your brain work in an atypical fashion. You have the illusion of a group whereas most of us have the illusion of a consistent individual, even though our personalities are in fact context dependent to a large degree.

As good of an explanation as any!

I would be interested to hear how you all get along - is there any need to negotiate amongst yourselves, or is the process spontaneous and hassle-free ? Do you share a collective will and life aims, or is there conflict of interests ?

We all tend to get along, because we have to in order to function and keep up the mask of normalcy. There is conflict of interest at some times, especially in regards to school; some of us want to do this, some of us want to do that, and I can't do any of it because I myself am disabled (medical problems). Which is a huge problem because some of them have a ton of energy, and that's great, but the body just isn't capable of doing what they want it to do. It leads to a lot of anger and frustration, so we have to find ways they can do what they want to do without the trouble. Rak likes medical stuff and wants us to go be a doctor, but we can't, so we buy him medical books and he watches Mystery Diagnosis and such to try and figure out the problem before the show explains it. Semah wants to take bellydancing classes, but due to the anxiety issues and the physical issues, it's just not happening... so we bought a do-it-at-home DVD and we let her do it here at home on "good days". As far as the day to day stuff, whoever is loudest and around tends to make the choices, unless we get someone like Jared around too... he's rarely around, so if he pops up, he takes priority over someone who is around a lot.

On that point, most people have conflicting aims and predilections even with only one virtual self, so my first assumption is that your various identities play out much the same inner dialogue as mono-personalities do with just one voice. Can you describe the process of decision making, preferences and inner conflicts for us ?

I think I did that a bit up there, but I can do it here, too.

Basically, I have final say no matter what. If it's something I physically cannot and will not do-- like have a PB&J (allergies), go run a marathon, get a job as a nurse, wear hot pink short shorts, whatever-- then it doesn't happen. Next, who is loud? Is it the regulars, or do we have someone in the group that usually isn't? If it's something I can do and we have someone present who isn't around much, we do the things that person would like to do. Is it just the regulars? Okay, well who wants to do what that day? Tom wants to go for a walk, Amane wants to cook a big meal, I need to get the laundry done... The body can't do it all, so who is loudest? Tom is, and Tom's choice is easier and far healthier to do, so we go with what Tom wants to do and have a walk after the laundry gets done. If Amane feels put out, we agree that she can do it tomorrow, or see if she'd be okay with a scaled-down idea of whatever she wants to do or something. Then there's, well what needs to get done? Some things take priority over others. Hygiene and stuff like cleaning take priority over chatting online with friends. But then, what are we capable of doing today? Sometimes what needs to be done just isn't happening. Sometimes the dishes don't get done and the clothes are on the floor everywhere. We see if there's anyone around capable of doing those tasks. Tom usually does them, since he has far more energy than any of us.

I hope that makes some sense.

 

[Draka]

This is quite different than I've ever been aware of, so I hope you didn't mind my questions. I just honestly wanted to know as I do find it interesting. My first husband, I believe, suffered (perhaps still) from D.I.D. There were 2 distinct personalities, names, moods, mannerisms and all. One was "normal", him, his birth name and he got along fine with others and was nice and kind and funny. The other, however, was cruel and mean and felt himself "powerful". He held himself and spoke in an entirely different way. He even spoke about the original personality in a degrading way, going on about how stupid and weak he was and how he didn't deserve to live this life and it should be his because he was the stronger one. I saw the second one slowly take over more and more. The cruelty and abuse became more demented and frequent and I got out and got a divorce. I can, and do, forgive the man I married, because I know that it wasn't really him and what happened to me was beyond his true control. I do wonder if things are the same for him now from time to time, wonder if he got any help.

Anywho, from that you can probably see why I had some curiosity about it all. Didn't want to come off as critical of what you were saying, just pulling from my experience is all.

 

[Super Universe]

The other personalities are real. They lived and died and are now essentially in a universal holding area awaiting their reformation. They don't know where they really are, they may very well "think" they are in heaven when they're not.

The universe is a school sytem. The earth is first grade, then your body dies and your mind/personality moves up to second grade. Heaven is like earning your PHD in Universe Theory.

Now think of how many people die each day on the planet. It's one hundred and fifty thousand. What school system can handle that many incoming students every day?
None. The universe can't handle them all because the earth is just one of countless other planets with sentient lifeforms living and dying and moving upward.

Beings in the universe's lower experiential levels, like us, outnumber the beings in the higher training levels. So there is a holding area and that's where your personalities are right now, awaiting reformation at the next level so they can receive further instruction about how God and the universe really works.

If you really want these multiple personalities to stop there may be medications that will help but as with most medications there can be side effects.

As a side note, I'd love to hear their thoughts about where exactly they think they are. Do they sleep when they are disconnected from you? Do they feel temperature when they are disconnected? Also, it seems that every one of your personalities has lived and died, do you have any that feel they are still alive? And during what period of years did each personality live?

 

[atropine]

This is quite different than I've ever been aware of, so I hope you didn't mind my questions.

Not at all.

My first husband, I believe, suffered (perhaps still) from D.I.D. There were 2 distinct personalities, names, moods, mannerisms and all. One was "normal", him, his birth name and he got along fine with others and was nice and kind and funny. The other, however, was cruel and mean and felt himself "powerful".

Sometimes that happens, especially if he was an abuse case... From what I know of DID, the "mean ones" come about as a sort of attempt at making it so no one can ever victimize them again. Sometimes, the people who were abused become abusers themselves, and that's sad. I hope he got help, too, and I am sorry you had to go through that.

The other personalities are real. They lived and died and are now essentially in a universal holding area awaiting their reformation. They don't know where they really are, they may very well "think" they are in heaven when they're not.

An interesting idea. Not quite our experience, but it may hold true for other people. None of them think they are in Heaven, heh. They all are perfectly aware of where they are, and most of them are quite content with the situation.

If you really want these multiple personalities to stop there may be medications that will help but as with most medications there can be side effects.

I don't want them to not be here anymore-- we are close knit and rely on one another to function, live and enjoy living.

I'd love to hear their thoughts about where exactly they think they are. Do they sleep when they are disconnected from you? Do they feel temperature when they are disconnected? Also, it seems that every one of your personalities has lived and died, do you have any that feel they are still alive? And during what period of years did each personality live?

1. We basically all feel like we're an amorphous ball of glowing strings tied up together and inhabiting a single body. We don't really have an "inner world", like some do, but we're meditating to create something like that... even if it's just something to imagine and have fun with. We don't feel like we're anywhere, really; a handful feel like they are still alive and kicking. It's harder to call those people up front to talk, because they are living a life outside of this. We just happen to have gotten a string wrapped around each other.

2. The ones who say they are still alive definitely sleep; Amane, for example, tends to never be around during the day but is very present at night time, when it is day time in "her world". The others just go from quite to loud. They don't seem to sleep, but we've never really discussed the matter. Might be something for us to talk about...

3. Temperature? Again, the ones who are alive elsewhere, they seem to feel and sense everything, and just relay it back every so often.

4. I couldn't possibly go through the entire list of where and when, but... Rak was born in 1977, Gwen was born in 490AD, Amane was born in the 80s, some were born in times that seem futuristic... it varies widely. Most tend to have been born from the 1900s to 1980s. Which... can get a bit weird, because Rak is definitely dead, but he died when he was in his 40s. I'll let you do the math there and spot the problem! :areyoucra

 

[Thief]

So, the 'persons' are unique and fully functional?

I can't help but wonder....
If your thoughts are simultaneous, then would it not sound like several radios all playing at the same volume?
Or would a dominant voice win over?

When and how would you be sure 'you' are in control?

Do you share your dreams?

 

[apophenia]

-- we are close knit and rely on one another to function, live and enjoy living.

When I read that I remembered a book which I read centuries ago, and which I think you might really appreciate. It is "More Than Human" (1953) by Theodore Sturgeon (IMO the best SF writer ever).

It is about a 'gestalt' of six people who function as one. Kind of the inversion of your structure. I'm sure you could find it through amazon if any of you like reading.

 

[atropine]

When I read that I remembered a book which I read centuries ago, and which I think you might really appreciate. It is "More Than Human" (1953) by Theodore Sturgeon (IMO the best SF writer ever).

It is about a 'gestalt' of six people who function as one. Kind of the inversion of your structure. I'm sure you could find it through amazon if any of you like reading.

Oooh, reading. It's a favored past time. Thank you. We will look into it.

So, the 'persons' are unique and fully functional?

Indeed!

If your thoughts are simultaneous, then would it not sound like several radios all playing at the same volume?

Hm, lemme try and explain this. Sometimes, it's like if you take a house and put in about five TV sets and a few radios. Maybe turn a video or two on, on the computer. Turn them aaaall on at once. Yeah, that sounds like a pretty big mess, right? Well, go stand right next to one TV set, with youe ear to it. The other TVs and such seem quieter now, because you're so close to one noise. Now, go to other TVs and mute a few, and turn the radio up very loud. Then turn everything off, and hum to yourself. That's basically how it is, 24/7. Sometimes one TV is up really loud and everything else is quiet, sometimes there's a few different stations on with some quieter than others, and sometimes I'm just humming to myself without anything else being on. It's not constantly a din of noise.

When and how would you be sure 'you' are in control?

I "feel" different... I can tell when my thoughts are my own. At least, most of the time. Sometimes, usually when we're sick and/or tired, it's hard to tell who is where. But most of the time, I know when I'm the one up front, and if I'm by myself or not. When I'm not, things look and feel a lot fuzzier.

Do you share your dreams?

Sometimes!

 

[Sylvan]

What do you think about the whole Monarch slave and Satanic Ritual Abuse concepts? Did people with cognitive frameworks like yours get duped by some weirdly subliminally sadistic psychologists to produce this body of literature? Do the different voices have different perceptions of the same situation? What do you think this has to do with you being trans? And what do they think about disincarnate spirits and your interactions with them?

 

[atropine]

What do you think about the whole Monarch slave and Satanic Ritual Abuse concepts? Did people with cognitive frameworks like yours get duped by some weirdly subliminally sadistic psychologists to produce this body of literature? Do the different voices have different perceptions of the same situation? What do you think this has to do with you being trans? And what do they think about disincarnate spirits and your interactions with them?

Satanic Ritual Abuse was disproved long ago; I don't doubt that there are people who abuse others using ritualistic trappings, and some may use stereotypically "satanic" imagery, but the idea of groups of Satanists running about killing people in the name of the dark lord Satan was investigated and found untrue. So... I wouldn't tell people that they weren't ritualistically abused or whatnot, but I do not believe that SRA exists in the way people think it does.

I don't remember getting duped by anyone. I was about a year old or two when I first remember this going on... No psychologists in sight. I did go see a psychologist when I was younger because I was dealing with abuse from my father. I won't say that abuse didn't exacerbate it, because it might have, but it didn't cause it nor did the psychologist cause it.

Yes, most of us have various takes on any given situation. We're currently watching Stargate. Some of us love it, some of us find it boring.

I think it's quite possible that my being trans doesn't have much to do with it, other than I do feel it was this that solidly sealed my decision to transition. Most of the people around are male, and even the ones who are female aren't really feminine; they don't care. Otherwise, it's just part of the weirdness that is my life. :areyoucra

They don't much care about my working with spirits. None of us have room to talk about each other's oddities, heh. Two of the others are all for my studying such things, as they feels a close tie to it as well. There are only a few that have concern, and that because they know how complicated spirit work can get.