So
Nova spoke to our psych today about our plurality. We also spoke about some symptoms we were concerned about because we weren’t sure if we were related to our plurality or not.
Her conclusion: we deal with depersonalization, derealization, and severe social anxiety. This, couple with our brain’s natural tendency to view itself as many instead of one, could explain our memory and time issues.
She said, to our face, “There’s Dissociative Identity Disorder, which involves multiple people/personalities, but based on how you’ve described your experiences, you don’t fit the criteria. You also aren’t distressed or impaired by your ‘copilots’ as you call them. If anything, you have a very mild version of it.”
Wow, it’s almost like you can’t claim someone’s appropriating a symptom because it’s a fucking symptom not a cultural identity you chuckleheads.
Plurality is a thing that happens. There are varying degrees and forms of it and those who experience certain forms of it do so because of trauma, and while they and those who experience it differently aren’t identical, they have an overlap in the symptom of plurality.
Nondisordered multiples are real. DID/OSDD multiples are real. DID/OSDD is caused by repeated childhood trauma and severe dissociation. No one really knows what causes nondisordered multiplicity but my personal belief is some kind of predisposition to dissociation must be present for it to happen.
I don’t understand why people get so vexed about this stuff and who’s “allowed” to use the word system.
Like autistic people stim. People with ADHD and anxiety also stim. Neurotypical people stim. There are different reasons for each of those groups at least some of the time, and the term originated in autistic communities (I believe, correct me if I’m wrong), but self-stimulation, aka stimming, isn’t a term that can be “(mis)appropriated”. Because it’s a behaviour not tied to a culture.
People have anxiety and experience panic attacks and/or anxiety attacks. There are many disorders that have this as a symptom as well. There are people without disorders who have experienced panic attacks or anxiety before. Not to the same degree, not for the same reasons, but they all share that experience. No one is “appropriating” that.
“System”, “multiple”, “plural” etc. refer to multiple people in one body, and comes from DID/OSDD communities but there are people who don’t fit the criteria for DID/OSDD who still experience plurality. Being part of a system is a symptom (for a lack of a better word) associated primarily with DID/OSDD, but is present in other groups.
You can’t appropriate a “symptom”.
I’m C, I’m part of a nondisordered collective of uncertain origin, and telling people they must be any type of plurality is a shitty idea, and saying that one type is “wrong” or “fake” or “appropriating” is ridiculous.
good post op and i just wanted to add that one thing gatekeeps like to say is “if our therapists are saying…” etc etc or stuff about listening to their therapists OR “ew go have a therapist check you out” except. nondisordered multiples often have therapists that tell them flat out their is no disorder to diagnose
but then they say you’re stealing resources for having a therapist lmao
like if they really believe that endo systems and nondisordered systems are just DID systems that are confused then why would they say they’re ~stealing resources~ but the fact is they don’t. care at all. they just like to bully and no matter what they’re not gonna listen ahaha
great post though, hopefully someone will listen
edit: uh yeah did want to add that those words didn’t show up in did communities though like. especially plural. they’re in general multiplicity places and plural is made specifically for non-DID and median-type systems. system didn’t even really come from a DID thing but everyone likes to say that because, you know, that one book from the 1800s or w/e but yeah
Actually, “plural” is for everyone and always has been.
All who experience being “more-than-one” are welcome to use it.
-Pride
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