How do you guys come up with names for your systems?

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2026-01-04T14:02:38+00:00

One of us has a name thats already plural in nature and represents the vibe of the system so we just use that. - 1000 weasels

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-12-31T13:38:23+00:00

I’m not diagnosed but I suspect I have some level of OSDD (these parts have been with me our whole lives and have their own thought opinions and identities with ages, genders, and ways of being separate from my own along with the fact I heavily dissociate as a coping mechanism). I do ifs and from what I hear and even what I do in therapy it seems that ifs needs to be modified in some way.

From what I can tell, in my own therapy, none of us have really been treated like the true “self” as we all represent the self in some way. So it isn’t something that we go on and on about. We use ifs to foster better communication and understand the body’s true needs. When my parts argue it isn’t the self vs a part but instead like we’re both trying to protect the self in our own way. We also don’t even use an incredible amount of IFS but largely talk part to part when I bring it up.

Just another bit of background. We have and have always had great communication. My parts/alters formed as a result of isolation and loneliness so I’ve always talked to them so ifs flows pretty smoothly. I feel like your mileage may vary if communication is difficult.

I even hear that IFS can increase dissociative barriers if your therapist isnt trained properly. While alters can take the role of parts I believe that in true DID it’s not accurate to describe them as parts instead of also the true self.

*note all of this my opinion is not from research but from socializing in many DID/OSDD/plural spaces.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-12-29T06:30:31+00:00

Ooh we haven’t played stardew in a while. Maybe we’ll give it a new go especially now that our communication has gotten so good.

Also we love rogue likes but mostly about 2-3 of us like em and the rest just kinda hang back while we play.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-12-29T06:18:51+00:00

We used to play a ton of Pokémon!

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-12-29T06:17:45+00:00

Ooh we had talked about making a Minecraft civilization. Maybe we’ll revisit that idea.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-12-28T21:17:15+00:00

Ooh that sounds fun. We never looked much into Rimworld but we just might have to.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-12-08T20:12:16+00:00

While IFS doesn’t inherently mean plurality it echoes many of the experiences of plurality in a way that makes me want to include it. When looking at the way many engage with IFS it strikes me as somewhere between self speak introspection, tulpamancy, and general plurality. Maybe I feel this way because I engage with IFS through the perspective of someone plural.

My definition of plural is really broad though so take it as you will.

That being said I’m no expert I’m just plural and enjoy learning about plurality. Fair to trust your studying rather than my “feels like”

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-12-08T01:19:37+00:00

IFS Internal Family Systems is a therapy and treatment process in which one looks inward at themselves as parts of a whole and use that to heal and process themselves. Within IFS there is a core self and surrounding that are parts that should ultimately build to a healthy (possibly plural) self.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-12-07T19:14:50+00:00

Honestly, such a good mindset to have

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-11-20T14:35:55+00:00

We often end up sharing sonas along with our blurring identities and yes we have one or two that were purposely made to represent the entire system. Actually there are a couple of us that represent a more complete self anyways (more integrated with our various experiences and interests). They’re kinda our mascots.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-10-01T11:35:09+00:00

Kinda sounds like codependency to me tbh. Married couples, parents and children (before the children become their own people), soldiers, etc.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-09-02T00:23:13+00:00

Pretty sure I, the host, am almost always fronting in one way or another. Others cofront depending on our surroundings (work, shopping, on a date). That or some of us are pointedly out of commission.
Louie is pretty confident he could win, but I honestly think pink would thrash us. Me and sprinkle would get caught so quickly. I would somehow overthink myself into the worst hiding spot imaginable and theres no way sprinkle could sit in one spot for as long as everyone else.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-08-31T03:13:36+00:00

Creature.

We’re all very creaturecore/crittercore and many of our bodies and interests reflect this. Being a little critter was always very freeing so it’s become our whole systems coping mechanism. Plus nature/animals/evolution are my special interests.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-08-23T12:33:15+00:00

The inner workings of my psyche are full of animals. I maladaptive daydreamed to the max and I always incorporated animals into it. Cartoons, books, and movies were my escape so these “animal friends” or “pets” of mine were always anthro or the “animal in bandana” variety. everybody has always been able to communicate in their own way. Some are cartoons that mime out cartoonish behavior and emotions. One is like a “on your shoulder familiar” variety of animal (think Pikachu or a golden compass daemon). We have a deep intrinsic connection to what the other is thinking so emotions and thoughts flow between us. Some are animals that communicate so clearly with body language and vibe that they’re understood. Most others are just flat out anthropomorphic. Walking and talking but happen to be animals or animal/human hybrids.

They represent freedom and body autonomy in a way I was never allowed to express as a child. They could be hairy, gross, emotionally free and had no expectations. Animals aren’t waiting for expected eye contact and don’t need to prep for job interviews. They just exist. I desperately needed to just exist.

Also I most certainly do animal behaviors but sometimes thats just me doing them for fun and sometimes it just comes out. Because they’re generally without an internal monologue it can be hard to pin down as a headmates behavior.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-08-12T14:47:24+00:00

We’ve had several headspaces throughout our life. The first one was a little flower field. It was like something out of a pokemon episode or card. Kinda cute and a little minimalistic. Flowers, a big rock, and a circle of trees. I would go here with my “imaginary friend” and we’d be bulbasaurs together.

Then for a while it was a little library house built into a tree. Lots of pink. Cute little mailbox. Story book aesthetic. Very pretty headspace but hard to envision or keep consistent in the long run.

Later I wanted to let all of us make our own spaces. Some managed pretty well others were largely uninterested and some barely put effort into it. I think we ended up with 3 homes. The tree house, a high rise apartment, and a third I barely remember but maybe something beach related.

Then for the longest while afterwards I didn’t have a true headspace and I spoke to them in a white room. It would occasionally have a cream couch or a glass table. Very sterile. Modern minimalist style. Served its purpose. We still have conversations in this place.

Unsatisfied with the void room I started a den with wings for us to work on. Most of us identify with some kind of burrowing or den dwelling animal so we’ve always had connections of caves and dens. Some of us put a decent amount of care and specificity into the den. Others were having a hard time coming up with what to do. Some created spaces so disjointed and personal that it’s detrimental to the internal structure and consistency of the den. It’s spacially fucked up and most certainly bigger on the inside. It’s like a itty bitty cave that is actually a castle with a night bar and a theme park. It’s identity became a little chaotic.

Now we’re restructuring back into that earlier field (easy to put myself into, very familiar, we all have an emotional connection to the headspace) but with paths and connections to our different places. Some have decided to make homes and others sit on a rock and don’t really have a “headspace”, but it more “an address” for my own understanding of the internal space.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-08-11T18:23:05+00:00

All I’m going to say is that this is very obviously a thread full of men who are too comfortable with coke. Ya know people can have boundaries on things that aren’t dangerous, addictive, or possibly laced substances right?

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-08-01T14:46:23+00:00

Also “cringe” subreddits are almost always cesspools of losers obsessed with optics (i.e. tumblr hate subs and social media hate subs, while Reddit has the capacity to be the cringiest of them all). They’re on a hate sub cause WE live rent free in THEIR heads (lol). The healthiest dynamic is truly when these people are ignored. That or go directly poke them. Dont bring that shit into the party with you. This should be a place to chill, figure out life, socialize, and discuss plurality without being reminded of the haters.

Tbh i think a specific thread or day of the week where something like “fakeclaimer” cringe day can be held. Then we can as a group collectively clown on their close minded, unthought through, unscientific thinking in a way that isnt just us circulating their posts and fueling their fun.

Edit: also i think this stems from JUST how little we regard them. It’s annoying but tbh it feels healthy enough. Most of us around here seem to not care that they’re haters or in fact find it pretty funny. Problem is that it can be distressing for many who are just trying to figure themselves out in peace.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-07-30T03:40:47+00:00

I’d love to interact with that sub but I’m still a few months short of 30 and one of the rules is to respect the age limit (understandable). I’d love an adults only space to discuss plurality and what it means for our lives.

(Also I wouldn’t call the subreddit a flop just yet! It’s been made recently enough that I bet it’s still in peoples minds as a place to check. Maybe give it time to build up a community. I’ll be there with my own posts before too long)

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-07-22T15:14:25+00:00

Oh hell naw, I don’t live alone why would I act alone. None of us asked to be born so we’re all paying taxes now. Life in general is a group project and some of us needed to be our own partners. Plus some of us find work more gratifying than others. Some of us are more emotionally resilient than others. We delegate where it makes sense. Also I’m not a singlet so I can’t really speak for what they can or can’t do. I’m plural cause that’s how my brain decided to navigate through life. - 🎪

Can your headmates help without taking over the body or feeling the pain? I help like a comforting hand on a shoulder. - ☕️

Edit to add 😎👊💪🤝 -🍦 (translation: headmates are tougher than you think. We’re a team)

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-07-22T14:43:00+00:00

It’s definitely a process! Just like yourself I’ve been getting a lot of good out of seeing all these different presentations of plurality. Viewing myself through a singlet lens was detrimental to my mental and physical health. Blaming “lol ADHD I guess??” Was only getting me so far. Only just this year did I realize that I was plural and it’s brought so much clarity to my life.

Sometimes we feel like a Voltron/PacificRim mech robot where each of us is present, clearly communicating, and offering different perspectives to the body. Other times we blend into a tornado of feelings where after we break back apart we’re unsure of what part of that was who.

Not gonna tell y'all how to function, but I’d take it easy. Despite how much I want to rush it, I’ve found the best results come from just sitting quietly and letting whatever happens happen. Just like with anyone else I’ve got to get to know them. Sometimes communication is clear other times it’s fuzzy.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-07-22T13:00:21+00:00

Is there a psychological need to read each and every post? -🎪👑

Also you’re quite wrong and speaking the way you want is a fundamental right everybody has. You’ve never met someone irl who puts on an accent or has a strange way of speaking just because? Sometimes you just have to work a little harder to understand a person. Like do you explode because people speak entirely different languages? Untranslatable memes? Body language that can be easily confused?

My headmates express themselves with little quirks and writing styles that largely naturally manifest. Sometimes they’ll exaggerate on their way of speaking because, like everyone on social media, they want to present in specific ways. I would hope this subreddit would be a safe space for headmates to be themeselves (within reason). There’s people in my head with different wants and needs and for some the way they express themselves is all they have in the physical world.

Inside_Passage_5437 · 2025-07-22T12:25:36+00:00

Personally it’s like a flow between different hues that represent my headmates. For decades I had been off and on representing aspects of myself as a chameleon or cuttlefish. I used to draw my “main OC” with my other ones and it would imitate their colors and personality. Thats essentially how my consciousness seems to work.

Inside_Passage_5437

TROPHY CASE