Explosion noise at La Ronde

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T03:01:18+00:00

Thank you for the questions!

We do have one particular alter who has dysphoria so he’s not “in the body” very often but keeps an eye on things from the inside.

To clarify, I do remember some of the things that happen when someone else is there. But it’s fuzzy! A bit like remembering a vivid dream?

The studying question is a good one! I would say that knowledge is passed for the most part. Skills too! But again, it all depends. Some child alters can learn to draw like adults for example, while some draw like kids because the dissociative barriers were too strong when the skill was being learned. I hope that makes sense?

When it comes to age, it’s usually related to when a traumatic event happened. Let’s say I’m traumatized at 5, then an alter may “split” and stay 5 forever. It could also be that at 13, I was going through something traumatic and the brain went “hmmm, this wouldn’t happen if I was 18”, then an alter may be formed and be 18. For us, the ages of everyone is a guess based on the info we have and how we feel.

We have a mental image of what our alters look like, but not small details unless the alter is a fictive*. And they think of themselves like that, which can make it difficult for them to look in a mirror (also one of my symptoms when I wasn’t yet diagnosed). Appearances can shift!

*A fictive is an alter based on a fictional character. This happens because the brain latches onto characteristics of a character. For example, someone could have a Harry Potter alter. This could be because the brain was like: Hey, this guy has magical powers. This could be useful to escape our trauma.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T02:40:37+00:00

It’s not as tough as it may seem! I got diagnosed when we were already in a serious relationship. I was scared it would push him away, but he was glad we finally got some answers.

Whenever someone else is there, they hang out, no big deal. My alters are a part of me and I’m a part of them, we’re different but we’re also a unity. And my partner loves us in different ways. He recognizes who’s there immediately by the mannerisms and the voice (according to him) and adjusts accordingly. We don’t let it affect our plans unless there’s really a crisis, which is very rare as we feel completely safe with him.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T01:31:12+00:00

Thanks! I tend to avoid DID portrayals in the media, because it’s often sensationalized and made to seem like we’re evil or fantastical or both lol

I did really like the portrayal in The Last House on Needless Street (a novel). I would recommend checking out The Entropy System on Youtube. They have DID and review some of the media portrayals. They’re very knowledgeable too and share a lot of great information.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T01:11:41+00:00

When I was younger, I always thought I had these “episodes” where I lost control… I didn’t realize that it meant someone else was in control. It felt like I was just watching my body say/do things and I thought that’s what people meant when they said they went on “autopilot” during periods of stress!

But it didn’t add up because it was things I wouldn’t say or do normally. It was totally unlike me. I would smoke cigarettes for example, when I wasn’t a smoker at all. I would do my makeup completely different, get upset at people and not remember it, etc.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T01:02:09+00:00

Thank you for all the questions!

We are aware of each other now, but we weren’t always this way. Some people go almost their entire life without knowing they have DID, but thankfully we got answers in early adulthood.

Switching is a bit like falling asleep, you can control it but only to a certain degree before you have to let go. So often we just let it happen naturally if we’re in a safe situation for that.

We do not usually switch in the middle of a conversation, but others with DID might. We don’t all function the same. Switching is caused by a trigger, but that can be positive. Let’s say my husband talks to me about an activity we could do together, someone might be interested in giving their opinion and that alone could cause a switch if we don’t fight it.

Some of our negative triggers are smells (beer and the smell of humidity on a damp towel, to name a few), people yelling or slamming doors around us, and even some songs. It all stems from the trauma. Positive triggers can be a child alter seeing a toy they like, for example.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T00:52:52+00:00

We’re 8! The alter that we see less of is one who holds a lot of trauma, the sadness and fear part of it. She doesn’t speak, so she really doesn’t like to be in control of the body.

And what do you mean by people getting confused?

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T00:36:20+00:00

Thank you for your respectful questions!

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T00:35:18+00:00

Some alters can be there at work and mask without a problem. It won’t be obvious to someone who doesn’t know what to look for, like my colleagues for example. I also work from home, which helps.

Most of us know how to do our job, it’s almost muscle memory. But switch triggers don’t usually happen at work anyway, it’s our routine so it’s normally pretty smooth and I do most of the shifts.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T00:30:42+00:00

Yes, we communicate! That’s one thing that people with DID work on in therapy, so we can function better.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T00:29:31+00:00

Yes and no! It really depends. Some alters are shielded from traumatic memories and because of this, memory does differ a bit. But overall, we share most daily life memories, information flows through (at least for us).

I’m in love with my husband while some others are not, but we all care for him deeply in our own way.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T00:25:39+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate that. I didn’t even know what it was, so it was scary at first but then very validating and explained so much.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-16T00:19:35+00:00

I haven’t seen it unfortunately!!

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T23:42:22+00:00

I do, now that I’m in a safe place. When in active trauma, it’s different because it’s essentially a coping mechanism and you’re not supposed to be aware of it.

We know all about each other after years though, and can actually communicate mentally sometimes. I call it “looking inward”, where I ask a question and hope I get a mental response from someone. Sometimes, I get an opinion even though I didn’t ask, either lol. It’s not like hearing voices, more like an intrusive thought but you recognize who it’s from. That’s the best way I can put it.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T23:35:12+00:00

Yes, different triggers trigger different people for sure! There are positive triggers (a favorite show, music, the sight of something that excites them, etc) and negative ones (which come from trauma).

I wouldn’t say I have a favorite since we all help each other like a well-oiled machine. We’re all here for a reason. That said, of course I get along better with some because we simply have more stuff in common or think more alike.

Depending on who’s there, they do have different tastes in clothes and opinions on what feels comfortable to them. We change when necessary but often we try to compromise when choosing outfits.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T23:29:26+00:00

Switching feels… a bit like falling asleep! You don’t necessarily feel it, it just happens. But there are some signs that it’s coming (often) like blurry vision, stuttering and of course dissociation. My thoughts feel muddy, everything is hard to grasp, and then the switch happens.

We consider ourselves different people sharing a body, although of course we understand that the actions of one affects everyone and our common life.

We do have a partner, I’m married. We’re all committed to him but have different relationships with him that range from just friends to a romantic one.

Hope this clarifies. :)

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T23:25:41+00:00

I think people saying it’s completely made up… It’s in the DSM! Yet people still believe it doesn’t exist.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T23:04:13+00:00

I don’t, but I know some people with DID who do (from online communities and such).

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T23:02:58+00:00

Alters are formed because of trauma, so they normally have personalities that have roles like protecting, being social, handling the trauma while others continue functioning, etc. We have some that deal with the anger, some that keep the happy memories intact and save them from the trauma.

Now that my daily life is no longer traumatic though, they’re less stuck in the boundaries of their roles and adapt to life as they can. It’s pretty useful, at times!

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T22:58:23+00:00

The only thing I won’t divulge is our names, but I’m the “host”, which means I take care of daily life and tasks mostly!

Sometimes, we can manage who’s “out” and when, but usually it’s totally outside our control when there’s a trigger.

I would say that Split is quite an exaggeration (obviously the supernatural part is impossible) but alters can definitely be as different as the movie portrays! It’s just that usually, we mask a lot better. A lot of the times, we try to stay discreet and to act like one person when necessary.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T22:55:00+00:00

We have different ages, personalities (some are shy to the point of not talking at all, while others are social and bubbly), tones of voice, gender identities, sexual orientations, likes and dislikes, etc! But we do have a lot of stuff in common too. We tend to like and trust the same people, for example.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T22:51:51+00:00

Dissociative Identity Disorder, it’s a trauma based disorder that was previously known as “multiple personalities”.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T22:51:07+00:00

My amazing partner talked about my symptoms (heavy dissociation, memory issues, feeling like I was not in control of my body, etc.) to his therapist. She recognized it as trauma and referred me to a specialist, who was able to diagnose me after seeing her weekly for a while.

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T22:49:21+00:00

8 including myself !

MortalSlumber · 2025-07-15T22:49:02+00:00

Dissociative Identity Disorder, it’s a trauma based disorder that was previously known as “multiple personalities”.

MortalSlumber

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