It’s likely you may already be familiar with PTSD. You may know it as the condition that affects war veterans and survivors of car accidents, natural disasters, and isolated acts of violence. Complex PTSD, however, is specific to severe, repetitive trauma that typically happens in childhood – most often abuse. “[It’s a sign if] your partner has stopped talking to you about both trivial and important things,” Baechle says.
An alter’s role can be very important because it can be a huge part of why they are there. As well as explaining, I will also give examples that relate to the host’s alters. Other specified dissociative disorder can present in many different ways.
They’ve Started Talking About Someone Else A Lot
Events that are perceived as overwhelming in the eyes of little children might cause their brain to develop a new, different personality (“alter”) which is able to better cope with the situation. That is how dissociative identity disorder is formed. Complex posttraumatic stress disorder(C-PTSD) is a disorder that can result from severe, chronic, or extremely threatening trauma. Often, this trauma is also interpersonal, happens early in life, lasts for a long time, involves a mix of trauma types, or is followed by one or more unrelated traumas.
I found out that during our relationship there was a lot of co-fronting between that alter and the one who goes by my partner’s name. I am very monogamous and struggle to form romantic connections in the first place, plus I have some jealousy issues. But because I initially fell in love with both of them when I thought they were one person, I still possessed those feelings for both of them when I found out they were separate. The main host was obviously very in love with me and would even get a bit jealous of the other alter I had feelings for. However that alter doesn’t feel the same way about me, which I was only recently told. They still care about me I think since I provide so much support for the main host and they are a protector.
I know he experienced trauma as a kid but I’m not sure the specifics. I always thought he was so inconsistent- one day he would like something and the next he wouldnt. It always left me confused and walking on egg shells.
I can just stare and stare at my watch and I know I should be able to figure it out but I just can’t. This of course begs the question of whether OSDD/DDNOS-1 and DID are in fact the same thing, and just different points on a spectrum, and whether the diagnostic criteria for DID are too tightly applied. Certainly OSDD is supposed to be a ‘residual’ category to mop up the ‘few’ cases of dissociative disorders that do not meet the mainstream criteria. But if up to three times as many people receive a diagnosis of OSDD/DDNOS compared to dissociative identity disorder, it would suggest that the definition of DID is too narrow. This is certainly the view of a number of experts in the field.
It’s the act of going on lots of dates with one person.
But then there’s a day where the littles have been out and leave me notes and presents and my husband has stories to tell me and it just warms my heart. Kit didn’t relaise she was an alter but she was my ‘testing ground’ for re-emerging. I have no emotional attachment to my alters which maybe a big difference between most with DID. If they serve no purpose there’s no point them coming out. So many real life friendships have ended or broken down. I can’t know why your husband developed OSDD – the truth is that he might not currently know either.
My autism prevents me from imagining what they do when they out of sight the same as it does with people in the outside world. Ie I don’t sit thinking about what’ Bobby’ is doing on the inside anymore than I wonder what my brother is doing after he’s gone home! So I’ve never imagined my alters having a full life away from when they are ‘up front’. There either here to do something in particular or they’re not,it’s as simple as that for me. ‘I’ can only exist in the moment with who ever is up front at the time. I would shut down because i had enough awareness to know that something was off with me- that i should know who my partner was, and that if i told them, they might be scared, hurt, or offended. So i kept it to myself, and quietly assumed i was experiencing psychosis or a manic episode .
While this disorder is hard to live with, we often lead fulfilling lives. In many cases, switching between alters happens very subtly. However, sometimes the change can be more dramatic and disorienting.
Its not too long at all and I truly appreciate the time an effort you spent writing this. I am in tears on the floor with one of our dogs as I am writing this to you. I do have a therapist and he has been very supportive. We are also in couples counseling after begging for 5 years lol. I am an eternal optimist usually and have always had faith in him.
For the last week, I’ve been talking to this guy I met on grindr and I’m starting to really like him, he’s adorable, likes the same things I do and most importantly he likes me. He also has OSDD with 10 alters in total but 3 main ones which he https://hookupgenius.com/ switches between. I want to date him in the future but I’m not sure what I would be getting myself into, I like him alot and don’t want to not date him because of something that he can’t control, I’d feel like a massive cunt if I did that.
Many of us do communicate purposefully now but it’s a relatively new awareness. For a long time trying to develop internal communication felt like talking to walls. It’s much better today but still, it’d be nice to see a note from someone just because instead of out of necessity (e.g. telling me about an appointment or something). It may help to know that people with DID are often perceived by others as liars. And it’s no wonder; when someone witnesses you doing or saying something that you later deny doing or saying what else can that someone think but that you’re a liar?
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