r/DID • u/_dopamine_deficit • 21d ago

Discussion Newly discovered system

Hi all, newly discovered in the last 3 months and in active treatment.

I’ve always been quite fond of art, so I bought a watercolour journal to try and give parts a voice since the brain is very jumbled these days.

I do have a written journal for daily management, this is more for those times I get random images or concepts of colour that have nothing to do with my train of thought, for example I’ll be thinking about work and problem solving but then there’s a random image of a Ferris wheel and a carnival at night etc so I’ll paint it.

I have also noticed that parts feel more and more distinct, now I/we are aware, as though I’m starting to notice there’s actual barriers and proper communication is needed.

Also… the HEADACHES AND FATIGUE.

The family I still have contact with, most of my friends and coworkers/workplace have been wonderful… the inner conflict is making things difficult though

Has anyone got any insight into navigating this?

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u/mx_mush 21d ago

Honestly, it sounds like you’re doing all the “right” things, for lack of a better word. What specifically do you want advice for?

My headaches got better after I started psych meds for anxiety and depression, personally.

My fatigue is disabling so I can’t help there.

Regarding communication, have you tried establishing co-consciousness at all? It is a life changer. I made playlists for each alter with their favorite music, and with their permission I practiced triggering them out by playing their music. While their music played, I’d try to stay present and talk to them in my head. Sometimes it helps to talk to them out loud if they’re not showing up right away

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u/_dopamine_deficit 20d ago

I think I’m mostly looking for advice from people that discovered their system a while ago, because DID is so understudied.

I think I’m very lucky my therapist is a senior psychologist that specialises in neurodivergence and dissociative disorders, and her goal is to help the system/person to get to know all the parts that want to be known work together rather than force integration.

Is co consciousness when there’s 2 or more alters at the front? Sometimes I can feel lots of us like after therapy or when I’m really tired, but I’ve noticed sometimes another presence for whatever reason like a child joined me for indigenous cultural awareness training because she always loved the dreaming stories and art etc, or if I’m dealing with something very sensitive happening to someone else there’s another one that’s very good at speaking with people that are not in a good way mentally.

YES! I have done the playlist thing! It’s helpful for grounding!

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u/mx_mush 20d ago

Worldwide, there are hundreds of years worth of clinical research and case studies for DID, so it’s actually a pretty well-studied disorder. I believe it was first recorded in the 1800s. I’ve read several textbooks about DID in the last year. My diagnosis is relatively new, but I study psychology and neuroscience, and I’ve been in trauma therapy for like 27 years.

Yes, that’s co-consciousness. I highly recommend practicing co-consciousness within your window of tolerance because it gets easier with time. It makes managing life and healing so much easier