What does switching feel like with Dissociative Identity Disorder? #dissociativeidentitydisorder

[somewhereisgone]

Some people yawn 🥱 or get flushed or blink a lot, or space out, even stutter.

[hannahdickens]

In my opinion, when we switch or me specifically, it doesn't feel like anything. It's just one moment we acting like on person and the next like a different person. Sometimes we don't even realize when we switch. Sometime I even forget I have this disorder because I just switch so smoothly.

[melissar]

It happens for me when I am under severe stress I’ll usually blink slowly a lot then feel nothing and be completely fine, happy even it’s wonderful I am blessed my brain found a way to cope after all the trauma I’ve endured.

[pennyc]

The scary part for me was how well I functioned on autopilot. Lawyers couldn't understand how someone so abused could do so well in school? I would start shaking when switching started. I had to get out of danger before any healing could take place.

Mine lasted a couple of years. I have never been able to recover my missing memories. Many block out the trauma part. I did the opposite. My mind obsessed over the bad parts. It makes sense for me because my safety back then depended on my being able to keep going over my chores looking for any mistakes. It became a hampster wheel where I kept going over and over the same chores. I had to learn physical cues to make them stop.

I had an out of body experience once. It is facinating and frightening. I was afraid I couldn't get back for awhile. I did but it took some time.

Once I became aware of it? I tried harder to prevent it from erasing my memory.

Just like it has been said, it was extreme torture that created it. It helped me function in school even though internally I was losing my mind.

I still suffer from my internal memories controling my thoughts. It gets so bad I hate to sleep. That doesn't help my health.

It isn't as bad as it use to be. Sometimes I get so involved in my imagination that it feels so real, I go through routines in them as if they are reality. I have to really watch my stress level. I have to usually get up, do something both physical and mental. I play a lot of Spider.

He is telling the truth. Once I knew I did this, once out of danger, I was able to find my way out of it.

Cognitive Behavior Training helped me learn how to control it better. I needed it 20 years earlier. Drugs did not help and I'm glad I rejected them over time. I had to practice new behaviors to overcome the bad ones I developed over time.


Listening to your explanations makes me think my obsessive thoughts are a kind of residue left over from when I use to switch personalities subconsciously.

[imitationsofmyself]

Listen to this man, he's right. As someone who was diagnosed with DID in August 22 this guy's depiction of switching is accurate. I first started showing DID symptoms at 5 but my alters had been there since before I was two. Because of the amnesiac barriers I wasn't aware I was switching. I was constantly dissociating. Sometimes it was quick sometimes I'd stare into space for long periods of time. I am literally missing my entire childhood. I was misdiagnosed with ADHD because I was 'inattentive". Finally got the DID diagnosis in my 30s.

"Awareness is the first step"
YAS.
Now I can control my switches because the amnesiac barriers are gone. Even controlled switches take A LOT of communication, planing, and cooperation. Planned switching isn't great all the time because switching of any kind, planned or unplanned is extremely draining and I often get a headache.

[autisticzuko]

Sometimes when we switch, it feels like our "soul" is being pulled up to the left. Sometimes we can't strong thoughts together. Sometimes fuzzy. Sometimes we realize we're really really angry and that our angerholder is fronting.

[astrorat]

it used to scare us/freak us out, suddenly we felt like our eyes were cameras watching everything play out, the lighting changed hues, we felt floaty, we didn't feel real.
it still feels lile that when we switch but we understand why it happens, other times we don't notice that it's happened because of how close someone else is.

[vdTelevision]

My head always feels heavy and then the world gets kinda fuzzy

[craveliving]

i was diagnosed by a DID specialist after being "self diagnosed" for 2 years. i still have a lot of denial. switching can be really sneaky sometimes, we have a particular alter that's a master at blending in just enough that we don't realize he's there until he takes control. other times if we're in conversation we start not understanding understanding what the other person is saying, and a few minutes later we realize we were switching. sometimes it's very abrupt, like if an alter who is very timid and private suddenly hears someone at the door.

[The_Cyber_System]

We get so many of these symptoms, and it was absolutely scary in the beginning. We still struggle every day. We can get 'switching headaches' as well, migraines, and seizures as symptoms of the DID in general but also as part of switching. The switch usually feels like you're falling backwards into your head, everything sounds like you're underwater, and looks like you're getting tunnel vision.

Also, loved in She-Hulk Ep.1 how Bruce had gone through an example of fusion and tried using DBT skills to help Jennifer work on emotional regulation. We use DBT a lot with our therapists and psychologists. CBT is specifically triggering for us but could be very helpful for others.

[MalachiRYT]

I didn't know that I was an "Alter" after over 5 years until we just recently found out that we most likely have DID.

This video helped me a bit, because honestly, I've felt all of these before. Chills, foggy head / lightheaded, and I've felt detached from the body after a switch.

So thank you for this! 🙏

[kaitlincox]

I'm not sure I have this but I think I've realized I dissociate. My biggest thing is I lose time. I can't focus. Or I'm emotional but fighting to not be. I start crying then suddenly I stop and can't remember why I'm even sad but I know I am. I've been taking off my glasses without realizing it. I wake up and don't have a recollection of taking them off. I "talk" with myself. In my head it sounds like "what are we going to do?" " Kaitlin you have to do something." "I know I do." It's weird.

I say the "switch" I see happen, is when I'm upset I switch and now I feel nothing. I don't even know why I'm crying. Or when someone is angry I'm gone. I just zone out

[wordsbykatarina]

As someone on the journey of dealing with DID for years now, this is by far one of the best explanations I’ve seen for it! 🙏🏼

[Eva-kjbf]

I know it happens and i can’t stop it scares me so much because of what others will think

[MichaelSmithfu]

Lol exactly.. it's a huge spectrum. The human mind is the most deep complexity of spectrums there is as far as we know.

For most of us, having DID is a life saver and a horrible curse.
I am trying to deal with my system rn as it has been dysfunctioning again. Im not even going to try and describe the problems and what it's like but it really sucks and disruptive and frustrating and stressful.

[peachlue]

Man thanks for presenting this in like an informational way- and pointing out that what people think of right off the bat isn't necessarily what's up. Honestly didn't even notice the mispronounciation.
Thank you for sharing this! Can't wait to check out the rest of your channel

[krismindscape]

the best way for me to explain switching is zoning out and then having thoughts that aren’t your thoughts. for us (the system) it’s usually gradual, like it takes a few minutes to actually switch between alters, but sometimes its literally just a few seconds and suddenly a completely different person has control of our mind and body. it feels so weird to explain “thinking thoughts that aren’t your thoughts” to people without DID but that’s genuinely the best way i can describe it.

[ariatheroyal]

Hi, I am (possibly) switching and this came up on my search for "what to do while dissociating"

Sometimes we just switch instantaneously before we know it. A lot of us get really tired and spaced out. I like to describe my switches as being hit by a ton of bricks and then pushed underwater

We probably would get angry when we switch if we were present enough. Some switches are seconds, some have lasted hours. Everyone in our system experiences it somewhat differently. Just like you described, it's all a spectrum and its important to recognize that

[MaxIsGoingInsane]

Someone one time related me to the movie split and I have never been so INSULTED 💀👊🏼

[AIterGlyph]

I was told of my symptoms when I was diagnosed. I also have people that trigger my identities to swap or it can be gradual when I’m alone. My cheeks often turn red when I swap too (usually to a specific personality). Or the trigger can just be a hairstyle or even attire. Sometimes I don’t feel in control of my life but now I know why! I have DID!