#altbeing

The solution to it is to not be around them, to filter tags and/or usernames, block or mute whoever you need.

Not to demand they repress it or chase them out of every space.

What the fuck I'm so sorry

Cross-posted from my dreamwidth entry. Link directly in the title.

In the time spent in the alterhuman community, in particular to the therian/kin that dealt with exomemories from other lives, I've come to observe something critical--many carried various exotrauma.

My belief is that a part of the reason reincarnation happens is to provide us a chance to seek closure in our other lives or heal the wounds we carry. Perhaps we are tied to this cycle due to unfinished business, whether positive or negative.

I don’t identify as the eastern ocean dragon of my past; thus, it is my kardiatype. However, I have memories, instincts, likes, and dislikes based on that dragon. There are pains I've felt that I'm still trying to determine if they might be connected to that dragon's own loss, but they don’t hurt me as much, as I am able to observe from a distance. However, this comes down to the identification and separation of the part of the self. From the beginning of my realization of being nonhuman, I already identified as who I am: the dream dragon.

Perhaps this can help others as well, in finding that separation and distance. This is also considering that we have people within the community who can interact with their other lives as separate beings. This couples with the Chinese belief in spirits and souls (hun and po)[1] and how transmigration works with each incarnation: you only move on with a part of it, leaving the rest behind. Essentially, one is different from their past or other selves (as time can be seen as non-linear to some).

Another key thing is finding closure. Perhaps the various memories are vying for attention because of unresolved loose ends.

Writing down stories, or making any sort of creation work for each and every one of those lives might help. I believe there is truth and fact in fiction. Many alterhuman that I've observed use writing as a form of interaction with their selves. I do it too, finding temporary joy in worlds where I can be myself, and it serves as an outlet to work through some inner conflicts or other dissent. Memories become somewhat easier to handle once I put them down as something concrete that I can work with. If emotions are causing suffering, mindfulness is a good practice to counter that—acknowledge and accept the emotions, and then learn to lessen their impact on one's being. This deals with more psychological territory, but the same techniques and methods are not restricted to a single subject area. There are numerous resources available, but here's a small excerpt:

Ride out Waves of Emotions--Be Mindful Normalize Emotions Observe Anticipate Emotions will get bigger/intensify Visualize Ride/surf the emotion wave/tide. Ride it out instead of blocking it. Let it flow. Gently let go; it's okay to release the grasp. Shift focus; practice mindfulness; notice the physical surroundings. Be attentive and curious. Be Nonjudgemental Acceptance

Additionally, having something grounding or anchoring is good. Anything, even a stuffed toy, a pet, a place, another sapient being, or even things beyond—that's a bit like speaking of faith, ironic considering I'm discussing grounding in the unseen and forces beyond.

All of these can to be utilized together. Comfort allows room to break down, grounding offers a point to return to should the mind becomes lost in the memories and emotions. While all the other exercises allow confronting the memories, they help in working through emotions by offering a new perspective.

There is also something many East Asians do—they pay homage to their ancestor, a common practice is setting up ancestral tablets or spirit tablets. Offerings and prayers are made to these tablets as a way to connect with and show respect to one's ancestors. For me personally, I have seen this practice extend to one's own other lives.

In the end, the mind is what matter. Manifestation--your will to see your other lives' chapters be closed. I wish everyone all the best in finding that inner peace.

And yes, any fucking "having exotrauma is not the same as having that trauma bodily" is that.

The circumstances of their trauma may differ from how things are in this reality. That's fucking it, it does not lessen the fact that they survived that, are traumatized by that, and yes deserve fucking space alongside others who survived that.

Solidarity among different experiences until that experience is not orthohuman, and suddenly you(&) turn into "well we should make a third bathroom option specifically for transgenders."

I do not have a single exomemory and yet it has never been a fleeting fucking thought to me that the idea that exotrauma should be treated onthologically differently than "bodily" trauma is anything but violent orthohuman-normativity. If anyone comes up to me and tells me that they experienced outside of this reality whatever I've experienced in this one, I will treat them exactly as I would a "bodily" survivor with added care as relates to orthohuman-normativity and affirmation of their experiences against the world shutting them down even more than it does me which is fucking plenty.

There is no fucking reason to segregate exo-experiences except for violent bigotry and maintaining orthohuman normativity. There is fucking nothing that "bodily" survivors even gain from it.

If you(&) do not welcome exotrauma survivors in all trauma survivor spaces, you do not fucking view exotrauma as real trauma deserving of real, as substantial as may ever be needed support.

It's incredibly fucking tiring.

All fictionfolk are welcome.

This blog fully supports exotrauma survivors as trauma survivors on equal grounds with orthotrauma survivors and recognizes the additional bigotry they face.

Post regarding exotrauma and this-is-fictomisia

Glossary, as it has been (semi-)requested:

Fictionfolk: those with personal identities related to what in this world is fiction, often rooted in various ways in being a certain character from that fiction as well as concepts, species; or having strong connections to those.

Fictomisia is discrimination against fictionfolk: dismissal and denial of our experiences, attempts to force us into disidentification with our sources, and much more. It is systemic; it is part of the overall enforcement of the hegemonic social norms, and the fact that it is a part of it does not mean it is not its own thing deserving distinct attention and having distinct features.

Exotrauma is trauma from things that did not happen to or in the body that one is inhabiting now. Orthotrauma is that which did; ortho- means traditional and here, also connects to the word orthohuman—traditional experience of being human. Exotrauma is a (relatively) commonly used term, but I have not seen orthotrauma used anywhere before writing it in my pinned.

Also, exomemories—memories from beyond the current body.