Overview

After compiling all of the data and experiences shared within this survey, I have come away with a glimpse of what goes on in individual systems and how they function. Out of 121 participants, a quarter of those could experience in-system death, a quarter of those could not, and over half did not know whether they could or considered the idea more complicated than a yes/no dichotomy. For those who could experience death, it felt different than dormancy and was usually more “dramatic” or permanent. Concepts like fusion, shattering/fragmenting, and recycling came up when participants were asked to describe their experience with death.

However, over 75% of systems reported dormancy as a function of their system. When asked how dormancy worked in their systems, many people responded that it is akin to a deep sleep or hibernation; usually, these dormant members are expected to return, or at least have the capacity to do so. Most people did not equate death and dormancy as the same thing, but a good portion said it could be in some cases. Some systems reported that members can come back from death; each of their responses were recorded and explained in the full results. 

There are a few different ways that people choose to honor headmates who are deceased. Some of them hold the same rites you would for a person who died in this world: spiritual practices, keeping a list/documentation of deceased members, or keeping them in their thoughts. More of these kinds of traditions can be read about in the full results.

Lastly, participants were asked to share anything else they felt was related in the last question. We will not provide a summary here, because that section is focused solely on the participant’s words and experiences they felt were important or necessary to share.

This is an extremely bare bones overview, I encourage you to read on for specific details and experiences shared by participants!

What We Can Learn From This

This project made a space where systems felt comfortable discussing in-system death, which is still treated as taboo or impossible. I hope that seeing these results allows readers to feel seen and/or to broaden their ideas of what is possible in a system. Every single system is unique in how it operates, but sometimes we can capture common experiences and feel a little less alone.

My main takeaway is that death, like all other system functions, is a highly unique and individualized phenomenon that can look different from system to system. This survey was not done to take away from systems who do not experience death or those who do not view losing headmates (for any reason, especially fusion/integration) to be a bad thing, but instead to highlight that in-system death is possible and systems are experiencing it whether you believe in it or not.

There needs to be more spaces that allow systems to speak on this topic without being shunned or mocked, and opportunities for systems to be allowed to grieve in-system deaths (or even dormancies! You are allowed to grieve people even if they are likely to come back.)

Thank You

Thank you. To every participant, to everyone who shared, to everyone who helped us or gave insight along the way. Thank you for reading this post or the full document! This also couldn't have been possible without proofreading and editing from our long-time friends and colleagues who we are in cahoots with @thesaltinstitute. I hope everyone enjoys reading the results and finds them as fascinating as we do!