TheHydraSystem

Some explanations about dissociated parts and memory, information from The Haunted Self and paraphrased by yours truly.

Every part deserves to have their piece respected, even if it doesn’t seem to fit in neatly with the others, even if you think it’s weirdly shaped, even if it just seems scary. 

And remember: Puzzles are put together one piece at a time.

Dear Caretakers, it's okay to worry that you're not doing enough. You are.

Dear Fictives/Factives, it's okay not to identify with your source. It's okay to identify with your source. Remember that you are your own person and that's all that matters.

Dear Gatekeepers, take a breath. I know that it's hard. It's going to be alright. We couldn’t do this without you.

Dear Littles, you're lovely. Keep it up buddy, remember that you're amazing.

Dear Persecutors, you are not evil. You are not a 'bad alter.' You are just as important as everyone else.

Dear Protectors, it's okay to take a break. You are going to make mistakes, and that's okay. You're doing your best and that's perfect.

Dear Self Destructive Alters/Trauma Holders, it's not your fault. It is not your fault. You don't deserve any hate, you don't deserve any of those awful things. You're deserving of the world and one day, some day, you will get it.

Ready to start?

“Substitute beliefs” is an umbrella concept that can be applied to understanding introjects (fictional and real-life), pseudomemories, non-human alters, and more.

It’s important to note that not all substitute beliefs are harmful–they may be comforting, or even feel empowering. You don’t necessarily have to stop being a ghost! That said, it may be worth mentioning in therapy to make sure it’s a healthy belief to engage with.

“There is no logical or natural limit to how fragmented a dissociative patient can become. The more helpful question is What is the integrative capacity of the patient? The lower the capacity for the challenges the patient faced as a child and still faces in the present, the more dissociation will occur as an ongoing coping strategy.”  – Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation

Splitting dissociated parts is a very complicated, confusing topic–it can be difficult to determine when, why, and how it happens. As such, it’s perfectly okay to be unsure of whether a new part has split or not. Some things to know:

Splitting is a coping mechanism in response to stress

Not all stress causes splits

The same stress that causes a split in one person might not cause a split in someone else

The same stress that didn’t cause a split in the past may cause a split later; it all depends on the current coping ability of active parts

Some splits happen quickly; some can take much longer

Keep in mind this infographic pertains to people who already have DID/OSDD (you can learn what causes DID/OSDD [here.])

Some explanations about integration and the language around it! All definitions taken (but paraphrased) from the ISSTD Journal of Trauma and Dissociation (2011).

And just a footnote: There is no “one size fits all” goal. The needs and desires of each system are between the parts and their therapist (if they have one.) Whether a system wants to pursue final fusion or come to a resolution between parts is totally up to them. Both are valid and respected options.

My casual explanations are a combination of academic research, personal experience, and community feedback.

Footnotes: A colloquial term for less elaborated parts is a “fragment,” usually in reference to a part who holds a particular emotion or memory and not much else.

No matter where a part is on the elaboration spectrum, they deserve respect and consideration.