Multiples

To those of you who are not multiples, the DID world must seem rather confusing. ( it is confusing for us too) Well her comes some more to confuse you. It is not uncommon for there to be sub groups within a system.
As you know we generally call our group of alters a system or family. I use system. This system can have sub groups which are separated for various reasons and in various ways. If the child suffered trauma over time from different groups of people or in different ways, it is possible for the child to develop different groups of alters to deal with the different dangers they face.
These groups may not be aware of the other groups and there is often no communication between the groups. A multiple can function for years with just one alter being forward, so it is also possible to function for long periods of time with only alter from one group being forward.
 That could mean that if you have a DID friend or family member, and you are getting to know some of their alters, that one day the whole group could switch and you are starting again with another lot. The other alters haven't disappeared, they have just gone away for now and another group of alters are dealing with things for now. Yes it is confusing, and yes it is a lot of work to live with and figure out, but once you get a handle on it, it makes so much more sense. Remember, the idea behind DID is to protect the child/person and keep them functioning as well as possible, and not to be detected. Flexibility is the key.


It is common for multiples to be a bit like chameleons, in that we can often change to suite the environment we are in. I have often arrived at an event and stood there totally lost because I don't know who to be. For non multiples you would probably say "just be your self" but for multiples there are many 'selves' we can be and it is not always easy to find the right one to be out at the right time.