# Do you tend to think of yourself in the first person plural?



## enigma (Feb 18, 2005)

I tend to go around thinking of myself (though never speaking outloud of myself) in terms of "us," "we," "our,"etc.

I think it has to do with a distorted, fragmented, sense of self; combined with an extreme sense of remoteness from others, and spending way too much time living in my head.

Does anyone else do this?

e


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## jc (Aug 10, 2004)

lol .......... sorry im not laughing at you or the serious nature of this topic,its just that in my recent state of unwell (the flu) my possitive attitude has dropped as it always does when im feeling low,but to get to the point,i had a little chuckle out of relief because not 5 minutes ago i was sitting down and thinking to myself that it feels as though 'i' 'me' has become somewhat split,its as though im feeling so rotten that i want it to be transfered somewhere else and in my normal mood i would have shrugged this off but these thoughts really do stick when at a low ebb....... i also get a little scared because i think of the time when syd barrett(pink floyd) was asked if he would like it at this hospital and syd replied 'i will have to ask syd' 
maybe if i stopped frightening myself i might not be in this state


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

I do, but I'm _am_ a multiple.

Weird that Syd would say that...He had schizofrenia and not DID...


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## jc (Aug 10, 2004)

the picture of syd walking in on the recordings of 'wish you were here'....
syd made that statement to david gilmour when gilmour was attempting to get him help


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## eclecticsheep (Sep 4, 2005)

maybe u should contact a psychiatrist if you think you are suffering from did


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## enigma (Feb 18, 2005)

eclecticsheep said:


> maybe u should contact a psychiatrist if you think you are suffering from did


It's possible I could have a touch of that, though I don't know that much about it.

I'll have to read up on it.

e


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## eclecticsheep (Sep 4, 2005)

http://www.sidran.org/didbr.html


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## eclecticsheep (Sep 4, 2005)

*Diagnostic criteria for 300.14 Dissociative Identity Disorder
(cautionary statement) *

A. The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self).

B. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person's behavior.

C. Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.

D. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during Alcohol Intoxication) or a general medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures). Note: In children, the symptoms are not attributable to imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.

Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Copyright 2000 American Psychiatric Association

don't freak out tho
it could be just not feeling yourself
and it is curable thry psychotherapy


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## enigma (Feb 18, 2005)

> A. The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self).


Sometimes I think of myself as a 'nice guy,'and in this mode, view everything in postitive terms; then there's my 'dark side' mode, where I perceive everything in bleak, pessimistic, paranoid terms.

I switch freely back and forth between them, depending on how things are going for me.

I don't know if this is what they're talking about, though, because it seems fairly normal and natural to me: it just exhibits itself to a more extreme degree in me (which would fall more under the heading: "extreme mood swings").


> B. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person's behavior.


I think "taking control" would be an extreme way of putting it in my case, because I just behave in accordance with what sort of mood I'm in ; which, again, is normal (I think).


> C. Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.


Nope, just ordinary forgetfulness for me.


> D. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during Alcohol Intoxication) or a general medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures). Note: In children, the symptoms are not attributable to imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.


Even though I'm an adult (technically), I still like to imagine people riding next to me in the car; just so I'll feel less lonely.

Also, I think I just enjoy thinking of myself in 'group' terms so there'll be less of a sense of 'myself all alone against everyone else.' (Which places it in the same category as "imaginary playmates," I suppose.)

But I think the DP makes it much easier for me to experience myself that way. (I always know I'm doing it at the time, and can always snap right out of it in an instant)

Thanks for all of that. 

e


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## 1A (Aug 12, 2004)

enigma said:


> I tend to go around thinking of myself (though never speaking outloud of myself) in terms of "us," "we," "our,"etc.


Enigma, I have no idea as to your political ideology, but what you said above screams liberal Democrat. Liberals think this way. It's always collective with them. Socialists too. It's not about the individual, it's about "us." Therefore, I think what you said just means you're liberal.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Enigma I think the same way all the time. I never usually think to myself as the single "I" but usually I think "we" or "us" and I catch myself sometimes and I think "what we" there is no "we" there is only me :? .

I have noticed that some songs have lyrics like this also. Trent Resnor of NIN has used the term "we" more then once to describe himself.

I think that it is because we are so objective most of the time in our thingking. We look at ourselves as if we are another person viewing our own thoughts all the time and it is like there is the person that is actually doing the thinking then there is me the observer of all the thinking and the actions of life. I have felt possesed sometimes because of this. It is like my thoughts come from somewhere else sometimes because I am detactched from my thoughts because I can only usually view them in an objetive way. I even talk to myself inside my own head sometimes and wonder who the hell I am talking to because I am the only one here, it is a very strange feeling to realize your own objectivity to your own thought process. I bet that many other people do this that don't even have DP/DR but for us it can be disturbing sometimes because we do have DP/DR.

1A I have no idea where you get your ideas from. I think that you are a little to political. I don't have any political thoughts in my head at all so you can't put any political lables on my head. I am not a liberal or a conservative, I am only a human being that sometimes thinks of myself in the plural and not as being singular (even though I know I am just one person). What does this have to do with politics???? :?


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## jc (Aug 10, 2004)

everyone has different moods you cant blame this on DID imho,and thinking about it and doing it without recollect are very different things


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## gimpy34 (Aug 10, 2004)

Been watching too much Lord of the Rings, my precious.


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## Beth (Sep 27, 2004)

> Been watching too much Lord of the Rings, my precious.


Lol, I couldn't help mentally reading that whole thread in Golum's voice.

Anyway. I'm the opposite. I experience myself as various strands of personality and thoughts most of the time, which bond together and fall apart and form themes and patterns, but without ever cohering into a 'self,' let alone 'selves.' Not something I'm aware of constantly, no more than anyone is constantly aware of their perception of themselves as a self, and it's not something I mind now, although it is definitely a change in perception that has come about through dp/r.

Maybe it is a similar feeling that we have interpreted different ways? If self is a rather empty undefinable concept then when something like dp really shakes the foundations of belief in that kind of word-shaped reality we might form different ways of trying to redescribe our experiential reality using all the old words.

"What's mistake but a kind of take?
What's nausea but a kind of -usea?
Sober, drunk, -unk, astonishment.
...
That sounds like nonsense, but it is pure onsense!
Thought deeper than speech...!
Medical school; divinity school, school! SCHOOL!
Oh my God, oh God; oh God!"

-William James, high on Nitrous, vaguely relevant and one of my favourite quotes


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

It's clear to me (yes "me", and I do have DID, go figure!) you all don't have DID by the way you are experiencing things. DID is not about having a positive and negative side or about acting differently to your child/partner/mother etc. With DID, you never know who runs the show and you have no control over it (though you can observe yourself instead of totally blacking out). Most often, someone with DID hears voices of people who have their own way in perceiving themselves and their surroundings.

I think people with DP can feel like they split because of the fact that they feel separated from their own self/mind/soul/thinking/feelings/emotions.

Gollum has no DID (and has no schizofrenia). DID comes mostly from childhood trauma and develops before the age of 6. Gollum is just possesed by the (personality of) The Ring.

I don't think politics has anything to do with this as Lostone also said. People say "we" for a number of reasons. Some scientists say it to gain authority, kings/queens say it, people of one group say it when they're speaking on behalf of that group etc.


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## jc (Aug 10, 2004)

ok im no expert so try not to shoot me down, but from my very minor understanding is DID when something so horrific happens to a person that they mentally escape ?
surely when someone drinks or takes drugs to 'forget there troubles' they are creating some kind of self induced DID................ and as is my case when you read my signature at the bottom what form has my mind taken on to make me feel as though im ten steps behind of myself ...


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2006)

I've noticed that I always narrate my thoughts, if that makes sense. Most of the time, my thoughts are exactly the same as the words and sentences I write here. It's like I'm speaking to another person about what I did or what I'm afraid of or whatever while I'm thinking. Lately I've been trying to think more "in the now", focusing my thoughts more on the present rather than ruminating. It seems to be helping.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

> It's like I'm speaking to another person about what I did or what I'm afraid of or whatever while I'm thinking.


Yes I do that all the time. I always think as if I am speaking to others. 
Often I stop and think, okay who am I really, the person that is hearing the thoughts or the person that is speaking the thoughts, am I me or am I me :? .


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

> ok im no expert so try not to shoot me down, but from my very minor understanding is DID when something so horrific happens to a person that they mentally escape ?
> surely when someone drinks or takes drugs to 'forget there troubles' they are creating some kind of self induced DID................ and as is my case when you read my signature at the bottom what form has my mind taken on to make me feel as though im ten steps behind of myself ...


No, I think you're comparing apples with oranges here. Forgetting your troubles is in no way comparable to having dissociated personalities. Children who develop DID (which is done unconsciously btw) indeed do that to mentally escape confusing/painful events (but also emotions!). _But_ (!) they (again unconsciously) let another part undergo the trauma or deal with the overwhelming or confusing emotions (such as anger). So it doesn't happen to the child itself, but to another child/man/woman/animal/thing.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Luka you can turn into anything :? :shock: ?

Thats pretty cool actually.

I would think there would be some upsides to having DID.


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

> Luka you can turn into anything ?
> 
> Thats pretty cool actually.
> 
> I would think there would be some upsides to having DID.


LOL, no sweety! A child unconsciously decides who is best capable to deal with an traumatic and overwhelming event. Sometimes it is a baby, sometimes a boy, sometimes a blind or deaf child, sometimes a rebel teenager, sometimes a cat, sometimes an agry man or a loving woman etc etc. The brain just does the thing which seems the best way to survive.

I want to stress though that I don't turn into another person. There is me and there are the others and when someone takes over, they just push me away and take the lead. I'm in the back watching or I have amnesia. Of course, with therapy and learning to work together, the dissociation lessens and there is more like "morphing" into each other. I guess I'm more DDNOS than DID now after all the therapy, but that's just a side note.

The upsides of being multiple is that two knows more than one. When I was in school another girl sometimes made mathtests and was really good at it. The downside is that you cannot switch on command. Sometimes I had to do the mathtest myself and flaunt it, haha. Another upside of being multiple is that you're never alone, but this is sometimes also a downside if you just want to be alone. Yet another upside of being multiple is that you can look at something from different angles. Everyone has another view at it and so you can decide what's best to do. The downside is that you get tired of all those different angles and confused and don't know what to do!


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Luka so do you really feel like there are other people in there with you?
They don't ever leave? That would not be cool at all to have other people inside your head watching over you. That thought scares the hell out of me :shock: .


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

Yeah, I feel like there are several people. They all sound different and look different. There are children, teenagers, tweens and adults. Both males and females. And there are 2 animals, a cat and a dragon. All alters have their own names, voices, histories etc. You get used to it with time. I don't know any better and wouldn't want them to go away.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

At least you have a lot of friends  .

Well I hope that they are your friends  .

I would like to have a dragon as a friend but that would be scary if he was mean to you.


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## Matt210 (Aug 15, 2004)

Luka said:


> Yeah, I feel like there are several people. They all sound different and look different. There are children, teenagers, tweens and adults. Both males and females. And there are 2 animals, a cat and a dragon. All alters have their own names, voices, histories etc. You get used to it with time. I don't know any better and wouldn't want them to go away.


I don't want to pry at all, so if you arent comfortable talking more about this then thats absolutely fine - but I was going to ask how much time you spend as 'you', and how much time you spend as other individuals.

These are some odd questions as well - but do these 'others' have their own set of thoughts not controlled by you? How complex are these? for example - do they realize they are not technically controlling their own body? The males are in your female body and so forth... ?

Are there situations in DID where one of the personalities comes to the forefront more than the actual personality of the person? In this case, how does the individual know that they are actually the individual - and not just one of the alter-personalities?

I am just very intrigued by this, and am happy that you are willing to share about this disorder - that takes courage, so thanks already for telling us what you have.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

> I am just very intrigued by this, and am happy that you are willing to share about this disorder


I am also pretty intrigued by this stuff and I am happy that you are willing to talk about it Luka becuase I have feared that I was splitting many times before. For me it is more simple though. One side of me is good and one side is evil. It does really feel like I am two diffrent people sometimes becuase my thoughts can be so contradicting, it is like I am always fighting a war with myself.


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

> I don't want to pry at all, so if you arent comfortable talking more about this then thats absolutely fine - but I was going to ask how much time you spend as 'you', and how much time you spend as other individuals.
> 
> These are some odd questions as well - but do these 'others' have their own set of thoughts not controlled by you? How complex are these? for example - do they realize they are not technically controlling their own body? The males are in your female body and so forth... ?
> 
> ...


I am the one most in control of the body. We don't have to switch so much, because we have learned to communicate. That way, the alters can say what they want without the need to come forth, push me away and take control of the body. Again, I am not the others. I'm not turning into another personality.

These other personalities indeed have their own thoughts which aren't controlled by me or any other personality. You can see it as two separate beings like you and me. The only difference is that we don't have to share one body. One sees my younger brother as a stranger, the other as her big (read: older) brother. I like a friend of mine and the other hates/distrusts her. One girl likes horses, the other one butterflies etc etc.

Because all of the alters have their own self-image there can occur problems with this body and the needs for it. For example, the boys don't like breasts and don't feel the need to buy a bra. Some think this female body is too weak too. The children think they have small bodies and want to hide under the table to play, but they can't. The body is too big.

The last question is very difficult and people argue about it. I'll say you have one birthperson which has unconsciously created several alters. Other people claim that the birthchild is dead or placed in a safe spot inside. My psychiatrist didn't believe that the birthchild could be dead or that there could be no primairy person. I must say I also never met someone who was like that.

You have to be very careful of the sensational stories concerning DID. People (including some DID's) want to mystify it for some reason. Alters who are killers, alters speaking with an complete different voice or another eyecolor...


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## Matt210 (Aug 15, 2004)

Luka,

You have answered my questions perfectly - and I wanted to thank you for that. I am glad you have come to be comfortable with it - it sounds like a very complex phenomenon.

It really demonstrates the power of the brain.

I was going to ask one more thing - are 'multiple personality disorder' and 'dissociative identity disorder' the same thing?


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

Yes, they are the same. Multiple personality disorder (MPD) was changed to dissociative identity disorder (DID) in 1994.


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## The Wraith (Feb 2, 2006)

Yes, "we" do.


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