I’ve known a few plural folks that seem to get on just fine. In all their cases it arose from trauma and was pretty disharmonious and confusing to begin with, but with time and awareness their alters work better together and by the time I met em I wouldn’t have known if they didn’t tell me. I don’t know if they’d say it never affects them negatively but they certainly didn’t need to be freed of it. If anything, plural identity seemed to be more of a solution than an active problem for them.
Personally, I can say I’ve been functioning better by discarding the idea that I should be one consistent self, because that idea caused the stress of choosing who my one self is.
Makes complete sense! Just like any other matter of identity, having to mask the true self(ves) in order to fit what the outside world expects is… draining and pointless. Not having to put up the front means so much more mental energy for everything else.
Appreciate your perspective in this thread, cheers!
I’ve known a few plural folks that seem to get on just fine. In all their cases it arose from trauma and was pretty disharmonious and confusing to begin with, but with time and awareness their alters work better together and by the time I met em I wouldn’t have known if they didn’t tell me. I don’t know if they’d say it never affects them negatively but they certainly didn’t need to be freed of it. If anything, plural identity seemed to be more of a solution than an active problem for them.
Personally, I can say I’ve been functioning better by discarding the idea that I should be one consistent self, because that idea caused the stress of choosing who my one self is.
Makes complete sense! Just like any other matter of identity, having to mask the true self(ves) in order to fit what the outside world expects is… draining and pointless. Not having to put up the front means so much more mental energy for everything else.
Appreciate your perspective in this thread, cheers!