Many experiences that feel like symptoms can also be understood as survival strategies. Dissociation, perfectionism, and people-pleasing often began as ways to stay safe in overwhelming or unsafe situations. These…
Can Humor Be a Trauma Response? Is there Another Way to View Symptoms? What Are Trauma Survival Strategies? Why Am I So Sensitive to Other People’s Moods? Why Do I…
Sometimes parts stay hidden because they are not clear about where they are or whether the system is a safe place to be. They may not feel safe being known…
Although in some cases alters do age over time, their ages often reflect when they developed. Many parts formed during specific periods of life and remain organized around that developmental…
What may look like sabotage to you may be viewed by another alter as protecting the system. For example, you agree to go on a date with someone you’ve known…
Some alters act like the abuser because they are trying to protect the system using the only model they learned. If harmful or controlling behavior was what they were exposed…
Some alters act like children because, developmentally, they are. They often formed around the age they appear to be and did not continue to mature with the body. Additional factors…
Alters can have different personalities because they developed through different experiences and memories, which shape how each part understands the world. They also often take on different roles within the…
Alters are not always dramatically different from each other, but they can be. When they are, it is usually because they developed through different experiences and hold different memories. These…
Alters develop through different experiences, which shape their beliefs, priorities, and sense of what is safe. Because of this, it is common for parts to want very different—or even opposite—things.…