But when I talk to myself I don’t hear completely different voices like different people but definitely different viewpoints, even different tones and moods. One voice can be angry and one scared. But when I am not talking out loud I don’t hear ongoing conversations. I have to consciously initiate a dialogue. I can do it in writing fairly easily by changing to my non-dominant hand. That all being said, I do find occasionally that I can’t stand the noise in my head. And I can go a whole day without TV or radio on and still feel like it wasn’t quiet. But again, we all have a voice in our head all day don’t we? I really hate to feel I am misrepresenting what may just be normal. Minimizing?

I completely get the continuum idea. I suppose I don’t know if I have enough dissociation to be part of this community of discussion.

Mona

I think most people talk to themselves sometimes, but I don’t know that everyone talks to themselves “A LOT!”. So… the difference is more in terms of how much… Also, it depends on what kinds of things you are saying. Are you having an actual conversation with yourself? Meaning, does the young side of you talk an older part of you – and do you hear yourself talking in actual conversations from the different ages that you feel you can be?

I don’t know that everyone has the kind of internal voices that you are speaking of. I’m aware of the TA stuff you are referring to, but applying TA to a dissociative person vs. a non-dissociative person is still going to look quite different.

One of the key differences for the dissociative vs non-dissociative person is in the amount. It’s all a continuum, so for example, a non-DID may do something 5 or 12% of the time, but a dissociative person does that 45 or 67% of the time. It’s not that the “thing” is so odd — it’s more about how much, how often, how intensely, how consuming it becomes, etc.

When you are not talking out loud, can you hear the same different-aged opinions being voiced in your head? Do you hear actual conversations in your head?

And when you hear a younger voice – a younger maturity level – do you feel smaller? or shorter? or does your body feel too big or too tall for you at that point in time?

I can probably think of more questions… but how about starting there?
Kathy

I don’t have DID but I have been diagnosed with PTSD and (my current doctor and therapist think wrongly diagnosed with) Bi Polar II.

As I learn more about dissociation I find I fit the DDNOS criteria. But back to the question. I talk aloud to myself a lot…I mean a lot! And I am aware of different opinions in my talking, maybe even different “ages” or maturity levels, but not different “parts” in a totally separate sense. But doesn’t everybody have internal voices? By the time we are adults we have within us the child, adolescent and parent “voices.” I think it was the theory of transactional analysis that first provided me with this explanation. So what is the difference between these “normal” ego states and dissociated states?

Or maybe I am just confusing apples and giraffes (as opposed to oranges) …as it were.

And I suppose, since things can feel new over and over again, there would be no getting boredl
But yes, forgetting stuff like this on a frequent basis can certainly be a kind of dissociation. Do you remember writing the first comment now that you have seen it? Or was reading your comment a totally surprise as well?
ah… the joys of dissociation….

Thanks for being such a good sport about it.
Kathy

Then I get to the survey and go through the questions and after run into my own comments right below.

Needless to say, I didn’t remember doing this survey or “not doing it” on June 11. today is July 6. This is one form of dissociation that does happen to me all the time. So much of my stuff is still “in my head”. I lose time, I lose memory of things I’ve done with my family, I can get lost in a book or movie and lose all sense of time and place.

Well, I never get bored…

Multipixie

This is a very helpful questionaire, but I guess by now I am convinced I am DID and just focus on wanting to get healing inside. Thanks for offering this to us.

Multipixie