Truths And Myths: Pluralpedia Part 4, Alter Roles.

Truths and Myths: Pluralpedia Part 4, Alter Roles.

This is an educational post.

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And at the same time

A part that is designed to hold trauma, known as an emotional part, may remain stuck at the age when the trauma occurred. This can be part of the process in which the individual part repeatedly relives the trauma or unconsciously reenacts it in their actions when taking executive control, even though the trauma has ended but they are unaware. As a result, they are unable to age past the age of the trauma. Later in therapy, trauma can be processed and this can relieve that part from their need to be fixed in time

Further discussed in Van der Hart, Nijenhuis, and Steele’s book (2006) “The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization”. The authors disscuss a patient whose child emotional part would reenact situations from the trauma in an attempt to prevent it from happening again. Additionally, they discuss that some emotional parts can experience severe nonrealisation therefore that part may literally experience themselves as being the age they are stuck at, in the book this is used in context of child parts.

According to the NHS (2024) website on eating disorders, there are many potential causes for them, including various traumas. An individual experiencing an eating disorder or in recovery may also experience trauma or stress, on a psychological, physical, and social level. As a result, an alter may split due to the eating disorder as parts are fragmented due to trauma. This alter may serve as a protective/caretaker part, ensuring the survival of the body, but it may also be a part that has split off due to denial of the eating disorder. This part may be used by the brain to hide the parts of the individual that are heavily affected by the trauma of the eating disorder.  This can also allow the affected parts to recover at their own pace, as they are aware that the body will be fine. However, this alter may also serve as an unhelpful crutch, causing other parts to believe that they do not need to recover or are not ready to do so. In reality, it is crucial for all parts to recover in order to aid in trauma healing and move towards a more sustainable life. Relying too heavily on one part can result in their exhaustion as they will be using their available resources to focus and take care of the needs of others. If this is their only role, it may result in a lack of self-awareness of their own needs, making it difficult for them to meet them. This point is supported by Van der Hart, Nijenhuis, and Steele's book (2006) "The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization" when discussing caretaker parts in systems. It is important to allow a part to take a break, otherwise they may begin to dread their role or task, leading to unpleasant or even stressful experiences. Therefore, it is necessary for parts to have the capability to share responsibility for tasks, even if only for a short time, to give the main part a chance to rest, another reason why recovery for those parts heavily affected should be encouraged. This idea and self-care is discussed more in W AT’s book “Got Parts: An Insider’s Guide to Managing Life Successfully with Dissociative Identity Disorder”. 

The term "called out" may refer to this alter being triggered when food is present or is brought out when a part is triggered by food, allowing it to take control of the situation. Alternatively, it may refer to the switching technique learnt in therapy, where communication between alters is improved to the point where one alter can reach out and ask another to take control. However, this is a complex skill, as it is considered, to master and there will always be a risk of failure, so it cannot be guaranteed to work every time. Based on this, it can be assumed that the term refers to the act of this alter stepping into either calm or avoid a trigger.

Van der Hart O, Steele K, Nijenhuis E. The Haunted Self : Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization. W.W. Norton; 2006.

NHS. Overview - Eating Disorders. NHS. Published 2021. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/behaviours/eating-disorders/overview/

W AT. Got Parts? : An Insider’s Guide to Managing Life Successfully with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Loving Healing Press; 2005.

Echoes in the Multiverse . Echoes in the Multiverse. Tumblr. Published June 16, 2024. Accessed August 2, 2024. https://www.tumblr.com/echoes-in-the-multiverse/753468998583271424/what-is-switching-technique-in-your-last-post-you?source=share

Bibliography link 4 is to a post we made discussing more about the Switching technique and the resources we used to write that post and expand our own knowledge we gained in therapy.

the misandry within the queer community is wild because tell me why i was made to feel bad about being trans (FTM)... by other trans people... sometimes i get the feeling that some queer people would rather FTMs stay in the closet because of their sweeping generalized hatred for men. trans men aren't "betraying" the community by transitioning, or somehow defecting to the "Other, Bad Side". stop vilifying masculinity, i am fucking begging you.

saw a post about how feminists, usually terfs and radfems but also other feminists, act like being a transman is anti feminist and "betraying" womanhood and just the rampant hatred of masculinity in feminist spaces and i didn't wanna speak over all the transmen there so i'm saying it here:

Realising you're a transman does not make you against femininity or feminism. It means that being a woman wasn't for you. And i think that's beautiful. And anyone that fails to realise how beautiful and joyous being your authentic self is is a piece of shit. And it's your right to yourself freely and without hate.

I love you transmascs

I love you transmascs who are hyperfemmine

I love you transmascs who are hypermasculine

I love you transmascs who are androgynous

I love you transmascs who are nonbinary

I love you transmascs who are multigender

I love you transmascs who are binary

I love you transmascs who are lesbians

I love you transmasc who are gay

I love you transmascs who are straight

I love you transmasc who are m-spec

I love you transmascs who are aro

I love you transmascs who are ace

I love you transmascs who without dysphoria

I love you transmascs with dysphoria

I love you transmasc who are closeted

I love you transmascs who are stealth

I love you transmascs who are out and proud

I love you transmascs who pack

I love you transmascs who don’t

I love you transmascs who bind

I love you transmascs who don’t

I love you transmascs who pass

I love you transmascs who are clocky

You’re all valid and amazing, I love you

I’m so sick of transandrophobia & enbyphobia istg.

I’m so sick of trans “advocates” leaving transmascs and nonbinary folks like myself out of conversations.

I’m so sick of us ONLY sometimes being brought up in convos when it’s about getting pregnant/the ability to get pregnant, or only being brought up as a “gotcha” in the bathroom debate. By “gotcha” I mean when people say “well, you don’t want transmascs in the women’s, do you?”

I’m sick of talks about abortion & birth control being solely centered around cisgender women when I’m directly affected, too. I’m sick of them being called “women’s rights” when they’re MY rights, too.

I’m sick of people speaking on my chest size like I can control it & I’m sick of transmasc bodies being mocked and policed.

I’m sick of being the first transmasc/nonbinary person most people have met.

I’m sick of the fear mongering around T.

I’m sick of the side effects of T being mocked or treated as “gross.”

I’m sick of being forced into the binary as a “confused trans man” & being told I don’t understand my own gender.

I’m sick of getting tips to “be more feminine” in my transition.

"They (suspiciously leaving out that 'they' are transmascs) are saying men are oppressed, and that misandry is real!", is such a bad faith oversimplification of what transmascs are trying to say, that I'd categorize it into 'lie' territory, but technically, on a purely semantic level, trans men are perhaps the only group who are specifically oppressed FOR being men lol. Like, if I wasn't a man I wouldn't experience transphobia, because I wouldn't be trans if I wasn't a man. Transgender man. FtM. What's not clicking.