thespacers

[thespacers]

Don’t you love it when you’re just chilling one day and then you just hear one of your alters sing the entirety of “Seagulls (Stop It Now)” down to a tee?

I seriously have no idea if that was something I should applaud or tell him “what the heck was that-”

[thespacers]

Meet the alters!

The host, (name redacted), is who will be posting everything along with her experiences with DID. She is an artist and a writer and enjoys space related things. She called the group The Spacers because it is somewhat a play on words between her favorite subject and the word “headspace”. She had discovered that she has DID a few years ago but thinks she had it much longer than that.

The Protector, Modem (Mah-Dem) (he/him), is an oc fictive and was the first distinct alter in the headspace. He is described to have a tv head with eyes and a mouth, the screen stuck on color bars. He has two pairs of arms and usually wears hoodies and jeans. Formally a gatekeeper as well, Modems main job is to protect the body from any kind of danger, including the body being somewhat a danger itself.

The soother (also known as a caretakers), Coby (he/they), was the third alter to show up in the headspace. Coby is described as tall, half white half black hair, and a skater boy attire, mostly being in black and white. Coby is pansexual and is dating another alter named Vex but has been described to flirt with other people as well. His job is to take care of the body when it is having an anxiety attack or is on the brink of one. He also takes care of the kids and is very playful with children.

The Avenger, Vex (they/her), is the fourth alter from Ireland and is known to have a temper when it comes to certain subjects. They have an edgy appearance and they’re constantly redying their hair to match the month. They are bisexual and is dating Coby. When they front they usually use an American accent. Their job is similar to a protector but is more about holding grudges toward people who have wronged the body/host, often thinking about how to get even. Everyone in the headspace still cares for them but they are often a little hard to calm down and they have often gotten into fights with Modem.

The little, Andy, who is 7 years old, is the fifth alter who is from the early 2000’s. She is very shy and usually keeps to herself. She has long brown hair and has silly bands and rainbow loom bracelets all over her arms. She is very close to Coby and sees him as a big brother. Though she doesn’t entirely have a “job”, she is often a replacement for the body’s younger side and how much the body had missed out on childhood.

The teen, Artemis, is the most recent alter. She doesn’t interact with many of the other alters except for Modem. There isn’t a whole lot known about her, other than she likes anime, Undertale (especially Underverse), FNAF, Kirby, crystals, and other things. Not many of the alters know a lot about her because she is very secluded and enjoys alone time. She has also been described to be sensitive when it comes to her interests, especially if she is showing someone something important to her and they show even the slightest bit of uninterest, causing her to shut down and walk away, no longer having interest in the person and not desire to talk with them.

Our Persecutor is the second alter, which everyone calls The Void (it/its/he/him). It has an actual name but no one is quite sure what it is. None of the alters really like nor consider this thing an alter because of how harmful it is to the system. Everyone in the headspace along with the host are trying to figure out what to do with this entity. It has been dormant for some time but not gone for good.

There is likely more alters in the headspace but these ones are the ones who have made themselves known.

[thespacers]

Before we begin our journey into DID, we must understand what DID is.

Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is a trauma response from a singular mind where it will split into a whole different personality in order to deal with certain emotions, triggers, and/or traumas.

It commonly forms during childhood when a child is still trying to figure out their personality and their self image. When that developmental is interrupted with a traumatic experience, most commonly abuse, the mind will mix itself up and create two or more personalities. This ends up growing throughout the persons life. There are rare instances where it forms in adulthood, but it is not impossible.

Many people with DID are misdiagnosed with another disorder. DID does seem to appear a lot like Bipolar disorder, having sudden mood changes from out of the blue when it is actually another personality taking over.

Different personalities are called Alters. Alters are very unique compared to others and have shown to express different interests and likes. For example one alter may love sweet foods and one likes spicy food. Or one alter is very sporty and active while another likes to draw pictures by themselves.

Alters reside in a place called “the headspace” and when they leave the headspace to take over the body it is called “fronting”. Every person with DID has a different headspace. For example it could be a row of chairs and to front they have to get up from said chair and enter a spotlight. Or perhaps the headspace is a house and to front you have to sit on a couch and take a remote controller to play the character on screen. Everyone’s is different.

Something that many people accuse people with DID is “demonic possession”. While it can seem like it, that is extremely far from the truth, and can be really hurtful or even break trust amongst alters in the headspace.

There isn’t a term that I could find for this one, but we call people with DID who’s alters barely front and keep their DID life private a “closed system”. Closed systems prefer to tell only a few or even no one at all their experiences with multiple personalities and try to fly below the radar. These people may seem completely normal, if not just a bit odd, but no one expects that person to have DID. Never pry into a closed system’s life, ever. And if they share their experiences with you, don’t tell anyone for their own safety.

Did is not a “fun experience”. When I, the host, realized I was not alone in my own head, it was very scary and concerning. I knew of DID beforehand, but I never wanted it. To then hear many voices and then see parts of my life skip over, people telling me things I don’t recall doing or saying was quite overwhelming and scary. I for a long time was in denial about the whole “multiple personalities” deal and tried to live life either way. It wasn’t until my friend spoke with one of my alters and I realized that this is serious. Do not pretend to have it. Do not desire to have it.

With all that being said, we can finally jump into our journey with Dissociative Identity Disorder!