DID/OSDD-1 Information Center
NOTE
Sources will be listed at the bottom of every page that I have them for.
____________________________________________________TERM GLOSSARY
Integration - the lowering of dissociative barriers to improve communication and overall function.Fusion - integration of two or more parts reaching a point where the dissociative barriers between them are no longer necessary and the parts merge together.ToSD - Theory of Structural Dissociation.DSM-5 - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition.
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Dissociative Identity Disorder Basics
Dissociative Identity Disorder and Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (1, in this instance) are dissociative disorders, categorized next to trauma and stressor related disorders in the DSM-5, that result in a fragmented consciousness.Individuals who have Dissociative Identity Disorder are NOT multiple people sharing one body, multiple consciousnesses in one body, or any other variation of this claim. Whether a system says they want to be treated as such or not, they are parts of one whole and recognition of this is important for integration.For DID/OSDD-1 to form, an individual must have a disorganized attachment to their primary caregiver(s) (see Other/Related tab for more information on this!) and have experienced SEVERE and REPETITIVE trauma prior to the age of 7. This trauma and attachment style will prevent the child from being able to process and cope with it in a healthy manner, which may result in resorting to dissociating, leading to the prevention of the integration of the personality states that exist before 7 (further explained in ToSD tab). Individuals may also have a genetic predisposition to dissociation.SOURCES
https://did-research.org/did/basics/dsm-5/
https://did-research.org/origin/d-attachment/
https://did-research.org/origin/structural_dissociation/
The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization - Onno van der Hart, 2006
Theory of Structural Dissociation
The Theory of Structural Dissociation is a model and theory used to display and explain how a variety of disorders, from PTSD to DID, are structured. Here I will be applying the ToSD to explain the formation of Dissociative Identity Disorder.The Theory of Structural Dissociation works off of the assumption that prior to the age of (about) 6-9, the identity of all humans are divided into ego states. These states hold the basic necessities of a child until around the age of 6-9 when they will begin to fuse together.The ages listed above are an approximation, as it is unknown the exact ages trauma needs to occur prior to in order to develop DID or OSDD-1. For most children, the personality will be fully integrated around the age of 9 or 10 without interruption. Exceptions are made to this are made on the basis of developmental delays.If this process is interrupted by severe and repeated trauma causing the dissociative division of these parts for the brain to protect itself from these events and attempt to live a normal life, an individual may develop DID or OSDD-1. It is currently not documented why DID versus OSDD-1 forms.As an additional piece of this, according to this theory, "cores" or "original" parts would not occur. A commonly used metaphor for this is the broken plate example. If you smash a plate, there is no original piece. While in DID/OSDD-1, there is not a full plate to begin with, the pieces are supposed to make up what WOULD be the singular plate. Because they all were present prior to the age of 7 and simply were prevented from integrating, none of the pieces are "the original" person, part, etc.SOURCES
https://did-research.org/origin/structural_dissociation/
The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization - Onno van der Hart, 2006
Introjects and Introjection
INTROJECT BASICS
Introjects are alters based off of fictional characters (fictroject, or fictives as they're known in the community) or real people (factrojects or factives).Unfortunately, introjection is understudied in Dissociative Identity Disorder. There are a variety of theories on why it happens and the ones I will go over will stem from the idea of substitute beliefs. Substitute beliefs are beliefs held by parts that result from the trauma they hold or endured. Examples include being species other than human, ages other than the body age, or individuals who are not the body.Under this theory, introjects can form in a few ways. Prior to discussing this, I would like to note that NO MATTER WHAT an introject is NEVER the person they are based off of. Introjects are solely the individual's interpretation of that person or that character, meaning that they have no "sourcemates", "doubles", or other kin terms alike that have been adopted into the system community.INTROJECTION SCENARIOS
Scenario One: 'Protect'.
A child or individual may see a character, a superhero or someone strong and powerful, and may interpret this person's image as someone who could protect or save them from the abuse they're enduring. If they are currently under stress and enduring traumatic events, they may split an alter based off of this character. The same goes for someone they may know in real life, like a family member who is attempting to get them out of the situation or that they can escape to.Scenario Two: 'If I was..'
A child or individual may see a strong character or person, similar to scenario one, or someone who can fly for example, in which they view them as "If I was this person, I wouldn't be in this situation/I would be able to survive this/I would be able to escape". The child or individual may split this character or person because they would be strong enough or have the skill to escape the situation that the person is currently experiencing.Scenario Three: 'Trauma Cover'.
Note: If you recall pseudomemories of traumatic incidents but do not know the true memories behind them, please do not go digging through your trauma to find out what it is. You will inevitably retraumatize yourself. Work with a therapist for these situations.A child or individual may see a character or person who is enduring the same thing as they are, whether that be the abuse, distressing or highly upsetting situation, inescapable trauma, or other incredibly stressful situations and the brain may deem it necessary to split this character or person as a way to process the memories of the trauma. This may cause the introject to have pseudomemories, which will be memories tied to the actual body's memories that may be "covered" by a "source layer", representative of the body's memories or emotions, or otherwise a metaphor for the experience. This is why pseudomemories should not be used to make friends or date people. For more information on pseudomemories, please visit the pseudomemories tab!Scenario Four: 'Safety From the Abuse'I'm calling this scenario safety from the abuse despite what it's going to sound like. A child or individual may split introjects of abusers in their life due to their brain interpreting this person as a necessary part of living, in the instance that they are a caregiver, or to internally continue perpetuating the abuse as a reminder to the other parts in the system of what happened, the pain this part has internalized and feels, or as a way for that part to keep the others from forgetting to keep them safe. Abuser introjects are no different than any other introject and are actually FAR MORE COMMON than fictional character introjects.SOURCE SEPARATION
It is inherently necessary for all introjects to go through source separation, as it is a needed part of integration. The level of depersonalization and derealization that introjects experience can often be extreme, resulting in delusions of literally being the person or character they're based off of, extreme feelings of guilt or missing individuals from the memories they have, or other side effects that are tied to being disconnected from their reality.Helping these parts to find an identity outside of the person/character they're based off of can be incredibly helpful for these feelings as well as the DP/DR caused by them. Finding a new name, trying new pronouns, using a profile picture on a proxy bot such as Pluralkit that isn't of the source, and other disconnecting from source things can be a great step towards separation. Understanding pseudomemories is also a step in this, but I would NOT advise or encourage doing so without the careful eye of a professional so not to retraumatize yourself.SOURCES
* For substitute belief information.
The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization - Onno van der Hart, 2006
C-PTSD and Disorganized Attachment
DISORGANIZED ATTACHMENT
Disorganized Attachment is a required criteria to meet for developing DID or OSDD-1, as well as a side effect of the trauma endured that will continue to play a role in relationships throughout life for anyone with it.Disorganized attachment is one of four attachment styles; anxious, avoidant, disorganized (anxious-avoidant), and secure. Secure attachments form when caregivers meet all of the needs of a child during infancy and childhood. A disorganized attachment style, also referred to as anxious-avoidant as it is a combination of them, results from caregivers being both a sense of fear and a needed sense of comfort. They are inconsistent, leaving the child unsure of how the caregiver is going to next respond to their needs.COMPLEX POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
C-PTSD will inherently be present in anyone with DID/OSDD-1. If you believe you meet the criteria for these dissociative disorders, but don't believe you meet the criteria for C-PTSD, I encourage you to redirect what you are searching for. Regardless of if trauma is readily remembered or not, individuals with DID/OSDD-1 will experience symptoms of PTSD and the additional symptoms of C-PTSD.According to C-PTSD Foundation, the symptoms of C-PTSD include:
Losing memories of trauma or reliving them
Difficulty regulating emotions that often manifest as rage
Depression
Suicidal thoughts or actions
Sudden mood swings
Feeling detached from oneself
Feeling different from others
Feeling ashamed
Feeling guilty
Difficulty maintaining relationships
Difficulty trusting others
Seeking our or becoming a rescuer
Feeling afraid for no obvious reason
Having a feeling of always on the alert
Becoming obsessed with revenge on the perpetrator
Feeling a loss of spiritual attachment and either ignoring or depending upon religion for self-worthIn order to have DID/OSDD-1, C-PTSD will also be present due to the nature of how it forms. Unlike PTSD that results from a single traumatic event, Complex PTSD results from long term and repeated traumas. This displays the evident connection between C-PTSD and DID/OSDD-1.
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C-PTSD SOURCES
http://traumadissociation.com/complexptsd
https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/09/03/what-is-complex-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-cptsd/DISORGANIZED ATTACHMENT SOURCES
https://did-research.org/origin/d-attachment/
https://www.choosingtherapy.com/disorganized-attachment/
https://ncrw.org/disorganized-attachment-style/
https://www.attachmentproject.com/blog/disorganized-attachment/