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Impossible to not be afraid to ask for help when all authority figures just want to keep using violence against me for the things i believe.

Very easy to understand with your explanation. 👏👏👏🙏

Great video, despite being unwell. Best wishes for a speedy recovery

I've struggled with dissociation for a long time (diagnosed with bpd since 2021) and the general understanding did make sense to me. I was also able to apply some of the characteristics of dissociation onto my own struggles but they've never been as clearly described and explained as with the structural dissociation theory. To me it always seemed like you're either dissociating or not, but I've always felt like the dissociation is sort of like tides that rise and fall but are always somewhat present while I am trying to function or in a complete freeze state. Describing it as ANP and EP is literally bringing me to tears as well as the characteristics you described in the end, because it's putting what I am experiencing into words that one can work with. I want to thank you for this well structured and informing video, I feel like you've unlocked a whole new part of the puzzle that is my brain for me. Now I can try and put the pieces together that were in the dark for so long, and that always gives me a sense of power while feeling so helpless most of the time. Thank you so, so much for that.

Could you please explain the difference between "distinct" and "less distinct" personality states? How to distinguish them?

How do I handle an angry alters of a loved one who blames me for abuse from other people? And they hear ( voices telling them terrible things about me)? Sometimes they can ignore it, and sometimes they believe it.

Could you make a video on how memories of trauma are repressed in dissociative people and non-dissociative people (PTSD)?

I'm nearly 70 and only just got diagnosed with CPTSD (during a stay in England) after decades of struggling to be understood (I live in Germany). This video really hit home because I feel I'm too old to really feel the hope you talk about but I do feel helped by the sincere and knowledgeable way you present these videos and it feels you are describing my childhood and life so far. Thankyou so much.

❤

Aww, they're so cute!

Thanks for another great video, Dr Lloyd! I think it's helped me to realise some related matters too. I went to therapy for 3 years after being diagnosed with CPTSD (I wasn't diagnosed with DID/OSDD, but am suspecting it now!). My therapist and I focused mainly on managing the depression and anxiety, which did help, and I learned some new skills to combatting those problems. But after the therapy I went back to dissociating and suddenly forgetting how to handle things, despite the therapy I'd gone through. I tried to delve into the matters myself with intense self-exploration but I found it only made the confusion, anxiety, and amnesia worse. I thought maybe it's because I failed my previous therapy. But maybe it's just because I didn't realise there were other parts that also needed to be taught on how to manage their emotions and trauma? I'm going back to therapy in a month to see if I'm right. :)

We just had a fusion of 2 of our original protectors and a new alter came forward in its place. We haven’t started EMDR yet to process our trauma and this has left us feeling very discouraged. Do fusions like this constitute healing as the system is still actively in place? Does this make sense? Thank you for all of your wonderful information we greatly appreciate it. -Aurora/Jess

So parts only come out when threatened or more than that???

Just discovered this channel and am so glad. I am on a waiting list for therapy as I recently got diagnosed with CPTSD. I am just realizing I have been having dissosiative experiences which began in childhood and always felt many personality states. I have previous diagnosis of BPD and Recurring Depression. I survived a suicide attempt 30 years ago and have had various eating disorders which began in childhood. I am also late diagnosed autistic. I love the logical approach discussed in this video.

“To learn to not be afraid to ask for help is a real skill” - this is one we really really struggle with and are a long way from being masterful! As you say Dr Mike patience with myselves …….

Thankyou for explaining so much of my life. I thought (and still think 😢) I was just broken. I'm still new to figuring out plurality personally but so much of it neatly ties my life together

Being ill can cause more switching and amnesia, so for me, it is best to bring awareness to your support team and mental healthcare professionals. They can help guide family members and even physicians up to speed to get the best care possible. 😊

made so much sense. not to self diagnose ( i will send this over to my psychotherapist ), but i do know where am i in the spectrum. thank you doc!

We hope you get rest and recover from any ailments, swiftly 🌿🫖🌿

Please take good care of yourself!

Wishing you well, Dr. Thanks for the video. It is very much appreciated and needed at this time 🤙🏽

can autism be misdiagnosed as chronic dissociation from birth. chronic dissociation can be caused in the womb which later can be misdiagnosed as autism. if structural dissociation happens from birth and they cant connect with others or their self it will be traumatic. nobody thinks about this what im saying but this is crucial...

I've reached a point in which I don't know what normal is anymore. Am I dissociated? Alls I know is that I had a mental breakdown 5 months ago, and since, it's been an neverending identity crisis, periods of self-destructive thoughts, and gradually destroying my memory, emotions and ability to feel like I'm inside my head. I feel like I'm outside of my body, but I'm not numb to negative things. I also feel very sensitive and fragile but didn't before this event. I feel very angry sometimes. I just feel completely dead inside. It's like everything that defined me, my beliefs, passions, they've all been erased. I just feel so out of tune with my thoughts, feelings and I don't even know what my body wants. I want to experience life again. If my mind is completely blank and all my self-beliefs have changed, how can I undo all this damage and feel normal again? I just don't know how I can get out of this. I don't even understand sarcasm anymore. I go through periods of feeling good for a little bit, and I'll enjoy some old hobbies, but then I'll just feel terrible again. I just don't know what to do, and I feel like I'm going to explode in anger and frustration.

Thank you for this really thoughtful reminder and caring words.

Here are 4 slightly different "basics": 1. ask your therapist to help you recognize small bits of progress in therapy. We see everything as bad or worse unless it is crystal clear. Sometimes not even then. 2. Support physical health, because healing while in pain or ill is nearly impossible. Brush your teeth and don't ignore small things like hydrating enough. 3. Anticipate that change will stress some part of your system, and prepare for it. Even if it is a good change. Even if some parts think it is no big deal. We survived by accepting that nothing would ever improve and all change was dangerous. That will bite us in the backside now. 4. Actively look for and show your system the small daily sources of gratitude, even in a bad day. Also show them who supported the system at any level that day. We tend to think nobody helps and nothing is good. It is a trauma survival mechanism, and usually not true. The sun came up. Again. We need hope to keep on keeping on.

Thanks for a wonderful video. This was just the perfect encouragement for me at the moment. Its so impressive that you can put together such a helpful video when you are feeling unwell. Hope you feel better soon. 💚🦆

I hope you feel better asap, Dr. Mike. God bless.

Thank you, Dr. Mike, at working hard at breaking down the stigma of DID & supporting the healing of survivors. God bless!

Oh no, not the Man Flu! 😂 Sounds like the worst! This reminds me of a conversation we've been having about splitting. It's become more apparent that we split a certain type of alter whenever the seasons change, no matter how prepared we are. This is accompanied by drastic mood swings, panic, even dissociative seizures. Basically, we've just had to accept that we're gonna have little brain babies year-round no matter what we do. But MAYBE in the future, it won't happen anymore. Either way, I think it's really important to remember that stuff like this doesn't mean we're "failing" as a system, it just means we're still doing what we need to do to heal, and we haven't put all the pieces together yet. We haven't arrived at our destination yet, but we're getting there. ~ Cub/Dai

Hope renewed @ 63years young...thank you!! 🩵

I'm aged 57... Rumour has it that chicken soup and a bottle of Lucozade plus plenty of bed rest can cure almost anything 😆 Sorry to hear you are feeling poorly. See you after you have taken some much needed timeout for yourself too. Much appreciated that you dropped by to check in on us. Get well soon.

Hope you feel better soon! I recall something about needing to look after yourself before you can continue to look after others. :)

Thank you for your video on integration and fusion. Very helpful. If a person had alters for years and each time they switched, the person had no memory of that ( lost time), and suddenly they started remembering things the other alters were doing, and even talking to the other alters, are they coming together? What could this mean? And by the way, the video on birdsong was very uplifting and sweet. It's like God gives us beautiful things in nature to brighten our day.

How well are therapists trained in handling an alters anger? Are they willing to help the person work through it without taking it personally?

Hope you feel better soon Dr Mike!

Get well soon.God bless you, your work helps so many people. What does it mean when alters are switching very quickly, when previously, they were much slower?

Thank you for taking the time to do this video when you're feeling poorly.

Thank you, this was a really helpful reminder to be patient and it's restored my hope that I can make a positive difference without getting it all right every day 😊🙏 get well soon

Define “real”.

Great thanks for all the good work Dr. Mike! Hoping you feel better soon!! 🌷 Can you make a video on the following situation: When a DID-person gets a relapse and than makes a plan to recover ... the next time he has a relapse and wants to recover he can't remember at all how he did it the last time and so has to reinvent new strategies to recover, every time ... He finds himself asking: "what did a do to recover the last time?", but he can't remember anything ...

And perfect timing. Just as i was complaining to my partner today of the sheer length and difficulty of the process. Thanks so much, and get well soon!

It was my understanding that the difference between DID vs OSDD-1B was that DID has memory segmentation (each headmate having only access to memories they personally experienced, or were directly told about by others, and mostly blackout in-between) whereas OSDD-1B does not (each headmate is still a distinct person, but all have shared memory, though possibly with depersonalisation/derealisation as to memories belonging to a different headmate). You didn't mention this framing at all, and instead described OSDD as being about headmates that are less distinct from each other or that aren't full persons (e.g. that only rarely present and only for very narrow purposes); I thought that was only OSDD-1A. Have I misunderstood something?

Wishing you good/great health awesome Dr. Lloyd. Thank you for your expertise, experience, kindness, intelligence and dedication. 'Please do take great care" of yourself, g (seans)

It would be great if you did a mini series on ( working out the behaviors of alters).My loved one lives in an adult group home. He wants to be able to come home. It has taken years for the alters to come out with what happened years ago, because he had memory loss. As memories return, music helps him cope. But sometimes he cries, sometimes anger. How do I get him to realize I didn't know these things happened until after the fact.

I have been really ill for quite some time and was in hospital recently for an operation, the entire process involved everyone having to know about our DID as anaesthesia works differently for a start, plus we came around as a Little and took all day to age up and we shifted through different Parts/Alters. My psychologist was allowed to be in the recovery room thankfully to help shift the Little Part. The entire experience was frightening but incredibly well-managed by everyone, thankfully. Knowing we had to tell everyone was what made the time in the hospital better and safer (we have childhood medical trauma). But yeah also being sick throws you back into the dam body and that can be a horrid place to be in, so that was all part of it as well. I am so sorry you are ill, I hope you get better as soon as possible. Rest up and thank you.

As usual, this message is so so timely. Unbelievably so. Please take good care of yourself and thanks for the reminder! ❤

Thank you for this, comes right on time! I was thinking if you could maybe sometime talk about dealing with symptoms like anxiety without touching the trauma. Do you think this could work? Most time my DID is ok to live with but i suffer from fear and panic attacs for two years now and life is so exhausting and restricted for me as host with agoraphobia. In therapy i found out that the System is not ready to do any trauma-related work, but i would really like to work against the fear... i practice fear confrontation by myself but i dont see a lot of progress... hope you feel better soon and thank you so much for all your videos so far!

Thanks for the video, esp when you're ill, much appreciated. Hope you feel better soon. And thank you for including OSDD along side DID in this video. It's validating to hear it being talked about along side and on the same level as DID, for those of us with OSDD. Rather than just being added as text in the video. Much appreciated. And lastly when you said 'a man-flu type arrangement', that got a big lol'! Get well though! Man flu can also be not nice!!

Thank you Dr Mike for this helpful video. Hope you feel better soon! We didn't know we are a dissociated system until after the mother died 6 years ago. Before that, we used to be able to tank through anything. Now we have to remind ourselves that things are different and we need to slow down. It's been quite an exercise in patience and self-compassion.

as always, thank you so so much for your great info! i just recently re-started therapy for parts work after quite a time away due to finances, and your videos have been a god send.