zeta0134 on May 13, 2018 | next [–]

I spent two years living with a man, then my lover, who refused to seek medical help but almost certainly had something like disassociative identity. He had learned to cope with it by giving his voices distinct names, and adopting their personas over times, often in response to external stimuli. As an outside observer with no such symptoms of my own, I found this completely fascinating.

He’s very spiritual, one of his inner voices would often come out and sage the house, offer prayers, and perform personal rituals which he kept secret. Otherwise though, I found that his personas largely reflected his current emotional state. One persona would almost always be “out” when he was upset with a friend, or struggling with some stress. Another was more childlike and playful. He described them as always there, and even though he appeared to allow one of them to be “in charge” as he put it, he said the voices were always in the back of his mind, directing his thoughts.

The experience has opened my eyes, and allowed me to see these disorders in a more positive light. I never told him what I thought of his diagnosis and never felt the need; while his condition lent itself to occasional mood swings, he made a point of respecting his voices, allowed them to become a part of him, and I feel had largely learned to cope. He could even switch his behaviors off for a while when needed, usually for work or when he felt the need to be professional.

I don’t think medication would have helped, not that he would have taken it. He had figured himself out for better or worse, and I just learned to accept him as he was.

— The Sound of Madness

— Hacker News

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2023.10.18 Wednesday ACHK

y-c-o-m-b 8 months ago | next [–]

I have schizotypal personality disorder. For me it feels like a collective, kind of like the borg. I say “me” or “I” when communicating externally, but all thoughts are actually communicated as “us”. All entities speak with the same voice (what most people think of as their inside voice), but each one speaks differently, with a different pace/tone, and has its own personality, thoughts, and desires. There are a handful of dominant ones that sit in the captain’s chair so to speak, and they all have a say in how we behave externally.

For example one of us is a pacifist, another one loves to socialize and party, one is cautious and anxious, the other very confident, and there’s one that has a severe thirst for violence and blood-lust (this one we work hard to keep in check). I’ve literally been in fights where immediately after knocking my opponent down, I ask if they’re ok and then help them back up and let them go. Then there’s hundreds of transient entities that are usually clones of personalities observed elsewhere (movie characters, celebrities, or other influential people). These transient types will actually adopt the mannerisms, voice, and even accent of the personalities and display them outwardly! Makes for very weird interactions with family and friends lol.

I’ve yet to see anyone on reddit or elsewhere with this description of the disorder. The closest thing is DID or maybe even borderline personality disorder (which is on the same schizo spectrum), but there’s no disassociation with what I have, we’re all fully aware of what the other is thinking.

— Split Brain Psychology

— Hacker News

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2023.04.20 Thursday ACHK

Privacy means the right to separate your private and public identities.

— Me@2017-02-01 12:21:24 PM

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2021.04.09 Friday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Technology makes us more able to ignore other people, except those we like.

— Me@2017-02-01 12:20:41 PM

— Me@2021-04-03 11:02:22 PM

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2021.04.03 Saturday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK