Officially Launching the Dissociative Identity Movement!

Introduction to The Dissociative Identity Movement

---> What is the goal of this movement?

~ Unite dissociative disorder sufferers worldwide under one banner

~ Advocate for mental health awareness with an emphasis on dissociative disorders

~ Help make sense of the experiences & struggles of these disorders, for everyone’s sake (Knowledge is power! The more you know, the more you grow.)

~ Bring a sense of “normalcy,” acceptance, & hope for those with dissociative disorders

~ Celebrate the beautifully unique experiences & perspectives of those with multi-consciousness

---> Once you've joined the Dissociative Identity Movement, get active with the cause!

~ Openly advocate for mental health awareness! I will be sharing blog posts with suggestions for what to share. These writing prompts will help bring us together & spur the inspiration that will fuel change for the world!

~ Advocate for dissociative disorder awareness by sharing your personal mental health story. Use the hashtag #dissociativeidentitymovement. (*Note: this does not have to be your entire story, & sharing anonymously IS an option; if you are not already sharing your journey, I can help you & provide a safe platform to share.)

~ If you are a warrior of consciousness. Wear this badge of honour with great pride. (*Future note: I will write articles about DID & self-love, empowering others like me to appreciate the unique experiences of a multi-conscious brain.)

One goal of this movement is to allow the general public to "put a face" to dissociative disorders.

Right now, the public knows nothing, or knows only stigmatized labels, assumptions, & judgments.

We need to counteract this with well-planned marketing as we advocate for awareness.

People need to SEE the HUMAN LIVES affected by this disorder.

People need to look into our eyes & be faced with the ultimatum: Do you acknowledge our existence or do you choose pride & comfort?

We need to make it HARD FOR PEOPLE TO WALK AWAY. We need to make it HARD TO BE IGNORED.

We must make our voices extra loud. Because there is already noise in this world. We are not just showing up & sharing: We are battling a system already in place that claims we could not possibly exist.

We must completely shift people's minds. Which is a tall order! BUT COMPLETELY POSSIBLE.

We are stronger together.

There is power in numbers.

We are not just statistics.

We are not just "crazy" or "sick".

We are SO MUCH MORE.

& it's time to show this world the magical beauty of a multi-conscious mind.

Who's with me?!?!?!??!!?

Join Our Social Media Platforms

We are discussing projects in a private Facebook group as well as a public Instagram profile. (Click underlined text to proceed to links!)

Below are a few of the posts thus far. :)

Journal Assignment for Dissociative Identity Movement Members

If you ever wish to contribute content to this cause (not required but always encouraged), here's a project we can all do together! Not only will it aid this incredible cause, but it will benefit your own individual healing journey as well. ^_^

Daily (or as often as possible) journaling describing the experience of specific mental illness symptoms.

If I use the word "derealization," no one (in the general public, which is our target audience for this movement) connects with the word. People don't understand what it means or how terrifying or crippling it can be to experience.

Yet when I work hard to describe the specific EXPERIENCE of the symptom, without using the symptom's word, they ALWAYS respond with compassion & some level of understanding.

I receive "Oh wow, that sounds terrifying!" rather than "Can't you just get over it or at least not focus on it?"

Journal. Write, write, WRITE.

Because, eventually, we stumble upon a sentence that makes sense of the madness.

But we can't get there without investing in the work first.

Which means consistent journaling.

I journal daily. Even if it's just 2 sentences, it's still SOMEthing.

Journaling also iiiimmmeeennsely improves internal communication for those struggling with a dissociative disorder.

Like....... a LOT........!

So, get to journaling. Describe your experiences. Personal narrative style. Poetic style. It doesn't have to "make sense" in the traditional way.

Bleed your experiences onto paper: Free yourself.

If you EVER get stuck, PLEASE comment on this post & we will work through it TOGETHER!

You are NOT ALONE. This movement is bigger than me. It's bigger than you. It requires ALL of us. As a team.

The beautiful part of being a team player, is it takes the pressure off a little, because it's not all "on you" ~~~ we are in this TOGETHER.

Conversation Starter: Dissociative Amnesia

I want to write about dissociative amnesia.

What is it?

How does it compare with other forms of amnesia?

What variables dictate the severity of it (frequency+severity of dissociation)?

What does it feel like to experience?

What problems does it create in day to day life?

What do we wish uni-conscious minds understood about multi-conscious amnesia?

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!!!!!

Conversation Starter: Types of Flashbacks

FLASHBACKS.

What different types of flashbacks exist?

~body memory flashback (somatic sensations correlated with trauma-related implicit memories) ~PTSD flashback ("normal" flashback) ~ghost flashback (for someone with a dissociative identity when a different part is experiencing a trauma flashback of some kind & things just kinda go blank for the person fronting until it's over, & then there's often a crash after that & being triggered without specifically understanding why)

~emotional flashback

-----> What questions do you have about these 4 specific types of flashbacks that can occur in dissociative disorders? Can you add any insights about them?

-----> Are there ANY other sort of flashbacks you have ever experienced or heard of?

Thank you SO much for your feedback & input!!! United, WE STAND STRONG.

Conversation Starter: This Movement's Big Picture

Where is this movement headed?

Aside from being united under one name as we share our journeys individually, this group will end up creating its own instagram profile.

The goal is to have some sort of weekly themed post: something followers can expect (consistency) that focuses on fascinating aspects of education regarding dissociative disorders.

For example, we could start by sharing about 1 new term related to dissociative disorders each week.

We could have 1 month where every day a new person with a dissociative identity is sharing 1 artistic talent or personal hobby ~ to show the HUMAN side of the disorder.

Please comment below with any & all thoughts, ideas, & feedback regarding this concept! It's all a work in progress & YOUR VOICE MATTERS! Together, we are stronger!

What sort of awareness projects would YOU like to see happen in the next year?? DREAM BIG!

Conversation Starter: Dual Diagnoses

Dual diagnosis with a dissociative disorder is very common—physical medical conditions as well as other mental battles.

If you feel comfortable, please share below what other health battles you have or are facing.

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

I struggle severely with PTSD & SAD as well as DID. OCD is also a possibility but there is no official diagnosis.

I also have a variety of physical injuries that were suppressed because of dissociation so it’s been 10 years of chronic pain that got SO bad this year that I thought I had fibromyalgia.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

Conversation Starter: Dissociative Identity Littles

I am absolutely in love with this video.

I have a hard time addressing the topics of littles publicly.

That to say ~ Let's begin discussing ~

What will we want to share with the world about dissociative identity littles?

You can comment on any of these conversation starters by emailing me at KristinChroniclesDID@gmail.com.

Conversation Starter: Educating the Public on Mental Health Terminology

We will have a general basis of mental health awareness, explaining words such as trauma, dissociation, derealization, depersonalization, & trigger.

Conversation Starter: Creating New Dissociative Identity Terminology

This post is to give voice to those indescribable experiences that come with dissociative living that simply have no terminology to describe or refer to them.

Step 1 ~ identify experience needing descriptive terms

Step 2 ~ describe experiences as lengthy as possible: the more information we have to work with, the better!

Step 3 ~ brainstorm terms to apply to these experiences

I LOVE this kinda stuff. I started reading the dictionary while still in diapers ~ no joke; I found a photo the other day. 😂 So don't stress about the coming up with new terms ~ ONLY focus on identifying experiences or symptoms that you WISH had a word to describe or refer to them.

Comment below with anything you come up with!

PS ~ These posts are conversation starters & can be referred back to at ANYtime. Meaning, you don't have to have a comment right now, as you read this: keep this prompt in mind over the coming weeks, & ANYtime something comes up, find this post & comment! It can help process & work through stuff, express what you're going through & gain support from this community, AND add to this incredible cause!

Love you all. So excited to keep growing together.