Don’t be discouraged. It’s all new and it’s another big diagnosis, but soon you’ll be on the right track to getting the help you need. I suppose that’s why my sza kicks me so hard, because I was diagnosed DID before it was even called that, thirty years ago,and so I know how to live with it.
With my sza, I’m paranoid every day and cherish my klonopin. We can’t seem to get me some good coping skills for it. That’s partly why I come here, to learn coping skills, but nothing seems to work for me. Noise cancelling headphones are the worst for me, then I can’t hear the threatening people coming, bt when I can hear them, they terrify me anyway.
Mind you, these are people doing such innocuous things as shutting their car doors or letting themselves into their apartments. My mind just twists everything to be about me about to be murdered.
Do PM me when you need to, you’re not bothering me, and maybe we can help each other. You’re used to sz and I’m not, while I’m used to DID and you’re not.
If you’re up to it, you could start working on your alter chart with names and ages and who is conscious of who. That will be a tool a therapist will help you with, but you could get started to help you feel more in control.
I’m sure you would still be welcome here. And I think you should stay because you may be able to offer help to someone struggling with DID. I have PTSD too but folks here have still been generous with their advice.
@anon39736208 Thanks, I really appreciate it. I get the paranoia to a degree, but it’s more linked to the ptsd I believe. I’m always scanning for threats and do some weird things that other people don’t do just to feel safe.
And the helping each other sounds nice. Hopefully I can offer something.
I do have a list made with names and ages of some actually. I know of 11 so far. Really hoping that number doesn’t increase. There are about 5 main ones that are active though.
@ThePickinSkunk Thanks. I have complex ptsd as well. I’m sorry you struggle with it. Flashbacks are terrible.
EMDR helps with flashbacks. Once you see the entire memory instead of dissociating from it midway through, the flashback loses its power over you.
Related to that - another big thing I learned in therapy for DID was that all my child alters were seeing my sexual abuser as really big, literally through the eyes of a child. Now I’m big too, so he’s not as scary. That was a major breakthrough for me.