DID Tiredness after switching

[ppippi]

Hi guys,
im new here and had a question about switching. i notice that after switching to an alter and being in a dissociative state, i feel extremely tired and sleepy.sometimes i feel so tired that i just need to lay down no matter where i am to rest. is this normal? have you experienced this? how do you cope?

 

[ppippi]

anyone?

 

[joeylittle]

You'll need to be patient about replies, OP. All of our members aren't here every day, and only a part of our membership has DID diagnosed.

 

[Wendell_R]

I don't have DID, but I do have fairly strong parts and have a system of 7 parts (at last count). I can switch voluntarily nowadays in many circumstances. Sometimes, the parts come in part way, or I have co-consciousness. When this happens, it's sometimes easy, sometimes really tiring. It all depends on whether I'm used to the combination of parts.

But especially in therapy sessions I'll switch to a part and we'll ask Big Wendell to not intrude back in. When I am in a different part for 20 min or so, and then switch back to Big Wendell, I can get tired. It's emotionally tiring. Sometimes I feel drained from the switching. The number of times I can switch is limited, not by my ability to do so, but because it is so draining.

On switching back to Big Wendell, I do a lot of grounding exercises. I drink ice water. I take a walk outside. These things all help, but if the time I was switched covered some emotionally substantive ground, I can still be really tired. That exhaustion lessens after getting used to whatever got stirred up.

 

[Cypress]

I get headaches and feel burned out - kind of like a hangover

 

[Sideways]

When I’m depressed, I feel exhausted. So, if I switch back to me, and I’m depressed, that ever-present depression symptom of exhaustion sets in.

For me though, that’s not about switching itself being exhausting. To the contrary, each of my parts have their own energy levels. One of my parts uses crazy amounts of energy, but it doesn’t wear me out when I switch back. That part naturally comes with that level of energy.

Do you know what your baseline energy/depression levels are like? Is it associated with ‘switching’, or is it just that main-you feels exhausted a lot of the time (main-you has ptsd, and a lot of people with ptsd have energy level issues).

 

[Muttly]

I guess my experiences are mostly similar to @Sideways However, there are exceptions. Yesterday I switched during therapy. The one who came out did a lot of really intense processing and was completely exhausted after. I was also exhausted... hmmm... or maybe that's not accurate. I had felt tired before so I returned to that tired state and I was also very depersonalized. Hmm... ok, trying to provide a helpful answer but now I'm all muddled. I will try to think through this more.

 

[ppippi]

I don't have DID, but I do have fairly strong parts and have a system of 7 parts (at last count). I can switch voluntarily nowadays in many circumstances. Sometimes, the parts come in part way, or I have co-consciousness. When this happens, it's sometimes easy, sometimes really tiring. It all depends on whether I'm used to the combination of parts.

But especially in therapy sessions I'll switch to a part and we'll ask Big Wendell to not intrude back in. When I am in a different part for 20 min or so, and then switch back to Big Wendell, I can get tired. It's emotionally tiring. Sometimes I feel drained from the switching. The number of times I can switch is limited, not by my ability to do so, but because it is so draining.

On switching back to Big Wendell, I do a lot of grounding exercises. I drink ice water. I take a walk outside. These things all help, but if the time I was switched covered some emotionally substantive ground, I can still be really tired. That exhaustion lessens after getting used to whatever got stirred up.

even though you have parts you don't have DID? how does that work? isnt that what DID is defined as?

how do you switch voluntarily? i feel like i do the same...when i feel anxious i know its a part trying to communicate so i focus on her and she comes out and we do what she wants to do. that way the anxiety goes away because the little one is being seen.

thats good that the tiredness dissipates..i wont recover until i fall asleep

When I’m depressed, I feel exhausted. So, if I switch back to me, and I’m depressed, that ever-present depression symptom of exhaustion sets in.

For me though, that’s not about switching itself being exhausting. To the contrary, each of my parts have their own energy levels. One of my parts uses crazy amounts of energy, but it doesn’t wear me out when I switch back. That part naturally comes with that level of energy.

Do you know what your baseline energy/depression levels are like? Is it associated with ‘switching’, or is it just that main-you feels exhausted a lot of the time (main-you has ptsd, and a lot of people with ptsd have energy level issues).

im usually depressed, but the tiredness i feel after switching is different...it's like after you come down from a weed high, all you want to do is sleeep cause your brain is done.

 

[Sideways]

it's like after you come down from a weed high, all you want to do is sleeep cause your brain is done

Have you been diagnosed with DID, or DDNOS or something else...?

 

[ppippi]

No I haven't. I don't think I have DID bc the switching is voluntary. When I feel anxious or depressed I just pay attention to that part and let it come out. I start to feel high and foggy but it's worth it cause the part in distress is getting paid attention to and I don't feel anxiety anymore.

Doesn't it have to be a disorder that is out of your control for a diagnosis?

 

[anthony]

Doesn't it have to be a disorder that is out of your control for a diagnosis?

Diagnoses are not about control, but more meeting the specific conditions, often which will contain requirements such as:

• The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
• The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., medication, alcohol) or another medical condition.

So forth. Diagnosis is about meeting all the criterion, not whether you control something or not.

DID is a shit sandwich, to be honest, because of exactly this. You intentionally change yourself, so one may argue you have DID, whilst another will say no. The same holds true for many psychologists who intentionally word questions towards people, and even train their clients, to use words like, alters, inner children, etc, to diagnose them with something that is actually more normal than not. People have many aspects to their personality, and psychology today seems to want to toss everyone with this normal trait into the DID or related basket if they present with trauma, just cause they can.

Psychology is a shit sandwich of best guesses. There is little evidence or science to validate any mental health diagnosis, so be super careful going into such areas with a professional, as you may just find something on your health record you don't want there, nor can you change.

 

[ppippi]

Diagnoses are not about control, but more meeting the specific conditions, often which will contain requirements such as:

• The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
• The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., medication, alcohol) or another medical condition.

So forth. Diagnosis is about meeting all the criterion, not whether you control something or not.

DID is a shit sandwich, to be honest, because of exactly this. You intentionally change yourself, so one may argue you have DID, whilst another will say no. The same holds true for many psychologists who intentionally word questions towards people, and even train their clients, to use words like, alters, inner children, etc, to diagnose them with something that is actually more normal than not. People have many aspects to their personality, and psychology today seems to want to toss everyone with this normal trait into the DID or related basket if they present with trauma, just cause they can.

Psychology is a shit sandwich of best guesses. There is little evidence or science to validate any mental health diagnosis, so be super careful going into such areas with a professional, as you may just find something on your health record you don't want there, nor can you change.

is it a big deal to get DID on your health record? How can it effect me?