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Increasing internal communication

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HealingMama

MyPTSD Pro
Well, after a few months of relative stability, I had a crisis two days ago and my parts are stirred up again. I do not hear them in words. Sometimes whispers. I do not have an "inner world" that I am aware of. I do not remember my dreams. I am not good at visualization. I have tried journaling and struggle to make it a daily practice. Because my parts are either nonverbal or I'm not tuned internally in a way that I could hear them communicate verbally, I'm not really sure how to improve internal communication. My body is twitching at the sentence about journaling so I assume that's some parts answering the question? I tried that in the past and it didn't seem to work. How do you journal to talk with someone that isn't using words? Thoughts?
 
I communicate with them by journaling mainly. Other than that is sensations and becoming aware of how differently I perceive things. Sometimes I "hear" thoughts but we mainly journal.

I would just wrote about topics they might he interested in or about something you know they want to say something about. Sometimes that is my homework from therapy.
It doesn't work all the time but it does work sometimes. Using our sessions as everyone's therapy has been instrumental as well.
 
I communicate with them by journaling mainly. Other than that is sensations and becoming aware of how differently I perceive things. Sometimes I "hear" thoughts but we mainly journal.

I would just wrote about topics they might he interested in or about something you know they want to say something about. Sometimes that is my homework from therapy.
It doesn't work all the time but it does work sometimes. Using our sessions as everyone's therapy has been instrumental as well.
Do you experience your parts mostly as nonverbal or verbal? I am getting hung up on that part of the issue. How do I communicate with a nonverbal consciousness?
 
Do you experience your parts mostly as nonverbal or verbal? I am getting hung up on that part of the issue. How do I communicate with a nonverbal consciousness?
I was trying to communicate with words: didn't work. As my T highlighted that form of communication was too developmentally advanced for the age of those parts. She said it needs to be more tactile.
What I have found works for me: music. Headphones on, blasting music. I might sing a bit (which I think is young parts). But it helps sooth me and seems to keep young parts occupied rather than them freaking the f out.
Also, stroking myself. Connecting with my body in some way, seems to soothe them too.
Initially T wondered if those young parts even knew if adult me existed. I don't think they did. But I think they do now because adult me is listening and they seey actions and behaviour nowm I acknowledge them, not so much with words with with taking care of them.

In terms of understanding what's going on for them...far more tricky. That seems to come out in memories, and adult me piecing things together and trying to make meaning and understanding. This bit is clearly a work in progress.
I also sometime visualise hugging them. Putting an arm around something. The visual is not me as a child but a nothing. I just visualise adult me putting an arm around a nothing which symbolises little me..

Hope your parts settle. Does it make sense to you why they are stirred up?
 
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I was trying to communicate with words: didn't work. As my T highlighted that form of communication was too developmentally advanced for the age of those parts. She said it needs to be more tactile.
What I have found works for me: music. Headphones on, blasting music. I might sing a bit (which I think is young parts). But it helps sooth me and seems to keep young parts occupied rather than them freaking the f out.
Also, stroking myself. Connecting with my body in some way, seems to soothe them too.
Initially T wondered if those young parts even knew if adult me existed. I don't think they did. But I think they do now because adult me is listening and they seey actions and behaviour nowm I acknowledge them, not so much with words with with taking care of them.

In terms of understanding what's going on for them...far more tricky. That seems to come out in memories, and adult me piecing things together and trying to make meaning and understanding. This bit is clearly a work in progress.
I also sometime visualise hugging them. Putting an arm around something. The visual is not me as a child but a nothing. I just visualise adult me putting an arm around a nothing which symbolises little me..

Hope your parts settle. Does it make sense to you why they are stirred up?
Thank you. Yes. I had an attachment trauma crisis with my husband resulting in a meltdown with SH issues. I was talking to him about it tonight and I realized in 15 years of therapy, I've never attached to any of my therapists. But I am attached to him (and honestly wish I wasn't, attachment seems to just bring pain and problems). So when he does something that feels like severing the attachment and I have no say in the matter sometimes I take it badly.

And I had a defender/protector pop out after relative stability because I was reading about structural dissociation of the personality for my job, and thought about how I have parts but have been basically ignoring them lately, and how that isn't very fair of me. Then the next day, this part is out again. I was co-conscious or co-fronting or something. And this part really hates or is worried about my husband so it looks for things to needle him about. Sometimes I am blended and feel mostly like "myself" so it's really not a major issue, but when these types of episodes happen, I feel mostly like "not myself" and it's very uncomfortable. Like nobody really wants it to be happening. The part isn't happy about being out, isn't happy about the work it's doing, and I'm over here like eh, I miss being me, when can I click back in.

It never even occurred to me before today that my parts might be preverbal. And that might be why it's mostly a somatic experience. Thank you for explaining that.
 
I don't. I don't hear inner thoughts.
You literally have no thought in your head... ever?

I don’t think in words, I have to translate what I’m thinking into words to write or speak, so using words isn’t how I talk to myself, as it would be far too slow. Think a thought, translate into words, respond to words, translate that into more words. It would be bassackwards to communicate with myself that way. I talk to myself the same way I think.
 
I have one inner voice - it's me, my subconscious and conscious self intertwined. Somebody said to me once that they call their subconscious 'God'.
 
You literally have no thought in your head... ever?

I don’t think in words, I have to translate what I’m thinking into words to write or speak, so using words isn’t how I talk to myself, as it would be far too slow. Think a thought, translate into words, respond to words, translate that into more words. It would be bassackwards to communicate with myself that way. I talk to myself the same way I think.
I guess I do have inner thoughts but they are so fast and they don't feel like words, but they aren't really not words either. I don't know what I am trying to say. I generally relate to myself more somatically, so thoughts feel more distant than sensations.
 
I have one inner voice - it's me, my subconscious and conscious self intertwined. Somebody said to me once that they call their subconscious 'God'.
That's nice. I think IFS tries to approach it similarly with the idea of Self energy.
 
Do you experience your parts mostly as nonverbal or verbal? I am getting hung up on that part of the issue. How do I communicate with a nonverbal consciousness?
My protector is verbal but she generally communicates in writing. She has participated in therapy sessions though.

There are 2 other parts that are mostly non verbal for now. I don't know if it is just because thay are not ready to be verbal or if they will never be. Hoping for the 1st one.

Maybe ask questions and see how ut feels? Like if there is any type of reaction inside? Then keep on asking.
Or try soothing and trying different things when you feel they are active, to see what their interests are?or how they ground?
 
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