Anonymous Coward · 17d
Know this is something that probably varies person by person but how did you personally determine if your guys were like...people vs just imaginary friends or something you made up. How do you like evaluate if your guys are sapient or just really good at character writing shit in your own head cuz I keep going around in circles when I try to figure out what's going on in my head.
whether your parts are "people" or not is more of a philosophical debate—it’s not something that determines whether you have DID (or any complex dissociative disorder). the diagnostic criteria don’t ask if your parts feel like fully realized people; they focus on dissociation, amnesia, and disruptions in identity. so, the question of "personhood" isn’t what makes your experiences valid or defines a diagnosis.
someone's parts don’t have to meet some philosophical standard of sapience or independence to matter. they’re valid simply because they’re part of someone's experience. whether they feel vivid and lifelike or more abstract, what really matters is how you engage with them and how they impact your ability to navigate life.
instead of getting stuck on “are they real?,” it might help to shift your focus to these kinds of questions:
how can i approach these parts of me with curiosity and compassion, regardless of how they show up?
what are they trying to communicate or protect me from, even if their methods might feel unhelpful sometimes?
this approach works no matter where you fall on the spectrum of dissociation or what label you use to describe your experience. their "realness" isn’t the point— this is meaningful because they’re part of you. the goal isn’t to prove whether they’re people or characters or something else. the goal is to understand them, work with them, and find ways to move toward healing together.
metaphorically, I think this might help you understand a bit more:
thinking about parts can be a lot like dealing with a house where things keep getting knocked over. you don’t know for sure if it’s a ghost, the wind, or something else entirely. but either way, you’ve still got to figure out how to live in the house in a way that works for you. if you spend all your time trying to prove it’s a ghost—or trying to block out every possible draft—it might drive you crazy. instead, you can focus on practical steps to manage it:
try rearranging things so they’re less likely to get knocked over.
pay attention to when and where things fall—see if there’s a pattern.
maybe even try talking to the "ghost," whether it’s real or not, and see if it helps.
sometimes, just addressing what’s happening directly can bring surprising clarity, even if you don’t know for sure what’s causing it.
