Posted by BBob on June 28, 2000, at 18:48:10
In reply to To Noa re. different states, posted by anita on June 28, 2000, at 17:37:51
Anita,Except for the diagnoses, your personality description fits me well. I enjoy a wide range of emotional conditions, which are not always that enjoyable. When I need to, I can engage almost anyone in dialogue sufficient to elicit otherwise guarded information, but if I don't discipline myself, as is required in a professional setting, I can be somewhat provacative. I tend toward both socialization and withdrawal. I attribute a lot of my makeup, especially low attachment and an ability to quickly attach and disengage, to my transient childhood. What little I know of my family history suggests those who taught me language and behavior at times practiced warlike behaviors and were often transient from one generation to the next, and within many specific generations.
The dissassociative state you mentioned is what caught my attention. To me, that is simply slipping into a sublinguistic category of thought. Some would say I am apathetic - perhaps based on my messy desk, piles of laundry and weeks worth of dishes. But socially, I tend to be concerned far beyond my apparent reach. Now, me, I consider that a positive trait, and one which I would instill in any responsible person. My hunch is we tend to focus more on our individuality and in dong so divest ourselves of the power to influence "the herd" and the direction of life in general.
In my thinking, dissassociative states tend to allow me to detach from ego and orient my behavior toward a far more broad set of human and life-oriented interests. The problem I sometimes suffer is that I will be thinking in my deeper brain and when I try to use language, I will slur or tangle words, which can cause loss of regard from some people.
My generalized social concern seems to have been instilled in me at an early age. I have at times found myself advocating the merits of non-verbal and non-logical thinking. I think maturity is a condition of our mid-brain and our cerebral cortex, though in various individuals, one or the other might be more poorly developed.
Anyway, that's my three cents on that.
....and a caviat, this is posted for consideration, not in an attempt to get advice about how to manage myself.
> Hi Noa,
>
> I have a very similar problem with "different states" of being or identity. I seem to have distinct "Anitas", mostly based on mood and style of thinking, and ultimately in behavior (e.g., social or withdrawn). My psychiatrist actually thought I might have MPD, but I don't; despite the discreet states, I am always "Anita", and I have a strong sense of general identity.
>
> I have, however, mild dissociative issues, mostly derealization and a general spacing out. Do you have these? Technically I've been diagnosed with DID, NOS. What's interesting to me is that when I go thru periods of _not_ experiencing these "state" shifts, I am rather dysfunctional, unemotional, and apathetic. SSRIs seem to do this to me. I'd be interested to hear more about your experience -- feel free to email me directly!
>
> anita
>
>
> > The theory of a more mature and less mature hemisphere in an individual is intriguing to me, as some of the work I do in therapy is trying to integrate different "states" I experience. They are not really true dissociative states, but in terms of how I experience myself and the world emotionally, they are fairly distinct. Over time, they are less separate from each other. Kind of like going from a tv that requires you to change the channel altogether to one that has a split screen, or at least a preview inset. Or at least maybe two sets on different channels in the same room.
> >
> > I could see this laterality approach fitting with my experience of different states. One state is definitely more akin to an immature, nonverbal, egocentric way of seeing things, while the other major state (there are variations of these two basic states) is more mature, verbal, logical, has more perspective taking ability, etc. The less mature state for me is associated with hopelessness and helplessness, while the more mature one is hopeful and in a more problem solving mode. It really affects cognitive skills, too, like looking at a concrete problem and reacting to it. In the less mature state, it is hard for me to differentiate the aspects, or parts of a problem, and to imagine a sequence of steps to take to solve it. In the more mature state, I can often automatically get into action by conceiving a problem solving sequence and just start on the first step and procede. In the immature state, I and the problem are not separate from each other. My difficulty approaching the problem BECOMES the problem, and then I lose all distinction--I am the problem, the problem is me. In the more mature state, I see the problem as outside myself with clear boundaries. In the immature state, I usually withdraw and try to avoid the problem. In the more mature state, I am more likely to just deal with the problem.
> >
> > Often I am in a state that is somewhere between these two polar ends of the continuum.
> >
> > I have heard of other techniques that attempt to cross over the hemispheres and sort of break patterns of behavior--I guess they fall into the category of occupational therapy or Alexander technique or Feldenkreis, perhaps? I really don't know. I only have a vague awareness of these approaches. Also, maybe even some of the Ericksonian hypnosis type of techniques--Cindy, any thoughts?
poster:BBob
thread:38054
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000619/msgs/38622.html