From one Multiple to Another
Brought to you by RiversRage
The intention of this site is to share ideas to cope with the variety of symptoms multiples contend with day in and day out. Read some tried and true coping skills submitted by my friends and guests with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Also, help me help others by submitting some of your own ideas.
Make
Life Something Pretty
Submitted by Free
One of the most important things to
me through this whole process has been making something pretty out of all the gloom. The
healing process has been full of times of great stress, depression, ugly memories,
nightmares, etc. Sometimes it has felt to me like I was stuck in darkness. I would feel a
drive inside to make something pretty come from my life, so I would set to making
something. I would quilt or crochet or paint a mural on my wall. I would plant flowers in
my yard or make a friend a card. Doing these things would remind me that my life was more
than the abuse and the healing from the abuse. It's been a real lifesaver for me.
Grounding techniques for out of the blue triggers? Out of the blue triggers tend to send me reeling, and gasping for breath. So, I first try to slow down, sit down, and breathe. Then, I figure out where I am time wise, or what the trigger it is. Then I ground myself accordingly. I also try to figure out which one of us is triggered. That was important in how we dealt with it. Let's say Cleo was triggered by the name Rex, (she was a lot!) so I would begin by repeating the year 2000, this is the year 2000, Rex can't hurt me, Rex can't hurt me. Then I would find a way to distract her, like get a dolly, or candy. Then I would find a way to calm her enough to get her safely inside again. On the other hand, when one of my bigs got triggered out of the blue, we begin the same way--slow down, sit down, and breathe (or try anyway). Find the source of the trigger, and begin repeating the year 2000. Then we would try to rationalize our feelings: Like it's okay to be sad about such and such, but that it is not now. Or by leaving the room that triggered us, or the place, or the person. |
Easing Panic I used to have a lot of trouble with panic attacks. One of the things that helped me the most was watching my breathing. Slow and steady - that's what I would remind myself. By doing that I've learned to prevent anxiety from turning into full-blown panic.
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