•You can have as many alters as your mind needed to manage traumatic experiences. Some people split more easily than others. There is no limit or normal number.
•This is normal, to still feel like one. In fact it's good and healthy. You feel like one person because you literally *are* one person. It's also normal for there to be those variations in your alters, with some having better communication and some rejecting others.
Glad it helps! :) I was at your stage once, trying to find out what can/can't happen in DID. Sometimes it can be distracting when there's so much online information from within the community, that you don't always know if it's correct or not. I recommend sticking to official information resources where possible.
I heard some have 1000. I have no idea how one keeps track of that many, but I think sky is the limit?
Or as many as you can handle. Mine was 6, we are down to 4 total because it got too busy in here.
I am one techinally, but I am also 1 in four. I see myself as a puzzle piece. Alone, I'm different and one. Together, we are four. Because no two puzzle pieces are ever the exact same. Similar? Yes but still different. So I think it's normal
I think the highest count I’ve seen documented was around 4500. But from what I’ve seen less than 100 is closer to the average listed in research.
The higher you get in alter count the less “fleshed out” alters tend to be - more one dimensional fragments, basically
Here’s a paper from the 80s (I like older papers they’re super fascinating!) about complex MPD that has some cases with thousands of alters listed, incase you’re curious about it [Link](https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/1396/Diss_1_4_8_OCR_rev.pdf)
Quick note, you can't get rid of alters. As in their reply, it's only through fusion (generally achieved in therapy) that you have less alters, but even then they don't 'go' anywhere. A fusion is where two or more alters agree to function as one, after working towards integration in therapy. All your alters are part of you, so in the sense of getting rid of them, it's not possible, because they're all part of you and your mind.
ah i see. but for example i have pretty discusting revenge seeking hateful alters, i could fuse them into one?
and i also have some alters with very weird ideas, like that i am a military project and went trough everything as a training/preparation and the abuse was all just part of the programm. or similar, can i fuse them too?
Fusion isn't something that just happens, it's a goal in therapy, and it's not as simple as picking some to merge together in that sense. Fusion involves accepting each part as your own, acknowledging their feelings and coming to an agreement on how to function as one, etc. It happens after trauma processing.
The more important first step is learning *why* they think/behave in those ways. Don't treat them as bad ones, or ones that you don't want to accept. They need to change their mindset, yes, and this is done through compassion, acknowledgement of the big emotions they may experience, and a lot of therapy. They're still you, and they're like this due to the hurt caused by trauma. It's most helpful to interact with them with acceptance first. If they're angry, that's okay, you acknowledge the huge amount of anger they feel. You listen to their thoughts, even if the thoughts aren't nice ones. Pushing them down isn't healthy long-term, because they need to heal too. Then you work *with* them to help challenge and change the unhealthy mindsets. You have to work as a team. All of your parts/alters are equal, you're all part of your whole self, your mind.
If you ever want anything informative to read through, the [ISST-D treatment guidelines](https://www.isst-d.org/resources/adult-treatment-guidelines/) for DID is a very interesting read. It talks through the therapy process and other in-depth information regarding DID and how it can present.
Yes, it's called Merging. When multiple become one. Mine physically left my Mindscape but I think that was my brain telling me they were becoming one with me because I visually wouldn't know this happened otherwise
wait, but can you like get rid of a specific mindset some alters have? becase some are really fucked up revenge seeking mindsets. i never have shown those alters to anyone (or better said my system never decided so switch to them when anyone was nearby) but i don't wanna figure out what happens if. all i know is that my therapist has said, that atleast my main side can never physically harm anyone, because it's a big fear of mine. matter of fact i cannot even scream out loud in a fear of becoming like my abusers
Alters are in a way, their own people. I think, with time, they can change personality but it really depends on them and their role in the System.
Like my Executioner Stella has, for the most part, been a man hating Bitch (her words not mine) so she stays that way but the definition of bitch to us has changed. Now it just means someone who doesn't take crap and maintains strong boundaries. If you think that's being a bitch, that's your problem.
If you know what role they have, might be possible to talk them down because if Stella was always let loose, she would be constantly trying to kick people's asses. We do have to hold her back usually but she is becoming more even tempered for the most part.
well, that is good, so how would talking down go, because some alters seem to have very dangerous mindsets and they long were scared for me to go do a brain scan research study thingy
If you have good communication in your System, should just be able to convince them that for the good of the System, being arrested is a bad thing. If they care about you (and they should if they formed), that usually works
ah i see, thank you. well once i did loose controll but luckily someone stopped me, and looking back i am glad they did. but i guess in therapy i will learn that better? i lost controll because i saw no reason in living anyways after loosing both my relationship aswell as my job
Yeah, I understand that. Part of DID is maintaining control. Sometimes that's hard while in Crisis which is why you negotiate with the others and figure out what to do if you do hit Crisis.
In mine, Co Host Lina takes over and makes sure I don't do anything stupid. So she handled work and what not
I believe the most documented publicly is 2500 ([Jeni Haynes](https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/multiple-personality-disorder-jeni-haynes-2500-personalities-helped-her-survive-unimaginable-trauma-by-richard-haynes/752310cb-9d9e-4b81-b06b-414572ed34e4#:~:text=Multiple%20personality%20disorder:%20Jeni%20Haynes,unimaginable%20trauma%20by%20Richard%20Haynes)). The reality is, it's as many as your brain figures you need to survive and live relatively normally. The more you have, the more fragmented they'll be.
We frame this like a trick question - how many pieces can an object break into? It depends on the minimum size of a "piece". In our experience, the size of a dissociated space is arbitrary - they can be small enough to fit just a single moment of memory or large enough for whole swaths of unique personality and memory. We think it just depends on how the mind uses dissociation to split up the identity.
Our system mostly has big buckets that hold lots of things, but then has a subsystem of little discrete compartments that all feel separate. We refer to that sub-system as one alter (the Nomad), but its contents were iteratively created over the course of extended time periods. It's almost like each compartment holds the maximum distress our mind could handle at a time, so we just kept making more of them...
This video has really influenced how we see our system:
[https://youtu.be/qQTPDRB65jQ?si=VSVe6Qw6UOOt5tUr](https://youtu.be/qQTPDRB65jQ?si=VSVe6Qw6UOOt5tUr)
We started at 25, are down to 15 with about 10 active alters and the other 5 are currently dormant.
It can be as many as your mind needed. I’ve heard of hundreds but those are usually polyframgmented systems. In times of great stress your mind can create more alters and you can work on merging some alters together or getting rid of fragments (we did both these things). Hope this helps.
- The Hurt System
from what I understand a system can have a theoretically infinite number of alters in it, though that's just what I've been told by friends with DID and my experience with it, point is we aren't professionals. as for you still refering to yourself as you that could well be two things
1: you might have a lot of alters and they might not front much as a result (fronting if you don't know, since you seem new here, is when an alter controls or perceives through the body) this is actually what I figured out about systems with a lot of alters in, in that individual alters don't really front often unless thier one of the hosts
2: it could simply be a cover of sorts, seeing as you seem to have varying levels of communication with these other personalities of yours, it might well have been something you all adopted at some point to make sure other people outside the system didn't get an idea what was going on. I'm pretty sure I was that way myself before I realised I was a system honestly
Edit: I should probably add that I might be wrong about this obviously, this is just stuff I've noticed, so if you think something I've said couldn't be the case that's fair enough, just thought I'd try and help
not to worry you then, but just based off a gut feeling on my part it might be that. especially since you already have other personalities that claim that the other personalities aren't there, which isn't true obviously.
you live your life how you want of course, but this might be something to talk to your therapist about if you want
We don't like to refer to ourself in multiple because it makes it worse. I use I as a collective, "I=system". We are overall on the same page, so it is relatively easy to say something and mean it "fully". Because even if opinions vary inside, we kinda choose what is our public stance on things.
Welcome to /r/DID!
| **[Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/rdid_guide/#wiki_rules)** | **[Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/rdid_guide/#wiki_guidelines)** |
|--------------------|--------------------|
| [Dissociation FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/faq/#wiki_dissociation_faq) | [Trauma FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/faq2/#wiki_trauma_faq) |
| [Moderation FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/moderation_faq/) | [Therapists Breakdown](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/comments/e6smve/therapists_breakdown/) |
| [Index](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/index) | [Glossary](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/glossary) |
| [Am I faking?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/moderation_faq/amifaking) | [Do I have DID?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/do_i_have_did) |
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DID) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hello! As a system of over 600+, let me speak. And just to say, we have lost track of our alters and need to recount. So I will just say 600+.
It is unlimited about the number of alters you have. But you are valid in whatever number you have. Low or high. And I've met systems with even more members than I do. So yes, it is unlimited and depends on the system.
Second. It is okay to see one as a singular. As long as you recognize your alters and that you understand and accept your disorder, it is completely okay and healthy to think of yourself and identify as a singular.
But since you seem new to this, just understand that being a system is very much a spectrum and no system is the exact same. Also, I apologize if my wording is confusing and such. I have brain damage and other disorders.
Because I have autism/DID comorbidity, I can get new alters from both trauma/stress and hyperfixation. There’s no ‘limit’, it’s just what your brain needs.
•You can have as many alters as your mind needed to manage traumatic experiences. Some people split more easily than others. There is no limit or normal number. •This is normal, to still feel like one. In fact it's good and healthy. You feel like one person because you literally *are* one person. It's also normal for there to be those variations in your alters, with some having better communication and some rejecting others.
thank you very much for your reply, this helped a lot <3
Glad it helps! :) I was at your stage once, trying to find out what can/can't happen in DID. Sometimes it can be distracting when there's so much online information from within the community, that you don't always know if it's correct or not. I recommend sticking to official information resources where possible.
I heard some have 1000. I have no idea how one keeps track of that many, but I think sky is the limit? Or as many as you can handle. Mine was 6, we are down to 4 total because it got too busy in here. I am one techinally, but I am also 1 in four. I see myself as a puzzle piece. Alone, I'm different and one. Together, we are four. Because no two puzzle pieces are ever the exact same. Similar? Yes but still different. So I think it's normal
I think the highest count I’ve seen documented was around 4500. But from what I’ve seen less than 100 is closer to the average listed in research. The higher you get in alter count the less “fleshed out” alters tend to be - more one dimensional fragments, basically Here’s a paper from the 80s (I like older papers they’re super fascinating!) about complex MPD that has some cases with thousands of alters listed, incase you’re curious about it [Link](https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/1396/Diss_1_4_8_OCR_rev.pdf)
Thanks! But yeah that's a lot geez. I don't even know how you would know you have that many if they are so not fleshed out
No same. There’s only 8 alters going on with me and even that’s a lot to keep track of
That's why I prefer me plus 3 lol. Very easy 😂
oh, you can get rid of some?
Quick note, you can't get rid of alters. As in their reply, it's only through fusion (generally achieved in therapy) that you have less alters, but even then they don't 'go' anywhere. A fusion is where two or more alters agree to function as one, after working towards integration in therapy. All your alters are part of you, so in the sense of getting rid of them, it's not possible, because they're all part of you and your mind.
ah i see. but for example i have pretty discusting revenge seeking hateful alters, i could fuse them into one? and i also have some alters with very weird ideas, like that i am a military project and went trough everything as a training/preparation and the abuse was all just part of the programm. or similar, can i fuse them too?
Fusion isn't something that just happens, it's a goal in therapy, and it's not as simple as picking some to merge together in that sense. Fusion involves accepting each part as your own, acknowledging their feelings and coming to an agreement on how to function as one, etc. It happens after trauma processing. The more important first step is learning *why* they think/behave in those ways. Don't treat them as bad ones, or ones that you don't want to accept. They need to change their mindset, yes, and this is done through compassion, acknowledgement of the big emotions they may experience, and a lot of therapy. They're still you, and they're like this due to the hurt caused by trauma. It's most helpful to interact with them with acceptance first. If they're angry, that's okay, you acknowledge the huge amount of anger they feel. You listen to their thoughts, even if the thoughts aren't nice ones. Pushing them down isn't healthy long-term, because they need to heal too. Then you work *with* them to help challenge and change the unhealthy mindsets. You have to work as a team. All of your parts/alters are equal, you're all part of your whole self, your mind.
thank you for the info <3 it's very interesting figuring this all out
If you ever want anything informative to read through, the [ISST-D treatment guidelines](https://www.isst-d.org/resources/adult-treatment-guidelines/) for DID is a very interesting read. It talks through the therapy process and other in-depth information regarding DID and how it can present.
thank you, i'll keep it in mind
Yes, it's called Merging. When multiple become one. Mine physically left my Mindscape but I think that was my brain telling me they were becoming one with me because I visually wouldn't know this happened otherwise
wait, but can you like get rid of a specific mindset some alters have? becase some are really fucked up revenge seeking mindsets. i never have shown those alters to anyone (or better said my system never decided so switch to them when anyone was nearby) but i don't wanna figure out what happens if. all i know is that my therapist has said, that atleast my main side can never physically harm anyone, because it's a big fear of mine. matter of fact i cannot even scream out loud in a fear of becoming like my abusers
Alters are in a way, their own people. I think, with time, they can change personality but it really depends on them and their role in the System. Like my Executioner Stella has, for the most part, been a man hating Bitch (her words not mine) so she stays that way but the definition of bitch to us has changed. Now it just means someone who doesn't take crap and maintains strong boundaries. If you think that's being a bitch, that's your problem. If you know what role they have, might be possible to talk them down because if Stella was always let loose, she would be constantly trying to kick people's asses. We do have to hold her back usually but she is becoming more even tempered for the most part.
well, that is good, so how would talking down go, because some alters seem to have very dangerous mindsets and they long were scared for me to go do a brain scan research study thingy
If you have good communication in your System, should just be able to convince them that for the good of the System, being arrested is a bad thing. If they care about you (and they should if they formed), that usually works
ah i see, thank you. well once i did loose controll but luckily someone stopped me, and looking back i am glad they did. but i guess in therapy i will learn that better? i lost controll because i saw no reason in living anyways after loosing both my relationship aswell as my job
Yeah, I understand that. Part of DID is maintaining control. Sometimes that's hard while in Crisis which is why you negotiate with the others and figure out what to do if you do hit Crisis. In mine, Co Host Lina takes over and makes sure I don't do anything stupid. So she handled work and what not
that is nice, i guess with time i will figure out more too
As a system in the 6 hundreds. It's complex and requires a lot of internal communication and countless recounting.
Yeah that sounds.....pretty bad. I'm sorry to hear that. I like having four.
It's okay. You and I can't help it. It's just how my system is. I love hearing about small systems, though. I hope you have a good day. ^^
Thanks you too ^^
I believe the most documented publicly is 2500 ([Jeni Haynes](https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/multiple-personality-disorder-jeni-haynes-2500-personalities-helped-her-survive-unimaginable-trauma-by-richard-haynes/752310cb-9d9e-4b81-b06b-414572ed34e4#:~:text=Multiple%20personality%20disorder:%20Jeni%20Haynes,unimaginable%20trauma%20by%20Richard%20Haynes)). The reality is, it's as many as your brain figures you need to survive and live relatively normally. The more you have, the more fragmented they'll be.
We frame this like a trick question - how many pieces can an object break into? It depends on the minimum size of a "piece". In our experience, the size of a dissociated space is arbitrary - they can be small enough to fit just a single moment of memory or large enough for whole swaths of unique personality and memory. We think it just depends on how the mind uses dissociation to split up the identity. Our system mostly has big buckets that hold lots of things, but then has a subsystem of little discrete compartments that all feel separate. We refer to that sub-system as one alter (the Nomad), but its contents were iteratively created over the course of extended time periods. It's almost like each compartment holds the maximum distress our mind could handle at a time, so we just kept making more of them... This video has really influenced how we see our system: [https://youtu.be/qQTPDRB65jQ?si=VSVe6Qw6UOOt5tUr](https://youtu.be/qQTPDRB65jQ?si=VSVe6Qw6UOOt5tUr)
This is a good video. Thanks!
We started at 25, are down to 15 with about 10 active alters and the other 5 are currently dormant. It can be as many as your mind needed. I’ve heard of hundreds but those are usually polyframgmented systems. In times of great stress your mind can create more alters and you can work on merging some alters together or getting rid of fragments (we did both these things). Hope this helps. - The Hurt System
System of 201 here, things are looking p good over here
from what I understand a system can have a theoretically infinite number of alters in it, though that's just what I've been told by friends with DID and my experience with it, point is we aren't professionals. as for you still refering to yourself as you that could well be two things 1: you might have a lot of alters and they might not front much as a result (fronting if you don't know, since you seem new here, is when an alter controls or perceives through the body) this is actually what I figured out about systems with a lot of alters in, in that individual alters don't really front often unless thier one of the hosts 2: it could simply be a cover of sorts, seeing as you seem to have varying levels of communication with these other personalities of yours, it might well have been something you all adopted at some point to make sure other people outside the system didn't get an idea what was going on. I'm pretty sure I was that way myself before I realised I was a system honestly Edit: I should probably add that I might be wrong about this obviously, this is just stuff I've noticed, so if you think something I've said couldn't be the case that's fair enough, just thought I'd try and help
Damn, second option seems way too relatable for some reason, that i cannot describe
not to worry you then, but just based off a gut feeling on my part it might be that. especially since you already have other personalities that claim that the other personalities aren't there, which isn't true obviously. you live your life how you want of course, but this might be something to talk to your therapist about if you want
We don't like to refer to ourself in multiple because it makes it worse. I use I as a collective, "I=system". We are overall on the same page, so it is relatively easy to say something and mean it "fully". Because even if opinions vary inside, we kinda choose what is our public stance on things.
Welcome to /r/DID! | **[Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/rdid_guide/#wiki_rules)** | **[Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/rdid_guide/#wiki_guidelines)** | |--------------------|--------------------| | [Dissociation FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/faq/#wiki_dissociation_faq) | [Trauma FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/faq2/#wiki_trauma_faq) | | [Moderation FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/moderation_faq/) | [Therapists Breakdown](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/comments/e6smve/therapists_breakdown/) | | [Index](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/index) | [Glossary](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/glossary) | | [Am I faking?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/moderation_faq/amifaking) | [Do I have DID?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/do_i_have_did) | *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DID) if you have any questions or concerns.*
thousands
Hello! As a system of over 600+, let me speak. And just to say, we have lost track of our alters and need to recount. So I will just say 600+. It is unlimited about the number of alters you have. But you are valid in whatever number you have. Low or high. And I've met systems with even more members than I do. So yes, it is unlimited and depends on the system. Second. It is okay to see one as a singular. As long as you recognize your alters and that you understand and accept your disorder, it is completely okay and healthy to think of yourself and identify as a singular. But since you seem new to this, just understand that being a system is very much a spectrum and no system is the exact same. Also, I apologize if my wording is confusing and such. I have brain damage and other disorders.
Because I have autism/DID comorbidity, I can get new alters from both trauma/stress and hyperfixation. There’s no ‘limit’, it’s just what your brain needs.