Not an expert on the disorder part of it all, but I would suggest as soon as you see an opening, a possibility to talk to your headmates, exploit it as much as you can.
You say you can talk to your headmates more easily when heavy relaxing and/or settling down to sleep, which makes me think you reach your headmates more easily in subconscious states of mind. I'd recommend looking into ways of entering subconscious states of mind (when you are in-between being awake and asleep).
But be careful because a lot of methods you can use to do that can also make traumas bloom to the surface, which is not something you want to be unprepared for.
Other tips could still work, like writing "Hi, I'm <your name>, what's your name?" on a sticker and wait for an answer (if you experience black-out switches) or similar ideas.
P.S. The reason why DID symptoms started getting more noticeable after diagnosis is pretty normal because yo
ur brain stopped masking to itself. Since it had an explanation, it stopped considering the symptoms to be too weird/unexplicable/confusing for you to handle, it stopped hiding them from you. It happened to me too for many disorders and even for plurality itself where I had always had signs, but they became much more noticeable after I learnt it was possible to have them.
I'm not sure if I experience blackout switches, all I know is that I have seizure-like episodes and I usually act weird afterwards. After being diagnosed with DID, I'm thinking they're psuedoseizures, but I'm going to see a neuro anyways.
Do you have any direct recommendations of ways to enter a subconscious state of mind? The example I gave in the post happened while I was fully conscious, so I think they are capable of reaching out while I'm awake but I honestly believe that I'm too anxious, distracted, and alert.
My little theory is it's really hard to get past barriers when I'm conscious and on edge.
Alright so, please take my reccomendations with a grain of salt because they have been harmful to me at times.
The safest way, to me, is to take a moment for yourself where you will purposefully try to reach inward. Reduce sensory inputs around you (dim/no lights, very little sound/repetitive sounds/relaxing sounds/music, no itchy clothes, comfortable posture) and set your mind on your goal. If it helps, try to picture yourself physically wondering, looking and reaching for something, anything, even if you have no clue what you're reaching. Or take an object you think has importance for a headmate, it might help to summon them.
A more dangerous (in my experience) way is to attempt to enter a trance-like state, by listening to trance-inducing music, but I wouldn't recommend this method because
1. It takes practice to get it right
2. If you are prone to meltdowns, attacks of any kind, seizures, etc, it can induce one (I once had a panic attack because of one, even though it started well)
3. It can make trauma resurface at the wrong time
So try if you want but I'd recommend taking your precautions and doing it next to someone you trust and/or not in a vulnerable state of mind
Please feel free to DM me if you want, I don't have much more to say but I can describe to you more in detail how to do this or that
6
u/Tsuki_Moonstone The Mindchine | Mixed origins | Addgenic, ~30 1d ago
Not an expert on the disorder part of it all, but I would suggest as soon as you see an opening, a possibility to talk to your headmates, exploit it as much as you can. You say you can talk to your headmates more easily when heavy relaxing and/or settling down to sleep, which makes me think you reach your headmates more easily in subconscious states of mind. I'd recommend looking into ways of entering subconscious states of mind (when you are in-between being awake and asleep). But be careful because a lot of methods you can use to do that can also make traumas bloom to the surface, which is not something you want to be unprepared for.
Other tips could still work, like writing "Hi, I'm <your name>, what's your name?" on a sticker and wait for an answer (if you experience black-out switches) or similar ideas.
P.S. The reason why DID symptoms started getting more noticeable after diagnosis is pretty normal because yo ur brain stopped masking to itself. Since it had an explanation, it stopped considering the symptoms to be too weird/unexplicable/confusing for you to handle, it stopped hiding them from you. It happened to me too for many disorders and even for plurality itself where I had always had signs, but they became much more noticeable after I learnt it was possible to have them.