Characteristics of Switching Personalities

beautifuldreamer — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 19:06:16 +0000

Today I found a list my therapist had given me several years ago which explains the different characteristics of switching, especially the physical aspects. It’s a good refresher course for me. In the years since my therapy ended, I’ve forgotten a lot, and (until recently) been in a lot of denial. I think too that this would be good stuff to know for anyone who is trying to be supportive of someone with DID:

Headache
Pressure inside the head
Stiff neck
Pressure at the base of the head
Pupil dialation
Pressure behind the eyes
Blurry vision (clears, then becomes blurry)
Eyes become watery or glassy, glazed in appearance. (Eyes can also appear reddened without memory retrieval. Reddened eyes without memory symptoms means that a part is functioning that has repressed materials attached to it.) Note: this sounds like a part I have; whenever she surfaces people around me have a tendency to accuse me of being stoned and, in some instances, even get a contact high from me (I don’t use pot)!
Eyes more sensitive to light
Lightheadedness, or dizziness
Chills
Ears ringing
Physically feeling shorter than usual
Emotionally feeling more child-like
Mood swing
Thought pattern change–thoughts change about same subject, and responses change with it
Feelings and emotions change about the same situation
Objects and people look different; dimensions are off, colors can look brighter or dimmer
Body looks and feels detached
Face looks different in the mirror
Voice changes in intonation or inflection
Laughter changes–different laughs, subtle difference to flagrant
Light in a room changes to suddenly dimmer or brighter
Fainting feelings, like you might lose consciousness
An inability to concentrate and think clearly
Urgency to “do something”