Rapid Switching

[redrainstorm.livejournal.com]

When in a chatroom with alleged multiples, they seem to switch very quickly between their mates. In one comment they're a little, and two seconds later they're a big, and three seconds after that they're an "angry alter", etc. For many reasons other then this though, I believe they're faking. But just wondered if this is possible for others.
I've tried to have my group better at rapid switching where we can switch out quickly and be completely separate while fronting because I think it would benefit certain situations, and I can't do it that fast.
Cofronting is even difficult... Our thoughts are kind of meshed... Or come out as one thought between the two of us. But they don't come out "I want to go!" "Me too!" All in one blurb.
I was wondering if people can truly switch as fast as these people in the chatroom do, because we can't do it even when trying!

Comments

[linnai.livejournal.com]

Have you ever heard of or thought about trying to co-run? Not sure if there's a generally accepted term for it, but that's what we do. Co-running, when several of us are near the front, but no one is in full and complete control. Works well and I guess to someone who isn't familiar with it, would seem like we were faking or doing overly rapid switching.

[lightdestiny.livejournal.com]

We can't switch anything like that fast.

What we can do though is have two or three people up or close to front at once without necessarily getting blurred together. Or we can have one person at front and others throwing comments in from further back, without actually switching out. So if we were in a chatroom and had three people co-fronting, it'd be easyish for us to type thoughts from different people in rapid succession. So, we could easily be typing stuff like "Steve: I want to go!" "Jim: Me too!" "Mabel: Nah, it sounds stupid, I'll skip it" - but we wouldn't have actually switched at all in that time, we were just labelling which thoughts came from which people, because in a chatroom (unlike in real life) it's possible to do that easily. So, uh, maybe that's a possibility?

[inner-clique.livejournal.com]

We switch alot when we're talking with other people but don't say when we're doing it so they think it's just one of us most of the time. sometimes like a person speaking for an age group. some times we let people know but if we had to say who we were all the time it would get crazy so we just don't do that. and most times there are a few of us at the front at the same time and not just one person any ways. LeAnne

[pthalo]

we can switch fairly easily, but if someone's having a conversation then we try not to do it too much during the conversation. on the internet, it's usually - okay, it's my turn to do my stuff, okay, your turn. we even use seperate accounts on our computer, seperate browsers, seperate cookies, etc. if we were in a chatroom, i think if someone else came out because they'd want to talk, they'd want to stick around to have a conversation, not saying two words and then leave.

but some systems are more co-consicous than we are and are able to do several things at once.

[browncoatrebel.livejournal.com]

We only do revolving-door switching when we're really stressed and upset. However, in writing, we all speak. Whoever's fronting writes/types, but anyone who wants to can chime in. So it's not switching, but in a chatroom setting it would enable lots of us to talk. Maybe that's what you're seeing.

Kate

[pthalo]

we do do a few things co-consciously, but it takes effort and we don't like doing it around people. for example as children we'd play with dolls and everyone would pick a doll. or we'd play uno or monopoly through dolls. i think our kids still do that, but we don't like doing it around other people.

aside from stuff like that, there aren't many things that most of us are interested in doing all together.

it's kind of like when my friends say "it must be great being multiple! you get breaks!"

yeah, I get breaks from playing on the internet, playing with kitties, watching tv, watching a movie, playing cards, eating pizza... are we seeing a pattern here?

people are generally a lot less interested in giving whoever's out front a break from a migraine or bad period pains.

so if something is sufficiently fun and interesting, we'll have more people interested in taking part. but if it's a conversation, whoever's interested will talk, and we might switch when the topic changes, if whoever's been out got bored and someone else is interested.

[refined-mirages.livejournal.com]

We're prone to switching around a lot esp. when stress or bipolar disorder are getting the better of us. We're all very conscience of one another and often times it does lead to conflict which does encourage 'switching'. We also notice that certain words bother each one of us. When talking with someone, certain words that person says can cause switching because one of us is irrate, etc. over an aspect of the conversation.

~Amarantha

[catskillmarina.livejournal.com]

We switch fast sometimes rarely without some sort of
co-consciousness. Most of the 'fast switches' are 'pop-throughs'.

Sometimes we wish we did not switch quickly and sometimes we
wish we had a little less co-consciousness.

--- Miri

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

This is an impersonation, but very frequently we ((have)) been ((know)) to ((talk)) like ((this)). It ((can)) be ((very)) confusing ((so)) we ((don't)) let ((people)) know. We can also talk 'as one' which is kinda neat, but we've been known to 'switch' several times in a sentence because for us it's not really 100% black and white.

Both Chloe and Michael can be sort of 'typed for' even when they haven't switched full out, so they can 'type' instantly. And even then the worst of them only takes a few lines to take over, though Michael has been known to take longer if he's tired/not interested, and neither stand a chance if my music's on.

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

we even use seperate accounts on our computer, seperate browsers, seperate cookies, etc.

Fwee. IE is 'my' browser, logged in permantly to my LJ, my Vox, and other stuff. Firefox is 'Luwana's', and remains unlogged in to LJ in case anybody else wants to use it, is perma logged in to *her* Vox, etc.

Tried seperate windows accounts but we switched too much. Several browsers ftw.

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

It isn't uncommon for one of us to be having a conversation via AIM with one person while someone else in the system has a conversation under another screen name with the same person or another person. (Trillian is a handy program for multiples!) It's easiest for us to co-front online--much easier than face-to-face.

[thehumangame.livejournal.com]

We do that all the time in chats, though it isn't full 'switching'. We're not getting pushed completely away in rapid succession; rather, the two of us are both around and contributing and it's just who has their hands on the keyboard, so to speak, that alternates.

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

Oooo. We used to do that, but we had to learn to very carefully 'balance' co-fronting. Several times we tried it while more actively switching and got pretty sicky x_X

(Trillian is the win. we have four AIM IDs going at once, plus everything else. Awesome.)

[pthalo]

we used to just use three diferent browsers for the three main people interested in using the internet, and we currently have 6 accounts on the computer, with people who don't have their own using whoever's (mine, usually). Some people like having their own account for privacy reasons. I filter stuff I don't want the kids reading - stuff about my own issues that doesn't need to effect them. I know one of the older kids filters stuff from the younger kids because it's caused problems in the past. Also, when you sign on to your account LJTalk loads with your screenname. AIM is only on my account, gtalk is on two accounts, LJTalk on three. And the kids like having their own background on the computer.

[kyouketsusha.livejournal.com]

95% of the time, it's me who does the typing, even in her journal, but at any time if she wants to speak she can just tell me what she wants to say and I'll type it in for her. Only once or twice has she really fronted specifically to type.

[chorus-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

I"ve had some situations were a group of us were co-concious or fronting as a group abd something happened and we all started trying to say something at the same time...sara wanted to say crap, j'endra wanted to say fuck, i wahed to shit and it just sort of came out in thuis blurt of a mid mash of all of it at once. Usulaaly when we are playing ivdeo games or somehing like that.

[matrexsvigil.livejournal.com]

I guess we co-front, cause really, only a few ever want to talk and/or front. We've learned to switch colors and even fonts quickly on the internet to let people know who's talking. It's harder to let people know who's talking off the computer but most of my friends can tell the differences.

-P.C.

--"Off the Pink."--

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

Teehee. We compromise on backgrounds and privacy. We can't guarentee that either of us will be fronting for more than a minute. We switch too much/are too co-fronty. It's a shame because I think it would be awesome if we could have everything personalised. Trillian skins, Winamp colours, backgrounds. But we just switch way too much. I'll be chatting in IM and she'll decide to check LJ

LJTalk?

Ha!

[worldnamer.livejournal.com]

yeah, I get breaks from playing on the internet, playing with kitties, watching tv, watching a movie, playing cards, eating pizza... are we seeing a pattern here?

Three of us were having an argument the other night about whose turn it was to do the dishes. :P

[pengke.livejournal.com]

I would say probably not. If someone were physically switching over control of the body that rapidly, everyone's thoughts and responses would end up kind of meshed together. At the very least, your thought processes would get confused from being interrupted constantly. It's like playing one of those rapid exchange word association games where by the end you're going so fast that no one can keep track of who went last and which person said what. The responses would end up being more uniform if they were changing as rapidly back and forth as you're describing.

That's not to say that they're physically switching control of the body. Dictating to one person typing makes it very easy to go back and forth between speakers, especially if the typist isn't participating in the conversation. It's also pretty easy to go from dictating to someone to physically typing yourself and then back again. It's just not one second this person, next second a different person, oh look the first person's back. There's flow.

They could be faking sounding like the little or the angry alter; possibly because they think they need to be distinct to be taken seriously or the typist is trying to recreate how the person is speaking.

[ridetothesea.livejournal.com]

I think rapid switching works best in small groups where everyone is really co-conscious and close to the front.

Only if it is the entire House that is switching, I think. Because then it would be difficult to have everyone co-running together in a large group. But smaller groups within the larger group can co-front together just as easily. It is the norm for us, actually.

[our-menagerie.livejournal.com]

We have always been able to have rapid switching. It started that way for us and the difference is now most of the time we can control it. I think what your seeing probably is real because being around other multiples would tend to bring that out at least in us because everyone would want a chance to talk to everyone else's people you know? It is rare that we are not co-conscious while this is happening though and lots of times we will end up cofronting because if two people want to talk it is easier that way for them both to listen. I dont know what the other reasons are you mentioned, but I have to say dont think someone is faking just because of rapid switching it does happen.

[our-menagerie.livejournal.com]

It's like, detrimental to his machismo. ;)

rofl, funny cuz we have boys in here who agree with that! oy

[ques-nova.livejournal.com]

While rapid switching without co-front give us headaches, we'll often relay messages for each other. I have two in particular who are close to a friend of mine and so they will hold conversations with her, by me relaying messages for them, so that I can continue what I'm doing as well. It's possible the people you see are just multitasking as such or that they are in fact rapid switching. If need be, we can switch front rapidly, like I said, it just give us headaches.

[kiya]

That's pretty much how it works in here. What actually led to my conceptualising the system as plural was a sudden switch.

Most of our life is conducted as a fluid semi-integrated state; at most given moments there will be two and four sharing front and contributing nuances, but the low-impact ones drift in and out without affecting much, and the active ones drift down to low-impact fairly readily.

I don't like the fast switches. They tend to leave me feeling discontinuous.