Figment says you're all rubbish.

[clsa.livejournal.com]

I joined this community a couple of days ago. People seem nice, and I'm not quite agreeing with Figment, there. And although I somewhat feel the need to write up an introduction, the need to ask you all a question first is bigger.

I know I'm not quite right in the head. Everyone I know knows that I'm not quite right in the head. And I know that no one has full control over their brain and its workings. But... am I the only one who would be perfectly fine with the fact that the people in my head might just be there because of some chemical imbalance?


EDIT, the next day: Funny how I posted this, suggesting the chemical imbalance (hence the usage of the word 'might') could be the cause, when my actual intent might have been to test people's defensiveness about it. I'm not even entirely sure about the whole thing, but lo and behold, I get chewed out. Oh well.

Comments

[menokh.livejournal.com]

Hello there and welcome!
You're not alone in thinking that a chemical imbalance can cause multplicity. It's actually a big thing in psychiatry that imbalanced brain chemicals can lead to various conditions. Whether or not it is true for multiplicity in some cases I can not authoritatively say. We personally feel that idea is rubbish and think that rather the human brain is capable of far greater things without damage then most realize including playing host to multiple people.

Having said that, let me repeat that it is not an unheard of belief that it can be caused by chemicals, and who knows it might be in some cases. If that is the case for you, then so be it. Either way, welcome.

[clsa.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :) And I don't know if that is the case for me, but I'm just observing a lot of people who simply refuse to accept the possibility of there being something scientific behind their multiplicity. So defensive.

[turningskylines.livejournal.com]

Saying a person is multiple because of a chemical imbalance in the brain is much like saying one likes sunrises over sunsets because of the particular way the colors hit the retina of the eye. An oversimplification perhaps, but I hope you get my point. I don't believe every little piece of humanity can be reduced to biology and science, and I think it a fallacy to try. Now, I'm all for the advancement of science, but it will never be able to explain exactly why each human being is the way they are--some things will always remain a mystery (as least I hope so), which is what makes the universe so intriguing.

Also, calling it a chemical imbalance implies that there's something WRONG with being multiple, which doesn't appear to be your intent, but would explain the perceived defensiveness.

-Telavel

[clsa.livejournal.com]

Hm. You do have a few good points there, and I see how 'imbalance' could be percieved as something wrong. Then again, that's almost like saying 'imperfect' is wrong, too.

I suppose it's all apples and oranges, in the end. :) To each their own.

[igemelli.livejournal.com]

I think I love you.

(Sorry, I mostly lurk here, but I was starting to feel like the only person in the world who felt like there could be a valid scientific... thing... to explain our experiences. And that this wouldn't make the people with me any less valid, etc.)

[clsa.livejournal.com]

Wow, someone not instantly negative! Positive, even. Thank you. <3

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

probably because like being plural isn't really supposed to be scientific because like there's really no way I could prove I'm who I say I am or anyone else in the group either :p either someone believes in it or they don't. it's one of those "oh well you can suck it" sorta things lol :p
LeAnne

[clsa.livejournal.com]

Not to me, but that's what I was getting at, actually. A lot of people do seem to think it matters, and that puzzles me. Maybe I'm just that shameless.

[comicstar.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit of a lurker here, interested in the concept of multiplicity but not a multiple myself. So as little as it may be worth, here's my two cents...

I have Asperger Syndrome, a type of autism. There have been many theories as to how this is caused, whether it is a disability or not and whether it can be "cured". Most people with AS do not want to be "cured" because the syndrome has such a huge part to play in their identities, and some argue that it is just a different, less accepted type of personality. If they some day pinpoint the place in the brain that causes this to occur and find a way to reverse it, most of us will not be lining up for the cure because as difficult as life as been for us with AS, our identities are tied up with it and we would become different people if it somehow disappeared from our lives.

I see a kind of parallel here. Maybe multiples are just one person with a screwed up brain, but if you know yourselves to be one of a group of identities, then that is your reality. It wouldn't make a difference, because if these multiple identities exist to you, then they exist, full stop. Yes, maybe some glitch in your brain conjured them up, but they exist now, no matter how little those around you are willing to accept that. Maybe some cause could be determined for their creation, and some kind of medication could cause them to go away, but it wouldn't mean they hadn't existed in the past. I don't think you'd be alone in wanting to find a way to get rid of whatever is causing you to have a great deal of mental anguish and social difficulties, should that thing be found to have an origin in some chemical imbalance.

Personally I'm inclined to agree with menokh; we haven't begun to comprehend the capabilities of the human brain, and it's somewhat narrow minded to see any deviation from some arbitrary norm as a disorder, when it could in fact be the very opposite.

[clsa.livejournal.com]

I don't at all want to get rid of whatever people claim is wrong with me, actually. But I've got no problem in thinking it can all be scientifically explained. I do a lot of things that are causing me anguish and social difficulties that have nothing to do with the 'voices in my head', but I wouldn't want to stop doing those things either. As you said, it's part of me.

And just to be clear, I'm not saying it IS a chemical imbalance problem in every case. Not at all. I'm sorry if my post came across that way, but I was merely surprised at the number of people who stand so firm in refusing to admit the possibility of there being a scientific explanation. I'm curious whether that's fear-induced (wouldn't want to think you've been fooling yourself all this time) which would explain the anger that often follows, or... who knows. It's interesting, in a way.

[krystale.livejournal.com]

Beautifully put. ::bows:: (::giggles::)

[comicstar.livejournal.com]

I'm glad; I re-read that and thought oh, damn, I rambled. :)

[krystale.livejournal.com]

I liked it. I thought, under the circumstances, you were incredibly concise and eloquent. After all, when it comes to philosophy, entire books have been written and philosophers have rambled on for years before anyone gets their point. (I rarely shut up... maybe I'm a philosopher? ROFL)

[e-mily.livejournal.com]

*WAVE*

Hi fellow Aspy!

I like your comment.

I like it lots.

[comicstar.livejournal.com]

Thanks. And hi! We need some equivalent of the vulcan salute... :)

[e-mily.livejournal.com]

The reverse vulcan signal? Have you seen it? You just put together the fingers that are apart, and separate the fingers that are together, in the regular one.

And the phrase is "Die soon in poverty." ;)

(For some of us, the equivalent would be a big glompy hug, but that wouldn't work well as an all-inclusive salute, given how some have problems with the whole touch issue.)

[comicstar.livejournal.com]

Definitely not liking the hug suggestion :)

I'm just in the middle of reading your post. Do you mind if I add you? You seem pretty awesome.

[e-mily.livejournal.com]

I do not mind in the least! As long as you are not stupid and mean and grar. But I do not think that you are. ;3

[comicstar.livejournal.com]

I am not stupid or mean but I may be grar :)

[e-mily.livejournal.com]

Only if it is grar for a reason. And not bad grar. Feisty grar is okay.

[comicstar.livejournal.com]

I'll try :)

btw you have the same name as my teddybear so don't be disturbed if I start mentioning your name in overly familiar and teddy bear-ish terms.

[susanacts.livejournal.com]

You're not alone with the chemical imbalance factor. I'm the same way...and it doesn't bother me to explain myself this way either. People are going to either reject it, or, take it for what it is. Hope that helps!

[asylum-house.livejournal.com]

OH HAI. I know you!

But I'm not sure I have an answer to your question! I mean, I am not defensive/upset at the idea that we are just screwy, so maybe I would be fine with it. I'm not really sure what exactly I think of how/why we're here.

Mariposa says that she doesn't know about chemical imbalances but she is pretty sure we're here because something went very wrong, because of a lot of pain and trauma and all, and she is really quite unbothered that we got here because of our brain melting down, although she doesn't think that the unfortunate circumstances of our creation are reason we shouldn't stick around now that we're here. So maybe that is an answer of sorts.

<3 Haze

[clsa.livejournal.com]

<3

[raze--the-rose.livejournal.com]

(I just wrote my intro post yesterday, saying something similar, that it's entirely possible they're all my imagination)
I know I have chemical imbalances, and I don't know what's real and what my brain simply decides to do on its own and what my mind creates while oversimplifying things for my life.
I personally don't care. If I told my best friend he'd tell me I'm wrong, I'm making them up, or that my chemical imbalance is fried again, but it's much easier to deal with the negative thoughts when I recognise that they're NOT really ME...
Welcome.

[weirdiguess.livejournal.com]

Hogging his journal as this type of subject tends to play on my mind.

I, personally, get distressed by the concept of my past not being real. And I feel this is a perfectly understandable reaction to have. How would you feel if you were told your memories never happened and you were actually born last week? So I think a lot of people work on the assumption that their past is real simply because it is more comforting to do so, myself included.

That said I have to consider all the time that not only may our pasts not be real, but we ourselves may be little more than very distinct aspects of a core 'personality'. I don't know about chemical imbalance (though I guess you could say that's what any mental health condition is), but certainly I believe we may be nothing more than products of the brain. I think mostly what you find is that people don't feel that undermines their reality. I know that for me it's very distressing to think about, but I know that I am still 'a person' as much as anybody can be said to be. So possibly you see people defending their personhood and that they need not be 'cured', and think they deny the scientific possibilities, when actually they may accept them or even believe it applies to their system. And people who make statements like "In my old world I was-" are not always denying these other possibilities. Just speaking from the worldview they find easiest to work with.


~Selene

[krystale.livejournal.com]

Now... do chemical imbalances cause MPD or does MPD cause chemical imbalances? Or do the events which cause someone to have MPD cause chemical imbalances?

Also... each step of evolution began with something that would have been considered an imbalance or imperfection, but actually worked better. And sometimes there were evolutionary steps that the whole of a species could not accept... and entirely new things were born, some able to pass things on... some only to live brightly and die with their found secrets.

When you start asking such deep questions about our very nature you get down to a very simple truth...
No one really knows anything for sure.

[shade-durza.livejournal.com]

I know that I have a chemical imbalance, that's why I'm taking medications to counteract this. However, these medications have not affected my interaction with the others in any way. Therefore I have my own personal belief of who they are and where they come from although it took me a long time to accept it.
Because of certain experiences I had to let go of scientific reasoning or use a scientific explanation and fill in the blanks if you know what I mean. That, to me, was a lot more scary than thinking "oh I'm just chemically imbalanced".

I think everybody is free to their own opinions so yeah if you are okay with the fact it could be due the chemical imbalance who am I to say you are wrong? :)

Hiya..welcomes clsa!

[thecuteone33.livejournal.com]

*waves hello to clsa*...

I've wondered about the same thing... whether it's multiplicity with DID or without -- there are a lot of similarities...

How many people that fall under being multiple/MPD that also have:

1) ADHD
2) Aspergers
3) OCD or anxiety disorders
4) PTSD

Most but not all of these items above might have chemistry as a factor, although with OCD and PTSD -- trauma's usually a trigger -- but a lot of OCD sufferers might have misfirings in the brain (aspergers too)

I have ADHD that almost borders on aspergers (I used to shuffle cards for an entire day and couldn't stop and have constant one way conversations with people when I was young)...

There are a lot of shared symptoms too...

My multiplicity started at a very early age -- but I've had some traumas too -- so I dunno what caused it -- traumas or my brain's a bit goofy?

--my hyperactive .02 cents--

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

If it's true, then I suppose that being a single mind could be a chemical imbalance too. :)

- Butterfly

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

lol good point! ♥
LeAnne

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

dude like it matters really :p if like we're all just an imbalance then like which one of us in our group is supposed to be the true whoever? lol :p
LeAnne

[kalli-moon.livejournal.com]

I don't understand how chemicals can create a person. I'm not here only because of chemicals. I'm here because I'm alive. Are you here because of chemicals? I used to believe I wasn't real. But I know I am real no matter what anyone ever tries to tell me. I know Little Kal is real too. I know the others in our group are real. My friends and family are not made up of chemicals in some one's brain. Kalli

[rabbitsystem.livejournal.com]

I don't think anybody means that you are not real. It's just that we want to understand how we came to be here. Like the way that we know what the sun is made of. It would still be made of the same things if we didn't know what they were, and we can't pretend it isn't there because we do know what it's made of.
Ellen

[clsa.livejournal.com]

Thank you, that is the point I was trying to make.

[kalli-moon.livejournal.com]

I know I came from some where else. How could I be a result of a chemical imbalance in the body's brain if I wasn't even here when it might have been taking place? That is definitely true for many of the others who came to the group within the last 5 years. They definitely would have arrived after an imbalance took place. Because our home realm already existed by the time they arrived. Kalli

[sethrenn.livejournal.com]

I don't see anything wrong with the concept that there are chemical factors in multiplicity. I know at least part of our communication has some biochemical factor to it, because our communication has been reduced mildly to severely in the past when taking drugs that were prescribed for us with the express purpose of changing our brain chemistry to presumably fix some problem that was assumed to be chemical in origin.

However, who decides what a normal balance of brain chemicals is, to the degree that you can determine when someone has an "imbalance"? There's no test that involves sticking a needle in anyone's head and sampling the balance of your brain chemicals. It's possible that you are multiple because your brain chemistry is different from the norm. That's fine. I wouldn't necessarily call that an "imbalance," however-- just being different.

[rabbitsystem.livejournal.com]

Humans are basically bags of chemicals. Very, very complex, but not fundamentally different from what you get in a test-tube. (Actually there's a major philosophical debate there, but I think we can all agree that whatever's going on with our souls, the physical part of us obeys the laws of chemistry.)
If we're chemical, and our brains work on chemicals - every time a signal passes from one neuron to the next, that was a chemical reaction - then there are two possibilities. Either the multiple's brain is 'wired' differently, or the wiring is the same but the signals are different. We know that a different chemical environment can alter consciousness (depression as a side effect of a drug, for instance), so it isn't unreasonable to suppose that a persistent difference in brain chemistry could give rise to multiple consciousnesses.

Does it matter? I wouldn't have thought so. A rational explanation does not make the thing explained less real or less important. You can explain without explaining away.

[crystalseraph.livejournal.com]

Well, EVERYTHING is comprised of chemicals, and energy in various states.

I personally treat multiplicity the same as the way twins+ are concieved. just a mental function, instead of the reproductive system.

[liedownlovely.livejournal.com]

Completely unrelated to this post:

Dead Like Me mood theme = win.

[clsa.livejournal.com]

Something completely unrelated to this post is especially welcome. <3

[ridetothesea.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't matter to us. We'd have to shift our way of thinking, but I don't think it would ultimately change how we regard each other. We're here, no matter how we got here, and we have to deal with that. :)

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

in response to your edit "aww da baby!" lol :p your title is probably what people didn't like. I mean it says "you're all rubbish" so you know people are going to just think the rest of the post is going to be like the title :p
LeAnne

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

A biochemical difference does not mean an imbalance. As firewheelvortex is fond of saying, different does not mean broken.

[hessgasm.livejournal.com]

i agree with this comment :)

[hessgasm.livejournal.com]

ok, our group use a neurological model for our multiplicity, but we also recognise our individual pasts in parallel. i don't think that it's necessarily an imbalance, particularly because we don't know enough about consciousness to determine what the 'right' or 'normal' balance of chemicals is.

hess, fen group