Nobody at the Wheel

[20splinters.livejournal.com]

We are just recently out of an odd situation. Anakin was fronting last night, and he started getting really tired around 1 am, so he stepped back, expecting some one else to take over, but nobody did! The body was still awake and could be directed to eat, drink, speak, go to the bathroom, and so on, but there was no consciousness at the front. Usually when we’re in back and tell the front person we want something done, we get a mental sense of who’s up front even when they don’t answer us directly. There was absolutely nothing there. No intelligence, no self-awareness, just emptiness and the body doing as directed. We have had this sense before, but generally only when the body first wakes up in the morning and we haven’t figured out who’s going to be fronting yet. This lasted for about 16 hours, and nobody could get to the front for more than a few minutes. We’re toying with the idea that nobody wanted to front because the body’s been having migraines that weren’t responding to meds, but that’s just a theory. I finally managed to come forward after being requested, but I had to drop the body into a trance-like state to get forward and it was still really difficult.

I don’t know what was going on, but it was creepy.

~ Opal

Comments

[sexylittleone.livejournal.com]

had this happen. I figure its just a state of conciousness being given tot he body by someone not immediately at the front. We can do it given a need or reason. shrugs.

Discovered it by accident heh.

El

[20splinters.livejournal.com]

It does seem a useful trick for drudge work or unpleasant situations. It appears we had a sleeping child fronting! There's more on that in the personal journal.

~ Anakin

[ex-khailitha846.livejournal.com]

I don't have any idea if this will apply to your situation. We have a filter personality that is almost always in front of everyone else. She's a real person, but she's empty. Hmmm... how do I explain? Almost like she has a severe memory disorder. Most of the time We operate through her... she acts like a glove or a mask and smoothes out transitions and personality quirks that would make it hard for Us to pass as "normal" in the real world. But, in her limited consciousness way, she is aware. She thinks that whatever We think or do while working through her IS her, (Although her awareness is changing recently, she now knows about Us and is trying to come to terms with an identity crises of immense proportions.)

Anyway, a while back We all stepped back and left her in front, alone. It was a very strange feeling to watch her sit there with nothing, nothing going on. Bless her heart, I think it was actually kind of peaceful, although frightening.

I suppose there is a state of dissociation where no one at all could be in the driver's seat. I know there are times in my childhood unaccounted for by anyone in the system and I can only assume it was best for Us all to leave for a while. I've pondered the dilemma that if no one is present in the body, doesn't it seem like the body would, well, die? But you guys were present. Just not driving. Seems wierd that you had such a hard time getting back in. Hmmm...

Were you or anyone around you in danger because of this state of affairs?

Keep Us posted... hope your migraines get better. When is your next acupuncture appointment? (You guys get acupuncture, right?)

*hugs*

[20splinters.livejournal.com]

We know 3 other aware multiples face to face, and 2 of them have front filter personalities. We looked for something like that, but didn’t find anything. (Jocelyn and Jolyn both used to be unaware filter people. We call them “faces.” Jolyn’s been dormant for over a decade, but Jocelyn’s having issues probably similar to your filter person’s, and now hardly comes out anymore.)

It appears that we had a sleeping child fronting during this weird episode. There’s more on that in our personal journal. Fortunately, nothing dangerous happened, because there were delays between when we’d tell the body to do something and when it actually did it. Geesh! We’d never had to think so hard about what exactly getting ready to go somewhere involves! (First socks, THEN shoes!) We had to do stuff like taking over the hand for a minute to stick it under the shower water to check temperature before letting the body climb in there, because the body had a noticeable decrease in physical sensation.

We’ve never been in for professional acupuncture, but we do know a few little mental tricks and physical pressure points that we’ve picked up over the years. Opal finally came to the front feeling a slight tension like she’d just had a headache, and I’ve only got a slight hint of pain right now. Rhiannon’s pretty sure that one of her herbal treatments would completely get rid of that, but the stuff tastes nasty! It will pass, but thanks for your concern.

*return hugs*

[sethrenn.livejournal.com]

We've had some experiences of default blank people like that. We usually just call them shells. Like you said, they don't actually seem to be people in their own right (for the most part), but rather little rote mental programs that take over simply because something -has- to be there if no one wants to be running the body. Just basic things like driving, taking class notes, using the public voice and answering to the public name and trying not to seem inconspicuous or unusual in any way. It's gotten to be kind of routine for us actually, although I see how you could freak out the first time it happens to you. "hey, who's fronting now?" "oh, we're running a shell, don't worry about it."