Switching Characteristics

How to tell when a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder is about to switch personalities.

Training Instructor Bethesda PsycHealth Institute 1990

• headache
• pressure inside the head
• stiff neck - (usually not as intense as with memory retrieval)
• pressure at the base of the head - (less intense than with memory retrieval)
• pupil dilation
• 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.)
• eyes more sensitive to light
• lightheadedness or dizziness
• chills
• ears ring
• emotionally feeling more child-like
• mood swing - a change in mood
• thought pattern change - thoughts change about same subject and your response changes with it
• feelings and emotions change - change about same situation
• objects and people look different - dimensions are off, colors can look brighter or dimmer
• body looks and feels detached
• face looks and feels detached
• face looks different in the mirror
• laughter changes - different laughs, subtle different to flagrant
• light in a room changes to suddenly brighter or dimmer
• fainting feelings - physically like you might lose consciousness
• inability to concentrate and think clearly
• urgency to "do something"
• thoughts become louder
• orchestra of thoughts or "conversations," all with opposing views

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