#self fakeclaiming

[syscultureis]

Venty sorry

System culture is, I'm faking being a system I mean up until a few days ago I was A then suddenly I didn't wanna go by A anymore for no reason. Our headcount went up by 4 new alters after something that wasn't even that traumatic, when it happened I was just a little sad nothing more.

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[multiplicity-positivity]

Dealing with Denial 101

We’ve gotten a few asks about dealing with denial as a system, so we wanted to put together a post that we can reference in the future.

Denial, imposter syndrome, and fear of faking are all incredibly common system experiences. Unfortunately, when dealing with something that is so heavily stigmatized and not well understood among the public, these issues come all to easily. Just because you experience these things does not mean you aren’t a system, however! Here’s some things to remember that may help with dealing with feelings of denial:

1. Every system is unique!

You do no favors for yourself, your system, or others by comparing your experiences to those of other systems. An endogenic system’s experience is going to look entirely different from a system with a dissociative disorder, and even within certain origins there is so much diversity! There is no need to deny your system due to having unique experiences. There’s a lot that brings us together as systems, it’s true, but there’s also so much that sets us apart from each other and makes us different and unique! Take pride in this fact and don’t use it as an excuse to deny your system.

2. Created/spontaneous systems are valid!

If you find yourself wanting to deny your system on grounds of being endogenic, feeling like endogenic systems can’t exist and therefore your system can’t exist, we’d like to reassure you that that couldn’t be farther from the truth! Endogenic systems are and have always been an important part of the plural community. Your experiences as an endo system might be totally different from the experiences of a CDD system, but that’s okay! And it doesn’t mean that either of you are inherently faking your experience with plurality.

3. Comorbidities can (and do) happen!

It is possible to be a system (whether disordered or nondisordered) and deal with a myriad of mental illnesses. You can be a system and still have personality disorders, anxiety disorders, developmental disorders or any other sort of mental disorder. The only exception to this would be, you probably can’t have DID and OSDD at the same time. If you’re wondering about comorbidities and your likelihood of experiencing more than one disorder, please consult a mental health professional! Having comorbidities is not an indication of faking plurality and shouldn’t be a reason for you to deny your plural experience.

4. Communication is often difficult!

For many systems, communication does not come easily and is something that needs to be practiced regularly in order to improve over time. Some systems never reach a place of excellent communication, and that’s okay! It’s also perfectly normal to have a system that goes through communicative cycles, with periods of lots of activity followed by periods of silence. Just because you aren’t hearing from your headmates multiple times every day doesn’t mean that you’re not really a system!

5. Introjects are normal!

It’s okay to have tons of introjects in your system, or even for your system to be made up entirely out of introjects! It’s fine to have fictives, factives, octives, faitives, fuzztives, and everything in between. Yes, you can still be a system with a bunch of anime or smp headmates! Yes, you can still be a system of your introjects are weird, “cringe,” canon-compliant, canon-divergent, factives of celebrities, fictives from popular sources, or anything else! None of these things should cause you to deny your system - lots of other systems are in similar situations!

6. Some members are more prone to denial!

Even in diagnosed CDD systems, sometimes hosts, persecutors, or other members dig their feet in and refuse to acknowledge the system’s existence. We know this definitely happened in our system! Just because a particular member often tries to deny the system, doesn’t mean that you’re faking at all! For some members, the realization that they’re a part of a system can be scary, frustrating, and anxiety-inducing. Some may choose to deny that the system exists in order to protect themselves, or to preserve their way of life. A bit of kindness, patience, and persistence can go a long way in getting these members to accept the reality of your multiplicity!

7. A syscovery may happen at any time!

You don’t need a therapist or specialist to confirm that you’re plural. You don’t need outside validation in order for your system to exist. You may discover your system at a very young age, or well into adulthood. Both of these are perfectly fine times to learn about your plurality - there’s no magic age you must be before you can learn about your system! If your system deals with heavy denial or dissociative barriers, it may take multiple syscoveries in order for the realization to stick. This is nothing to worry about and definitely not proof that you’re faking your plurality!

8. Fakers don’t usually stress about whether or not they’re faking!

Faking an illness is a conscious effort that takes time, knowledge, and dedication. Fakers also don’t worry too much about whether or not they’re faking - for the most part, they absolutely know that they are! If you’re worried that you’ve been faking your plurality all along, honestly chances are slim that you’re actually faking. Try to stay calm and patient, and allow your headmates to speak for themselves on whether or not they think you’re faking your plurality!

9. It’s okay to question!

It’s okay to spend a long time wondering whether or not you’re actually plural. It’s okay to experiment with labels and try some out before you’ve figured out the origins of your system. It’s okay (and recommended, and healthy!) for you to question whether or not you have a trauma history or childhood memory gaps, and to rule out trauma as a cause for your plurality first. It’s okay to have a “pillowgenic” label one week and a “stressgenic” label the next. Questioning is a big part of self-discovery - the mere act of questioning your plurality doesn’t mean that you’re not actually plural by any means. Take your time with figuring out who you are!

10. It’s okay to be wrong!

There’s so much more we’d like to add here, but the last thing we’ll say is it is absolutely fine to be wrong about your origins, headmate count, or your plurality overall! You are not hurting anyone by exploring the concept of plurality, wondering if multiplicity affects you, and ultimately deciding you’re a singlet. It’s also perfectly fine to be wrong about your origins or to discover you’re traumagenic later in life. Deciding you’re endogenic after discovering childhood trauma may not be a wise thing to do, but other than that, it’s okay to be wrong about your experience and the language you use to describe it!

Sorry for the long post! Hopefully some of these affirmations will be reassuring for struggling systems out there. Remember that we’re in your corner rooting for you regardless of your origins or whether or not you experience denial! Please know we’ll always believe you, and we hope that one day you’ll be able to believe in yourself and your system!

(Image ID:) A pale orange userbox with a cluster of multicolored flowers for the userbox image. The border and text are both dark orange, and the text reads “all plurals can interact with this post!” (End ID.)

[polyfragcultureis]

questioning polyfrag culture is thinking you're faking because there is no way your system is actually complex so you're probably just an attention seeker :(

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[dreamdropsystem]

feeling fake as a system feeling fake as LGBT member feel fake being nonhuman ugh imposter syndrome/ self fakeclaiming be STRONG last while

[ur-local-ghost-pal]

Everyone say it with me, the disability comes before the diagnosis ever can/does. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[wildflower-rain]

I don't feel like a system right now. I feel like a liar. I know we've got reasons for knowing/believing that we're a system but I can't remember any of them right now. or if I do they just feel like lies.

this is weird. it happens sometimes I know. its happened before. it'll probably happen again. it still feels weird.

[werewolf-pack-system]

I feel fake. We haven't switched in days. I can still hear the others, but even when they want to take front, there's something there stopping them. It just... makes me feel like I'm making things up. I know I'm not; several events have evidenced otherwise. But that doesn't help me feel any less like I'm faking 😔

[rottingventbook]

wow this song is good(was it all real or am i just making it up)

[shadowsbrainrot]

if anyone tries to give me shit for being self dx i’ll just tell them that yeah my psychiatrist and my therapist believe me but are just unable to diagnose me bc healthcare literally sucks ass

[syscultureis]

Plural culture is being so traumatized by living with DID that you start to wonder yourself if the disorder is even real or not, or if all these people are just faking to gain sympathy, including yourself. You know all the science but yet your brain and alters gaslight you into thinking youre faking or just outright crazy. And its so hard to not have this internal debate when some individuals can and do mislead others in the name of DID. You're hoping you just wake up one day and its gone. Maybe this is oddly specific to us

I definitely understand this, we've struggled with this thought process before too

The disorder is meant to be covert and to protect you, sometimes your brain will do everything it can so it can keep you in a "safe ignorance"

That includes trying to convince you that maybe the disorder isn't even real sometimes

It sucks and it's hard to go through :(

[clownrecess]

(Tw for talk of r/fakedisordercringe, ableism, fake claiming, harassment, etc.)

I have had it with r/fakedisordercringe. This subreddit is filled with content that is both ableist and harmful to the neurodivergent community. The posts mock autistic people, systems, people with ADHD, etc. suggesting that people are faking or exaggerating their symptoms for attention. First of all, it's incredibly harmful to assume that someone is faking a disorder just because they don't fit into your narrow view of what that disorder looks like. Autism, for example, is a spectrum disorder, which means that there are a wide variety of ways that it can present itself. Just because someone doesn't exhibit all of the classic symptoms that you associate with autism doesn't mean that they're faking it. (Tell me you're an aspie supremacist without telling me you're an aspie supremacist /hj)

The reasoning that the users of this subreddit often use tend to fall under these categories:

"They don't experience *insert disability* the same way that I do, so they must be faking"

"They post too frequently about their disability, so they must be faking"

"They support self diagnosis, so they must be faking"

"They use xenogenders/neopronouns, so they must be faking"

etc.

Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe not everyone is the same? That not everybody's disability is the same? /nbh

The idea that someone can determine whether or not another person is truly autistic or has a mental disorder based on a few online interactions (or even just a post!) is absurd. Not every autistic person or people with other disorders fits the stereotype of what people expect, and it's not up to strangers on the internet to decide who is "legitimate" and who is not.

As an autistic person, I'm tired of constantly having to defend myself and my experiences. I'm tired of seeing people with disabilities being reduced to nothing more than punchlines for jokes.

A few days ago someone in a youtube comment section accused me of faking being autistic, by saying something along the lines of "Self diagnosed ahh". First off, not everybody can safely access diagnosis. You are so incredibly privileged if you think everyone can. Somebody being undiagnosed does NOT immediately mean they are faking. Second off, I am literally professionally diagnosed.

I am tired of r/fakedisordercringe and the hate, misinformation, and stigma it perpetuates.

Leave disabled people ALONE.

[ontheoutside-lookingin]

Clinical misdiagnosis is more common than self misdiagnosis. Just for the record, in case anyone is still skeptical of self diagnosis :) it’s not up for debate btw

[chronicsymptomsyndrome]

Never expected this many notes and all the tags are breaking my heart so I want to say something—

I’m so sorry if you were not taken seriously in your youth. I’m so sorry if you were denied the care and treatment you needed.

Please give yourself so much credit for surviving that.

I hope you heal from it all. I hope you get your needs met.

[richierambles]

Quick reminder:

Having trauma caused by headmates is normal and valid

Feeling more jumpy the closer you are to a trauma anniversary, even if it's not the anniversary just yet, is normal and valid

Being traumatized by experiences other people wouldn't see as bad and/or traumatizing is normal and valid

Your trauma is yours, not anyone else's. You will react to it in your own way. And that's completely valid.

[psychotic-system-culture-is]

Psychotic System Culture is...

Not undergoing a whole lot of initial denial about your systemhood until the psychosis "started", after which you doubt everything going on in your head, including your headmates

Bonus points for being a very distinct, very disordered system who is incapable of masking, and thus being very obviously "real"...

We already accepted plurality soon after syscovery, we do not need to go backwards into internalized self-fakeclaiming and imposter syndrome!

[multiplicity-positivity]

Here’s some positivity for systems with trauma due to syscourse!

It is very sad that system discourse, which should be a way for systems of all sorts to come together to learn and come to better understandings about one another, is often filled with hate, harassment, ignorance, and vitriol. It’s not fair that so many systems are attacked for simply existing or wanting to talk and learn more about plurality from systems of different backgrounds. Our own system has been traumatized by syscoursers, and we know firsthand what it’s like to be severely harmed by those who claim to engage in civil system discussion. So here’s to all the systems who have been traumatized by syscourse!

Are you an endogenic system who has been harmed by others constantly fakeclaiming you and dismissing your experience? We want to let you know that we see you, we believe you, and we will never call your validity into question! You deserve kindness and gentleness, and the full understanding that you are a real and integral part of the plural community just the way you are!

Are you a system who has been harassed due to simply believing that systems of all origins are real? If so, we are so very sorry that you have faced harassment for allowing other people to define their own experiences. Know that it is actually healthy and beneficial to listen to and support systems of different backgrounds and experiences, and we are so very proud of you!

Are you a traumatized system who has had your trauma history questioned or invalidated due to your syscourse stance? We’d like to remind you that people online cannot and do not know you or your personal history better than you yourself. Your trauma is real, and no amount of people online claiming otherwise can change that! You deserve peace, rest, and recovery, no matter what your views on syscourse are.

Are you a system who was forced to recall your trauma too early due to syscoursers online? If so, we’d like to offer you our deepest condolences. No one should ever be forced to recall painful memories in order to be treated with respect and compassion in online spaces. Please know that the fact that you actually do have trauma does not justify others forcing you to dredge up aspects of your past that you were not ready to come to terms with yet!

Are you a system who became mixed origins or partially traumagenic due to being traumatized by syscourse? If you are, please remember that the trauma you went through is absolutely not your fault. Your system was real even before the trauma you faced, and we truly hope that you can access the support and resources you need in order to begin your healing process.

Are you a system who has been doxxed, harassed, threatened, or encouraged to commit suicide or self harm due to your involvement in syscourse? We’d like to let you know that our heart goes out to you. It’s not fair that you were treated in this way and traumatized due to trying to engage in system discourse. No one, under any circumstances, deserves to be treated in this way! We wish for you comfort and rest surrounded by people who care about you.

Regardless of what your system looks like, how you identify, what your syscourse stance is, or how regularly you engage in syscourse, absolutely no one deserves to be traumatized for what they believe in and how they express themselves. We genuinely wish that every system who has been traumatized by syscourse can find hope, peace, comfort, and recovery in their future. Please know that we care about you, we’re rooting for you, and we’re wishing you the very best in all that you do!