Personal Boundaries and the Power of Suggestion

Thanks a lot for sharing. We can't really read all that right now. It's a bit overwhelming. Kind of vasalating between the bliss of a calm day, and my lack of desire to get sucked back into figuring our ways out. I am sick to death of dealing with the, "multiplicity issue," as if there is one proven and functional way to deal with it. This blog is annoying, people who self engrandise because they are multies are unuseful for themselves. Grace

Thanks for the interesting theory. I've been thinking along the same lines recently. I'm not sure if I can tell the difference between people pleasing behavior and an alter with little if any boundaries.

I find your topic very interesting, though, I do believe their is a fine line between the power of suggestion or high suggestibility, being a people pleaser, and having certain things, conversations, environments, trigger an alter, if that is what you desire to call it. First, amidst the disassociative states, we attempt to act normal to fulfill normal functioning and daily living, sometimes harder than other times. We have to tell ourselves how we're supposed to behave during, perhaps, a transition period when we either feel like a walking brain or a walking brainless zombie. For example, with me, sometimes, during severe disassociation, if someone says hi to me, it then triggers my mind to telling me that I'm supposed to say hi to them. I don't feel like saying hi to them. I'm hardly aware of their presence. But I know social etiquette says that I'm supposed to say hi and acknowledge them as if they're actually there. Sometimes feeling so lost in that state, it is a relief to have some comment, someone, anything, pull out something that actually feels real. Forcing responses to external stimuli versus internal to perhaps pull one of me, I don't care who, out of that horrible lost state, like purgatory.
On the other hand. Then you have the people-pleaser who simply wants to please people and do as they want her to do because she takes great pride in making others happy, so she does as she thinks she ought to do in order to make the other person happy.
Then there's the triggers. The vulnerability of the personal boundaries in which one 'alter or host' has such boundaries as in not being suggestible or not doing what others want her to do if she doesn't personally agree with it, but then there's the other whom feels that she has to - such as the victim state. Society tries to teach us to live without emotion while at the same time telling us not to be heartless. So therefore we create and act accordingly. So just the mere mention of saying something without emotionality can trigger that state of being without emotionality. It doesn't necessarily have to be the power-of-suggestion. It can be a switch.

Holly- I can follow what you are saying but I definitely think that dissociation is not the only factor in this. Those with DID often have trauma and in most traumatic instances we were to obey no matter what and that leaves us with an underlying sense of obedience. I have found that for me if someone is encouraging me to set boundaries and follows them easily I am able to do so but when they are pushed it is hard for me to reinforce them because I am compliant. I am "supposed" to be compliant. Also just as a character trait I have a tendency to be a people pleaser. I don't know if this is the case for others but thought I would leave my 2 cents anyway.
ACA

There have been numerous studies done on the link between dissociation and suggestibility or hypnosis, but I'm not sure of the link to personal boundaries. The studies seem to suggest that it's a fairly complex association dependent on a number of factors... with having a diagnosable dissociative disorder not being a necessary. Saying that, they do the studies because there is a link between dissociation and suggestibility or hypnosis, just that having a diagnosis of a DD isn't a requirement to being suggestible.
I suppose it would also depend on how you were defining the term personal boundary. It can mean how you allow others to act around you, and not necessarily about what they do to you. I think I know what you are meaning within this context though, and it's more about being influenced by others, rather than how they act; or did I misunderstand what you were meaning?
As a person with co-dependency issues, I'd like to point out that it's a little more complex than being a brainless, self-sacrificial lamb :) It's another indication of my past and involves a pattern of behaviour learned over time.
Take care,
CG

Holly-
Could you explain a little more about the article above. I am having trouble understanding it. I would like to understand.