Made by the Wentz System
Polyfragmented Systems Information
Hello and welcome to this informational Carrd! This Carrd aims to fill the void of good resources for and about polyfragmented systems. Here you will find out what a polyfragmented system is, what some common experiences are, and some misinformation that you should avoid falling for.As always, it is impossible to add every experience ever to a free Carrd which only allows us to have 50 elements. We tried our best to make this as comprehensive as possible while still making it accessible for everyone.Slight disclaimer: This Carrd assumes that you have at least a surface level understanding of what DID is. A good starting point to learn about DID in general is this website.
Introduction
Polyfragmented systems are not defined by a single criterion or set of standardized criteria. Instead, many systems choose to identify with the label because of their shared experiences with other systems who identify as polyfragmented. If you want to identify as polyfragmented, we are not going to gatekeep the term.In our experience, there are four main criteria for being polyfragmented. Not every polyfragmented system fits all of these criteria, but all of the polyfragmented systems that we have talked to fit at least one. Some systems fit some of these criteria but do not identify as polyfragmented, however.The first criterion is the most commonly cited one, having a large amount of alters. This number is usually around 100, but it can be different for every system. This is the easiest explanation when introducing the concept of a polyfragmented system to someone who does not know what they are.The second criterion is very similar to the first. This one is having a lot of fragments. System communities don't agree what the exact number is, and the answer people give you usually ranges from "dozens" to 100+.The third criterion involves splitting many alters at once and being able to split very easily. This can also involve splitting the same alter multiple times, such as splitting multiple alters whose primary job is doing a specific task at work. It can feel like the brain is trying multiple times to make a specific version of an alter and failing.The fourth criterion is having a highly complex system structure or innerworld. This includes having sidesystems and subsystems, having an innerworld organized into layers, having gatekeepers or alters who have great power over the system, and experiencing mass dormancy or system resets.
Fragments
A fragment is an alter who is not fully formed as an alter but is instead either one-dimensional or only serves one purpose and does not exist outside of that. They can appear (or not appear) in many different ways in the innerworld.This fragment(s) is there for a specific purpose, and does not have an identity or sense of self outside of that purpose, but it is conscious. While alters can experience a wide range of emotions, fragments can literally be one emotion.Of course, fragmentation is a spectrum. The least developed parts are just parts of alters, while more developed parts become fragments, and even more developed parts become alters. It is up to the system to decide who is a fragment and who is not.
Subsystems
A subsystem, in simple terms, is a system within a system, but that's not very descriptive. There are many different experiences which are all under the umbrella of subsystem, and they are all equally valid.One type of subsystem is defined as a group of alters with a separate headspace or an area of the headspace to themselves, and who may or may not be able to access a shared headspace.Another type of subsystem is an alter who is a system themselves, or an alter with alters. It is not uncommon to have one of these subsystems in another subsystem! The unofficial, joke term for this is "sysception."
System Hopping and System Resets
Though system hopping and system resets are not very similar, they are both on one page of this Carrd due to their very similar circumstances in the community. System hopping and system resets were both terms coined by the polyfragmented system community and used by endogenic and spiritual systems to spread harmful misinformation and hurt others.System hopping refers to the phenomenon of an alter leaving a subsystem and "hopping" into another. This is common among systems with forced abuser introjects, but is also seen in other polyfragmented systems. The endogenic or spiritual version of this term, and the most commonly understood meaning, refers to the impossible phenomenon of an alter leaving one physical brain and traveling to another.A system reset is an often traumatic and disorienting phenomenon that can happen to a polyfragmented system (but is not exclusive to polyfragmented systems) where parts of alters or subsystems are "mixed around," creating entirely new alters or subsystems with the old ones' parts. The commonly used endogenic meaning refers to when all alters in a system die and new ones take their place, which is impossible.Please be aware that these terms have been taken out of context, and the majority of people know these terms as being the ones used to spread misinformation. Make sure to educate people on their true meanings when you can! A more detailed Carrd about system hopping can be found here.
Causes of Polyfragmentation
As with all forms of DID and OSDD-1, polyfragmented DID systems are caused by severe childhood trauma. Severity is very subjective in this case. Many people believe that the only cause of polyfragmentation is RAMCOA,* but this is not the case! Polyfragmentation is caused by a need for the brain to create highly complex dissociative structures in childhood.This is most often caused by trauma that encompasses more than one aspect of life, such as a child seeing an abuser from home at school, but there is no one cause we can point to for every polyfragmented system.* RAMCOA is an acronym that stands for ritual abuse, mind control, and organized abuse. Please take great caution when researching this as it can be distressing.
Misconceptions
Polyfragmented systems are only caused by RAMCOA!This was disproven in the previous section. Almost any type of severe trauma can cause polyfragmentation in systems due to a need for highly complex dissociation.PF systems are always severely disabled!This is also not the case. DID is made by the brain to function in stressful environments, so the majority of systems are able to function in life. However, this should not invalidate or undermine PF systems who are disabled due to their polyfragmentation.Polyfragmentation is impossible!This misconception is referring to the number of alters commonly present in PF systems. If PF systems didn't exist, you wouldn't be here reading something written by one! The number of alters commonly present in PF systems can happen as there is no limit to how many alters a system is able to have.Every system is polyfragmented!Research has shown that about 6% of DID systems are polyfragmented, and this number is iffy due to the amount of different definitions of polyfragmentation there are. It is completely normal and okay to not be PF.
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read through this Carrd and learn about polyfragmented systems. We are only human, so if we got something wrong, please tell us! Please treat all polyfragmented systems with respect. This Carrd is also a work in progress, and things will continue to be added to it.