(no subject)
vital stats:
1. what should we call you?
Daniel or DarkSouls
2. where in the world are you? where did you grow up?
I currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
3. what do you do for work, or, what do you WANT to do?
Currently I'm on disability for severe PTSD and DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder). I WANT to be going back to school to get my BA in Psychology, eventually becoming a therapist (PhD, though I'll probably get an LCSW along the way) who specializes in trauma disorders.
4. who are the important people in your life? tell us about them.
Well, *sigh* my therapist is one of the most important people in my life, as sad as that may sound. She's Dr.D or Lynette. There's my friend Jeannie (whose house I am coincidentally at right now). She's a lot older then me (I'm twenty-six: she's 68) and is a survivor whose been dealing with things for a long time. She's also one of the few people I can ever count on to be somewhat consistently "there" for me (she does have limitations on how much I see her, because she lives in another city then me and she has mobility issues, though). There's Leilani, whose another friend, who I met in a psych ward- she's a good friend but sometimes it's really hard with her especially when she's having her own issues (when it was worse). I have some other people in my life- Marty, whose a long-distance friend whose a researcher on ritual/cult abuse, Thomas, but I'm not as close to him as I used to be...
Oh, and my cat, of course.
VERY important random-ass questions:
5. have you ever returned an item to a store for a refund after having used it?
I can't specifically think of a time I have but I may well have.
6. if you could bring one character to life from literature, who would it be?
Oh, I have to CHOSE? Ummm, probably Miles Vorkosigan, from the Barrayar books by Lois McMaster Bujold.
7. which color describes you most accurately?
Deep, deep indigo blue.
8. what one toiletry item could you never live without?
Toilet paper. No explaination needed.
9. what do you think Victoria’s secret is?
That she's probably a middle-aged plump woman who wears NONE of those clothes and secretly laughs at those who do.
and lastly:
10. what brings you here?
I stopped having any contact with both of my parents (and my siblings who live with my father) 9 years ago (him) and 8 (her) when I got into foster care and there was a criminal case against my father for sexual abuse (he did a lot more then that, but they weren't putting that in- the ritual abuse might've messed hte case up, not that it matttered, didn't make it to trial). I was seventeen. I've had some contact with my "Aunt" (father's ex-wife before my mother, if you follow) but that was both so heart-wrenching and- information kept- leaking from ehr to other, less trustworthy family members- that I haven't talked to her in a few years. I miss her desperately.
When people ask me, I say I was in foster care. Which is true, though it was only for nine months. But I think it says a lot that IN those nine months the court revoked parental rights and had me made a Ward of the Court. Even the judge commented on the fact that neither of my parents *bothered to show UP* for that.
I've tried making the "family of friends thing" (and my foster parents, and the guy I was engaged to, among others) work. Repeatedly. Every time it ends up hurting me, badly.
So, basically- I don't have family, or anything like it. I tend to get very depressed/suicidal around the holidays as I- never have anyone to spend them with. My *cat*, who I've had seven and a half years, has been in my life longer then anyone I currently know/am in contact with.
11. what do you hope to get from us as a community?
A place I can talk about what it's *like* to- be- well, basically an orphan (one of the best doctors I ever worked with told me that- he's really great-that the pain- will always be there- because I am rather literally an orphan. Even more then most survivors I know.) but not even having them *dead*... Where I cna hear other peole talking about similar things. Stuff like that.
Daniel
1. what should we call you?
Daniel or DarkSouls
2. where in the world are you? where did you grow up?
I currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
3. what do you do for work, or, what do you WANT to do?
Currently I'm on disability for severe PTSD and DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder). I WANT to be going back to school to get my BA in Psychology, eventually becoming a therapist (PhD, though I'll probably get an LCSW along the way) who specializes in trauma disorders.
4. who are the important people in your life? tell us about them.
Well, *sigh* my therapist is one of the most important people in my life, as sad as that may sound. She's Dr.D or Lynette. There's my friend Jeannie (whose house I am coincidentally at right now). She's a lot older then me (I'm twenty-six: she's 68) and is a survivor whose been dealing with things for a long time. She's also one of the few people I can ever count on to be somewhat consistently "there" for me (she does have limitations on how much I see her, because she lives in another city then me and she has mobility issues, though). There's Leilani, whose another friend, who I met in a psych ward- she's a good friend but sometimes it's really hard with her especially when she's having her own issues (when it was worse). I have some other people in my life- Marty, whose a long-distance friend whose a researcher on ritual/cult abuse, Thomas, but I'm not as close to him as I used to be...
Oh, and my cat, of course.
VERY important random-ass questions:
5. have you ever returned an item to a store for a refund after having used it?
I can't specifically think of a time I have but I may well have.
6. if you could bring one character to life from literature, who would it be?
Oh, I have to CHOSE? Ummm, probably Miles Vorkosigan, from the Barrayar books by Lois McMaster Bujold.
7. which color describes you most accurately?
Deep, deep indigo blue.
8. what one toiletry item could you never live without?
Toilet paper. No explaination needed.
9. what do you think Victoria’s secret is?
That she's probably a middle-aged plump woman who wears NONE of those clothes and secretly laughs at those who do.
and lastly:
10. what brings you here?
I stopped having any contact with both of my parents (and my siblings who live with my father) 9 years ago (him) and 8 (her) when I got into foster care and there was a criminal case against my father for sexual abuse (he did a lot more then that, but they weren't putting that in- the ritual abuse might've messed hte case up, not that it matttered, didn't make it to trial). I was seventeen. I've had some contact with my "Aunt" (father's ex-wife before my mother, if you follow) but that was both so heart-wrenching and- information kept- leaking from ehr to other, less trustworthy family members- that I haven't talked to her in a few years. I miss her desperately.
When people ask me, I say I was in foster care. Which is true, though it was only for nine months. But I think it says a lot that IN those nine months the court revoked parental rights and had me made a Ward of the Court. Even the judge commented on the fact that neither of my parents *bothered to show UP* for that.
I've tried making the "family of friends thing" (and my foster parents, and the guy I was engaged to, among others) work. Repeatedly. Every time it ends up hurting me, badly.
So, basically- I don't have family, or anything like it. I tend to get very depressed/suicidal around the holidays as I- never have anyone to spend them with. My *cat*, who I've had seven and a half years, has been in my life longer then anyone I currently know/am in contact with.
11. what do you hope to get from us as a community?
A place I can talk about what it's *like* to- be- well, basically an orphan (one of the best doctors I ever worked with told me that- he's really great-that the pain- will always be there- because I am rather literally an orphan. Even more then most survivors I know.) but not even having them *dead*... Where I cna hear other peole talking about similar things. Stuff like that.
Daniel