Endogenic Plurality
Endogenic plurality is plurality (the experience of being more-than-one) that arose without trauma, and often without purposeful creation. Those who are endogenic find that they have another person, soul, or identity sharing the same brain as them, often adding input, communicating and alternating control of their physical body. Unlike clinical forms of traumagenic plurality (some well known forms are Dissociative Identity Disorder and Other Specified Dissociative Disorder-1), when someone has another person or identity with them directly due to repetitive traumatic events, endogenic plurality often exists independent of trauma.
It may be tempting to dismiss endogenic plurality as something that should be some sort of pathology, or as some sort of grab at attention, but the condition has been around for a while, and experiences similar to it have been around since the beginning of recorded history. Different cultures and communities have claimed experiences that sound similar to endogenic plurality, some which have attracted the attention of scientists, such as trance channelers and mediums. Trance is a state of dissociation scientifically, and studies on trance channelers have showed that despite the presence of multiple consciousnesses, there were differences in behavior and experiences distinguishing the practice from Dissociative Identity Disorder (Hughes, 1992). This led to the conclusion that a non-traumagenic origin may lead to differences in functioning (Hughes, 1992). There are also psychological and neurological changes in trance that occur and support the legitimacy of non-traumagenic identity states and dissociation, as studies into various forms of trance turn up changes that cannot be replicated by simple relaxation alone (Peres et al, 2012). This may hold true for others who are experiencing non-traumagenic forms of dissociation and identity states, even if they are not subjectively perceived as spiritual. Various plural and plural-like experiences have been noted in modern history, with some explicitly referring to themselves as non-traumagenic and going against the commonly held notion that all experiences of being "more than one" must inherently be from a traumatic background (Costner, 1989). Endogenic plurality has always been around in some form or fashion.
What endogenics experience is the experience of being "more-than-one" through birth or predisposition, spirituality or atypical psychological circumstances. This is usually not something one can will or control, and is not something that appears from an externally traumatic event. In cases of endogenic plurality, the person (or people, if you will) are plural regardless of prior trauma or personal feelings on the subject. A person who experience themselves as being more-than-one may collectively refer to themselves (their group that shares one body) as a collective or system. The amount of members a system can have varies widely, with some systems being as small as two people, and others containing hundreds of people. Some systems have non-human members and even members from media, while others happen to have completely human members. This is normal for people who are part of endogenic systems.
The thoughts and causes behind this mode of plurality are vast, and every system has a different theory as to how they came about. There are those who believe that it's a quirk of neurology and that as consciousness developed in the brain more than one formed, in much the same way it would for a cognitively singular individual. Some hold to specific psychological theories to explain this, such as E.R. Hilgard's neodissociation theory (Kirsch, 1998), or the theory of structural dissociation (although modified to explain a non-traumagenic system and way of functioning) while others may adhere to different theories. A system may forgo psychological explanations, choosing instead to think of spiritual or metaphysical reasons for how they came about. Some may believe they were all reincarnated in the same body, while others may feel they walked into a body and became a system that way. There may even be systems who's members hold different opinions and cannot agree one way or another on a reason, or do not care to think about it!
Endogenic plurality encompasses a variety of "more-than-one" experiences that can be roughly categorized as non-traumagenic and spontaneous. It is nothing new, and while it may be strange to encounter, it is a legitimate experience and condition like any other.
It may be tempting to dismiss endogenic plurality as something that should be some sort of pathology, or as some sort of grab at attention, but the condition has been around for a while, and experiences similar to it have been around since the beginning of recorded history. Different cultures and communities have claimed experiences that sound similar to endogenic plurality, some which have attracted the attention of scientists, such as trance channelers and mediums. Trance is a state of dissociation scientifically, and studies on trance channelers have showed that despite the presence of multiple consciousnesses, there were differences in behavior and experiences distinguishing the practice from Dissociative Identity Disorder (Hughes, 1992). This led to the conclusion that a non-traumagenic origin may lead to differences in functioning (Hughes, 1992). There are also psychological and neurological changes in trance that occur and support the legitimacy of non-traumagenic identity states and dissociation, as studies into various forms of trance turn up changes that cannot be replicated by simple relaxation alone (Peres et al, 2012). This may hold true for others who are experiencing non-traumagenic forms of dissociation and identity states, even if they are not subjectively perceived as spiritual. Various plural and plural-like experiences have been noted in modern history, with some explicitly referring to themselves as non-traumagenic and going against the commonly held notion that all experiences of being "more than one" must inherently be from a traumatic background (Costner, 1989). Endogenic plurality has always been around in some form or fashion.
What endogenics experience is the experience of being "more-than-one" through birth or predisposition, spirituality or atypical psychological circumstances. This is usually not something one can will or control, and is not something that appears from an externally traumatic event. In cases of endogenic plurality, the person (or people, if you will) are plural regardless of prior trauma or personal feelings on the subject. A person who experience themselves as being more-than-one may collectively refer to themselves (their group that shares one body) as a collective or system. The amount of members a system can have varies widely, with some systems being as small as two people, and others containing hundreds of people. Some systems have non-human members and even members from media, while others happen to have completely human members. This is normal for people who are part of endogenic systems.
The thoughts and causes behind this mode of plurality are vast, and every system has a different theory as to how they came about. There are those who believe that it's a quirk of neurology and that as consciousness developed in the brain more than one formed, in much the same way it would for a cognitively singular individual. Some hold to specific psychological theories to explain this, such as E.R. Hilgard's neodissociation theory (Kirsch, 1998), or the theory of structural dissociation (although modified to explain a non-traumagenic system and way of functioning) while others may adhere to different theories. A system may forgo psychological explanations, choosing instead to think of spiritual or metaphysical reasons for how they came about. Some may believe they were all reincarnated in the same body, while others may feel they walked into a body and became a system that way. There may even be systems who's members hold different opinions and cannot agree one way or another on a reason, or do not care to think about it!
Endogenic plurality encompasses a variety of "more-than-one" experiences that can be roughly categorized as non-traumagenic and spontaneous. It is nothing new, and while it may be strange to encounter, it is a legitimate experience and condition like any other.
Sources:
Costner, Chris (1989). A Mind of My Own: The Woman Who Was Known as "Eve" Tells the Story of Her Triumph over Multiple Personality Disorder. William Morrow & Co.
Hughes, D. J. (1992). Differences Between Trance Channeling and Multiple Personality Disorder on Structured Interview. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 24(2), 181-192. Retrieved June 4, 2018, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5b3e/7513ad024d66af07cb9091ed0fba7fad2934.pdf.
Kirsch, I., & Lynn, S. J. (1998). Dissociation theories of hypnosis. Psychological Bulletin, 123(1), 100-115.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.123.1.100
Peres, J. F., Moreira-Almeida, A., Caixeta, L., Leao, F., & Newberg, A. (2012, November 16). Neuroimaging during Trance State: A Contribution to the Study of Dissociation. Retrieved March 20, 2019, from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0049360
Costner, Chris (1989). A Mind of My Own: The Woman Who Was Known as "Eve" Tells the Story of Her Triumph over Multiple Personality Disorder. William Morrow & Co.
Hughes, D. J. (1992). Differences Between Trance Channeling and Multiple Personality Disorder on Structured Interview. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 24(2), 181-192. Retrieved June 4, 2018, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5b3e/7513ad024d66af07cb9091ed0fba7fad2934.pdf.
Kirsch, I., & Lynn, S. J. (1998). Dissociation theories of hypnosis. Psychological Bulletin, 123(1), 100-115.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.123.1.100
Peres, J. F., Moreira-Almeida, A., Caixeta, L., Leao, F., & Newberg, A. (2012, November 16). Neuroimaging during Trance State: A Contribution to the Study of Dissociation. Retrieved March 20, 2019, from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0049360
