System –
Alter (part, headmate) –
Fragment –
Host –
Ageslider –
Little (middles, bigs) –
Introjects –
Dissociation –
Depersonalization –
Derealization –
C-PTSD –
OSDD/DDNOS –
P-DID –
DID –
C-DID / Polyfragmented DID –
Subsystems –
Fronting –
Co-fronting –
Co-conscious –
Switching –
Rapid-switching – (rolodexing)
Blending –
Blurry – (soupy)
Front stuck –
Introjection –
Inner world/headspace –
Blackout amnesia –
Greyout amnesia –
Singlet –
Splitting –
Dormancy –
Integration –
Fusion –
Final fusion –
Functional multiplicity –
Theory of structural dissociation –
ANP –
EP –
Mixed ANP/EP –
Elaboration –
Emancipation –
Parallel dissociation –
Sequential dissociation –
A Note on ‘Integration’ vs ‘Fusion’
Previously, integration used to refer to alters merging together. This is something you may encounter when reading older literature, prior to the early 2000s.
These days, integration is defined as the process of lowering dissociative barriers between parts, such as;
- Parts gaining awareness of each other
- Parts learning more information about each other
- Establishing communication between parts
- Being able to be present when other parts are fronting
- Sharing memories between parts
- Less amnesia, losing less time between switches
- Dissociating less
- Working together, co-operating
- etc.
Integration is vital to in order to get along within a system and improve functioning.
It’s important to note that integration is not all or nothing. For example, a system may be aware of other parts but be unable to communicate with them yet. The level of integration between parts within a system may vary as well, some parts may have better communication between them in comparison to other parts. Integration is a long process that takes time, and stress, trauma or being destabilized can lower the integration between parts. It’s normal for the level of integration to fluctuate in systems over time, but that’s why it’s important to actively keep working on it and to not take it for granted.
Fusion is used to describe alters merging together into a combined, new part and final fusion is when all alters merge together into one.
However, some people may use these two terms interchangably, be outdated on the change in terminology and others may simply prefer to still use integration in the older sense of the definition, which can lead to confusion. If you are unsure in which way someone is using integration, it’s best to ask for clarity to avoid miscommunication.
On this blog, we will be using integration to refer to lowering dissociative barriers between parts and fusion to refer to parts merging together.
Below you will find how integration and fusion is defined in the DID treatment guidelines:
A desirable treatment outcome is a workable form of integration or harmony among alternate identities. Terms such as integration and fusion are sometimes used in a confusing way. Integration is a broad, longitudinal process referring to all work on dissociated mental processes throughout treatment. R. P. Kluft (1993a) defined integration as an
Guidelines for Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder in Adults, Third Revision – Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 12:115–187, 2011
“ongoing process of undoing all aspects of dissociative dividedness that begins long before there is any reduction in the number or distinctness of the identities, persists through their fusion, and continues at a deeper level even after the identities have blended into one. It denotes an ongoing process in the tradition of psychoanalytic perspectives on structural change.” (p. 109)
Fusion refers to a point in time when two or more alternate identities experience themselves as joining together with a complete loss of subjective separateness. Final fusion refers to the point in time when the patient’s sense of self shifts from that of having multiple identities to that of being a unified self.
Outdated Terminology:
Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) –
Core –