Support Protocol on Dissociative Behavior in Group Support Rooms
Updated: 9/9/20
Hi Community,
We have acknowledged your insightful and useful feedback on the protocol that we are implementing on the platform to make it a safe and healing space for all users. We wanted to thank each and every one of you for your comments which have helped us revise the protocol.
We have conceptualized this more broadly as dissociative behaviors in group rooms. This protocol applies to all people on the platform. As always, any behavior that takes away from the therapeutic environment in group rooms will not be accepted.
All users are expected to follow our community guidelines. Any violations of guidelines will be looked into under our Behaviour Points System and appropriate actions will be taken. This is to ensure the safety of the user and our broader community.
We also want to clarify that while we encourage people to seek support in the appropriate forum section (in relevance to their experiences) as all are welcome to participate as long as forum and sub-community specific guidelines are followed (if any).
Dissociation & Crisis
As per our site policy, any user who is currently in crisis needs to be referred to 7cups.com/crisis. If you are a listener supporting a member experiencing dissociation or switching who is in a crisis situation, please refer them and give them the space to reach out. You can read our crisis policy here.
We hope at 7 Cups that this revised protocol will be accepted and implemented to protect and care for our community that we all love!
Hey, Im Astronomy.
For anyone who doesnt know hello there, Im a forum supporter for the traumatic experiences community. Im also a community mentor leader for the teen only zone.
Im also simply just a listener. I support other listeners talking to members on this topic. And I support members going through their struggles as well. This post upset a great deal of them. It upset me as well if Im being honest. I saw it affect all areas of the site, forums, private messages and group support chats.
I also have a member account. Im a person. I dissociate too. Im not officially diagnosed but we have a really solid guess of what it must be.
Sorry for restating any questions already asked. Or if what I say upsets anyone. Im not trying to cause conflict, but perhaps find some answers and peace of mind.
This post seems to be very confusingly put together and worded. And it leaves me with a lot of questions it seems.
This post seems aimed directly at teens. But it applies to both sides of 7cups right? Adults and teens?
Also it just specifically mentions DID. Theres lots of other types or forms of dissociation. Or types of trauma that have to do with what this post is considering as alters. Does this same concept apply to them too?
The post above says an online group support chat room not specifically aimed at DID is not the most fitting form of support. Does this mean if we opened a room (like the one for the trauma community for example) it would be okay? That we wouldnt have to kick them out of rooms. Would it mean we have to hold more discussions for that particular topic or have a moderator around 24/7?
What about regular group chats? Am I still welcome there? What if its an alter that fits within the age rules, can they still talk in the room?
The community guidelines part is very clear to me, along with the behavior points system. I have no questions on that.
If a user is struggling with symptoms of DID This is another part that seems unclear to me. Symptoms of DID are very similar or the same as symptoms for a lot of other issues. In fact a lot of them go together. Or are indistinguishable. Should we still try and have that user get support on DID specifically?
What about listeners with a dissociation disorder? DID or anything else? Can they still be a listener? Can they still have roles and participate?
If you have encountered an individual in the chatrooms with DID please refer them to the DID community on 7 Cups and to a 1:1 setting at 7 Cups. An individual? Is this a member or a listener? Are they needing support for the DID or just talking? This is very unclear. Its great that we have the resources there, but we dont need to make any user feel left out or pressured to do something when thats not necessarily what is needed in that situation.
The crisis policy is another part that is clear. I have no questions there.
Why is only the subforum section for Dissociation and DID mentioned? Why not the entire trauma community? Why not other communities that are openly supportive of these members like disability support, personality disorders support or teen only zone support for example?
Thanks for anyone answering. @Hope
@AstronomySkies
Thank you so much for advocating. This has made my headspace a mess today for the first time in a while. This was a safe place. I understand the underage alter issue, that can be a safety issue. But ban a host from talking in a group? Discrimination :( Thank you for all you do for the trauma community.
@AstronomySkies. Thanksies bestie 💕 proud of of everything of what you do in this community
7 cups has been my safe place. I feel discriminated against once again... My friends too. This is bad.
I asked some questions in LSR about this and it was requested I share my thoughts here.
A big problem is the protocol isn't being written about behaviours/the support someone needs, it's being written about labels.
I have asthma, it is diagnosed. These are all different ways things could be worded, that would affect when/if I could be in group support:
1) We should tell people with asthma to get medical help, group support isn't the appopriate place for them.
2) People with asthma having an attack need to get medical help, group support cannot do that for them.
3) People with breathing difficulties need to get medical help, group support cannot do that for them.
With 1 I am being discriminated against due to my diagnosis. There are likely people who also have asthma and don't know it, since they do not have a diagnosis they probably wouldn't be included in that. Our risks may be similar - or for those undiagnosed possibly even higher as they haven't gotten professional help with learning to manage it.
With 2, it's understandable, although it seems unfair that it's singled out so specifically. What if someone is choking? It seems odd to make the rule just about an asthma attack.
With 3, it's much more fair.
It seems the way this is worded is we are to tell people with a particular diagnosis they are not welcome in group support. Hope has posted the equivalent of 1 and 2 here. 3 has been ignored. I think one could make the argument either way about whether group support is a good place for people experiencing dissociation - and going back to my asthma analogy there are different situations too - am I coughing a little bit or am I struggling to take a breath? Is it just starting, am I in the middle, or is it ending? Etc.
With dissociation it sounds like the issue came about due to age ranges - if that's the main issue, why not just make that the rule? Someone who is currently identifying outside of the age group cannot be in group chats at that moment. If there are reasons beyond that, I feel like rule #4 should already cover the issue.
4. If feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or do not feel the present environment is aiding in your personal healing, please visit our Browse Listeners page to connect with a Listener one-on-one.
If for whatever reason that's not enough, make it about what is seen as the problematic issue - I see no reason why the problematic issue should be specific to a diagnostic label. It's disappointing any rule was written based on one.
@wonderfulMagic99
Can you please PM me?
@CaptainRex I cannot, I don't have the right badges to initiate chats with members and I am an adult without an ATL badge. � Sorry!
@Hope
Ima slightly confused about this and what it means.
Hey @Fireskye13
I understand, I was a lot confused (and still am, as to the reason for the move) too, but I will try to explain this, to the best of my ability-without misstating what was said in the original post.
◦ Members/Listeners with DID are asked to connect with a Listener 1-1, or interact in the DID sub-forum. It is requested that they not participate in Group Support rooms. According to the post, the reason for the rule is that clinical experts on 7Cups found that participating in General (non-DID focused) Group Support rooms may not be very helpful?
◦ Then, there's a line stating that community guidelines will apply equally to systems, and users without DID.
◦ It also suggests that users with DID look for DID-specific support groups (outside of 7Cups?), that may offer better support.
◦ And penultimately, it states that-if people in the chatrooms meet a system, they should refer the members with DID to a 1-1 or the DID subcom. Essentially, if you have DID, you will be asked to move to a 1-1, or the DID subcom.
◦ Finally, it states that if one of the alters is in a crisis, the whole system will be referred to crisis resources in a 1-1.
This is how I understood the protocol, and I may have missed out on some parts of it.
It effectively disallows systems from participating in Group Chatrooms-Whether they can participate in other parts of the forum (outside of the DID subcom) is unclear.
@loyalTree3713
Thanks tree that sucks, I think this is a very very very bad idea. I truly believe cups will lose people, ik they will me if it stays in place
Its been expired, I can't express my disappointment strongly enough, idk who thought this is a good idea but they have hurt me I see no point to excluding DID people so much for a welcoming place for everyone.
@Fireskye13
Explained*
This is honestly really unfair and it brings up a lot of question.. why???
this is absurd and diacriminatory. I alters are people too, the purge happens but I honestly thought that was a mistake on your part, but now this? It's unclear but it sounds like you are just going to toss out all the people with DID I mean there are plural safehavenz I know of on the internet but it's not like I could pick up everyone and guide them to their location,
Has my dad would say, this is baby back BS
@Hope
I am sorry, but this IS offensive.
Let's go back to the origin and purpose of this site, shall we?
This site's purpose was to offer people a safe place, away from the discrimination of the real world if I remember correctly. Offering them a safe space, lending an ear to listen, and being there for them regardless of who they are.
On the teen side, we did talk about this issue a lot. It was more of a safety concerning issue for both parties involved– the person who's experiencing the dissociative symptoms (which could be anyone by the way, it doesnt tie only to DID) and the other teens feeling kind of uncomfortable regarding the age regulations and yada yada. What was concerning wasn't the presence of the teens dealing with DID and other dissociative disorders, it was certain more specific aspects, like alters who are adults, and breaking rules. The latter could be done by any other person, not necessarily experiencing any dissociative symptoms or even any other disorder. By implementing these new rules, protocol, call it whatever, you're not helping in ANY way.
First off, this is completely vague. MANY loopholes, and not well-thought or well-written or even well-explained points. Which causes even MORE confusion around the site. Secondly, it's obvious that MANY people, even the ones who complained about the age regulations and adult alters issue, are clearly AGAINST this.
Finally, by banning a whole category of people, a whole group of human beings, you are not doing any good. This does not solve the age regulations issue effectively, but it's more of a discriminative rule that makes what once was a safe space for these people, a nightmare. These people are being discriminated upon in the real world. So they come here, only to be discriminated upon too? What kind of mental health site is this? Are we forgetting the main purpose of this site? And going towards building a community that is the exact same as the real world? That spreads hate and discriminates? Is that what we're doing now?
I don't know what your thought process was, or what you expected from implementing this new protocol, but I know that 7 Cups is now not only losing a HUGE part of its community but also losing its own values. I understand you're still offering to listen to them in PM's, but we all know most listeners are not well educated about this topic. And where do you find people who are? The rooms, yes, the rooms. A place where you can find the most well educated and kind people ever. A place where you can socialize, relate, empathize, and look at other people with similar struggles and think "I'm not the only one."
If this rule stays as it is, and if this site continues its discrimination and losing its values, you're not only losing the members struggling with the issue, but you're also losing the listeners who struggle with it, the leaders who can recognize discrimination when they see it, the well-educated, and finally, this site's reputation.
I hope you can understand what I am trying to say, and I hope you actually listen effectively this time, and try to solve it with both parties instead of discriminating against a whole group of people. I genuinely hope you understand. At the end of the day, I am just stating my opinion regarding this, while actually thinking of all parties involved. I hope you can do that too. Let's not lose any more great people.
@Hyacinth22. Well said
Anyone ever feel like they are a seperate entity from themsevles and the rest of the world.
You just watch the world. and whats supposed to be meaningful interaction is just bleak and mundane?
No? Its just me? Okay thanks.
