The Redwoods Circle is where we offer our an education, community-building, and social change work. One core focus of our work is helping plurals, we who are many in one body. Gathering in circles is a powerful and ancient technology, and a natural response in Sequioa sempervirens, the Redwood tree.
the Redwoods are 12+ people living co-consciously in one body. We identify as plural: many in one body. We work for a better world for multiples and those who love them, with the recognition that there are many allied groups to work alongside. Plural and Multiple is a preferred term for an experience that is often referred to as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or “multiple personalities.”
We are talking a big issue: 1-3% of the general population is estimated to meet the criteria for DID, which many people find is probably too narrow to capture the full diversity of the community. In other words, the number is possibly much higher! Stigma, lack of research, and lack of access to competent healthcare and other resources are major obstacles.
Our activism has led us to publish research, appear on BBC Radio, feature in a YouTube video now watched over 20 million times.
Personally, we have been coming out as multiple since 2012 to growing audiences in our personal and professional lives, and have generally found that we are happier and healthier when we are open about and accepting of ourselves. And individually we, the Redwoods, happen to love each other, a joy our culture is only starting to be ready to imagine.
We bring a background in grassroots organizing and progressive policy, with links to environmental justice and mindfulness. We focus on developing a framework with our multiple activist colleagues at the nexus of disability justice, neurodiversity, and mental health advocacy. Since many are underground and in hiding, we bring a willingness to publicly speak about our communities as well as to facilitate, write, and strategize.
We are also trans, and are proudly based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Some of our individual bios, a snapshot from 2020 or so, always evolving:
Z
pronoun: Z
interests: passionate about plurals, research, and community-building. Long-time emotional supporter, nurturer in the system who ponders next role as we mature. Continuing to emerge and experience life after so many years in stigma.
Alli
she/her
interests: aesthetics, queer and trans feminism, networking, internal system care. Affectionate introvert. Cultivating space for large scale social change.
Eliza
they/them (singular)
interests: social movement building, mindfulness, and storytelling, improvisation and composition. Enjoys friendship with allies and extensive strategy conversations.
Joy
She/her
I’m 13 years old (the body is closer to 30, the above folks all have adult ages) and it’s very common to have younger people in the body. I am curious about what’s possible in a world full of justice, where we don’t have to hide.
Petra
he/they
I’m a mid 20s demi-guy who identifies as nonbinary. I am grateful to live in this amazing community that strives every day to care for each other as well as engage in social change beyond the obstacles.
Smoke
grateful to be alive. trans. observing and learning.
We look forward to meeting you all on the paths to many liberations.