Q: What name do you want to be called?
We are the Redwoods. You can drop the “the” in casual use. “Hey, Redwoods!” or “Nice to meet you, Redwoods!” But also fine to try “Nice to meet all of/some of the Redwoods”. If referring to us to others, “the Redwoods” usually makes the most sense. “Have you met the Redwoods?” Otherwise it just sounds like we are a singlet person named “Redwoods”, de-emphasizing our plurality.
Q: What’s the definition of “multiple”?
Our simplest broadest definition: many beings in one body. For the Redwoods, we say “nine people in one body”, because we know a specific number and all identify as people. (Other systems might use the term parts/alters/states/entities/members, based on their preference).
Q: Should we know all of you individually and all of your individual names, pronouns, ages, preferences, etc.?
Z: Hi there, this is Z. It’s fine if you get to know us over time. But it can be tiring for us to do all the introductions at once. Our bio page has a little more about us individually, and some folks prefer to remain private. In general we have “the Redwoods” to give people a name to call us without having to meet everyone. Some multiple systems don’t want most or any of their members to be known or named, or just don’t work that way.
Alli: we do like to have relationships individually. We are more individuals than a group, if we had to choose. But in large group settings as Z mentioned there might not be time or relevance to meet everyone individually.
J: we often speak and drop hints or explicitly say “this is [name]” when we change who is talking. That’s to offer the listener context as in many cases people are not (yet) able to track who is who.
Q: Do the Redwoods prefer to be called you or you all or y’all?
A: We like a mix of both “you” and explicitly plural terms like “you all” or “y’all”. You can be plural in English, but y’all does feel affirming. If you are talking to an individual member like Alli or J, you is perfect.
Q: How does memory work for the Redwoods?
Remind us to write a long post about that. Ha. In brief, we share conceptual or narrative memory easily (“general sense of what is going on”) and can pass images to each other, but our experiences remain our own, for the most part.
Q: What’s the most surprising thing about multiplicity?
Other than the mere fact of our existence, it is how diverse the experiences of people who are many in one body are. There is still so much more to be learned.
Q: Is there any show/tv/movie/book that does multiplicity justice?
When we find one, we’ll let you know. There are probably some better autobiographies. If you are multiple and have talent, please create your own media! We don’t care for United States of Tara.
More FAQ’s coming soon… meanwhile – here is a list of resources on multiplicity, including FAQs by other multiples.