We are The Plural Association, the first grassroots & peer-led, registered nonprofit for people with Dissociative Identity Disorder, OSDD and all other forms of Multiplicity under the Plural umbrella. No matter the label they use to describe their individual & unique experience with Manyness.
The Stronghold System (they/them) got diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder in 2010,11 and 12 just to be extra sure as they dealt with a lot of denial. Now they also self(ves) identify as Plural, an umbrella term for all forms of Multiplicity.
In 2017 they started Power To The Plurals a free facebook support group,
blog & youtube channel.
By now they wrote over 40 articles which get read over 10,000 times a year and created over a 100 youtube videos with 70,000 views each year.
We're not gonna lie, things got a bit scattered all over the internet
and we are here to fix it!
''Empower Plurals, [no matter the label or words they use to describe their individual plural experience with] where Plurals is defined [for The Plural Association legal documentation] as everyone who self-identifies as being or having more than one individual within a single body, by developing and using their capacities to actively shape their own lives and that of the Plural community and the society of which they are part, in economic, social and political terms.''
We said to ourselves, what if Plurals aren't just looking for support, but actually they are looking for a place to safely be Plural? To take off the singleton mask? To practise? To learn? That is how this platform was born!
It is SO much more than a support group, it's our own social media network that contains everything we could have dreamed of to provide Plurals the ultimate community and empowerment experience!
Our dedicated team has years of experience running successful online and inclusive of all communities where we bring together Plurals.
Whether you just found out you are Plural or have been living life together for a while now; if you and your System want to be part of a tight community experience, where you& get to engage with other Plurals, where you& can truly be yourselves, practise vulnerability together, find and create empowerment, support, training and more this is definitely the right place for you and your System!
For shy Plurals and introverts: I just wanted to include a little message in here for those who are thinking to themselves I'm too shy for this or I'm an introvert, help!! haha, I know that problem very well, ask anyone that knows us Stronghold folks IRL (In Real Life) lol. However, we have made it EASY for you& - We ask daily questions and polls that are easy to answer. You can stay totally anonymous on here if you'd feel that is safer. You& set the speed and we follow and support you with every step you take. You& don't have to go at it alone!
These are a handful of the many (anonymous) responses we got in our survey:
''Supportive of all plural people, no matter how they identify. Efforts to put community needs first, and awareness of intersectionality.''
''Knowledgeable answers and practical responses.''
''Community, not feeling alone, and being able to give back.''
''The precautions and attention to detail when it comes to making sure it stays a safe(r) and wholesome place without ever demonizing anyone or their experiences.''
''It gives us hope that we are not alone, and someone is out there listening. It gives us hope stigmas might finally be addressed and combated. Being plural can be very lonely and scary for some without knowing others experience it too.''
''Support in understanding and managing life as a plural.''
''I often feel crippling anxiety about my DID. The group is always there to help me remember "this is nothing to be afraid of", by giving me a sense of community.''
''A safe space for systems.''
''TPA is one place I can send anyone with good intentions and stake our personal & professional reputation on how well they will be treated. We have faith in the community and culture that is there.''
''It’s open and honest, inclusive and allows people to support each other to thrive.''
We are charging money for this platform to cover the cost of the warmline platform that The Plural Association starts in 2021. At this warmline you and your system will be able to share their stories and worries with a trained peer support Plural, through email, live text chat or in a call.
We thought long and hard about how to price this community and in the end we decided to trust our community members. This is why we work with a sliding scale payment option. This means each bundle for Plurals is the same and contains access to the same platform, groups, training, events and more. We trust you& will select the bundle with the price you& can afford.
How our pricing is build up:
We like to be transparent here at The Plural Association Nonprofit. This is why we gladly explain our pricing model and what we use the money for. However, it's good to be aware this is an 'All inclusive' platform, there is no option to pick and choose. If you would not join an event, we use that weeks dollar to cover a warmline call.
1 dollar for the platform including the courses coming in 2021
5 dollar for events/meetups
6 dollars scholarship to cover above costs for a System in need
3 dollars to help us cover other costs
In our medium and high tier we also included a donation of warmline calls
for Systems in need.
You& can cancel at any time
and will get a reminder when your free trial is about to end!
Sliding Scale - consider paying less if you:
Are a Person of Color impacted by racism.
Disabled or disordered.
Are impacted by houselessness.
If you experience disparity due to gender identity or sexuality.
Have significant debt.
Have medical expenses not covered by insurance.
Receive public assistance.
Are supporting children or have other dependents.
Have immigration related expenses.
Are an unpaid Plural content creator or community organizer.
Are an elderly with limited financial resources.
Are a returning citizen who can’t find work due to incarceration history.
Sliding Scale - consider paying more if you:
Can afford it and want to donate more warmline calls.
Do not experience your Plurality as disordered.
Have a job that pays you more than minimum wage.
Own the home you live in.
Have investments, retirement accounts or inheritance.
Travel recreationally.
Have access to family money and resources in times of need.
Work part-time by choice.
Do not experience systemic financial disparities.
If you& need a scholarship to be able to participate, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! We gladly work with you& to get you into the platform as soon as possible. Just email us at contact @ thepluralassociation.org and please put scholarship in the topic title.
The scholarship application process is as follows: after we receive your email, we email you back as soon as we can with two questions which we list here. If you& want to speed up the process, feel free to answer these questions in your first email!
1. We ask you& which amount you& could safely donate on a monthly basis to our registered nonprofit for Plurals.
2. We also ask if you& can moderate or volunteer and if so where your volunteer interest lays and what access needs you& have.
If you& have no access to a bank account or cannot donate the minimum amount of $3 (that’s the minimum our bank asks to approve the transfer) and/or if you& cannot volunteer in any way, please just let us know and we will gladly provide you with a full scholarship. We are not here to financially gatekeep or have ableist expectations of people who are looking for support.
We cannot allow singletons; people who are certain they are not Plural.
We cannot allow minors under 18.
We cannot provide crisis support.
We are not doctors or therapists.
Our community does not replace therapy, treatment or medication.
Nor does it replace individual coaching or individual Plural peer support for you and your System.
Our nonprofit and this platform are inclusive of all forms, experiences and labels of Multiplicity/Plurality. Hence Syscourse, origin debates, sysmedicalism, denying people's lived experiences etc. do not align with our mission.
Racism, bullying, ableism, harassment, LGBTQIA+/MOGAI misia/phobia, trolling, triggering others on purpose etc. are not tolerated on our platform.
NFSW/P*rnographic content and messages are STRICTLY forbidden.
Encouraging harmful or dangerous behaviour towards selves or others won't be accepted.
Do not force your views on others.
Sales without very explicit permission or invitation.
Other important things to be aware of before signing up:
Please read the terms of use of our platform software provider before purchasing a membership! Please do not sign up if you& cannot abide by those and our specific terms of use. Want to know more behind the security of this platform click this hyperlink.
One thing we want to point out before you& sign up is that in the 'Acceptable Terms Of Use Policy' by our platform provider it says 'impersonation' is not allowed. (''impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity, especially in the promotion or sale of specific Network.'')
This is to avoid fraud and scams, not to silence Plurals and our fictives and factives headmates. However, to avoid any problems, we highly recommend signing up with a system name in the first and last name field and using the names of specific headmates in the bio(s) instead of the name fields.
We will soon provide Plural Practise for:
- Empowered Plurality including internal communication.
- Guided meditation and positive affirmations for Plurals.
- Innerworld DIY (Do It Yourself.)
More will definitely be added in the future and you& can vote and suggest topics!
We thank you& for your continued support, trust and for the community we have build together over the years. We thank all who have or are volunteering for The Plural Association Nonprofit. We also give our gratitude to everyone who made this possible with financial donations over the years that got us to where we are now.
If you are brand new here, welcome! We can't wait to get to know you. There is a free trial available, so Plurals feel free to have a look around.