#should I tag this with psychology and other stuff so others can provide some explanation better than I can

[illnessfaker]

do you have any resources on OSDD? like more in depth than just the diagnostic criteria, i'm very familiar with those, i guess more...people talking abt what it feels like? I have cptsd and I've been noticing things very similar to what you described in your post for a long time now. I thought I had DID for sure a while ago, but I was also actively manic/psychotic, so when that calmed down I assumed I had just been delusional. But the identity disturbances and dissociation persist. I don't think it's DID now it's osdd if it's anything but I'm wary of saying that for sure and rly would like some i guess more descriptive accounts of how symptoms are for someone with it. Sorry if this is a lot/you don't have anything of that nature, I'm glad to hear you're figuring out your own multiplicity and hope the understanding helps you in your healing process!

firstly, thank you for your kind words 😊

@/this-is-not-dissociative has a lot of info about did/osdd-1 (and other dissociative stuff) as well as having did/osdd-1 vs. dissociation in bpd/cptsd - though it's possible to have did/osdd-1 and bpd/cptsd of course - and did-research.org talks about osdd-1 a little bit (especially vs. having full-blown did). these are probably the best resources i can point you towards even though they don't contain many personal accounts. the first blog is staunchly against self-dx iirc and there's a lot of "you should speak to a professional about this" but u know how it is (at the very least they provide a lot of info and resources on how to go about doing that, it seems.)

some posts in particular that may be informative/helpful to you (there are probably many reasons to dislike this blog but it's what i've found most informative so yeah):

anp and ep, + an explanation of structural dissociation and how it models ptsd, cptsd, bpd, osdd-1, and did.

anp and avoiding trauma

an example of did vs. osdd-1

parts in bpd/cptsd vs. osdd-1

parts in cptsd vs. osdd-1 (this mod "kevin" has osdd-1, by the way)

parts vs. fragments vs. alters

alters not being easy to recognize

identity confusion vs. identity alteration

( read-more bc this got long despite it being past my bedtime lmao )

the problem w personal accounts of stuff and did/osdd-1 is presentations of these diagnoes will differ from person to person, sometimes greatly. contrary to media depiction they're also covert disorders by nature - they're psychological coping mechanisms for intense distress, and part of those coping mechanisms is being ignorant to the fact that your sense of self is fragmented / there are parts of your sense of self that are attached to trauma. i know of several folks who were initially diagnosed with osdd-1 but then later re-diagnosed as having did because the severity of their situation was very effectively hidden from them by this dissociation.

( another problem is that ppl are flawed and can give bad/wrong info on how stuff works or trends can give the wrong impression and unfortunately that's very common w did/osdd-1 spaces online. e.g. u don't have to know the name, age, etc. or know who's "fronting" or whatever with elaborate tagging systems and pages on ur blog with said info abt ur parts or "alters" to have did/osdd-1. worrying abt that stuff too much can worsen dissociation. )

it's not common for someone to have did/osdd-1 and for it to be obvious to themselves or others (who don't know what to look for, that is). this is why no small number of folks with did/osdd-1 are seemingly well-functioning on the outside since different dissociated parts often serve "everyday life" purposes such as going to work/school and these parts are the ones disconnected from traumatic "materials" as they're called. part of the reason why i'm wanting to conceptualize my experiences as osdd-1 is due to the fact that my default state (the "host"?) is emotionally dissociated from my trauma - i know it happened, but it seemed like it happened to "this body" rather than "me" and i don't feel anything about it until i get triggered. "apparently normal parts" that handle everyday life are usually trauma-avoidant or separated from the trauma like this in some way.

that being said, i'm still not totally sure if i qualify for an osdd-1 diagnosis or not tbqh. my situation is most like the "some individuals with OSDD-1 lack both amnesia and highly distinct parts" mentioned in the page i above linked (but yesterday and this morning/afternoon i was convinced i did - go figure). i'd been researching did/osdd-1 for a while (not necessarily because i thought it was what i was experiencing) which is part of what helped me come to terms with having experienced dissociation for a long time, and i thought up until like...the other day i definitely didn't have it. i came to believe i had some weird bpd/cptsd/szpd-like situation where emotional states had been "locked away" in boxes that i rarely touched as a defense mechanism against psychological distress. i also had a metaphor for my "emotional part(s)" as it/them being like, (a) ghost(s) that follow me around and aren't evil but occasionally "wrap their hands around my throat" to remind me that they're there.

then i saw someone w an osdd-1 diagnosis talk abt how they have parts whose "job" is to "feel sadness for them" as a defense mechanism against that kinda distress and then i was like...huh. and then i thought about how seeing my parents again felt kinda weird and distant. and that's kinda what tipped me off, despite having a pretty unstable sense of self and dissociation issues for a while. the "seeing my parents" thing is somewhat more major, because it felt different from my "default setting." thinking about it is uncomfortable and weird.

ur gonna have to do a lot of reading, tbh, and doing it in moderation is probably a good idea since thinking too much abt dissociation can trigger it. another thing is that conceptualizing yourself as having did/osdd-1 when you don't actually have that experience can worsen dissociation/identity issues as well so u gotta be careful abt how u approach it. but at the same time, cptsd and did/osdd-1 have mostly the same treatment methods anyway (and technically u gotta have cptsd to have did/osdd-1, not as like a diagnostic requirement really but a "you have to be traumatized from long-term traumatic experiences at a young age" sense) so many resources abt did/osdd-1 may be helpful to u regardless of whether you "have" them or not.

i can't tell u how to differentiate between symptoms of psychosis and did/osdd-1 (the blog i mentioned may have posts about that topic - there's two in their master-posts but neither were particularly helpful i don't think) since afaik i'm not psychotic but i wish you luck!

#no reblogs - #asks #Anonymous #resources

[humourtalia]

[Hi, Admin here! I’ve put this under a cut because it’s long, and it's got some heavy stuff in there--look at the tags to decide if it’s safe for you to read. The following is what anon wrote, and my response will be signposted beneath. Okay, let’s go!]

*The submit box wouldn’t let me submit without a picture, so I thought this rant picture would be kind of appropriate?

Anon Submission:

Hi there! First of all, I wanted to thank everyone on the blog for holding this event, I’ve already submitted a couple of rants and it’s been super helpful to write things out and see what advice others may have. I wanted to use the submit for this one though because it may get a little long and I didn’t want to send several asks. Sorry in advance!

So I recently graduated from college and I’ve moved back in with my parents. I’ve noticed that my moods have really deteriorated since I’ve been home. Like I get into these funks and I tend to isolate myself until I feel better. They do pass, but my bad mental health days are awful. I’m not sure if I have depression or if it’s just a case of the blues coming by often, but sometimes it seems like every other day I have them. My parents don’t think I have depression, but I do wonder sometimes. 

My dad was raised “traditionally” and honestly, he’s pretty conservative (i.e he believes the mom should raise the kids and do house work and the dad should get an income, etc.) and honestly, part of me thinks that he believes his kids should be seen and not heard, or that he thinks he’s above me because I’m his daughter (or maybe because he’s a man, idk.). He sometimes also uses racial slurs and when I tell him not to use those words, he gets angry. A few weeks ago, there was an incident where he got a little physical when he was angry. It never happened before, so I was stunned. Like my mom and dad needed to resolve an issue on the phone and the company we called hung up on us. So, my dad calls them back and mimicked the loud, blaring sound that played when we got disconnected. I told him to stop it because I didn’t want him to deafen the person on the other line, but then he got mad at me. When he handed the phone over to my mom, he shoved me and then got into my face and told me never to “override him”. I thought he was going to hit me, so I was really scared. I talked to him about the incident, and apparently when I told him to stop he thought I was yelling at him? I don’t remember yelling at him as loud as he said, and part of me thinks he’s gaslighting me and trying to excuse his actions. He did end up apologizing for upsetting me, but it felt insincere. Like he said “I’m sorry you took offense”. He also kept making excuses for his behavior, like he was in a hurry and that he couldn’t say excuse me when he was on the other line and that apparently I was yelling at him. He said that he still loved me, but that wasn’t my main concern. I’m afraid that anytime he gets mad now, he’s going to use intimidation tactics on me and the whole thing just leaves an icky feeling inside of me and I’m having a difficult time moving past this bad memory. And honestly, he just seemed to want to move on from it. Almost like he was being kind of dismissive? I’m trying to remember that my dad is human and that he makes mistakes, but I don’t want to excuse his behavior either. I feel bad for dwelling on it because he’s done a lot of good for me like paying for college and financially supporting me and encouraging me but it’s just hard to see some of his less than ideal qualities. I don’t feel like I got all of the closure I needed from talking about the incident, and I kind of want to talk to him about it again, but I don’t want to open a can of worms.

My mom wasn’t happy about the incident either but the thing with her is that she treats me as her personal therapist sometimes. Like anytime she has a problem with my dad, she’ll talk to me about it (this is probably at least partially because my dad loves to avoid conflict and he doesn’t like talking about issues. Also he tends to dismiss things sometimes.). She makes excuses that her mom (my grandma) told her about her own marital problems, but that doesn’t mean it’s healthy. My mom constantly sees my grandma anyway because my mom is basically my grandma’s caregiver. Like my grandma is very dependent and now that my grandpa has passed away, my grandma relies on my mom to help out. It seems like my mom doesn’t live for herself, only doing things for other people. She doesn’t really have any hobbies, she just kind of vegetates when she has free time and watches TV or eats or buys stuff off of ebay (which I introduced her to). So now the house is cluttered and despite saying she’ll purge, my mom never does. And that has also caused friction in the house because my dad complains to my mom about how messy the house is and then she complains to me.

I feel obligated for my mom’s happiness because she claims that I’m the only good thing in her life and honestly, I feel like she would be a lot happier without me. She basically gave up her life to raise my sister and I and I feel like she solely identifies herself as a mother. Nothing else. Like if she doesn’t have someone to take care of, she’s lost. I feel like by being born, I robbed my mom of her life and happiness because she always had to look out for her kids and she didn’t do anything for herself. Without me, I feel like my mom and dad would have gotten out of their failed marriage sooner but I don’t think they’ll ever divorce now. I’ve told both of them that I wish they’d never had me but they both insist that they love me and they’re happy to have me. I still feel like a burden though. When I have my bad mental health days, I just want to sleep forever. I’ve asked my mom not to tell me about her marital problems, but then I feel bad for leaving her to fend for herself because she has no one else to talk to. She also continues to talk to me about her problems, but it’s tiring and it usually sours my mood. So for now I just try to tune her out when she complains.

Moving out isn’t an option right now because of housing costs and the fact that I don’t have a paying job yet. But I’m working on getting one though! In the meantime, I can help my parents with cooking and cleaning, even if they drive me up a wall sometimes. If anyone has any advice on dealing with this, I would really appreciate it, but if not, I think that just writing everything down has done wonders for my mood. Again, thank you so, so much for holding this event. I really appreciate the place to vent and I hope you all have a happy 2019!

Admin’s response:

First things first, I am so sorry about all of this. It’s a really difficult situation, and I’m not sure how much I can help, but I’ll try! At the very least, I’m glad writing it out helped.

Putting my psychology hat on, I can’t say for certain you have depression, but it seems very likely to me. What makes me think that are your feelings of guilt and fatigue (i.e. seeing yourself as a burden, wanting to not exist). Those are very worrying thought patterns, and tend to come with depression. Combined with the low moods, it’s pretty clear you’re suffering a depressive episode.

Fortunately, it sounds like it might be temporary--at least at this severity--rather than lifelong. What I mean by that is that it’s been triggered by a life event, and that means you have a good chance of recovery. The general life event is obvious: moving back home and being caught in the middle of your parent’s problems. More specifically, I think it might be the fact that you’re unable to talk these things out with anyone. Your father dismissed you, and your mother has issues that you don’t want to worsen by piling on your own. However, when you can’t talk about your emotions properly, you can’t process them properly, and your mind struggles to carry around open wounds like that. It doesn’t know what to do with all those unresolved emotions, so it shuts down, and you get a low mood.

The immediate solution, then, is to talk this stuff out. Mum and dad aren’t options, but any good friends would be perfect. If you don’t want to share with them, though, I’m happy to hear your rants. Whatever helps you to get them out, process what you’re feeling, and allows you to move on.

(However, if this explanation doesn’t sound right, and you don’t think it matches up with what you’re going through, that’s okay. This might not be the right explanation, but there is one! This is just one possibility based on what you’ve told me.)

As for what to do about your life situation, that’s incredibly difficult. Your father’s escalation in his behaviour is deeply worrying, and you should not feel bad for dwelling on it at all. Humans make mistakes, yes, but good humans own up to them. By the sounds of it, he didn’t. Just because he’s financially provided for you, it doesn’t mean you owe him the benefit of the doubt. As a parent, providing for his children is his responsibility. It’s a duty he has to you, not a gift he gives to you. You’re allowed to be critical and wary of him, and given what he did, I think it’s incredibly appropriate to be. You seem like a good person, who wants to challenge his immoral behaviour, but don’t do it if it puts you in danger. You need to focus on keeping yourself and your mother safe.

Speaking of your mother, I know it’s really difficult to care for someone else’s mental health when your own is in tatters, but I think it’s important that you do. Even if you nod sympathetically throughout her complaints and do nothing else, that’s helpful. She’s clearly going through so much, and she needs support just as much as you do. Hopefully, if you can take care of yourself, you should have more energy to help her. This is horrible to say, but as an ulterior motive, if things do escalate further with your father, having her on your side could be a lifesaver.

As for the guilt you feel about your mother, you needn’t feel it. A mother feels accomplished if she can give her children a better life than she had. It sounds like she’s proud of you, proud of what you’ve done with your life so far, and that is why you’re the one good thing in her life--because you are the proof that it all wasn’t in vain. I think as well, perhaps, that the potential for your parents to divorce is still there. Sounds weird to say that like it’s a good thing. Once you move out, that may make your mother reconsider staying with your father, since the thing tying them together is now gone. And this is really horrible and morbid to say, but your grandmother will one day pass away, and your mother will regain some of her independence again. Life doesn’t end when you settle down and have kids, there’s still potential for her to do plenty more with hers.

Anyway, overall, I just want to say props to you for dealing with all this--your parents problems, as well as your own. And the fact that you’re still working on getting a job and helping around the house despite all of this is so impressive. You are strong, and resilient, and you will recover. If you can live through this, you can do absolutely anything. I am so proud of you and like I said, I am always willing to hear you out if you need to rant. I hope you have a much better 2019 <3

#submission #group theraparty #tw abuse #tw mental illness

[snickerl]

The Birds and the Bees Through the Years

Alternative X-Files universe where Scully is allowed to raise both of her children, telling them how babies are made at different stages in their lives.

tagging @today-in-fic

CHAPTER 3/? - GLASS BOWL

"What's up, Will? Did you have a good day at school?"

It's always the same question he gets asked when he returns home. Either by his mom or by his dad, depending on who sees him first. Sometimes his parents are both away on a case and his grandma takes care of him. She doesn't ask him this annoying question he doesn't want to answer. He doesn't want to talk about school as soon as he leaves the building. His grandma understands, his parents always want to know. William thinks that might be the difference between parents and grandparents, the former want to educate and raise you and make you a better person, the latter just want to spoil and love you. His parents love him too, William knows. Still, his only answer to his mother's question is a non-committal, "hmpf."

"What's that supposed to mean? Mind talking to your mother in whole sentences?" She isn't letting him off the hook, and actually today there is something the boy would like to share.

"Jimmy is such a liar, mom!"

Jimmy is his friend since kindergarten, but from time to time they argue about something and today is one of those days. William's still confused about what came up in school today.

"He said his parents made him in a glass bowl and that's why he's so bright and gets A's in maths all the time."

Scully looks up from the kitchen sink where she's been doing the dishes. "Oh? You've gotten your maths results today?"

"Yup."

"And what have you got?"

"B+," the boy huffs, signaling he's not happy about it.

"That's perfectly fine, Will. Congratulation."

Scully hates it when her son is never satisfied with his accolades. Ambition is a good thing, so is stamina and will-power, but he's also just a kid who should enjoy life. Scully remembers her own ride through school all the way until graduating from medical school. She spent too much time with her nose in her books and too little out with her friends. It had earned her the best grades but her social life had fallen a bit by the wayside. It had become a recurring pattern in her life. For a long time, her job had played the most important part she sacrificed family dinners and free weekends for. Even a date once in a while. Her priorities hadn't shifted until she became a mother. First, of a three-year-old girl she adopted and then, three years later, of a baby boy who turned eight last month and is upset about something she hasn't got a clue of yet.

"But Jimmy got an A."

"I don't care what your friends get and neither should you. You've had problems with that particular topic." Text problems, of all kind. The child that was able to read at the age of four had difficulties solving maths text problems. Scully believed it had something to do with compartmentalizing. For William, reading didn't have anything to do with maths. He read the text but just didn't see the maths behind it. It had taken quite a few private lessons until he understood how to approach the task. "But that didn't keep you from making an effort. You studied hard and you are redeemed with a very good grade. You don't have to be perfect, honey, or the best of your class. We love you no matter what grade you're bringing home. And I bet Jimmy's parents tell him just the same."

"But he still is a liar."

"In what sense a liar?"

"Because he brags about being made in a laboratory. He says he's some kind of superhuman because a scientist created him in a glass bowl. But babies are made in the bedroom by their moms and dads when they like each other very much, right?"

Scully clears her throat before she answers. She feels they are approaching difficult territory. "You're right, William, most babies are made when their parents make love to each other in bed, but not all of them. Jimmy might have told you the truth, it's possible he was conceived by artificial insemination."

"Artificial what?"

"Insemination. It means the mother's egg and father's sperm are brought together outside the woman's body."

"In a glass bowl?"

"Well, it's called a petri dish, but yes, it's more or less a glass bowl, rather a small, shallow saucer. The procedure is also called in-vitro fertilization. In vitro is Latin and means within a glass, observable in a test tube or any kind of artificial environment."

"And it's done to make smarter babies?"

"No, it's done when a couple wants to have children but can't the natural way. In the bedroom." She clears her throat again. Talking to her children about the birds and the bees has never been easy for her. Making it sound like a lesson in biology class is her MO most of the time.

"Oh."

"It's a demanding procedure. It puts the future parents under a lot of stress, especially the mothers, but also the fathers. It's not much fun. And it costs quite a bit of money. Only couples that have tried for a baby without success for a long time would try in-vitro."

"Hmmm."

William lets the information sink in. His mother is always good at explaining those things to him. It's so much easier to ask her than to look it up in a book. She seems to be a resource for any kind of topic. "How come you know so much about everything, mom? Even about this in-vitro stuff," he marvels.

"I'm a medical doctor, remember?"

"But you examine corpses to find out why they died, you don't create babies."

He has a point, Scully has to admit. She works on the opposite side of the spectrum. She doesn't deal with the creation of life but with its termination. Some of her classmates at medical school chose to specialize in gynecology exactly for that reason, to be working in a medical field that entailed joy and health and not mainly sorrow and illness. She deals not only with illness but with murder, crime, and death. She's being called when the worst things have happened and nothing she can do will help the victims, their families, and friends. All she can do is help find the offenders and bring them to justice.

Scully struggles a bit with what she should reply, then decides her son is old enough to understand. "I have first-hand experience, Will."

"What? I'm also a test tube baby?"

"No," she hurries to erase that thought from his mind, "no, you're not."

"Emily?"

"Daddy and I adopted Emily, remember? You know she came to live with us when she was three years old." It's only half the truth, but Emily hasn't been told the story of her genesis yet, and she can't learn from her little brother. Mulder and Scully have been procrastinating the conversation with their daughter so far, waiting for the right moment. The moment just never seems right.

"Ah, right. So where does your first-hand experience come from then, mom?"

Eagerness for knowledge. It characterizes every child, but William in particular. He drinks in information like a sponge. Scully sighs barely audible. Now that she has started, she has to finish.

"I was once told that I couldn't have children. Doctors call it barren or infertile. I suffered from a condition that prevented for me to conceive a baby naturally."

"In the bedroom. With daddy."

"Um...yes."

"What condition?"

Tenacity, thy name is William. Scully puts her thoughts into an order for a moment, tries to think of the right words to explain it to an eight-year-old.

"A woman's body usually contains enough eggs to provide one every month to get inseminated by a man's sperm. If this happens, the egg starts dividing and settles down in the uterus. The woman is pregnant. The baby grows and nine months later it's born. My condition was called Premature Ovarian Failure which means that there were no eggs in my ovaries, and without an egg, there couldn't be a baby."

Thank God for science. As long as Scully can quote from one of her textbooks, even if it's one explaining the wonder of propagation to children, she's on a secure footing. She once read in a guidebook for parents that it's important to respect the child's natural curiosity without being judgmental, that if she avoids these talks, her children won't learn her values about sex, but will develop their own from what they hear from friends and the media. And she doesn't want that to happen. From a psychology professor, she heard that the most important thing is for a parent to explain the difficult topic without seeming anxious, that the child picks up the melody line, not the exact words. Both children have come to her in mysterious, inexplicable ways but she doesn't want either of them to believe they were an anomaly or some kind of freak.

"But mom, where is the baby daddy and you made in this...uh, what is the bowl called again?"

Answer the questions as they come, that's what the guidebook also said. Don't overload a child with information but don't try to steer the conversation elsewhere either. Scully wants to be an 'ask-able' parent, doesn't want her children to think the topic is a taboo in their family.

"Petri dish. There is no guarantee the procedure works, actually it fails more often than it is successful. We tried twice but it didn't take it. We don't have any other children besides Emily and you."

"Okay, but how come I exist then? If dad and you couldn't make babies in the bedroom neither in a petri dish?"

Once again, William's quick thinking mind, his wit and ability to always see the bigger picture surprises Scully, in a pleasant way.

"You, my son, are a miracle," she whispers in an uneven voice, stroking his hair lovingly.

To this day, Scully is still clueless how it had been possible for her to become pregnant. The only logical explanation would be that they hadn't been thorough enough when they took the ova from her. Somewhere in her ovarian tubes there had to be an egg hiding from the insidious harvesters, waiting for the right moment to make its voyage one fine day to join up with a sperm, Mulder's sperm. When she calculates back from the day William was born, she must have conceived him during one of their first times in bed. What a lucky stroke of fate. It seems that at least once in their lives the stars had aligned and fate had been on their side.

A pair of cerulean blue eyes just like her own stare at her, spanned by the cutest wrinkled forehead Scully has ever seen, for the boy tries hard to throw his mother an appraising look. The only thing missing is that he quirks his left eyebrow, and when he does, Scully almost laughs at the smaller version of herself. Are gestures and facial expressions hereditary or has she looked at him like this so often that he imitates her subconsciously?

Don't overload your child with information, rings in the back of Scully's head, another advice from one of the brochures she'd been reading about parenting when she became a mother. Going into detail about how science failed to provide an explanation for a natural conception would overwhelm the boy for sure.

"You are a miracle because you came to us at a moment of our lives we'd almost lost hope that something really good would ever happen to us. We had already accepted that Em would never get a little brother or sister, and suddenly, totally unexpected, you announced yourself. It was so out of the question that I could be expecting a baby that your father and I misinterpreted the first signs as symptoms of a serious illness. I didn't believe the doctor when he congratulated me on being pregnant. I truly thought he was making a joke."

"That would have been very mean of the doctor. I bet you were sad that you couldn't have children and playing a prank would've have been really nasty."

William is not only smart but also remarkably sensitive for a boy his age. In such moments, Scully sees the young Mulder in him, Mulder at a time he was still called Fox. An attentive, empathic, and caring boy and protective older brother to his sister Samantha.

"Yes, definitely. But he wasn't mean, he was being very nice actually."

"So, I'm not a test tube baby. I'm a completely normal child."

"Yes, you are."

"Normal is okay."

"More than okay."

"Even if I don't get A's?"

"Your school grades have nothing to do with what you're worth as a person, Will. I want you to remember that well. What really defines a person is their compassion, their ability to truly love another human being, to give instead of taking. When you think about yourself, I want you to pay attention to how you interact with others, with your friends, with your family, and most certainly not to a grade you got in maths."

"Hmmm," the boy lets his mother's words sink it. They seem heavy and significant, but there's something else bothering him.

"So, you chose Em as your child but you had to take what you got in me."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Will." Her son's trains of thought take unpredictable turns sometimes.

"You saw her and liked her and then you decided to adopt her, but when I was born you had no choice, you had to keep me. Would you have adopted me too? I mean, if you had been given a chance to decide? If you had found me somewhere, in an orphanage or some other place, would you have chosen me or would you have looked for another kid? Someone you liked better?"

It takes Scully a moment to fully grasp the idea behind William's question. Usually, the adopted child in a family questions if they're being loved as much as the biological child. They are usually the ones who are unsure about their position in the family, not the biological one. Her son surprises her once again with the way he looks at things, with how he sees the world around him. She feels the urge to pull him close and shower him with kisses but she doubts he would appreciate this kind of answer. He needs a reasonable explanation he can verify.

"There is no difference between Emily and you as our children, William. I can speak for your father as much as I'm speaking for myself. We were blessed with two little individuals enriching our lives and it doesn't matter how we became a family, the only thing that matters is that we did. We're linked together by our love for each other, not by how we joined this family."

"Is that why grandma calls dad her son once in a while? Because he isn't her son, right? Uncle Bill and uncle Charlie are."

"Daddy is grandma's son-in-law. That is what he's called officially because he's married to me, her daughter. But she loves him just like she loves uncle Bill and uncle Charlie. Even before we were married, she loved him and treated him like family. See, love has nothing to do with how the other person came into your life. You either do love someone, or you don't."

"Complicated."

"Well, actually, it's quite simple. You'll understand better once you're older, sweetie."

"Ugh, mom, don't call me that! I'm not a baby anymore!"

"No, you're not," Scully admits, hiding her melancholy at how fast he has grown. "I'm sorry. William."

"Will is okay, but not sweetie or jellybean or pumkin or-"

"I got it, sugarplum." She grins and hurries to add, "just teasing."

"Good." The boy is really serious about this. "I'm going to also tell dad. I hate it when he calls me fuzzybear. Only because his parents chose to call him Fox doesn't give him the right to annoy his own children likewise. I wonder why Em still lets him call her kitten. I mean, seriously, she's all grown up."

She's fourteen, Scully thinks, and still their baby. They will always remain their babies, their sweetpeas, their angels, and it strikes her as funny that when it comes to naming their children, Mulder is even more prone than she to this syrupy tawdriness. The man who demands to be called by his last name picks of an embarrassment of riches coming up with pet names for his offspring. Maybe it's because he missed this kind of fluffiness as a kid, the sugary sweetness with which parents coat their children.

"What's for dinner?" William asks all of a sudden, letting go of the topic of his conception abruptly which, the guidebooks say, is typical for children his age.

"Chicken curry with rice," Scully answers somewhat relieved the conversation is over. It won't be the last time she will be bombarded with questions, either from him or Emily. She will be open and willing to answer each and every one of them.

"Oh, yum! I'm in my room, call me when it's done." He's already halfway up the stairs.

"I'll call you when the table needs to be set."

"Just as well," the boy shouts down from the landing, ten seconds later Scully hears his door slide shut.

She turns to the stove where the chicken curry has been simmering for almost an hour now, lifts the lid off the pot and stirs absentmindedly. She marvels at how mundane her life is at times. Preparing food, waiting for her husband to come and her family to gather at the dinner table. She worries more often about school, the grocery list and how fast her kids grow out of their shoes nowadays than liver-eating psychopaths, men regrowing body parts and immortal photographers, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. Not at all.

Who would have thought life had this in store for her when young, green, ambitious Special Agent Dana Scully took her first ride down to the basement to meet her new partner?

She loves it, and she knows Mulder loves it as much.

#Dana Scully #William Mulder #glass bowl or petri dish? #animalistic pet names #fluff again

[askanonbinary]

AskANonbinary FAQ (prod at me through the inbox if you think this list needs to be added to/ altered)

Last edited 09/07/2018

1. What is gender?

There is no easy answer to this question. Gender is a complex concept. It may be a combination of physical, mental, emotional, and psychological feelings. Either or both gender dysphoria and gender euphoria can play a part in your relationship to gender - or neither might. You can try looking through sites like genderislike to get an idea of the different relationships we all have with gender, but there is no easy explanation to what gender is and no easy way for you to pinpoint what yours is.

2. I am experiencing [list of gender related things]; what am I?

Nobody can define you except for you. You can find a list of helpful genders/terms in our glossary. Genderfluidsupport also has an expansive glossary of just gender terms that you can look through. There are also two wikis you can use: the gender wiki and the nonbinary wiki. We can help narrow down some choices, but you have to be the one to pick a label(s) or disregard labels altogether. You may also choose to create your own label(s). Gender is not a diagnosis, though, which is why only you can say for sure who you are.

3. Am I nonbinary if I do/don’t experience/do [x]?

All that being nonbinary means is that you do not 100% only identify as a woman or 100% only identify as a man. Being nonbinary/trans is not defined by having dysphoria, your desired level of transition (if any), pronouns, titles, clothes, presentation, expression, or name. And because of this, nobody but you can decide or determine if you are nonbinary/trans.

4. Ok so I want to explore my gender identity, what now? AKA, advice for questioning folks:

The tumblr transgenderteensurvivalguide has a “What Am I?” masterpost where they list some ways to deal with questioning and how to move on from there, and we have a tag dedicated to answers and advice related to questioning your gender. Basically, what do you want to do to explore your gender? You can try: different hair lengths/styles, tucking/binding, different style clothes, experimenting with names/pronouns/gender titles, walking/holding your body differently, etc. You can do these privately in your own room. You can ask family/friends to refer to you differently on different days. You can plan a day to go out and see how strangers read you when you change these things. It’s totally up to you.

5. Can I call myself trans if I am [x]/nonbinary?

If you do not 100% identify as only the gender you were assigned at birth, then yes. Nonbinary falls under the trans umbrella.

6. Can I identify as just nonbinary/genderqueer/trans?

Yes! Microlabels and more specific labels are great but they are not necessary! Plenty of people identify as just nonbinary/genderqueer/trans and nothing further. You do not owe anyone anything further, including yourself. Nonbinary/genderqueer/trans are both specific and umbrella terms.

7. I don't feel like I'm [something] enough to be nonbinary/am I allowed to identify as nonbinary?

There is no test you have to pass nor bar you have to reach to be nonbinary “enough”. If you are nonbinary, then you are nonbinary enough. If you do not 100% identify with only being a girl/woman OR 100% identify with only being a boy/man, then you can identify as nonbinary.

8. How can I tell if I’m faking it or if I’m really nonbinary?

If you’re worried you’re faking it, then you’re not faking it. People who are faking it (who have got to be such a minority that this is not really a thing) 100% know they are faking it because they are doing it on purpose. What you are feeling is self-doubt brought on by living in a cisnormative and exorsexist/transphobic society that insists you can only be one specific gender, preferably the one randomly and coercively assigned to you at birth and denies the existence of nonbinary people altogether. There is nothing wrong with exploring your gender. It can take years worth of time to really come to grips with, understand, and accept being nonbinary thanks to lack of visibility, representation, resources, accept, and support. That doesn’t make you a faker - it makes you human.

One way to think of this is that your mind is basically gaslighting you, making it harder for you to accept your gender feelings (whatever they end up pointing to), in accordance with what society has taught you must be true about (your) gender. You need to work hard on recognizing these thoughts as unhealthy and unhelpful. Realize when they come about, then specifically combat them with reminders that you are allowed to question and explore and that nonbinary is a real (and vast and diverse) and valid identity. You can also utilize the coping mechanisms found below in the question “How can I cope with dysphoria?” to help you on your path to self-acceptance.

9. How do I come out to my parents/friends/partners/school?

Every situation is unique and will require you to make some decisions on how and when you want to come out. Keep in mind that you do not owe it to anyone to come out to them. If you do not feel safe enough doing so, are not ready to do so, or plain do not want to do so, you do not have to come out. That said, you can peruse our coming out tag for an assortment of tips.

Coming out as nonbinary will require some explanation on your part, so first and foremost, be ready to help define what your gender means to you. You may find some helpful references to give your loved ones to help them understand what nonbinary means by lifeoutsidethebinary (warning that there may be some outdated/cissexist language, but they will be good starters for family.

Here is a masterpost of tips for coming out by transgenderbenders covering ways to come out, when to come out (and not), and self-care afterwards. EverydayFeminism also has a step-by-step list of how to come out and what to think about when you are preparing to do so.

For coming out to teachers/professors/staff at school, it can be best and easiest on you to either email all the appropriate teachers/staff yourself or email the principal and ask them to forward it onto the appropriate teachers/staff. In the email, just explain how you are registered and how you should be referred to instead. Thegenderbook has provided a template email that you can work with and edit for your specific situation.

One of the most important tips on coming out, imo, is to do what makes you most comfortable. Pick a place and time to come out where you are most comfortable (is that a secret spot in the park, at home when only one parent is home, etc.). If you have someone you’re out to, you can ask them to be with you to provide support or make sure they’re available to contact afterwards just in case you need. If you prefer to express yourself through writing, then write whomever a note or text. If you would prefer to say how you feel, then come out in person or over the phone. It’s alright to come out with a good luck charm in your pocket or cuddling a stuffed animal. It’s alright to have some comfort food around to help give you something to fidget with and stuff in your mouth if you’re rambling.

Finally, if you need/want to come out but think/know doing so will put you in a dangerous situation, prepare for that. Your safety counts! Maybe you need to talk with a friend to see if them or their family can give you a place to stay for a few nights. Maybe you want to come out in a crowded area or someplace where people are around in case you need to call for help. Maybe you make sure to come out someplace with several exits available in case you need to run away. Maybe you ask a friend to be with you or stay nearby to help you out if need be. Don’t downplay your fears - expect the best but prepare for the worst.

Coming out is your experience, so you do what you need to in order to be as comfortable and safe as possible.

10. What is dysphoria/what does it feel like?

Dysphoria is a feeling of unease or dissatisfaction. When we talk about being nb/trans, this often refers to “gender dysphoria”, which means a feeling of unease/dissatisfaction in regards to your gender. This can manifest as physical, social, and/or mental dysphoria.

Physical dysphoria is a dislike or discomfort with your genitalia, body shape, body type, or any other physical features. Social dysphoria is a dislike or discomfort with how people perceive you, your name, your pronouns, your titles, or any other discomfort you may have with your gender that is not just your looks. Mental dysphoria is categorized as anxiety and depression surrounding gender identity or gender assigned at birth. 

Dysphoria can manifest in a variety of ways. It may be a feeling of itchiness or fuzziness or pain associated with certain things. It may be discomfort or disliking. It may come in the form of depression/anxiety. It may be a feeling of dissociation, feeling as though you are not really in your body or you are not really the person someone is talking/referring to or a general feeling of floating or disconnect from your body/self. It may be a persistent feeling or it may come and go. You may experience a variety of symptoms at different levels.

11. How can I cope with dysphoria?

Depending on what type of dysphoria you’re experiencing and what it’s triggered by, there can be ways for you to try and cope with dysphoria.

To generally cope with dysphoria and try to enter a better mindspace, you may find guided meditation (or meditation in general) helpful. If you know or have/are practicing Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), its techniques can also be helpful in addressing your dysphoria and coping with it. There are many apps on both the app store and the play store that can help you with both of these if you cannot see a professional. Insight Timer (android and osx) is an app for guided meditation and Pacifica (android and osx) is an app for CBT and guided meditation. However, if you are prone to dissociation, hallucinations, psychosis, or paranoia, stay away from typical mindfulness and seek out mindfulness practices that will not trigger negative reactions specifically meant for people who dissociate or otherwise can’t practice typical mindfulness.

Playing around and changing your appearance so that you cover/hide/transform features you are upset with can help you feel better. You can browse our passing and androgynous tags for various tips on how to find an appearance you are more comfortable with.

Finding people who understand what you’re going for and hearing validation about yourself can also help you cope with dysphoria. You can find other nonbinary/trans people through tumblr, a forum, genderfork (a hub for genderqueer folk), your local QSA, or even a dating app. You may be able to find queer meetups through the app meetup. Thurst (which is specifically queer-oriented), Her, and Mesh are all meant to be gender-inclusive dating apps that you might be able to make some friends through. You may find it validating to see others like you on places like genderfork, to get to read your name/gender/pronouns correctly by using the Pronoun Dressing Room (it inserts you into some stories to give you a feel of how your name/gender/pronouns sound), or just plain getting to hear some amazing and validating things about yourself using your name/pronouns by blogs like name-valid.

12. Is it normal/okay to experience/feel/think [x]?

You can ask yourself two simple questions to help determine this. One: why are you wary of these feelings/thoughts. If it is simply because they are new or unexpected, then that’s probably your answer. It can take some time to adjust to new experiences sometimes. And, two: do these feelings/thoughts hurt anybody, especially others (as dysphoric feelings may be harmful to you but that doesn’t make you bad for experiencing dysphoria)? If you’re wary of these feelings/thoughts because they are potentially harmful to others, then you may need to further analyze the root of these experiences and confront them. If not, then the answer to question one is probably your answer. Give yourself a little time to understand and come to terms with your new feelings. It’s okay to be confused and need time to introspect and feel.

13. I’ve told someone I go by [name/pronouns], but they are still misgendering me. How can I get them to stop?

If you want to give them a chance (or cannot, for whatever reason, cut them out), sit them down, and explain that what they’re doing is harming you. Then, start aggressively correcting them. Anytime they misgender you and use the wrong name/gender/pronoun, interrupt and correct them, then tell them to continue. If they continue to misgender you and it is at all possible, you can cut them out of your life. Someone who does not make a concerted and consistent effort to respect you and your identity does not respect you, and they are not worth your time.

14. Can I call myself [X thing/gender/sexuality]?

While your labels are up to you, words do have meaning, and you need to think about what it is you want to communicate with the world? Does the term you’re debating really say what you want it to say? If the word describes you best, you’re comfortable with it, and you believe it is appropriate for you to use, then yes! You define yourself.

15. What sexuality am I if I am [gender/s] and like [gender/s]?

As nonbinary folk, it can be hard to navigate the world of gendered sexualities. That’s why others like us have worked on creating more gender neutral sexuality terms! Fiftywives has compiled a list of terms that describe different attractions nonbinary people may experience and some terms that have been coined to describe them. Temp-nb-blog has as well, though their list is not as well sorted as fiftywives’. Princetenjolras wrote up the origin and use of diamoric for those interested, which may help you understand some of the terms, as well get you excited to use them. As well, you may also choose to go by whatever binary term you prefer/find most descriptive/feel connected to and comfortable with. This is your life, your identity: you define it.

16. What are some gender neutral titles [in place of sir/ma’am, parental titles, aunt/uncle terms, words for kids, etc.]?

You can find all sorts of alternative titles (family, official, relationship, royal, etc.) here by genderqueeries.

17. What does [x] term mean?

You can probably find it in our glossary. If not, feel free to ask/request we add it to our glossary. We also recommend the glossaries at genderfluidsupport, the gender wiki, and the nonbinary wiki.

18. Do you have any tips for [x]?

Probably! Please look through our appropriate tags to see if there’s any tips you’ll find helpful: resource (general resources for a variety of topics), questioning (advice for people confused and questioning their gender/identity), passing (for passing a specific gender tips; you can also try the more specific binding or tucking tags), androgynous (for tips on an androgynous look), dysphoria (for coping with dysphoria), long hair (how to style long hair for specific desired looks, typically masculinizing it), make up (make up tips for matching shade, drawing on facial hair, etc.), coming out (how and when to come out), and hrt (facts about hrt).

19. Do you give medical advice?

I’m sorry, but no. Please talk with an appropriate medical professional about your question. MyTransHealth and SpectrumScores may help you find trans friendly medical providers near you. PlannedParenthood may also be a good place to start, as they are meant for low-income folks, will work with people - including minors - in abusive/dangerous situations to get them medical care on the down low if at all possible, and have shown themselves to be trans friendly. You can check our therapy tag for more advice relating to mental health issues and finding the right therapist.

#making this a post instead of a page so it can circulate if you feel the need #mod post #resources #faq #resource #gender #nonbinary #202 faq

[johnmuffus]

eCom Accelerators 0-100 Review

eCom Accelerators 0-100 Review (Jordan Welch Course)

If you’re here, you’ve probably stumbled across Jordan’s YouTube channel; it’s a common sight for people interested in eCommerce. His channel has gained quite the following, and looks like he released a course to celebrate it.

We’ll go through his eCom Accelerators and take a look at the knowledge presented in it.

Right now, you can pay $497 one time for the course or pay 2 monthly fees of $250. That means it’s almost doubling one of my favorite courses, eCom Elites.

Let’s find out if it’s really worth it.

Who’s the author?

He’s a young entrepreneur (20 years old) and internet marketer, and he’s been focusing on dropshipping since he created his YouTube channel back in 2017’s June.

He took a short hiatus, seemingly while developing this course, but he came back recently with new videos. He’s grown his YouTube channel well over the 25,000 subscribers mark and over a million views on his videos.

While he offers a bit of everything, he still sticks to the usual content provided by other YouTubers: challenges, what you should avoid, marketing tips, mindset, and motivation.

He steers clear from going too deep with his topics, since his knowledge is mostly kept for his course.

The sales page for that course also gives us a look into his personal story and his path. It’s your standard “from nothing to everything” story, so it’s up to you whether you believe him. I really hope the story is true, but once you reach a certain number, you stop believing most of them.

One of his statements is that his personal values include providing value for others out of pure will, yet he’s still charging almost double as many good courses available.

Reviewing eCom Accelerators 0-100

eComm Accelerators is how Jordan calls his personal brand, but the name of the course itself is the 0-100 at the end.

The name implies that you’re going to learn everything you need to start your eCommerce from scratch and scale it all the way to success, or “from zero to 100%”. Just remember that you shouldn’t limit yourself and your business since you can scale it for as much as you want; there’s not something as “100%” with a long-term venture.

The main focus of this course is Shopify and marketing through Facebook Ads and emailing. There are 13 modules in total, but 2 are the introduction and some resources, and the entire course spans 90 videos.

It’s hosted on Teachables, so that’s a nice plus since you’re accessing an intuitive and responsive platform on all devices. You can access it wherever you are, but you can’t download videos.

Module 1

This is just a video introducing you to the course and what you can expect from it. It’s just 2 minutes long.

Module 2

This second module doesn’t have any videos, but instead, it gives you 2 files for downloading. The first file is a list of books Jordan recommends to shape your mindset into a more strategic and businessy way of thinking.

It’s a good read, even if it won’t turn you into a success. It’s good for motivation in any case.

The last file is a “bonus” from this course, and it comes with a few additional strategies you can implement. It builds on Jordan’s content on YouTube.

Module 3

This is the first actual module in this course regarding actually learning something about the business.

The first video is about dismissing common dropshipping myths people might believe, and apart from maybe a couple, you probably already know this stuff if you signed up for the course.

The next video is a business model explanation, which is also the knowledge you already have. At least, I hope so, because I wouldn’t recommend you spend $500 on a course about a business model you have no idea of.

There’s a lesson about creating your business plan. You also learn about a few fundamental concepts like customer psychology, the transition towards shopping online, and an explanation of the ideal mindset.

The last video offers a case study of a store built by Jordan himself. It’s an entertaining video, as always, but it’s mostly for inspiration and a general grasp on the business principles instead of actually learning something useful.

Module 4

The 4th module centers on product research, and it aims at equipping you with different strategies and approaches for finding and validating products. You also get a checklist to follow before going through the topics.

Among the videos, we have the products you should avoid, recommended tools, spying tools, using Facebook, eBay and Amazon to find products, stealing the top products from your competitors, trend tracking, and a final tool recommended by Jordan, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

Most strategies have already been considered by beginners with a grasp on the business model, but it’s a good overview on how to execute these tactics. The video on stealing top products is a rare sight, so it’s an interesting addition, ethics aside.

Also, keep in mind most tools will have a price tag.

Module 5

This module is an outline of the step for building your store, and the first video explains why you want your store to look good, for it seems people don’t know why.

After that filler video, you have your standard process explanation: store naming, selecting a plan with Shopify, finding the inspiration for your site, choosing the best theme for you (with an interesting bit on color psychology), setting up a domain and logo, and building your social media presence.

This course has a lot of content about psychology when compared to your standard eCommerce course. Regardless of Jordan’s expertise, it’s mostly knowledge you can find online, but it’s certainly a neat addition if you didn’t know these topics.

Other videos explain which pages and apps you should include in your store. Again, most of the apps will cost you extra. I’ll give props to Jordan for not going the usual way: telling you to get a free (or low-quality) theme and recommend apps to offset everything. However, I’d go a bit over his recommendation and just tell you to look for a theme with the features and price of eCom Turbo.

The last videos are about product pricing, optimizing your product pages for conversions, store settings, your home page, and how to use Oberlo to import products into your store.

Module 6

This module is about using a “hybrid” store; this means using different elements combined for improving your store’s success. It’s mostly about optimizing your store with different tweaks. Jordan focuses on using lading pages for turning your store into a hybrid and getting leads from visitors. Then, you can use the email list to sell your products.

The module starts with a mentality video before going into a complete explanation of how a hybrid store looks; among the features, we have the use of additional pages like bridges. He also explains the reasons why you want to use a hybrid store.

Finally, you also learn about store optimization in general, product testing straight from your site, and how you want your landing page to look after it’s done.

Module 7

Module 7 is about how to create “viral” content that will entice viewers to share it and increase your reach and cost-efficiency.

It starts off with a blueprint you can follow to create your ads, and you then get to see Jordan himself creating his ads with Adobe Premiere and Animoto. Again, keep in mind that these tools carry an additional cost: $40 and $30 each month, respectively.

The next lesson is how you can create your ads by using slideshows, which works as an alternative (and free) alternative to the other methods he recommended.

It closes with a guide about creating good and attractive thumbnails and the importance of offering unique content to get more interactions from viewers.

Module 8

Facebook Ads is the focus marketing approach in this course, and it’s the only one you’re going to find. It starts with a module on the basics, called the 0-60, and it closes with a more advanced module, appropriately called 60-100.

I’ll admit I found it a bit amusing.

The fundamentals section goes into how to get started: setting up your accounts and platforms, a PDF on the terminology used in FB Ads, setting up your pixel, explaining the platform’s policies, a blueprint of how your ad copy should look, a branding technique called “dark posts”, an explanation of how targeting works, a couple of strategies for testing products and how to analyze these tests, retargeting, and solving inconsistencies.

This is one of the best modules in my opinion. Sure, there are a few basic concepts that you can learn from video tutorials and Facebook’s own articles, but Jordan does offer some good content and insight here. He goes into enough detail when explaining, and you’ll leave this module with a good grasp on Facebook Ads.

Module 9

The 60-100 part of the Facebook Ads class is about scaling your ads and building on the success you found using the first part’s strategies and tips.

The first video goes into Jordan’s method for scaling before explaining the standard vertical and horizontal methods. Don’t fall for the fancy words, it’s a good explanation, but the concepts are basic.

Basically, horizontal scaling translates into adding more targeted audiences into a campaign, and vertical scaling translates into increasing your ad budget and spending.

The other videos focus on your standard scaling content: lookalike audiences, manual bidding, how to maintain your campaign, how to revive campaigns with bad performance, and small scaling techniques to increase your return on investment.

Module 10

This module is a bit similar to the previous module about hybrid stores, as both are focused on optimizing your store. However, the 10th module focuses on the more common approaches.

You learn about how you can optimize the loading speed in your store to increase your customer’s shopping experience and make them more likely to buy something.

After that, you go into using sequences like product bundles and upsells. They work to increase the average value your clients spend on each order, but try not to overdo it since upsells can greatly effect your customer experience.

The last lesson is about tracking your profits, and it’s mostly an explanation of how you can keep track of all expenses and revenues to determine your real profit and focusing on it.

It’s not a bad module by any means, but a lot of these tips can be skipped (or done automatically) by getting a premium theme that’s focused on increasing conversions like eCom Turbo. It helps you save a lot of time and money, but I guess these methods also work.

Module 11

Email marketing is explained as an additional strategy to Facebook ads, but there isn’t any depth offered about this approach.

You first learn about why email marketing is important. It basically lets you collect the email addresses from your customers and visitors; you can then use them for sending communications and updates that might make them prone to purchase (discounts, upcoming releases, special offers, etc.).

The other videos are about setting up an email marketing strategy for a general store, how to make it easier to build your emails list, how you should format your email to increase conversion chances, and how you can automate emails for abandoned carts.

The module closes with a few sequences you can copy paste for yourself, but I’ll advise you to use them as reference and inspiration for you to develop your own –or at least adapt these to your style.

Module 12

The next module is about how to run your business in general and the daily tasks you need to perform to keep it healthy.

The videos go through different topics, including the usual problems you can expect while scaling your store and how you can solve them. Then, there are more standard lessons like how to manage and fulfill your orders, using a third-party center for your fulfillments, when you want to set up your LLC, how to keep your finances in check, and how to keep your customers satisfied.

It’s a good module overall, and many courses skip these types of tips, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect or that it covers all the variables.

Module 13

The last module provides a brief overview of how to build your store brand.

You have a video about a few branding techniques for you to grow a general store and another one explaining the steps you must take to implement those strategies. Focus on the “general” part of that sentence, by the way; this is a course oriented towards general stores. Don’t expect to learn about running a niche store.

The module (and the course) closes with a bit of a filler video with Jordan providing his own predictions of what’s in the future for eCommerce. It’s nothing really valuable, but it’s a nice way to close the course, and it makes for an entertaining watch nonetheless.

Refunds

The policy is quite clear: since it’s a digital product, you must only watch under 35% of its entire content. You must also have bought it at its full price, and you have 30 days to ask for a refund.

It’s a clear and understandable policy, but given the course’s distribution and length, it can be easy for you to pass that 35% without noticing.

Consider the content size in the modules about the fundamentals and researching products; if you watch all the videos in these two sections, then you might not be eligible for a refund, so keep track of your consumption in case you’re feeling the course is letting you down.

Final Verdict

Jordan Welch’s 0-100 course from the eCom Accelerator is a good course overall. It’s comprehensive, covers a lot of ground, and you’ll definitely learn how to build your store before optimizing it and running a marketing campaigns focused on Facebook Ads and supported with email marketing.

That’s not the problem. The problem is the asking price of nearly $500. Remember that’s not the only expense: you also need to pay for your Shopify plan, domain, theme, recommended apps, and all the programs used by Jordan of which he fails to mention any pricing.

In other words, it’s an expensive course, and if you follow it to the letter, you’re going to end up spending almost double (if not more, I’m doing quick mental math) on all the programs and apps he recommends.

That’s why I was a bit disappointed about him failing to recommend any fully featured premium theme like eCom Turbo, which can save you a lot of time and money optimizing and automating your store.

Finally, his Facebook Ads centered approach is also a bit of a problem. There are many methods you can use for a more effective marketing campaign, and Facebook Ads alone isn’t the answer to your needs; it’s one of the most important ones, but you can do a lot more.

You can pay less for other courses that also cover topics like getting free traffic through SEO, using Twitter and Instagram, LinkedIn, and even chat bots.

All in all, this is a course with good content, and it’ll teach you exactly what Jordan claims you’re going to learn. However, that doesn’t make it a complete course, let alone the best one you can get for your money’s worth.

Better Alternative

If you really want to find all the knowledge necessary to find success with your eCommerce (be it drophipping or any other approach), then you want to learn everything you can about marketing, scaling, and the different paths you can take to different types of ventures.

When it comes to learning everything about eCommerce, then I’ll always recommend eCom Elites. It’s over 180 videos covering everything you need to know to grow your store. You learn about Facebook Ads at the same level of depth, and you get more depth on email marketing before learning the in’s and out’s of all the other relevant platforms you can use.

Besides, it’s just $197 ($297 for the premium package), so you can just buy it, get a theme like eCom Turbo for less than $100, and save some money for your marketing campaign!

I hope you found this review useful and if you have any questions, please comment down below. I’ll be more than happy to assist you.

Once again, thanks for reading my eCom Accelerators 0-100 Review and I wish you the best of luck.

The post eCom Accelerators 0-100 Review appeared first on Only Genuine Reviews.

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