Leean - I have found keeping a journal for the others to be a good way for them to communicate with me and each other, as well as write what they've done during the times they've been out. Have you thought about keeping a journal like that? Please feel free to message me, this condition can feel very isolating, but there are people on this site willing to listen.
Orchestra - One odd but actually useful grounding technique taught to me in a trauma/dissociation psych unit was to freeze an orange. That way not only is it cold to the touch, but you can feel the bumps and smell the scent. So that works on a few levels - texture, smell, temperature. Don't know if that's helpful, but maybe it's worth a try?
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I feel like I'm getting nowhere in therapy, or it is extremely slow going at least. I always feel like I've wasted sessions. The therapist knows what he's doing, but I just can't get over the "weirdness" of him using alter names - heck, I don't even like using them and I don't know why. So we spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to just get me past shouting at him to stop every time he says their names. Then an angry alter has been coming out the past three times towards the end of sessions and it takes me by surprise because she never used to come out with my previous therapist of 7 years. Then after the sessions I have to try to get with it and stop her residual feelings of intense anger that I can't remember what they were about during the session. It happened again during this morning's session.
Has anyone ever felt "weird" hearing or saying the names of alters? If you did, how did you get past that? I feel like, having been diagnosed and talking about this for so many years (though not as much nor with someone as qualified as this therapist), I should be past that point by now.
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