I'm not sure if this question belongs more in the PTSD forum or here, so I'm putting it in both places.

I have not been diagnosed with DID, but my t says i definitely have dissociation between different parts of me. She has told me that i have child parts that are "stuck in the past." I understand that this refers to parts of me that still hold the pain of past traumas and who, when triggered, behave as though they were reliving the childhood trauma over and over again.

But here's my question. . .

My t has several times said things like, "We need to help the small parts become unburdened when they are ready to do so" and "I want to invite these parts to come into the present when they feel it is safe enough."

What does my t mean when she says the parts need to feel safe enough and/or be ready to get unstuck from the past and come into the present? How do i know when they are ready? What does this mean?

I don't feel like I have any control over when they do this, or if they are ready.