Where i am at now -- as far as trying to figure this out -- is that i should be an adult while with my t in therapy and keep my dysfunctional child side deep inside myself and do my best to care for her myself.

My t has said many times that she wants to work with my hurt child parts and help them heal. And that all sounds good and fine. But it appears that in actual practice, if i let those aspects of me be there and communicate needs, it's "too much" for her.

I understand that alot of the answer for this is "balance." But having dissociated aspects of myself, and having my self-image fluctuate from an adult-like state to a more child-like state, i can't always judge where the right balance is. I feel like the lesson is too painful, and i don't want to try to figure it out anymore. Which is why i'm leaning toward keeping those messed up parts of me to myself.