I have an alter that self injures. What I had to come to understand was that that memory piece was being triggered into replaying because of something in my present life. Basically if something in my present life was making me feel like I wanted to cut then when I dissociated the cutting would happen because the situation in the present would match the past memory that was separated and stored at my unconscious level. So I had to stop thinking in terms of its not me doing it. That memory piece was the memory of me cutting in the past so when dissociated and that peice of memory was replaying it was me doing the cutting. That piece of memory is not a separate flesh and blood person for example my neighbor coming over to my house and cutting my arm. Since the voices were in my head I was DID. To believe the person is outside my body and attacking me - that is schizophrenia not DID. Schizophrenics believe others are out to get them. DID alters are memories so it is a memory that I was acting out when I cut when unaware.

To stop it I had to pay attention to what was going on in my present life. if it made me want to cut then I knew if I allowed myself to dissociate then when I became aware I would be cut.

So I had to find the trigger in my present life and take care of that trigger. For example I would become aware that I was cut. I would have to backtrack to the last thing that I remembered before I dissociated - floated off to my daydream world -- Having a fight with the DHS caseworker. Thats the trigger. then I had to use my coping skills of grounding and relaxation so that whenever I was near that caseworker I did not dissociate. Instead I stayed there and took care of the situation. Caseworker was baiting me into fights and then claiming I was volitile for no reason. Solution...Set up a third person present when having to meet with her that way she could not bait me. She instead had to flat out tell me what she needed and what I needed to do. End result I stopped becoming aware with cuts after encountering the DHS caseworker.

If you have DID then YOU can control this with using grounding and relaxation. It just takes wanting to and practice... lots ot practice.

If you cannot control it its time for a new evaluation for the possibility of having a different disorder and one that medication can help you.

The bottom line is that I can't stop you from cutting and neither can anyone else here and neither can your therapist. Only you can do that by wanting to and actively working to do that.

Hang in there