yes some dissociatives can shut out their physical pains and some cant. Yes I would suggest talking with your mental health provider about it.

Yes alters can have their own names but not all alters do. yes some alters can answer to the body name, most do but I do know of some rare situations where the alters do not answer to the body names or variations of it. each persons internal system is set up their own way..

is it you is it not you...well that is more a question of personal views..some internal systems and host consider the alters to be parts of the host and others dont.

it also depends upon how each persons individual mental health treatment providers, locations and such call them.. some treatment providers consider a DID persons alters to be parts of the host and other dont..

my suggestion talk with your treatment providers. they will explain what the mental health community and your treatment providers believe/go by on this issue.

here where I live and work and my own treatment providers yes they consider alters to be part of the host.. in other words they believed/went by the therapeutic concept that my alters were part of me and that together we (my alters and I) make up one whole person.

names well some of my alters had names and some didnt and yes some came with their own names and some chose their own names.. my treatment providers and I were of the same mind that for me we didnt need to give those alters that didnt have names, any names. we just accepted them how ever they came to me and accepted that they were there for a reason and had their own jobs to do.

thank you . Im glad to know my posting, and knowing I both work in the field and also receive services as well, has been helpful to you.