I don't have a problem with how to get my memory pieces (alters) to come out. for me its just something that automatically happens when ever I am uncomfortable, upset, nervious, sad, angry and any number of other feelings. which over memory piece is the one that contains the information about what ever it is that I am uncomfortable, upset, nervious, angry and so on is the memory piece that is being rerun while I am dissociated. For me dissociation into alter forms is not a choice I cant control "who does what and when and who is out when and where and so on. The only thing I have control of (sometimes not always) is whether or not I can pull myself back out of my tunnel area (floaty far away feeling which is the symptom I have of my dissociating).

For me dissocating into my memory peices (alters was not and is not a choice so that they can talk during therapy. it happens or it doesn't. I cant say - ok mary its your turn to talk so talk and snap my fingers and mary is talking and my therapist due to state and federal mental health laws and rules is unable to "call out" specific memory pieces.

So instead we just go on with our normal therapy plans and should I switch thats fine if I don't thats fine too. in eather case - if I switch my therapist said she just continues on with whatever we are discussing and if I don't I know that we just continue on with what we are discussing and doing.

By doing things this way I don't have to worry that I am not doing therapy right or Im doing something wrong or cant do something because I haven't dissociated that day or on the days that I do that I should feel good or bad because I dissociated.

For me therapy isn't about dissociating is good or dissociating is bad. its about takig care of the problems that make me dissociate so that I have a better life and can funtion better in my daily life.

Maybe what you and your therapist can try is taking the expectation of needing to dissociate for your therapist benefit out of your therapy plans. Therapy is supposed to promote welbeing not create more dissociation and problems anyway.

Without that expectation of "I should be able to or I have to dissociate in front of my therapist" kind of thing my therapy experiences over the past 6 years have been great and I have come a LONG way into being much more functional and able to take care of myself.

Hang in there