For me they are my coping mechanism. I know they are some part of me. It has always been a coping skill I have. More then I wwould consider mine hallucinations. I have finally come to accept the voices as my form of self talk. Just very creative. They allow me to rest for a time or escape the inescapable when I was young. They are me I just dont remember what happens when I rest and they stay to protect me. Dont know if that makes a lot od sense. But after years of over analyzing them I have learned that they are a creative part of myself that I am finally accepting and trying to stay present instead of resting