I'm sorry that you went through this.
Switching to us is a moment to moment thing: everything is a trigger to us- it's never only just me.
I wish I knew how to not let the others take over...but that's how we operate. It feels like our mind has gone through a food processor and that sparks are jumping everywhere.
Sometimes it takes great force and trickery to not switch...but that may last a day or so....which then evidence that we aren't equipped to do that.
It's all about survival. We aren't the fittest, but we can manage.