everyone processes their trauma events in different ways. some write about it, others do artwork and others do talk therapy, some do edmr and others do dbt, cbt and other kinds of things like taking a walk, yoga, meditation..

processing is just when a person is able to take a problem, think it through and solve any problem areas they have with that....

example I have a PTSD problem with nightmares. I process this by writing about it and figuring out why that nightmare bothers me. I have an anxiety problem. I process it by breathing, taking a walk, meditating.

think of it like how did you process using your computer, or finding psych central or figuring out how to post... you thought about it then you took things step by step and worked your way through all the different elements that it took to do those things.

what your therapist is saying according to your post is that you are both still getting to know each other so you wont be starting to talk about your trauma memories and such right now. later after you get to know each other you can decide if you want to talk about your trauma's.

therapy today isnt about making a person feel the pains of the past. its about stabilizing whats going on in the present. for people with dissociative disorders that means learning how to not dissociate... learning things like grounding, breathing, relaxing and working on not dissociating when you get triggered today this past week, tomorrow. it isnt about 20 years ago this that and the other thing happened to me.

if you really want to go back to the past and relive the past trauma and pain thats your decision later on. right now she wants to work on what problems you are having in your present daily life.

only you can decide whether it will do you any good to dig into and feel the pain of the past.

for me I did want to nor did I have to dig into the pain and trauma. just dealing with my daily life and stabilizing my daily life, learning to recognize my dissociation symptoms and how to use my grounding, breathing and relaxation techniques enabled me to stay present / not dissociated which in turn healed me from having DID.

times have changed and with it therapy for DID.. its no longer the stuff you see in those movies and sensationalized books. they dont hypnotize, nor require you to rehash traumas over and over again (unless you bring it up and you want to cause your self to go through that pain and trauma)

therapy for dissociative disorders its more oriented to healing instead of causing more trauma and pain to happen. the focus is on learning ..........not..........dissociate when encountering triggers. learning how to do self care/ self nurture and manage your life while fully focused/ aware/ mindful. and not acting out in negative ways that affect your life in negative ways.

many USA states have ethics laws now against those old treatment tactics of requiring clients to dissociate, go through their past trauma's or calling out alters. many states and mental health agencies have mental health laws and ethics that require treatment providers to work with dissociative people in a non traumatic, non dissociative promote staying focused and aware kind of work and only dig into the trauma's .........After....... the client has the ability to stay aware and not dissociate while working on the trauma and actively participate while fully aware/ non dissociated. (this is supposed to promote a faster healing process and limit those that may be the kind of person to dissociate for attention or sabotaging their treatment plans.)

my point is your treatment provider is making sure you have everything you need for a stable life today before dealing with the past.