Hi Penny!
I can talk about this - I hope without going off the deep end!

Yes, I felt reeeeeaaaallly odd in the beginning and worried about DID - dissociative identity disorder, multiple personalities, the whole bit. But then, I was the epitome of a worrier (and only slightly improved these days!). My T taught me what seemed like a self-hypnosis technique... and she "introduced" me to me (Twiggy) right in her office. That was after a year of working with her and a break or two. After that I worked on my own to retrieve what Twiggy knew and felt... and then we discussed that together. She, of course, knew exactly where we were going - because I'd typed a letter for her describing my parent's situation back then... and that "fateful day"... right up to where I couldn't remember anymore. I gave that to her on my first visit, apologetically explaining that maybe it would speed things up so she wouldn't have to spend so much time helping me!!

That's a hoot, from this side of things you know? Obviously, all my assumptions and prejudices and fears about therapy played into that... and that story was the biggest abnormal "event" that I could remember. I never caught the significance of the letter and it's contents... until a long time later.
But the inner child work? I quickly adjusted to it... I "liked" the me I was back then; and I even missed her. In the beginning, because it seemed freaky-odd to be trying to form a relationship with myself I didn't say a word to anyone about the work I was doing - not even to hubs. When he asked why I was sitting for 15-30 minutes every morning and then writing till my fingers caught on fire... I just told him it was a therapy "homework" assignment, to help with my anxiety. (He bought that, 'coz it was really helping with the anxiety.) I can't remember exactly how long I stayed in the "getting to know you" and earning the trust of Twiggy stage... but we didn't just jump into all the awful stuff. Maybe a month or two? Long enough, I guess... that I became comfortable with the idea that when Twiggy told me her secrets...and re-lived a lot of them including all the feelings... while I "felt" them too... I was still able to stay separate enough from her experience (awful awful awful as it was) that I was still able to function - go to work, etc. Mind you, the dust and hairballs collected a lot more in the house!
I became fascinated with this whole side of myself and kept uncovering more, and more, and more - after I yanked the band-aid off the part where I "couldn't remember" now. At that point, I was moving so fast my T kept saying slow down...! It was like I just couldn't get enough of "me"... and I was life/death desperate to "get to the other side" of the work - because it felt so GOOD. Feeling GOOD was like a brand-new experience for me. I couldn't get enough; I couldn't get tired of it, full enough. And then, one day - I knew it was all done; no more story... Twiggy got quiet, didn't have anything else to say... and we moved to another phase of the work.
You're going to notice a transition period - from when you're side by side with little Penny, going through things with her and when you return to "normal". For me, it was a sort of fuzzy place - like waking up or coming back from a really vivid daydream. As you practice, you'll notice that the transition time needed gets shorter... and you can drop in on little Penny and check something out with her... and then drop right back into your normal consciousness... even tho' I'm sure the topics you two discuss will figure prominently in your thoughts! It's as if she'll be giving you experiences to process - to try to come to grips with, understand, digest for her... and then let go. You're a fully grown, tiger-mama now... and you can do this FOR little Penny.
Not everyone can do this work, this way. Not everyone likes their inner child.
One of the things that's come up in the last couple of days (in relation to the sexual abuse I experienced) is/was an overwhelming desire (need? command?) to protect my mum from feeling rejected. I was desperate for her not to think he preferred me to her and went out of my way to be incredibly nice and loving towards her. I feel slightly sick as I write that down. It is not something I had thought of or realised before, at least not in that sense.
I experienced this in a slightly different way (my dad didn't abuse me) but I can still relate to it. My mom was completely jealous of the fact that I could talk to - and wanted to talk to - my dad. He even showed me how to weld out in the garage! My dad was the only one of my parents who accepted me as "me"... my mom only saw me as the way she wanted me to be - with parts of her personality projected onto me - like characteristics written on postit notes and stapled to my skin (and yes it hurt that much). She exaggerated my "preference" for him, into all kinds of horrible filthy things in her imagination and even accused him of them... and insisted on keeping me away from him. (The better to project more of her crap onto me...)
So, we practically had to keep our contact with each other "secret" from her - and this evolved into what I'm now calling "protecting the sick person at the center of the FOO". Even as an adult, with my own kids and 20 years or more after their divorce... my brother & I kept our visits to Dad a secret from mom because she would always get upset, lob guilt-bombs at us, and then generally blame us for the awful funk she put herself into.
So the details - and reasons for why you protected mom - in your story are probably very different. We're coming at the sort of the same thing - but from completely different angles. I'm pretty steady these days with Twiggy's story; we're well into another kind of work now... so whle I can't guarantee that anything you ask or want to share won't absolutely touch me and move me or even trigger me... please don't hesitate to ask! You can even PM me, if you're not ready to put something out for general consumption.
One of my areas of (probably excessive) pride is in self-sufficiency. I like to think I can do almost anything - learn how, even - all by myself. But when I was working at the stage you're at... I think I lived on the board!

Not everything got posted here... at least not until I'd thoroughly worked through it enough that I didn't sound like a complete wacko. It took me awhile to feel comfortable enough to try to work through something here, with everyone's help. But I so needed to see, hear and even experience vicariously the kind of advice, support, and help thinking things through that goes on here. Even if it was for someone else... I needed to know that there are soothing words... that people care... it really, really, really helped me... even just to read.
I guess I'm still here... because it's still the same kind of place and it's my turn to try to help.
((((((((twoapenny))))))))