Hi Sad,
I am new to the board and came across your post. I am not a therapist, at least not yet. =) I am working on my MSW at Michigan State. I have a very close friend who is diagnosed with DID. She had 15 alters when I first met her 5 years ago. Today, through integration and a lot of therapy, she is down to 9. When I was completing my undergrad degree at the University of Michigan, as a graduation requirement we had to complete a thesis. My was on the efficacy of treatment for DID. You were told that you and your parts (alters) are "kissing cousins". I am surprised this wasn't explained to you. Without trying to read your therapist's mind, I am guessing that he meant that you and your alters are almost identical with some small differences. I will try my best to explain what I mean by differences. Your alter serves the purpose of a coping mechanism. They were formed as a way to escape the trauma that you endured. Each alter, if you have more than one, has a job. Some alters are considered protectors and others come out when a certain situation is a trigger. For my friend, she had a specific alter that would come out when she would have to go shopping. She was unable to cope with the stress of having to figure out a list, a budget, and most importantly the crowds at the store. There is a wonderful book that you can buy at Borders or order online through Amazon called the Dissociative Identity Sourcebook. I want to say it was around 20 bucks. It's on my desk at work and I will post the author tomorrow. It is very helpful explaining what DID is and treatments. You won't pass it on to your children genetically. But I recommend involving them in your treatment if they are old enough. The most important thing is that you are treatment.