Okay, yes there are many things your Gf can do as ultimately this is something she will have to deal with now or later, whichever really.
You have a really good grasp on the basic idea behind their creation. So I guess to gauge where you are or your approach/background on this and I'll come back later to type as well as put together a list of books/resources/etc........so when you lock them up, have you noticed if they "escape"? Anyway, there are several books on the subject, some better than others...Have you had a dialog with them?
So I'm back...anyway, I agree with WakingNomad, that what you are doing is like a kind of hypnotherapy.
I'm going to just limit this strictly to the dreaming aspects, and try to keep it watered down, due to the nature of the forum. What your GF is experiencing is actually quite classic, and I want to just give some words of encouragement. . Although it may be frighting, there are many folks who have gone, and are going through similar, she's not alone. And it is perfectly natural, just like some people have brown hair, blond hair, etc., such goes the way of consciousness and personality structures.
So anyway, depending on what circle you run in, there are many terms or labels for "this." So if you are coming from a more psychotherapy angle some terms people use are "parts" or maybe inner child, there are various archetypes that may arise depending on the complexity(or ingenuity) of the subject. Those archetypes may be called a protector, inner child, exile, gatekeeper, interject, guide, inner self helper, core, etc.
In the more esoteric traditions as well as depending on regional/cultural history, you may find more information under soul fragments, shadow self, other selves, higher self, lower self, soul, shamanism, etc. as well as those archetypical terms mentioned earlier but with a term "spiritual" as an added filter. Either way the advice and results are generally the same.
Generally these things occur covertly within people as say whispers in the background of one's dreaming. And something occurs, a trigger, or catalyst for these to become more overt. Maybe a person may deny their existence, but it's a part of this person consciousness(even though they may deny it), and may have episodes of a more overt nature such that one cannot deny their existence.
So you may have experienced that forcing them into subversion or caging doesn't work. This is because it is a part of the person, no sooner can you deny an aspect of a person's mind as one can deny and aspect of one's body. They may go into hiding for a bit, but should something happen that triggers them, say an event for which they were created, the mind automatically releases them. Usually you can tell by the reoccurring nightmares and whatnot. Suppressing or locking memories away are also what I call a "stop gap solution," certainly useful, and has it merits, but ultimately, the memories need to be released, felt, and integrated such that they no longer "carry their charge" or have that painful element to them.
Ultimately, the goal is communication. This can be achieved in waking and sleep/dreaming state. Depending on the structure, one may have to speak with, and befriend a gatekeeper, or protector before reaching to the root of the problem. I highly recommend seeking or locating a guide(asking around in the dream), if they don't know how to help, they know how to locate those in the dream who can.
So some really helpful questions to ask are:
What's your purpose?
What's your role?
What do you need? Or how can I help?
Many times even the most maligned character really has the best intentions at heart, they are just using an old, outdated model to function. Depending on the characters and their roles, there may some struggle involved, or negotiation involved, it helps to stay objective and neutral. Positive results of handling these aspects or parts of one's self and transforming them, well a person becomes more whole, even if they don't integrate per se, just removing the walls blocking communication can have a dramatic as well as positive result, generally each aspect/part/whatever holds a positive trait, some people that I've talked to gained skills, abilities, some of which I refrain from discussing here, but also things such as better memory, balance, more dream power/control or whatever skill was held by that aspect of the person(such as artistic abilities, etc.)
Let's see.....there are a lot of books on the subject... Once again depending on whether you want something more Western/Eastern based, or scientific/esoteric based. Maybe some books to look at would be:
Self-Therapy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness and Healing Your Inner Child Using IFS, A New, Cutting-Edge Psychotherapy, 2nd Edition: by Jay Earley(He is a prolific writer, I found him rather thorough.)
Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict by Tsultrim Allione(A friend absolutely loved her book, helped her alot)
Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self by Sandra Ingerman(same idea as the other authors, just tailored to a different audience)
There's many more authors but from what I know, those are the top ones, there are other books too, case examples, they are a fun read, but if you want to get to the techniques I recommend something from above.
Anyway, best of luck on your endeavors, and well wishes.
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