Sounds to me like your original question is superfluous- I mean whether you believe these entities are part of your consciousness or external, you understood what they represented, and it was a positive lesson in your best interest.
Entities can often change their behaviour depending on your response. One example I remember was a guy on his first trip got scared to death by a Jester with an evil grin who told him 'you're not supposed to be here.' He had read that you should surrender to the experience and to it to the extreme of literal- by saying to the Jester 'I'm sorry, I surrender!'
With that the jester softened to a kind smile and conveyed to him that he had to stop taking all the addictive drugs and lying to himself for short-term pleasure, and that the jester had only been tough with him to teach him.
I myself have seen what appears powerful and evil turn to friendly and perhaps even vulnerable when approached with the right intention.
You're doing the right thing. Your intuition will guide you.