Product Description
In this unique book, persons with Dissociative Disorders and their significant others address the complex issues of diagnosis, therapy, and maintaining personal relationships. "Viewed from the inside out," Dissociative Identity Disorder takes on an impassioned voice as those who struggle with dissociation share their experiences, obstacles, and triumphs. Contributions by 146 individuals diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder and the people with whom they share their lives have been gathered into an accessible and practical volume for therapists, clients, and lay readers interested in how to better be supportive of individuals who suffer with dissociative diagnoses. Many will find that the book validates their own experiences and feelings, as it explores the post-diagnosis journey. Published by The Sidran Foundation with the Eastern Regional Conference on Abuse and Multiple Personality and the newsletter Many Voices, Multiple Personality Disorder from the Inside Out has been compiled and edited by a therapist, a client, and a family member. In addition to the first-person writings described above, the volume contains an introductory chapter describing MPD and dissociation, a glossary of terms, a list of resources, and an index. Winner of the prestigious 1991 Distinguished Achievement Award given by the International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality and Dissociation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Number one book I read
This small book was one of the first of it's kind when I was first learning about my own personality disorder.Years later I was lucky enough to meet the editor, Lynn Wwho nows has ManyVoicesPress com that helps thousands each day find more answers.A great book to begin to understand trauma and it's effect on mankind.

Good book, depending on what you're looking for
I'm the significant other of a newly diagnosed multiple. And I'm hungry for information and understanding.

This book has helped me immensely in getting an idea of the subjective experience of having Dissociative Identity Disorder (or Multiple Personality Disorder), which has been valuable in understanding what my partner is dealing with.

However, it won't answer many practical questions about what MPD is, or how it's treated, or what to expect as therapy progresses.

The book is a collection of short passages written by people with DID, all organized loosely by subject. It's generally easy to read and understand, but as you might expect, some passages are very well written and very infomative and others are not so fluent. And, as at least one reviewer here mentioned, there's a great deal of poetry, which I mostly skipped over.

I cannot speak about what a newly diagnosed DID might take from this book, but I imagine it could be very reassuring in the early stages. But as a previous reviewer points out, there seem to be more passages about the very real pain and confusion of DID, and not so many about successful healing. That said, though, the book I think is realistically hopeful about treatment.

But I think this lack of focus on successful healing is a result of it being a compilation of passages written by people in the middle of the struggle, and not necessarily by people who've largely managed to complete the struggle. So readers might want to keep that in mind.

As the partner of a DID, reading this book helps me understand what's going on inside my partner's head. It has helped ease my mind somewhat, and it's pointed out aspects of her experience I wouldn't have known about otherwise. Every time I read from the book it makes want to hug her and protect her, and give her more of the love she needs.

Encouraging empathy and understanding
This book was beneficial in assisting me with better understanding the experiences my clients live through with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Although not compiled specifically for clinicians, I found it gave me insight that I wouldn't have gotten in an academic piece.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who lives with DID, for their family and friends, and for Therapists and Case Managers who work with people diagnosed with DID (MPD). The book encourages empathy with, and greater understanding into, people living with this special coping strategy.

You are not alone
If you are a multiple or a multiple's SO, this would be a great book for your collection.While it may not give any valuable tips to make life as a multiple easier, it is a collection of over 140 multiples' thoughts on a variety of matters--many of which may match your own.By reading this, you will learn that many of the things that are hard for you are hard for other multiples as well... and after all, misery loves company.

Multiple Personality Disorder From the Inside Out
This book was incredible.I wish I had read it when I was first diagnosed with the disorder, but I was well on my way into integration by the time I found it.Even still, it was helpful because I was able to see that others were feeling the same exact things I had felt and was still feeling.It validated my thoughts and feelings about every aspect of the disorder.I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been diagnosed with MPD, their therapists, their significant others and anyone else who knows someone with MPD and wants to understand what is happening to them. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent !
This book is full of vital information for therapists treating people with DID.
Well worth every penny !

A Thorough Guide for Clinicians
I find this book well-researched and written. It provides an extremely thorough overview for clinicians about what was known at the time of its writing about the diagnosis and treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder (currently called Dissociative Identity Disorder) as well as the history of trying to understand DID. Psychotherapists like me who don't specialize in DID need to recognize this condition and its symptoms in order to refer clients to those with sufficient experience to treat it or to get consultation for doing so if we must. I believe that understanding this condition can also help us understand the separate ego states that most people have, which store our responsiveness to emotionally impactful experiences, and the idea that personality is not necessarily unitary (consider the object relations school of psychoanalysis, for instance).

Contrary to other reviewers who have said the author is disrespectful of women or that he suggests all those suffering DID must be integrated, the author is humble about these issues. He states that more women than men may be diagnosed with DID because men suffering the disorder may more often find themselves encountering the criminal justice system instead of being treated in mental health settings. (I would add that more girls than boys are, unfortunately, sexually abused, which may help account for more women suffering such severe trauma that they develop DID.) He also suggests that full integration is not as valuable a goal as is helping clients achieve higher functioning and better communication across the personality system. He adds that therapy is considered only partially done once someone with DID has achieved apparent fusion and much work needs to be done in mourning and in accommodating oneself to the stresses of living in the world with a wider variety of coping mechanisms than dissociative ones alone.

educational
I wanted to read this book, because I read " Thanks for the Memories " by Brice Taylor first. The more education on this subject the better... because awareness about this problem is growing. This book gives some important insight and much needed answers !

I run a large website for people with multiple personalities
I found Dr. Putnam's book to be helpful in very real ways.Not only did he go into the anatomy of the disorder -- and there were plenty of things I disagreed with given my insights into my own experiences with myself and other multiples -- but he went into helpful methodologies for exploration and treatment.He was respectful that multiples do not need to integrate.He mentioned that not all entities in a multiple's head are human-identified.These were critical to me.I don't expect that any one book would get "everything right" for such a complicated, unusual, and ill-understood mental landscape.What I do expect is that people who write about it write from either a wealth of experience, clinical understanding, personal experience, or bountiful qualifications that they are merely stating their opinion.Dr. Putnam has a wealth of observational and clinical experience to share, and his own personal experience with people he is helping.I take each individual statement as a possibility within the wide and deep realm of multiple personality, but I do not apply his individual statements to individuals.Individuals and their expressions of multiple personality vary widely.I have my own perceptions and insights and share them at kinhost.org.Dr. Putnam gives me a book I enjoy arguing with -- and quoting.I would venture to say there's no better book for a clinician to familiarize themself with the phenomenon and possible ways to explore it from a clinical standpoint, but I would also tell you that your experience of any one individual with multiple personalities is not easily reflected by ANY one book.Read away, but then be prepared for any individual multiple to go "out of bounds".

Is MPD real?
Weell, Dr. Putnam "confirmed" a diagnosis of MPD on me in the '80's through his "brain-wave tests".Many painful years later, I realized the "MPD" had been created by the desire to please a "therapist" who wanted a multiple to rival Truddi Chase.
Putnam's book is a handbook on how to be a multiple--read it and become--it is readable and logical to someone who is looking for MPD.Reading it again after many years, I found it's logic inconsistent and scientifically doubtful. ... Read more

Product Description

The purpose of this book is to provide understanding of the relationship between childhood trauma and serious mental illness.Dr Colin Ross, one of the most respected North American authorities on Multiple Personality Disorder, writes that his MPD patients have taught him that virtually all psychiatric symptoms are potentially trauma driven and dissociative in nature.He believes that MPD research will shift the paradigm of psychopathology in the direction of a general trauma model, and away from the two dominant schools of twentieth-century psychiatry, the psychoanalytical and the biomedical. The Osiris Complex is a collection of case histories illustrating the clinical roots of the paradigm transformation Dr Ross anticipates.

Contrary to prevalent opinion, MPD patients do not have more than one personality; the so-called different personalities are fragmented components of a single personality, abnormally personified and dissociated from each other. Adult patients exhibit core symptoms: voices in the head and ongoing blank spells or periods of missing time.The voices are the different parts of the personality talking to one another and to the main, presenting part of the person who comes for treatment.Periods of missing time occur when aspects of the personality take turns being in control of the body and memory barriers are erected between them. Patients also experience symptoms such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction, psychosomatic symptoms, and symptoms that mimic schizophrenia. MPD patients have experienced the most extreme childhood trauma of any diagnostic group and therefore exhibit the psychobiology and psychopathology of trauma to an extreme degree.The good news is that once diagnosed, the MPD patient can be brought back to health.

This book is important for all mental health professionals, and also for the general reader interested in psychiatric phenomena. It will play a powerful role in the social revolution necessary for the recognition of the preponderance, intensity, and hiddenness of severe childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in our culture. ... Read more

Product Description
Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia. Text of current therapeutic issues in multiple personality disorder, for clinical psychiatrists. Part 1 is a festschrift to Cornelia B. Wilbur, psychiatrist portrayed in the book and movie entitled Sybil. 22 U.S. contributors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent for health providers and caregivers
Excellenct source of information on the basic principles in conducting the psychotherapy of MPD/DID and the tranference and countertransference in the overall treatment of MPD/DID. For both health providers and caregivers.

Issues of Multiple Posttraumatic and the clinical approaches to the Intergration of Personalities is really informative and helpful.

Tactical integrationist of and the treatment of DID/MPD and the aids to the treatment of on a General Psyciatric Unit are a must read for providers and caregivers alike.

Section 3 deals with the issue of Dissociation within the Inner city, Deinstitutionlization of patients with chronic MPD/DID and the use of Amtyal interviews in the treatment of the exceptionally complex caes of MPD/DID. The role of transional objects and phenomena in patients with MPD/DID, Play therapy with minors with MPD/DID, and Ego state therapy with patients and the use of sand trays in the beginning stages of treatment.

The last section is about MPD/DID consulation in Public Psychiatric care, Eating disorders in survivors of Multimodal childhood abuse, be it physical or mental/emotional. Eating disorders in the MPD/DID patient and finally an overall history of MPD/DID and how the treatment has evolved and matured. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

A comment for Karen from the author
Dear Karen, as the author of the book A God Called Father, I appreciate your open and honest personal response to my book. At the same time, I felt you were judging my healing process and implying that my experience lacked integrity. The truth is, the integration of my splits took more or less two years. Maybe that doesn't happen often, but that is exactly what happened in my case. True, I was in therapy for nearly three years BEFORE I realized that I had any splits, spent two years integrating most of the trauma and the personalities and then another 5 years in therapy dealing with the residual impact. So I was indeed in therapy for about ten years. I left both my children out of the book (both were young adults when I was writing) out of respect for them and a desire to allow them to define their own experience. Indeed I had a lot of guilt in relation to my kids and eventually had to deal with that but God brought full and complete healing in those relationships, too. Maybe that seems "unrealistic" to you. Maybe it is unrealistic FOR you. But I believe it is possible. I KNOW it is because I experienced it. I did not end the book because I wanted to get it published. The truth is, I never expected it to get published. A friend gave it to a publisher in Holland and when they contacted me for publication, I had to pray hard about whether or not it was something I really wanted to do. I finished the book because I felt it said what I wanted to say at the time. Perhaps I'll write another book one day with more of my story which encompasses so much more than just the fact that I once had DID. I live in Costa Rica now and work with children who are abused, who are being commercially exploited, who need love and hope and vision for a brighter tomorrow. Actually, I guess that's why I wrote my book in the first place. To give women who have suffered like I did love and hope and a vision for a brighter tomorrow and this is what I wish for you, too, Karen. Warmly, Judith Machree

Too preachy.Unrealistic.
I also am a christian with DID.I certainly understand where she is coming from and the struggles involved.This is a highly individualized condition where no two cases are alike.There are however some consistencies in most people with DID.The average time spent in therapy is between 8 and 10 years.Her book only spans 2 years in which she discovered, worked with, and integrated most of her splits.This is almost unheard of.She ended the book very ubruptly because she wanted to get it published, not because she was at a point of healthy living.She was open and honest about her marriage and relationship with her therapist, but I kept wondering about her kids.She stated that she had two children but in all her family stories, they were never mentioned.DID effects all relationships.Why leave such a vital part of her life out?The struggles and guilt of what this does to a mother is horrific.That is what other's with DID would have related to and wanted to hear.Finally, her constant preaching, praying, and bringing her parts "into relationship with Jesus" made healing seem like a formula.She almost implied that healing and integration depends on them becoming christian.I don't buy it!!

There are better books to read on the subject.

Worth re-reading
Just as encouraging to read the second time around as it was the first. I recommend it for anyone diagnosed with DID or living with someone with DID. Especially if you have religious questions like "what about God in this whole picture ? Where was He, where is He, and does He even care?"

One of the best testimonials I've ever read
This book is well written, honestly and accurately written, with true, practical answers.It gives the only answer to a person's needs, God, as He reveals Himself in Jesus Christ, but in a way that is easily grasped by a person who has gone through what she has gone through.

Help and hope for the hurting
Even though I found this book hard to read at times because of the author's struggle -- presented in such intimate detail -- I found a thread of hope that compelled me to continue. This is a beautifully written book, real literature, that explores the human spirit's capacity for transformation in the face of tragic and overwhelming human depravity. As a victim of incest myself, I found it very encouraging. I recommend it! ... Read more

Product Description
A deeply personal account of one woman's battle with multiple-personality disorder describes the childhood horrors and abuse at the hands of her father that led to a fragmentation into three separate entities and discusses her long battle to overcome the problem. Original." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

An Inside View of Multiple Personality Disorder
Even today, Multiple Personality Disorder(MPD) challenges psychologists and health care practitioners.One common denominator MPD patients seem to share is childhood trauma, usually sexual and/or physical abuse.Children use the natural human ability to "disassociate" when the pain or trauma becomes more than they can bear.After the body has been hurt, the child may no longer feel the pain because the mind has found "a safer place to be."In MPD "alters" or "other personalities" emerge; they may be male or female, child or adult, extrovert or introvert. This book is the journey of Jean Darby Cline from childhood abuse at the hands of her father, verbal abuse in her first marriage, and diagnosis as a "multiple" to therapy and healing with the help of Jack M. Reiter, M.D.,P.S.

As the book will reveal, the healing process can be as painful as the childhood abuse.During therapy, the patient often relives the memories and pain of the abuse.Often MPD patients are not aware, prior to therapy, of the multiples living inside them.They may realize there is a problem but not know exactly what the problem is.Jean Darby Cline exposes her feelings, fears and pain, and gives the reader a true account and inside view of what it is like to live with MPD.In her case, she had three alters, but it is not uncommon for patients to have many, many more as was the case in the book, "Sybil."

If you want to learn more on MPD, I would highly recommend "Silencing the Voices" as well as, "First Person Plural" by Cameron West(see my review.)Both are excellent books on the subject.

A KALEIDOSCOPE
Jean Cline's recounting of her horrific experiences with her twisted father took courage.She does not back away from her experiences in retelling them in this book; she confronts them and by setting an example encourages others to do likewise.

Jean Cline developed three distinct personalities to cope with her overwhelming life conditions.Like most persons with DID/MPD, she was highly creative, artistically talented and suffered horrendous abusive childhood experiences.She gives a fresh voice to this now recognized condition and it is through her perseverance that she is able to "integrate" her "alters" and become a core.She is Gestalt; the whole person is greater than the sum of her parts (alters).Like a shifting kaleidoscope, Jean Cline shifts into various patterns of behavior and appearances.Like a kaleidoscope, at no time is she ever the same.Once integrated, she is able to make peace with herself.

highly informative
In doing research about Dissociative Identity Disorder I was referred to this book. It clarified so many things about the disorder, how it works, how if affects everyone from the patient to the family and how it can becured. I highly recommend this book! It's a wonderful story of support andrecovery and also gives a graphic depiction into the mind/life of anabuser; through her father's actions. Jean has done a good job of relayingher experiences to the world.

A very good look into the mind of a multiple.
As the spouse of a multiple I found this book to be very informative in the area of how the multiple personalities process in their mind the abuse they are put through.I noted many similarities from my own observations. One of my wife's personalities wants to read the book but I've cautionedher about the potential triggering portions but also stated that she mightfind the description of the road to integration to be encouraging. Congradulations to the author.I have an understanding of the strength ittook to write this book.

EXCELLENT
Even though I don't have multiple personality I could relate with many parts of this book.I thought it was wonderfully written and gave me things to think about in my abuse recovery.Many thanks to those who havethe courage to step out and share their lives in order to help others. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1989, Robert B. Oxnam, the successful China scholar and president of the Asia Society, faced up to what he thought was his biggest personal challenge: alcoholism. But this dependency masked a problem far more serious: Multiple Personality Disorder.At the peak of his professional career, after having led the Asia Society for nearly a decade, Oxnam was haunted by periodic blackouts and episodic rages. After his family and friends intervened, Oxnam received help from a psychiatrist, Dr. Jeffrey Smith, and entered a rehab center. It wasn+t until 1990 during a session with Dr. Smith that the first of Oxnam+s eleven alternate personalities-an angry young boy named Tommy-suddenly emerged. With Dr. Smith+s help, Oxnam began the exhausting and fascinating process of uncovering his many personalities and the childhood trauma that caused his condition. This is the powerful and moving story of one person+s struggle with this terrifying illness. The book includes an epilogue by Dr. Smith in which he describes Robert+s case, the treatment, and the nature of multiple personality disorder. Robert+s courage in facing his situation and overcoming his painful past makes for a dramatic and inspiring book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Fascinating Book
This is a fascinating book that gives readers a look Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder), just one of the various diseases of the incredibly complex human mind.The book is very helpful for those desiring more knowledge and a better understanding of this illness.

Fascinating
I purchased this book because I was interested in MPD.However, I soon realized that I had no concept of what the disorder actually was.There are literally multiple personalities living inside one human body, and I couldn't grasp that idea until I read this book.MPD may sound self-explanatory, but this book amazed me.As for the actual book, I began to lose interest about halfway through, as Oxnam started integrating his personalities into one functioning person.This was probably due to how captivating the first half was.Nevertheless, I highly recommend anyone with an interest in MPD or psychological disorders to read this book.Even if you aren't interested, you will at least develop more of an understanding of the disorder.

There are better books out there
This book is well written but long winded.There is a lot of history about the author's past that, in my opinion, could have been edited to be shorter.The portrayal of the alters was insightful and interesting; even so, I became bored half way through and quit reading.I might suggest this book as something to be skimmed but not read. I have read First Person Plural which I found much more interesting, perhaps it's because there was not so much background information and it dealt with the issue at hand; the emergence of alters and the subsequent problems.I found the writing to be more personal and therefore it kept my interest.

A big STRUGGLE to read, a BIGGER JOY once you have
I had been searching for a book that would give me some answers from someone that i could relate to. Something that wasnt just spiting out advice as if they could solve all of your problems. Oxnam's novel, although overwhelming at times because of the different points of view, is a very concrete and real account of living with, and getting help for, MPD. The prose is clear, intelligent, and profound. This book has opened many new doors for me, and its words have stayed with me long after i turned the last page. This book is a must read for both anyone that wishes to more about MPD, or has simply paused for a moment and truly thought about what it is that makes us who were are.

Eleven Alternate Worlds with a Single Past
Never before had I immersed myself in the thoughts and emotions of a D.I.D patient.While this book is considered non-fiction, there were times when I felt I was entering an imaginary world inhabited by disparaging, disparate, and capricious individuals.Nevertheless, my mind always managed to find its way back to reality when the narrator spoke of his emotions, ambitions, and disappointments.

One must understand that this book does not attempt to provide a thorough medical explanation of the causes, cures, and tribulations of D.I.D.On the contrary, the author wants to provide the reader with a glimpse of what it means to have D.I.D., as well as to how this disease can camouflage itself in the individual to the extent that neither s/he nor a mental care provider can detect its presence.

Oxnam's assimilation of the idea that he has D.I.D is a process which he shares with the reader from the time he is diagnosed until the end of the book.This form of intimacy allows the reader to empathize with Oxnam, and mesmerizes the reader to the extent that s/he is unable to put the book down.

The climax of the book, in my opinion, is the probing into Oxnam's psycho-library archives to find the cause of his disease.I cannot imagine how Oxnam reacted when learning about his past, but I was shocked, angry, pensive, sad, and at the brink of crying.By this point I had become to attached to Oxnam's past that Oxnam's life had virtually become my own.Oxnam's ability to convey ideas in such a way that reaches into the reader's subjectivity and arouses intimate emotions within him/her is, for lack of a better term, admirable.

I strongly recommend this book to anybody.This book is not targeted for a specialized audience (i.e., students, professionals, teenagers, etc.), and as such anyone can benefit from reading about Robert B. Oxnam's life.


... Read more

Product Description
Accounts of Multiple Personality Disorder have usually been written by mental health professionals as texts or case studies. Now, in Becoming One, Sarah Olson has allowed us the rare privilege of entering her internal world in her first-person account of her journey from fragmentation to wholeness. Two little girls, the author and her sister, were routinely terrorized and assaulted over a period of years by a family friend. One grew up closed and withdrawn, the other angry and self-destructive. And, most painful of all, their common suffering resulted in estrangement from each other. Becoming One began as Olson's attempt to provide a written account of her memories for her sister as a means of reconciliation and healing. The author's courage and generosity in candidly sharing her remarkable experiences provide important insights into the world of dissociation. Here is at once a highly personal look into an individual life, the dynamics of a troubled family, and the healing power of the therapeutic process. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

excellent resource
I've not read the book in its entirety only skimmed through it. It's a great resource and I am glad I added it to my collection of MPD/DID resources. I am learning more and more about this diagnosis. It is more than I learned in medical school. Thanks. The book is in perfect condition and the seller is great to deal with. I highly recommend further purchases from this seller and I certainly recommend the book, especially if you are MPD/DID.

AMAZING!!!
I have read many books and articles on DID (MPD)--more than 50--this is the best I have encountered.The interspersed transcripts of therapy, the detailed (though not exploitative or sensationalized) accounts the abuse, and the thorough description of the environment which both created the need for DID and sent the double messages that sustained it are a welcome addition to the literature.

In process myself and working through much of what Sarah describes, I could only say that I feel validated and believed, and perhaps for the first time, understood, by someone else.I felt like I was reading my life in so many ways--years behind her in the process, hearing my therapist in her transcripts--it gave me hope that there is a point where things come together and it doesn't rule your life anymore.I'm thankful that she told her story and I hope that when people read her book they are able to understand the truth in what she's saying.It means a lot to be believed.

Meandering outbursts of anger and bitterness...
While I am glad that Ms. Olsen found the courage to speak out about the effects of severe child abuse, I found this book to be one woman's meandering tyraid against practically everyone and everything in her life, past and present.It was difficult to follow and depressing...and I also have DID.I did not find it the least bit inspiring or encouraging for fellow multiples.Rather, I found it to be written in an almost self-pitying and egocentric manner.
This very well could have been a message of personal testimony coupled with inspiration and encouragement.However, the book is filled with one-sided rants that are very difficult to follow.
If you are a multiple, do not look to this book for any hope or encouragement.

Excellent book
I found this book interesting and easy to read.It is written inflashback style. It offers an insight to the intimate details of a therapy process. The writer is very candid about what caused the trauma. We get the benefit of knowing the journey she took to heal from the horror of her childhood. Helpful and Hopeful.

Highly Recommended!
This book gives incredible insight into the work required by both the therapist and the patient with DID.I cried for the little girls who were so brutally treated and then ignored by those who should protect, and for Sarah and her Alters as they struggled with the aspects of integration and the resulting consequences for each of them.

Becoming One is a book which reveals the internal struggles through transcripts from therapy sessions and diaries.Personal notes reveal the inside story and the wisdom gained from hindsight and the very hard work and courage that was needed to heal.

It was a lengthy search for me to obtain a copy of this book and it certainly was worth the effort.It has brought me strength as I begin my own journey, and hope which is such a necessity.I have immense admiration for Sarah Olsen for overcoming such horrors, physical and emotional pain, and for having the courage to come forth to help others.I recommend Becoming One for both therapists and for those who continue to suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder. ... Read more

Product Description
In this extraordinarily distinctive, exquisitely crafted memoir, one that began as a suicide note, Jane Phillips, a woman with "disassociative identity disorder" writes about the intimate details of her life. The Magic Daughter is a harrowing, moving, inspiring, and ultimately triumphant account of a woman's journey toward wholeness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Page turner
I have read three other books by people who suffered from dissociative identity disorder (DID): I'm Eveby Chris Sizemore,Fractured Mind, A: My Life with Multiple PersonaIity Disorderby Robert Oxnam, and When Rabbit Howls by Truddi Chase.I thought this one was the most engaging."Jane Phillips" is a very good writer.There is no excess verbiage in this book, just enough colorful detail to bring her experience to life.I was reading it in every spare minute because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.The author comes across as very honest and insightful, open about her flaws and mistakes.I was amazed by the mercy she showed to the people who abused her by publishing under a pseudonym and not trying to take revenge.Although much of the story is sad, the author's resilience and sense of humor make it hopeful rather than depressing.

The Lone Dissenter
While this book is a refresher from the cliches about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly Multiple Personality Disorder that "Sybil" and "The Three Faces of Eve" created, I was still sorely disappointed in this book.One thing that bothers me that there are people who view DID as an exotic condition and who go to great lengths to try to convince others they are hosts to other personalities.Instead of being exotic, it is a devastating condition that has cost people their jobs, families and in some cases their lives.Cases have been reported where one personality was out to kill another and as a result, the "host" or "core" personality was the casualty.

The author, who is identified as "Jane Phillips" started this book as a suicide note.A survivor of fraternal incest and neglectful parents, she makes her way through therapists and treatments until one therapist, with whom she has established rapport finally realizes through researching DID that she does indeed have this condition.

To this book's credit, Phillips is nothing like the stereotypes that currently exist about DID.She does not have any extraordinary artistic ability that "surfaces" in other personalities; she is a college professor; she is somehow able to keep herselves in check while at work.Embarrassing moments do crop up, such as when she has no recollection of someone her alters have met.

One part that I really loved was when Jane went toy shopping at the behest of her child alters.They implored her not to buy "some dumb bear with a dumb expression on his face" and "no dumb bears, ever!"As one who also dislikes bears, that made me smile.

Sexual abuse is often the taproot of DID.Jane was raped by her older brother; when she was in college, she became involved with a violent man named "Jack" who raped her when she insisted that he move out.

Like the famous (or infamous) Sybil before her, Jane had "fugue" states that she dated back to middle school.She finally, at age 30 enlists therapy after suffering from migraines and panic attacks.

Her childhood was paradoxical.On the one hand, she was cherished as she was the only daughter and girls were a rarity in her family.On the other hand, she was penalized for her feminity.Jane's mother bought her a doll one Christmas that Jane didn't want and insisted she play with it; whenever Jane left it alone for long intervals, her mother would hound her to play with it, all the while telling her how lucky she was to have such a thing.

Jane's growing feminity was measured and recorded by her mother; her breasts, hips and cycles were duly noted and she was not given any privacy regarding these very intimate matters.When Jane makes decisions for herself, such as going into therapy in adulthood, her parents systematically and symbolically cut her out of their lives by having pictures of her removed.Her mother makes irrational comments such as Jane's silver baby cup "is none of her business."That sounded completely illogical.

I didn't like this book and felt it "glided" through some of the more harrowing aspects of DID.This book is like bare bones compared to many other excellent, well-rounded works on this subject.I recommend "First Person Plural," "Katherine It's Time," "Shatter," and all the books Chris Sizemore, aka Eve has written about her own experiences with DID.

Profoundly moving
Most of us think of Multiple Personality Disorder in terms of 'Sybil,' or 'The Three Faces of Eve,'or that California serial killer who claimed the rest of him was innocent. To us, it's an exotic craziness that either doesn't exist or is sensationally unpredictable and dangerous.

Phillips, pseudonymous author of 'The Magic Daughter,' not only makes the disorder (now called Dissociative Identity Disorder) credible, she puts one scared and human face on it. Phillips' memoir began in April 1993 as a suicide note. But in trying to explain why life was too difficult to bear, she became absorbed in the project and it eventually became a means of integrating her "selves."

Phillips fits none of the stereotypes. She's a college professor whose students and colleagues are unaware of her disorder. She was considered thorough - because several selves would independently do her work, each needing to ensure it was done correctly - unbeknownst to Jane herself. She learned to cover when greeted by people she didn't remember. Nothing was more relaxing than hours spent gazing into the mirror, communing with a parade of faces, young, old, boyish, feminine, wise and foolish - none of which seemed to be hers. But just getting through a normal day could be exhausting as she fought to control conflicting emotions and maintain a moment to moment chronology.

Since junior high she had been secretly aware of something wrong. "Mostly I just never seemed to be who I really was - although I had no idea who that was." All through college, through marriage to an alcoholic, she thought of seeing a psychiatrist but all she could think to ask was "What's wrong with me? Why is life so hard?"

At 30, she finally sought help after a summer tormented by headaches, profound depression and uncontrollable bouts of terror and anger during which she tore out all the flowers in her beloved garden, carried a gasoline can to the house intending to burn the place down and spent hours in her closet crying because none of the clothes seemed to belong to her. But she was still, despite the psychologist's prodding, unable to express what she wanted out of therapy.

Probing her childhood, the therapist precipitated a wrench back in time. "Suddenly, weirdly, I was nine years old again." Out came memories - the anger and violence of her older brother, Hank, who had tormented his younger siblings. And attempted to rape his sister Jane, failing only because their parents arrived home unexpectedly. "I couldn't tell if I had remembered it or made it up."

Her brother's attacks and elaborate malice - much of it sexual - continued throughout her childhood. But there was another side to her home life. On both sides her family was overrun with boys. She was the girl all the adults had been waiting for. She was petted and loved and expected to rectify all the deficiencies of her mother's childhood. Failure to measure up was met with anger and recriminations. It was a turbulent, tormented childhood, but many children suffer worse horrors.

Multiplicity, says Phillips, has three main causes. The first is a predisposing brain chemistry, second is trauma and third is a lack of recognition or acceptance of that trauma by adults.

While she was recognized as dissociative early on, she was not diagnosed as a multiple until five years into therapy. Her memoir brings home to the reader how thin the line is between normal emotional turmoil and a fragmented personality. Even some of her truly bizarre symptoms, such as an inability to distinguish between current and remembered pain, or to explain symptoms before another personality takes over and the symptoms disappear, arouse empathy.

This passionate, harrowing journey towards self-understanding and, ultimately, integration, makes unusual demands on the reader. Perception is a solitary thing - Phillips believed for years that everyone had psyches like hers but other people were braver and smarter about life. It's not the fragments themselves that defy comprehension but the wholeness and separateness of them - the personalities that remain forever 5 or 15, personalities that know only fear or loneliness or anger. With this book, Phillips makes it possible to understand how she protected her core by snapping off bits of herself which then took on particular functions in daily life, setting up a cycle which made her days almost impossible to negotiate.

Insightful, surprisingly hard to put down
The Magic Daughter: A Memoir of Living With Multiple Personality Disorder, by Jane Phillips (pseudonym) is the first-person narrative of a woman who suffers multiple personality disorder -- more precisely dissociative identity disorder (DID) -- most of her life.Since the author does not have the typical chronological concept of time until, for the most part, the end of the narrative, the book is composed of snippets of recollections and experiences with each chapter encompassing a theme.Oddly, however, the book does nonetheless have a peculiar linear fabric to the recollections.Apparently, to some extent, the author also recognizes this toward the end of the book.

My reading this book was not one of choice.I was assigned this topic in an Abnormal Psychology course two years ago.However, after finding this book, I was still reluctant upon reading it, expecting it to be dull.(My apologies to those suffering from DID who found support and enlightenment in this book.)Suprisingly I found the book very engaging, regardless of its non chronological sequence, and the author's quite fluid writing style.

Nonetheless, on the negative side, most of the way thru it I found myself feeling doubtful.I began doubting either the authenticity of this work or the writer's sincerity.However, that feeling is probably groundless....

The negative criticisms I have are that there are certainly some unanswered questions; for that matter unraised questions in the text.But, if this work is authentic, it very well may have been that the writer wrote this more for herself than for others.

Secondly, it is interesting to note again that if Jane had MPD, her disorder was not nearly of the severity as other noteworthy cases I have read about including the case of Chris Sizemore upon whose experiences the book and movie The Three Faces of Eve were based.There are similarities between Chris Sizemore's experiences and Jane's, however, it is difficult to get beyond the sense that much of Jane's supposed MPD symptoms and experiences did not result after, and as a result of the diagnosis of MPD.

Nevertheless, it was a very good read.Engaging, thought provoking.

I Saw Myself in Her
Like only a handful of books written about multiplicity, this one was written by the multiple herself, rather than her therapist. However, unlike so many other multiple-written books, this one was actually decently composed. Which, after attempting such poorly-crafted tomes as I'm Eve and Prism, was an enthusiastically received change.

The Magic Daughter also differs from other multiplicity books in one other, significant way. Though arranged in rough chronological order, this book is more a series of personal essays than an autobiography. While this is frustrating in one regard--in that not all "plot threads" are adequately resolved--it allows the writer to avoid rehashing less than interesting moments in her life and concentrate on the issues that she truly wants to handle.

Although I know multiples who truly hated this book, I enjoyed it highly. On numerous occasions, I found myself reflected in its pages. I was easily able to identify with passages such as:

"Life is hard! I want to shriek. My head aches, my mind roars with voices, I have no extra money, I'm exhausted, and I can barely think straight. I scream in the night, my body aches with remembered abuses, and therapy requires that I recall and then relive those old, horrifying traumas."

Perhaps if she had focused on the happier moments of multiplicity, her story may have been more endearing to empowered multiples. To her, however, multiplicity is something that needs to be cured, though she does acknowledge it may have causes completely unrelated to abuse.

"I suddenly felt unnerved. Her therapist was a man who'd made a substantial name for himself because of his work with abuse survivors; he often lectured and offered workshops. For some reason, I blurted out that I'd been multiple three, maybe four years before I was sexually abused." (Italics mine.)

Sadly Phillips does not deal with natural multiplicity for more than a few paragraphs. Perhaps such an exploration would have been out of place in this book, which is focused more or the end of multiplicity than its beginnings. It does not end happily with integration, though. While Phillips does make inroads towards that goal in the final half of the book, she is only at the start of the process when the book ends, with much work still ahead of her.

How she handles integration may make many multiples wary. She simply decides to stop dissociating, that she's had enough. It's not that cut and dried, but that is the brunt of it. And, as she is seen in this book very much as the core personality, she believes that she can simply stop, much as one can stop chewing their nails. Multiplicity is simply a more elaborate and debilitating habit.

And that's where she'll lose a lot of multiples, especially those that truly love and care for their system mates. Still, whether or not I agree with her, I enjoyed reading about her opinions and struggles. The book was very well constructed and a fast read. With that in mind, I'd recommend it, though it may drive some empowered, non-trauma-based multiples crazy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

thorough, sensible and helpful
Concise and thorough overview of critical issues in the treatment of DID. Helpful to clinicians seeking overview of salient areas in understanding etiology and management ofthis complex post traumatic stress response.The author does not refer to any "widespread satanic conspiracy" as the reviewer doerksen complains; he must have confused this with a different book

Paging Doctor Caligari!
(...) Thankfully, Braun's insane belief in a widespread Satanic conspiracy has been debunked, and his license to [practice] medicine have been revoked. (...) ... Read more

Product Description
FIRE AND WATER is a true account of discovery, validation, and healing from sexual and ritual abuse. A therapeutic memoir written from a Christian perspective about the emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological aspects of coping with multiple personality and the reality of ritual abuse, it gives deep insight into the daily trials the couple face. It reads like a mystery novel with clues coming along a little at a time in an effort to solve the whole puzzle. It will become a practical companion for other multiples and their spouses while in recovery, as well as for others who struggle with issues of past trauma. It has marvelous momentum and narrative. Anna Thomas presents a very moving, very real, very powerful story revealed through frequent highlighted excerpts from a journal. Her writing is candid, transparent, and sincere all the way through. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A courageous journey through darkness
The epilogue reads;

"If this book gives someone hope that he or she will march out of the darkness into the light, then this journey has not been in vain."

If this book helps people whose experiences resonate with mine and lets them know that they're not alone, and that others are aware of the oppressive load they carry, then this agonizing journey that enables me to identify with another person's pain on a heartfelt level has been worth it.

If one of God's purposes was for me to be used as a channel of healing and spiritual growth for others, then this journey has been fruitful."

This firsthand account of Multiple Personality Disorder brings to the forefront the devastation that has been thrust upon the unknown and attempted to destroy their lives. Ritual abuse survivors endure what most can only imagine and bury these horrors deep within themselves in order to survive.Anna F. Thomas has broken the cycle in her family and has written her journey to bring comfort and understanding to others.Without her inner strength, which at times she did not think she had, she would have surely succeeded in self-destruction.

We follow Anna and her husband Vince as they face each new memory that has been hidden in the depth of her conscious for years.Incest, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, wicked rituals, and events that are too devastating to even imagine created many different personalities in a single woman.Each personality which was there inside her had a purpose.Each was there to protect her. Vince was always there by her side offering love and encouragement, he is the rock that kept her grounded and you will read his thought and feeling at the end of the book.He will move you to tears with the love he has for his wife.

If not for God entering her life when she was a child Anna would surely be lost.He guided her through terrible depression through realization as she continues to heal.I feel this gift Anna has given us was very difficult for her to relive, she did it for us her readers, and for that I am truly grateful.Regardless of the battles you are facing, Anna F. Thomas' journey as described in "Fire and Water" will give you inspiration that there will be better days.

An Amazing Story of Trauma, Torment and Ritual Abuse
"Fire and Water" is the story of the journey of Anna F. Thomas as she faced the trauma and torment of Multiple Personality Disorder resulting from childhood and sexual abuse. Anna tells of her anguish, horror, anger, and self hatred as a victim of childhood ritual abuse. Thomas relates how she came to realize her need to face these painful feelings to discover the truth of her past.

Thomas writes this account from a religious viewpoint and relates how a conversion experience in her childhood made it possible for her to maintain faith for healing from the ordeal of her exploitation.

After twenty years of battling despair, and loneliness Anna could no longer curb her emotions. An upsetting incident while on her job forced her to seek professional help. Suicidal thoughts and hospitalization confirmed her need for psychiatric help. Pastoral counseling and a supportive husband also helped Anna face the years of panic as she faced the reality of Dissociative Identity Disorder and multiple personalities.

Anna has drawn from the writing of her journals from the time she was diagnosed on through her years of treatment. I valued Anna's candidness and frankness in communicating her frustrations as well as the highs and lows of her illness. It is Anna's prayer that this book will be of help and encouragement to many who have experienced or are experiencing these same stages: the realization, recognition, and recovery of their disorder.

"Fire and Water" is inspirational and informational. Anna Thomas writes for the victims of childhood ritual sexual abuse, their caregivers, family, and their counselors. Her writing is clear and passionate as she offers a positive note of encouragement and hope to her readers.
... Read more

Product Description
Until now, multiple personality disorder (MPD) has been one of the most baffling mental health problems of our time. In More Than One, Dr. Terri Clark, a psychiatrist who specializes in MPD, provides a faithful yet compassionate examination of this little-understood disorder. Dr. Clark reveals clinical origins and history of MPD, features and characterisitics of persons with MPD, the relationship between child abuse and MPD, the relationship between satanic ritual abuse and MPD, successful therapy methods, plus a glossary and a list of special resources. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

More Than One: An inside look at Multiple Personality Disorder
I am familiar with D.I.D.- What M.P.D. is now called. I have recommended this book several times. There are those who think multiplicity is rare. Not so! This book gave an easy to understand explanation of this disorder. It includes an indepth look into the family dynamics that contribute to this disorder. I find it very helpful in better understanding how abuse affects the entire family and how all members of the family are contributors to it. We need to be educated in this area and I found this book helped me to achieve that. I highly recommend it.

Informative, but too exclusive of some patients
I must admit that I have not fully read this book yet, but have merely browsed it out of curiosity after purchasing it.I bought it as I am intensely interested in the dynamics of DID (dissociative identity disorder, formerly--and at the time of this book's publication--known as MPD) and wished to acquire some of the better-known and/or more authoritative or comprehensive books on the subject.Me not having fully read the book yet should be taken into account when perusing this review, since I normally wouldn't submit one without reading the book.

That being said, although the book is written in an accessible, conversational style with lots of case examples to make the disorder easier to understand, there's a chapter near the end, focusing on "Of God & Evil," in which the author clearly states her Christian background, her belief in evil, and her use of the Bible and prayer in her practice--even going so far as to agree that treating multiples is "spiritual warfare."Even as someone who is not multiple, I see such a chapter as potentially triggering and unfortunate for one who is NOT Christian as the author is.To quote one part, "Bible study is another valuable tool for patients.When they read the Bible, they read about everything from demon possession to people with severe emotional problems.These stories reflect the power of God to deal with even the most evil and destructive forces.Patients are comforted to know that they have hope to be free, and the Bible stories are a witness to people making miraculous changes"--what of patients who are not Christian, and not only do not believe in the Bible as the word of God, but have been mistreated by people identifying as "Christian"?I skimmed through this chapter hoping the author would make reference to patients who are not Christian, to see how treatment with them could progress--are different holy books/creeds used to comfort patients of different faiths, or is a more secular approach taken for atheist/agnostic patients, for example?--but there was no such mention that I could see.The book makes reference to Satanic ritual abuse (RA/SRA) as a potential cause of DID in earlier chapters so I found this disheartening; there are also Christian cults and Christian abusers who can do such things--in fact, child abuse by people identifying as Christian is likely more widespread than abuse by people identifying as Satanists--and not every patient is going to respond well to a faith-based approach, so I had hoped the author could be more inclusive of such patients.As a result, non-Christian multiples who read this book may feel left out and slighted.

I also find the belief in "true evil" to be potentially dangerous, as this belief can lead people to externalize "true evil" as something that is not within them and scapegoat others they see as "evil"--without realizing that everyone has the potential for good or evil.Seeing things in terms of "black OR white" is itself a form of splitting--breaking complex things down so they don't conflict, cutting them off from each other so that integration and wholeness can't result.When people start to fixate on the existence of "true evil," they tend to split it off from themselves, and it becomes all too easy to see it anywhere but within oneself.It wasn't that long ago that a multiple would have been seen as possessed (as mentioned in this book) and have been regarded as evil themselves.

I was unaware of the religious overtones when buying the book as these are not mentioned anywhere in the item description; otherwise I might not have bought it, as I'm more interested in either a secular or more spiritually inclusive approach to treatment.I'll attempt to take the non-religious chapters at face value as being informative and helpful to patients and those wishing to learn, but the religious-based section puts a damper on a fully positive review.This chapter is probably good for Christian readers, but I'd recommend skipping it if one is not of this faith.

In addition, the author's statements regarding her faith can somewhat nullify her comments on Satanic ritual abuse, which, unfortunately, is frequently disbelieved and considered a belief of "fundamentalist Christians" embarking on a Satan scare.I am not Christian, and do not believe in widespread RA/SRA, but I do believe it COULD happen and it's dangerous to completely write it off as nonexistent.A good book to look at on this subject is Colin Ross's Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principles of Treatment from the same author as one of the most definitive books on DID out there today ( Dissociative Identity Disorder: Diagnosis, Clinical Features, and Treatment of Multiple Personality (Wiley Series in General and Clinical Psychiatry) ).Ross is not interested in proving or disproving RA/SRA's existence, nor in disparaging Satanism as a faith (any books out there for multiples identifying as Satanist?) or in promoting any sort of faith of his own, but in merely treating patients as suits them best.A Christian approach, as taken by the book being reviewed, is a good approach--for Christian patients.For non-Christian patients, it could be damaging.

I also noticed in my browsing that the author of this book seems to regard DID as more frequent than is commonly stated; perhaps I misread, but I think this could be a dangerous belief as well, and is a reason why I shunned buying certain books that, to paraphrase one critical review, are along the lines of "I'm multiple, you're multiple."DID exists, and should be treated as real, but it should not be treated as common.

Should Amazon allow me, and should the need arise, I may edit/revise this review when I finish reading the book if my opinion drastically changes.I thought I should make any potential readers aware of these issues however in case they could find such material triggering or unwelcome; I would have liked to know before purchasing the book about its religious overtones.

(Edited 7/22/09 to remove typo.)

A must read for understanding someone with multiple personalities.
Did you know that when someone has "multiple personalities", each personality can be allergic to DIFFERENT foods, or require completely different eye glasses in order to read, or even not have diabetes when another personality does?Don't ask me to explain it, but each personality is, in every sense, a completely different person.This is why I do not refer to this phenomenon as a "disorder".Although, a person with multiple personalities will have difficulties dealing with life that others do not have, in many other ways their coping skills are far superior to those with only one "personality".

I can speak about the subject of multiple personalities from personal experience because I was married to someone I loved very much who had multiple personalities.I was fortunate to have found this book at a very early point in our relationship because it enabled me to understand something that would have otherwise been incomprehensible.After I read this book, I wanted to learn more and bought several other books on this subject. However, nothing came close providing as good an understanding as this book.I can't recommend it highly enough.

A great introduction for patients, family, and friends
This is a book I have lent to several people to introduce them to the complex world of dissociative identity disorder, (formerly called multiple personality disorder). Those who have read it have come to a sound, positive understanding of the disorder. Through its gentle treatment of the topic, the fears of others have been allayed and I have been able to show others my true selves. The book is an easy, fast read, written for the general public. I'm sad to find that the book is out-of-print; it has been a great resource! ... Read more

Product Description
Readers' Comments It is about time we have such abook available. I am a SRA survivor and my feeling when reading this book was, "finally, someone who REALLY understands the SRA survivor." I gave up on counseling several years ago because no one understood or even believed me. There are very few counselors out there who are equipped to deal with such survivors (I never found one) and I am glad that Pastor Clark is spreading the word of truth to the ignorant. I was ostracized from churches and well meaning Christians who were clueless and/or disbelieving that such things could happen in this country.¿ Pastor Clark's bookpoints out to the ignorant that the results of their unbelief adds a great deal more pain and trauma to the survivor.¿Survivors need prayer, encouragement and most of all, someone to believe them in order for them to heal from their severe traumas. I pray that every church member reads this book and amasses an army of believers to combat this plague through prayer and ministry to the survivor, to really be there for them in understanding.¿ - A SurvivorI can't think of a better way to tell what this book is about than just giving the capture titles which are as follows : The Biblical and Psychological Understanding of S.R.A.M.P.D., Seventeen Principals of Spiritual Warfare Based on God's Word, Diagnosing S.R.A.M.P.D., APastors Perspective of M.P.D., The Role of The Church From a Survivor's Perspective, Two Survivor's Perspective on the Healing Process, Keys to Breaking Satanic Programming, The Healing Process and Session work, and Keys to Healthy Integration. There are two reasons for publishing this book. 1) There is a real lack of books on the market on this subject. I hope this book will be a helpful tool for others who are working in the same area. 2) I want Survivor's to know there is hope! You can be healed and set free! That is why I had two Survivors write their experiences so I could put them in this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

no evidence whatsoever
During the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980's, investigators, even the FBI scoured the nation for evidence of SRA, and found nothing but silly teens who were soon arrested. There had been no genuine ritual abuse of children. MPD's suffer from false memories, often put there by their own therapists. While they were certainly badly abused, they were not abused by Satanists. This absurd witch hunt has ruined many lives, both of the accused and the mentally ill victims. Stay away from this nonsense book. It is pure sensationalism.

A must have for spiritual counselors
I have just finished reading John's book and I have found it to be very much like my own beliefs.

His views on treating an SRA/MPD person are very comforting. There are so many people out there in our spiritual community that do not believe in the existence in Ritual abuse. It is refreshing to find someone with some sense of what it's like and how, with the help of God that we can be helped.

In all honesty I believe that this book should be in the hands of spiritual leaders that counsel people. Especially when they find out that their client could be or is someone that is from a ritual abuse back group.

The book did not go into a lot of detail about Mkultra or Monarch programming, but the basic structure that is there is helpful, not only to the client but to the one/s trying to help the individual.

One of the chapters was written by a friend of his, Pastor Jim Casey, there are some things that I personally disagree with, and neither does the author, one such being that the "personalities" should die. No part of a multiple should die or can die in my beliefs. They blend in to each other and they can become a total whole individual or stay separate but still function in the "normal" world.

We were put on this earth for a purpose. What the reason is I can't say but I don't believe that God wants any to suffer. That's one of the reasons that he gave us this gift of disassociation.

I would recommend this book to any that would like to work on healing in a faith based system. Reading this book yourselves can be helpful but there is much more to it than just what one person can do. We need teams of support people with us in our healing. So if you are in or thinking of having some type of spiritual counseling I would get this book and also let your therapist or counselor read this and then discuss the type of treatment and goals thatyou can reach together.

John and I have written to each other during my reading of his book and he would answer questions that I had about this book. This man takes the time to listen. ... Read more

Product Description
From 1985 to 1995 an estimated 40,000 Americans, most of them women, were told they suffered from multiple personality disorder. Feminists, fundamentalists, and a substantial portion of the mental health community Andorsed this "Sybil-ing" of America. Sensation-seeking television talk shows took up the MPD rallying cry. In Creating Hysteria, Joan Acocella tells a riveting tale of therapists betraying their patients, of a psychotherapy profession at war within its own ranks, and finally of expatients rising up and putting an And to the MPD scandal.

"Creating Hysteria exposes one of the most frightening mental rollercoaster rides taken by thousands of people in modern times. Joan Acocella brilliantly illuminates how the mental health profession spearheaded, perhaps inadvertently, a fin-de-siecle hysteria, the fallout from which will take us into the next millennium. Anyone who has ever been interested in mental health should read this book."--Elizabeth Loftus, president, American Psychological Society

... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

The Book and Author Do Not Exist
I would have liked to have reviewed a copy of this book, however since I actually have dissociative identities and I know that I do exist, then it must be the author and the book that do not exist.

A Skeptic's View
Having been misdiagnosed with DID by three so-called experts, then experiencing the full internet DID subculture of support sites with 'littles', outbursts, and amateur experts self-diagnoising both themselves and other people, I was interested to read this book. I always found it interesting how people evolve at support sites on the web so they can fit into the typical DID mold. Once again with 'littles' who can read like an adult but make such an effort to spell badly it goes beyond how a young child would spell. Then the 'protector' who dishes out insults and attacks with ferocity whenever it suits and never is expected to take responsibility for their actions. Always a 'counselor' type who seems to oversee and understand the rest and is kind enough to offer explanations to rest of the ignorant world.The 'system' mapping is what I sometimes find unbelievable. It's like reading a playbill for a cast list of characters. Actually I do think that DID is a legitimate diagnosis, but not as widespread as some would have it be believed. I believe that it's become an epidemic, particularly on the internet. Having been suckered into the whole thing, I read this book with great interest but I was somewhat disappointed with it. I feel that in some ways the author's arguments are weak and almost as fantastical as the proponents of DID. She also does contradict herself in some places. I wish she took a more scientific, logical approach to writing the book and eased up on the heavy emotional perspective, but that's how I like to view things and life in general so I know I'm biased. I truly hope someone else writes a book on the subject, because I think there's a wealth of information out there that hasn't been fully explored or published. Still, the book is worth reading even if it falls short of being excellent. What else is out there after all? Many books supporting it but not much from the other side at all. Too bad. I hope that changes for those of us who've gotten labeled as such by the mental health community and would like some support for not embracing the dx whole-heartedly.

An equivocal reaction
I have mixed feelings about this book. Three of my seven alters found it persuasive, intelligent and informative. "Dr. Simon," a 55-year old physician with a very logical and linear cast of mind, was especially impressed by the force of Acocella's argument. "Mrs. Endicott," a church-attending lady of conservative political opinions, was likewise persuaded. "Chappy," a 35-year old comic store clerk with serious body image issues, was initially skeptical, but he usually defers to Mrs. Endicott and she eventually brought him around to accepting Acocella's perspective on MPD.

The rest of my personalities took a dimmer view of this book. "Caroline," a thirteen year-old Asian-American girl, doesn't read much other than poetry, and didn't make it much past the introduction before she got bored and gave it up. "Hogarth," an alcoholic house painter aged 37 found the entire topic ridiculous and insisted that the controversy over MPD was something Acocella had made up just to sell books. "Amy," a 25 year old college student pursuing a double major in Women's Studies and Communications, had the most negative reaction to the book and characterized it as part of the larger "backlash" against feminism. "Udo," a dwarf of indeterminate age and sex, declined to comment but made a sour face when asked for his opinion.

Ridiculous!No stars!
Don't waste your time or money on this sensationalized pseudoscience.This author has no credentials in the mental health field and therefore she has little credibility writing about psychiatric diagnoses or iatrogenic psychopathology.This book should be shelved in the Fiction section.

How many of the reviewers actually read the book?
Contrary to what Ms. Feruggia believes, Acocella *does* discuss how somedisorders are culturally-oriented.See Chapt. 2 for example.

I foundthis book to be compelling reading, and unlike some of the other reviewers,I felt she made a pretty strong case for her criticism of the psychiatricestablishment's role in creating the whole MPD "epidemic." ... Read more

Product Description
"A thoughtful and thought-provoking exploration of how our criminal justice system shouldhandle an increasingly common mental illness known as multiple personality disorder."
--Georgetown Law Journal

"A provocative study of a controversial topic. . . . Saks' analyses are always clear and incisive, comprehensible even when their premises and reasoning are unfamiliarand their conclusions surprising."
--Psychiatric Services

"Saks focuses exclusively on multiple personality, a controversial and only recentlyrecognized mental disorder. The philosophical underpinnings that frame thelegal questions of culpability, punishment, and competence to stand trial areexamined and provide the background for the author's proposals forapplicable legal rules. Highly recommended."
--Library Journal

The idea that multiple personalities can exist within the same body has long captured the Western imagination. From Three Faces of Eve to Sybil, from Pyscho to Raising Caine, from 60 Minutes to Oprah to One Life to Live, we are captivated by the fate of multiples who, divided against themselves, wreak havoc in the lives of others.

Why do we find multiple personality disorder (MPD) so fascinating? Perhaps because each of us is aware of a dividedness within ourselves: we often feel as if we are one person on the job, another with our families, another with our friends and lovers. We may fantasize that these inner discrepancies will someday break free, that within us lie other personalities--genius, lover, criminal--that will take us over and render us strangers to our very selves.

What happens when such a transformation literally occurs, when an alter personality surfaces and commits some heinous deed? What do we do when a Billy Milligan is arrested for a series of rapes and robberies, of which the original personality, Billy, is utterly oblivious? What happens when a Juanita Maxwell, taken over by her alter personality, Wanda, becomes enraged and commits a murder which would horrify Juanita? Who really committed these deeds? Are alter personalities people? Are they centers of consciousness which are akin to people? Mere parts of a deeply divided person? Who should held accountable for the crimes? Which is more appropriate--punishment or treatment?

In Jekyll on Trial, Elyn R. Saks carefully delineates how MPD forces us to re-examine our central concepts of personhood, responsibility, and punishment. Drawing on law, psychiatry, and philosophy, Saks explores the nature of alter personalities, and shows how different conceptualizations bear on criminal responsibility. A wide-ranging and deeply informed book, Jekyll on Trial is must reading for anyone interested in law, criminal justice, psychiatry, or human behavior.

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Customer Reviews (2)

Jeckyl on Trial
My son who is now in his late 20s and in legal trouble has been diagnosed with multiple personality disorder and bipolar disorder.Reading this book has helped me tremendously understand the disease and assist in his legal defense as well as his healing.I highly recommend it due to it's ease of reading and factual information.Had I read this book when he was in his teens, perhaps the problems he now faces would not have occured.

I am Billy Milligan from the"The minds of Billy Milligan"
Should I forgive myself after all these years? Or just kill myself. My father,My garndfather and my great grandfather on my fathers side of the family all commited suicide between the ages or 43 and 46. I am 44 as offeb 14.Is it genitic? If I could afford your book I would buy it. It mayhelp me decide what to do with this useless life. Depression and guilt havehaunted me for 22 years. ... Read more

Product Description
Life After MPD is a glimpse into Multiple Personality Disorder and life after it. It is about understanding, accepting, and healing. The road to recovery is difficult and painful; but possible. Life After MPD is a journey shared with hope and encouragement for you, your client, or someone you love. Everyone needs hope, encouragement, and support especially when they are on a path of healing. Life After MPD offers that promise. It also offers wisdom, insight, understanding, and is a gift of assurance and support; use it and share it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Strongly Christian biased theme
This small publication gives the reader an account of one Christian woman's journey into her many selves and asserts that her healing came from the guidance of Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary.The numerous references to these purely Christian figure heads did little to assure me of any scientific foundation regarding this account.While her therapists were more open to the concept of "spiritual guides", Dr Lighthart, clearly is not.

A Different Perspective for MPD
I approached the concept of MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) like most of America, leery and un-informed.I came out of this book having not only a better understanding but a true idea of what the people suffering from this disorder go through and how they can become better.

The book's author, Dr. Lighthart, is not only a doctor who treats and diagnoses MPD but also suffers from the disorder herself.This alone gives her an entirely different aspect of the problems involved and how to solve them.In this book, she covers her diagnosis and her road to recovery.She gives you an insight like no other to what not only the patient goes through but the patient's family, friends and doctors.Actual transcripts of her meetings with her doctor/psychiatrist and art work that she drew to explain her thoughts and feelings make it not only very real but bring you to realize that she is a regular human being that suffers from a not so 'regular' disorder.The mere and simple fact that as a sufferer of MPD she not only thrives well in the normal world but helps others with this disorder makes you realize that MPD is not a lost cause where we need to put these people away and cast them aside.Very treatable and often misunderstood, she brings a spark of reality to the disease that makes you understand and realize, if even only a small portion of, what's going on in their mind.

This book would be a wonderful gift to anyone in the psychology field or for anyone with a friend or loved one that suffers from the disease.I enjoyed it just to understand more about the people around us who might suffer from MPD and finally get a better understanding that isn't biased or untrue like "Sybil" and other stories we've heard or read about it.A realistic viewpoint that shares some of the most intense and private moments of a woman and her life with MPD.

The Path Less Chosen
Life After MPD written by Debra Lighthart is a book about Multiple Personality Disorder and the path less chosen.By the path less chosen I am speaking about the path to healing through the leading and power of the Holy Spirit, which I believe is the only way to find true and total healing.While psychology and counselors and therapists all play an important role in this process, none of them alone have the power to bring hope, help and true healing to the disorderly and confusing life of a multiple.

With in the pages of her book, Debra outlines what the path looked like for her.How she sought the power of the spirit and allowed it to guide her process and ultimately bring true healing within her life.She encourages a person with MPD to remember first and foremost, to not depend on anyone or anything but God within them to bring about the external change, for in God's eyes, everyone including the multiple is whole.It is a refreshing outlook for one to be reminded that MPD does not define who a multiple is, but only a symptom of a world gone awry.

If you are seeking an easy path through MPD, this is not the book for you, for God says that the path to Him is narrow, however if you are seeking true healing from the inside out, this book offers itself to be an effective guide to setting a path towards your own healing process.

Case Study in Mental Integration
This book will primarily appeal to mental health professionals and students in related fields.Some patients who may have Dissociative Identity Disorder or Multiple Personality Order may also wish to read the book, as potentially will their family and friends.

Beginning with Freud, mental health professionals have made it a practice to write somewhat disguised, anonymous case histories of their patients.These try to look "in" where no one can really go, someone else's mental processes and experiences.

I have always found case histories of mental issues that are written by trained mental health professionals who were the patients made for more valuable case histories.That's what drew me to this book.

Before reading this, all I knew about the subject was seeing the move, The Three Faces of Eve.

Dr. Lighthart is clearly a highly intelligent, sensitive, multitalented, imaginative and observant person.What she describes about her therapy makes an experience that is beyond my comprehension somewhat understandable to me.She chooses to say relatively little about the abuse she suffered as a child, which makes the book easier to read.Since she didn't really remember the abuse until going into therapy, you find yourself learning to perceive it in much the same way she did.

Of all the case histories I have read about mental healing, this is the only one I can remember that places spiritual values in a central role.I was pleased to see that the book explained why that is a helpful approach.

Overall, my reaction to the book was to reinforce my belief that with the right questions and mental processes we can solve any problem in a magnificent way.

The book's main draw back is that the writing is loosely, rather than tightly related to the subject of telling her story.So you'll find a lot of unnecessary repetition . . . such as the many references to Dr. Lighthart's discussions with her art instructor.

Overall, I found that I learned a lot about the problems she had in overcoming her challenges.

If you decide to read this book, take some time afterwards to get to know someone you love much better by asking about her or his childhood memories.Be supportive and loving as you do!

Help for those in therapy
This is not a lurid account of multiple personality disorder such as "Sybil." Nor are there graphic details of the abuse that Debra Lighthart, a licensed clinical psychologist, suffered as a child. This is a journal-like book outlining the steps Lighthart took during her therapy to deal with MPD, a result of childhood trauma.

The most interesting part of the book is Lighthart's description about how the multiple identities ("alters") emerged. They were not all living in her, fully formed with her swapping people in and out through some kind of mental revolving door. Instead, she gives a very different view of discovering how these "alters" function, one taking tests, another drawing and painting, another emerging as a healer ("Turtle"), the part seeking health and unity. Some of the alters seem to solidify into discrete entities only when analyzed. It's not exactly like you see in movies. And this would probably be of great help to someone going through therapy for this disorder, or doing therapy for other childhood trauma or post-stress difficulties. This is a good read for a clinical psychology student or a patient. ... Read more

Product Description
The number of cases of MPD has risen dramatically, but many of these cases have been created by inaccurate diagnosis. This book encourages a more critical evaluation of this disorder, which should help clinicians help those accurately diagnosed as well as those incorrectly diagnosed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Helpful View of a Fascinating Controversy
In this thought-provoking, highly readable book, August Piper does NOT deny the existence of multiple personality personality disorder.In fact, he argues that the condition is all too prevalent -- but in many cases seems to be brought on and/or exacerbated by certain therapists whose convictions and practices approach those of a religious cult.(The author cites one theorist who uses the term "oppressive supernatural states disorder," and more than one who recommend treatment by exorcism.)Many of Dr. Piper's fellow-psychiatrists (MDs, as opposed to We-Don't-Know-WHATs) support his conclusions, as does a respectable body of broad research and individual case studies.The important contribution of "Hoax and Reality" is its clear explication, for the benefit of lay readers, of a fascinating controversy.

The Book and Author Do Not Exist
I would have liked to have reviewed a copy of this book, however since I actually have dissociative identities and I know that I do exist, then it must be the author and the book that do not exist.

Not fully understanding doesn't make it non-existent
I found this book unconvincing and perhaps even dangerous for those who may read it trying to understand problems in themselves that may have been noticed by others.

I say this as an adult child of someone - who if ever in a therapist's office - would certainly be diagnosed as having a personality disorder of the type considered a farce by Piper.

He has little to no understanding of what a fractured or multiple personality is, let alone know how to recognize one.

He also discounts the pain that this illness causes those who must associate with the affected person.In my own and siblings life, games we played that were interesting and somewhat fun as children "let's get Mom mad so she says things she won't remember later"; or "let's start a (logic) argument, and then switch sides in the middle so she gets upset and later swears she never said anything", evolved into a sad realization that Mom was never going to be able to participate in anything emotional in our lives without repressing the memory into her other personality (fraction?).

This book does a disservice to the mental health community by presenting personal opinion as scientific fact. While I don't agree with everything spouted out of the multiple personality camp, this problem certainly exists and should be further studied.

Truth Prevails
I am currently reading the book, Hoax & Reality, and I can't thank theauthor enough for telling the truth of this phenomena. I recently had theopportunity to write an article about this issue, but had to turn thearticle down because I didn't believe in it and couldn't write an articlefavoring it when I didn't believe it existed (except as August Piper, Jr.,says, very rarely). I even interviewed someone who claims to have D.I.D.(M.P.D.), and after more than three hours talking to this person, I stilldidn't believe it! Too many things just don't add up. I am so glad someonehas applied true science, common sense and honesty to the phenomena andthat this brave author has decided to take a stand. How wonderful to findsomeone who has the authority (Piper is an M.D.) to back up what I havebelieved for so long! Thank you, August Piper, Jr., M.D.!

Living With THE PACK;Being A Maultiple In Treatment
Hello my name is Meingya @AOL, Iam currently in treatment with, DMS 4300.18/did-mpd.It has taken me four years to find a professional psychiatrist who will treat me . My biggest set backs have been money toprovide payment of services, and a person comfortable enough to work withmy issues.I have been very fortunate, as those who are the same will haveexperienced in their search for adequate treatment and a sense of beingbelieved, and validated. The circumstances that create someone to becomedissociative are as vast as they are directly a survival mechanism directlyrelated to the individual's experiences that made them use this survivaltechnique. I believe there is misuse in any services received by those whochoose to misuse those services. Over a period of time they are found outby the patterns of behaviour they exert and stop, or are confrounted by thetrained professional who can reach them to serve their real problems. Wedon't know many things about our own existence yet, but we should notdiscriminate those who have legitimate problems even though they may berare or unusual. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Expand your threshold of belief...
Knowing what people have done in the past can be helpful in understanding what they are capable of doing in the present. Saying "it can't happen here" is harder to do when you know that it has already happened somewhere else. In this book, Craig Lockwood presents a historical view of human behavior in regard to the occult and its part in society, organized groups and religion. Then he applies this information topresent-day reports of ritual abuse, along with brief chapters on multiple personality and the science of memory, and lets readers draw their own conclusions. Chapter 18 on the Politics of Denial goes into the human practice of denying the truth to protect other agendas. Included after Notes and References is a List of Prosecutions in which ritual abuse was involved.

Not for the casual reader, this book gives a valuable historical background for the serious study of modern organized ritual abuse and the technology of control of the many by the few. ... Read more

Product Description
An account of the crimes of Ross Michael Carlson describes how actor Carlson killed his parents in cold blood and then convinced lawyers that he suffered from multiple personality disorder. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is a fascinating study on MPD
If you are interested in forensic psychiatry, this is an excellent book with which to begin.

It is also a sad story of how religious mania destroyed a young man and destroyed the lives of his parents. ... Read more