There are many books written about fictional or real cases of Dissociative Identity Disorder.  This disorder is properly defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th. ED).  Most would better know this disorder as Multiple Personality Disorder, or MPD.  The disorder is basically the fragmenting of the personality due to severe trauma, usually of a sexual nature, beginning in childhood.  As a result of this trauma, alter personalities are created to cope with stressful situations.  The host personality has no knowledge of what these alter personalities have done except by collateral means.

There are many people, both clinicians and laypersons, who feels that this condition does not exist.  I have seen three legitimate cases in my twenty-five years as a professional in the mental health field.  The author if one of those three cases.  This book is written in the first party and actually describes the various nightmare situations that a person with this disorder would have gone through during their childhood and adolescence.

The book also outlines the recovery process in which this individual participated.  She has many years of experience in dealing with e hardships associated with not knowing what was wrong to finally coming to grips with her past.  The books is extremely well written and has many surprises, including actual chapters being written after the author had "switched," and one of several personalities doing the actual writing.

I have seen the actual hand written manuscripts that are written in very different handwritings.  I have also seen the author "switch" and can professionally attest to then having a different person in the room, in the author's body.  This book would be helpful for both the layperson and the professional in gaining insight into the mind of someone with this disorder.

Ropbert Crimmins, LCSW