Jennifer and Her Selves

After being told I have DID, I bought some books to help me understand it. Gave it a four star because the author/doctor was so eager to get her as a client just so he could write about it, that didn't sit well with me and some things I feel are a bit over exaggerated for this condition, makes me question the authenticity and whether or not some TV Show reactions where not added. I know several DID patients and have yet to come across one that can close their eyes and bring forth the new identity, it takes PSTD to bring them out or some sort of situation that needs controlling in which the actual person feels they can't handle, some sort of stressor not just sit down and close your eyes and now let me talk to so-in-so. But then again, I am no doctor and maybe all DID people are different. I struggled with placing at 3 or 4 stars but give the benefit of the extra star to the author. I don't believe a psychiatrist would get so personally involved with a patient, driving them to their parents house out of state and things like that. I am only just more than halfway through it and some things are so unbelievable they sound embellished.

Love reading about the mind

Very interesting and sad that things like this actually happen to people. Recommend this book if you are interested in DID or MPD.

Jennifer and Her Selves is Multiple Personality Disorder treatment told from the therapist’s point of view (except for a segment told from Jennifer’s point of view as imagined by the therapist.) In many ways, it is a bold book, with the therapist frankly admitting he was in over his head as he brutally discharges his client. Despite its schmaltzy ending, Dr. Schoenewolf’s inability to have the courage to continue working with Jennifer was a betrayal of trust. The virtue of the book is its frankness; the drawback is that the therapy failed because of the therapist’s cowardice. His breach of faith in the therapy agreement was in direct conflict with the model of therapy proposed by Barbara Sullivan in Psychotherapy Grounded in the Feminine Principle, which I consider the “gold standard” for treatment of PTSD and MPD, or any other form of dissociation. Despite my anger at the way he short-circuited the work they were doing together, I cannot help but admire his insight into MPD. At the time this was written, MPD was just beginning to be seen as a real disorder requiring treatment, and although a number of books had already been written in the “first person” of the multiple, or by the therapist, the territory was still largely unknown, and there were no standard treatments. Obviously, Schoenewolf’s approach failed, but not because the approach was wrong. That is the sad part: his approach was right. He just couldn’t handle the counter-transference issues it induced. Check out The Flock by Joan Casey.

Well-written, this one can be gobbled up in a matter of hours. But is it a good view of multiplicity? Well, it's standard, i.e. trauma-based and ending in integration. The interesting thing here is how her therapist deals with her. He nearly falls in love with her and walks away from the therapy because he has become too emeshed. It certainly isn't the type of therapy I'd want, but is is a compelling story.

This was literally a page-turner. A beginning therapist is assigned his first patient. She turns out to be one of the most complicated cases he could have gotten. To start with, she is suicidal and ends up attempting suicide after only a few weeks, and the therapist has to go to the hospital to see her. Then it turns out that she has multiple personalities, seven of them, which she gradually introduces to the shocked therapist. On top of this she is a beautiful dancer in distress. The therapist tries to maintain his therapeutic neutrality, but ends up developing a "countertransference." There are other books that give more of an academic look at multiple personality; this one provides an intimate view of a therapeutic relationship, showing how a new therapist (and all therapists, I guess) can be vulnerable to a patient's distress and charms. It's a session-by-session account that had my full attention all the way. I read it in about three hours--the reason being that I couldn't put it down. The author has recently revised and republished the book and it contains new scenes of supervision and a new revised ending. I won't give away the new ending, but it does seem realistic.

I'm not done reading this book, I'm actually about half way through it. Even so, I can tell you this is more of a love story rather a book about MPD. I mean sure she has it and he's treating her but he's focusing too much on his feelings for her rather than her recovery. I'm disappointed. When Rabbit Howls is an excellent book to read for those who are into these kinds of books. Also Through divided Minds was good. This book.... isn't a yawn but it's not "On Topic"

I felt a strong connection with the book's characters and could sense throughout the book the striving of both therapist and client to be true and yet neither could see the reality before them.

After being told I have DID, I bought some books to help me understand it. Gave it a four star because the author/doctor was so eager to get her as a client just so he could write about it, that didn't sit well with me and some things I feel are a bit over exaggerated for this condition, makes me question the authenticity and whether or not some TV Show reactions where not added. I know several DID patients and have yet to come across one that can close their eyes and bring forth the new identity, it takes PSTD to bring them out or some sort of situation that needs controlling in which the actual person feels they can't handle, some sort of stressor not just sit down and close your eyes and now let me talk to so-in-so. But then again, I am no doctor and maybe all DID people are different. I struggled with placing at 3 or 4 stars but give the benefit of the extra star to the author. I don't believe a psychiatrist would get so personally involved with a patient, driving them to their parents house out of state and things like that. I am only just more than halfway through it and some things are so unbelievable they sound embellished.

Love reading about the mind

Very interesting and sad that things like this actually happen to people. Recommend this book if you are interested in DID or MPD.

Jennifer and Her Selves is Multiple Personality Disorder treatment told from the therapist’s point of view (except for a segment told from Jennifer’s point of view as imagined by the therapist.) In many ways, it is a bold book, with the therapist frankly admitting he was in over his head as he brutally discharges his client. Despite its schmaltzy ending, Dr. Schoenewolf’s inability to have the courage to continue working with Jennifer was a betrayal of trust. The virtue of the book is its frankness; the drawback is that the therapy failed because of the therapist’s cowardice. His breach of faith in the therapy agreement was in direct conflict with the model of therapy proposed by Barbara Sullivan in Psychotherapy Grounded in the Feminine Principle, which I consider the “gold standard” for treatment of PTSD and MPD, or any other form of dissociation. Despite my anger at the way he short-circuited the work they were doing together, I cannot help but admire his insight into MPD. At the time this was written, MPD was just beginning to be seen as a real disorder requiring treatment, and although a number of books had already been written in the “first person” of the multiple, or by the therapist, the territory was still largely unknown, and there were no standard treatments. Obviously, Schoenewolf’s approach failed, but not because the approach was wrong. That is the sad part: his approach was right. He just couldn’t handle the counter-transference issues it induced. Check out The Flock by Joan Casey.

Well-written, this one can be gobbled up in a matter of hours. But is it a good view of multiplicity? Well, it's standard, i.e. trauma-based and ending in integration. The interesting thing here is how her therapist deals with her. He nearly falls in love with her and walks away from the therapy because he has become too emeshed. It certainly isn't the type of therapy I'd want, but is is a compelling story.

This was literally a page-turner. A beginning therapist is assigned his first patient. She turns out to be one of the most complicated cases he could have gotten. To start with, she is suicidal and ends up attempting suicide after only a few weeks, and the therapist has to go to the hospital to see her. Then it turns out that she has multiple personalities, seven of them, which she gradually introduces to the shocked therapist. On top of this she is a beautiful dancer in distress. The therapist tries to maintain his therapeutic neutrality, but ends up developing a "countertransference." There are other books that give more of an academic look at multiple personality; this one provides an intimate view of a therapeutic relationship, showing how a new therapist (and all therapists, I guess) can be vulnerable to a patient's distress and charms. It's a session-by-session account that had my full attention all the way. I read it in about three hours--the reason being that I couldn't put it down. The author has recently revised and republished the book and it contains new scenes of supervision and a new revised ending. I won't give away the new ending, but it does seem realistic.

I'm not done reading this book, I'm actually about half way through it. Even so, I can tell you this is more of a love story rather a book about MPD. I mean sure she has it and he's treating her but he's focusing too much on his feelings for her rather than her recovery. I'm disappointed. When Rabbit Howls is an excellent book to read for those who are into these kinds of books. Also Through divided Minds was good. This book.... isn't a yawn but it's not "On Topic"

I felt a strong connection with the book's characters and could sense throughout the book the striving of both therapist and client to be true and yet neither could see the reality before them.