I finished reading "Sybil"-a book by Flora Rheta Schreiber, last week. This book had been on to-read list for years.....but having read the reviews, i could never summon enough courage to read it. I finally did, early this year.....
The book is about a girl Sybil Isabel Dorsett, who suffered from Multiple Personality Disorder-based on the life of a real person-Shirley Ardell Mason. Multiple Personality Disorder is a condition where you have a conscious waking self and the other alternate selves who rise from the subconscious/unconscious mind.....and the waking self has no clue of their existence.
Sybil, who first dissociated into her waking self and an alternate self at a young age of 2-3 years, had no less than 16 selves of different ages who inhabited her being.....two of them being males! This is touted to be the most complex of such cases. Sybil found herself united into one whole being in her 40s, after she went through a whole series of psychoanalyses-some based in hypnosis and sodium pentothal (the truth injection).....Her dissociations apparently originated as a defense to protect herself from the childhood abuse.....and that, to me, was the toughest part of the book.....the other possible cause being the conflicting religious values she faced.
In the book you meet Sybil and 16 selves, her parents, her room-mate Teddy Reeves, her psychiatrist Dr. Cornelia Wibur and even the author of the book. Her 16 beings are different from each other.....the volatile Peggy(s), the French sophisticate Vicky, the baby like Ruthie, Vanessa, Marcia, Helen, Marjorie, Nancy, Mary, the guys Mike and SID (after Sybil's initials), the un-named blonde and Sybil, as her waking self. Each with different desires and skills, each a fragment of what were to be the whole Sybil. Sybil was a really good artist.....some of her sketches are provided in the book-different selves preferred different style of painting.....some of her works can be viewed in this link.
There has been some controversy on whether Sybil was a multiple personality or an extreme case of hysteria. It is said that Dr. Cornelia Wilbur delibrately induced personalities in her patient during hypnosis.....and that it had something to do with the book deal. More details on this controversy can be read here. Shirley A. Mason, Cornelia Wilbur and Flora Rheta Schreiber are no more in this world to share the truth.....Apparently, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur's archives and notes were to be opened in 2005. May be that would bring some facts to light.
The book scores, whether as a work of pure fact or part fact-part fiction, am not sure. If its fact, then its one of the most complicated tales of human psychology and if fiction, then its imaginative! The book is reptitive at times, but only to underscore Sybil's trials and tribulations. The description of her selves is rather vivid and you connect and empathise with each of them.....and you are sure to miss them after the book is over. The pages dedicated to childhood abuse are graphic.....very painful, and i admit, i skipped through those partly.....it was too difficult to take.
Sybil gleefully enjoys her days being all for herself, after all her selves have been united.....on how she can do simple things all by herself, without another person from within taking over her.....
And in this respect, it gives a message similar to many of Oliver Sacks' works- We have a lot in life to be thankful for.....simple things that we don't even think about.....Like being one with ourselves.....
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17 comments:
this is such a controversial topic..I don't think it can ever be understood fully...no matter how qualified you are. I once floated to the Psychiatric ward one night and met a lady who claimed to have had 3 personalities...let me just tell you, it was too much for me to handle....I tried to read her past history in notes and such...it was a maze. I didn't know who/she would say/do next. Those were the longest 12 hours of my life.
On a lighter note though...I do remember this book from my teenage days...I once tried to convince my mother that I had split personalities.....well, that did NOT work with her. She threatened to smack every single one of those personalities outta me if I didn't knock it off. I eventually gave up.
:)
have added you to my blog roll btw.
Great post-Trupti.
Sticky area it is.....one reason, while i've read probably every other book on popular Pscyhology, i sort of skirted it till recently.....We all have other selves hidden within, but we are conscious about our "other" personalities-as in what we look forward to be/dream about/say like figments of our imagination.....Problem happens when, these selves dissociate from the conscious!
He he, you tried to convince your Mother about your being multiple personality :)). Ah, those things that we try to convince Moms about ;).
and thanks a ton for adding me to your coveted list :).
Rightly said, these problems happen when subconscious thoughts are given more of a priority than the present state of mind, they start to become a reality..in another dimension,and the person actually believes it and acts accordingly. Very sad really.
It's all downhill from there...unfortunately...and takes time, if ever, to get back on track.
anyways..enough on this. Have a wonderful day ahead.
Hi Trupti,
It is a depressing thought.....
Dreams/thoughts are fine, but practicality keeps us our feet firmly planted.....hmm, right you are-enough on this!
Hope you are having a great day too :).
Hmm...thought 'twas time to say something on your own blog...
Trupti's mother was obviously too smart for her!! Most mothers are.
As for the different personalities within us - it is true. Less for some, more for others. I sometimes I cannot tell a joke - mistiming as well as forgetting the punch line are my bane! On the blog I seem o come across as this 'funny girl'! :)Don't I?
I was lost in deep thought after reading your article. It is scary but real too. Complex mind,it gives me jittery feelings, Musical :)))
hey, Surili (haha)
I made the amritsari chhole with the tadka,and I added anardana powder, kali elaichi, and aamchur. They turned out DELISH. Will be posting it soon.
I hope I didn't mess up the recipe..I got it from an Old Gujju cookbook, so go figure. You tell me the difference between the regular and Amritsari chhole and I'll post it along with the recipe.
Cheers,trupti
Hello Anita,
Great seeing you here :). I know what you mean, i sound a lil' different on my blog too. and under different situations my responses tend to be different :). All withing the allowed frame-work ;). and Yup, Moms are clever-they know how to deal with lil' mosters ;).
Archana, Welcome aboard :). I had the same feelings while reading this book-but now i am sorta' missing the characters :).
Trupti, i like the name "Surili". Am glad the Chhole turned out delish-am waiting for your recipe. Remember-whats delish is the right recipe :). But will mail you some trivia on the Chhole science ;). There are two types of Amritsari chhole.....so there begins the story;). More soon.
Great review. I've been planning to read the book for a while.
Any other books related to psychology you could recommend?
Thanks sbkt:
Few must reads in popular Neuropsychology/Cognition/Behaviour IMO:
1. Phantoms in the brain: V.S. Ramachandran
2. The Man who mistook his wife for a hat: Oliver sacks (and other works)
3. "Synaptic self" and "The Emotional brain"-two books by Joseph LeDoux.
Psychology reads:
Abnormal Psychology by Butcher, Mineka and Hooley (its a text).
Hope you like these.
A Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat?!
And you read this! Scientist- schientist!
Haanji, bilkul-its a very intriguing read-about 7 different tales of people with different neurological conditions related to perception.
Scientist ;), well.....uska kya matlab hota hai :)).
Thanks!
Hello Musical,why can't I get in to your kitchen blog? That's more interesting than this for me!!;D
Send Trupti's mom to whoever has multiple personalities,she will set it right in a New York minute!!;P
Hello Asha,
Just setting up my kitchen blog :)and toying around with few things. Infact just started y'day :)). It will be available from late tonight PST. I'll welcome you all formally tomorrow :).
Thanks a ton for your interest though-i hope i'll benefit from your suggestions.
It is difficult to imagine how one can reconcile to what is essentially living in several identities and to be able to flow from one to another. Is there any kind of continuity?
"Is there any kind of continuity"
I have no idea on that, though going by the account from the book and other similar narrations of such cases, there is really not continuity for the waking self. However, the different "other" selves are aware of the going ons.....Sybil as her conscious/waking self wasn't aware of other personalities till she heard the recordings, according the book. And when she was taken over by her other selves, she experienced black-outs/fugue states: a time that was lost.....she had no clue what she did or where she was in that time.
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