Newswise — Lakewood, CO, June 19, 2014 – A recently published book, written by a “multiple personality” client and her therapist, provides a fascinating story that explains the process of integrating 150 personalities over a 10-year period. A House Divided: Recovering from Sexual Abuse and Multiplicity is an inspiring account of how the patient becomes whole after discovering the unspeakable sexual and physical abuse she endured as a child.
Through a dialogue, presented as alternating chapters, the patient, writing under the pen name of Catherine Jean Johnson, and her counselor, Jerry Donaldson, describe the therapeutic process that began when Johnson sought help because her marriage was troubled. After several years of therapy, the two discovered that Johnson’s unacknowledged history of sexual and satanic ritual abuse had divided her inner self into distinct personalities.
As Donaldson works with Johnson, he demythologizes prevalent views of psychotherapy and of the multiple personality disorder diagnosis, now known as dissociative identity disorder (DID).
“I am convinced that every human being is comprised of parts and pieces; like [Catherine], we experience ourselves as the sum of those parts. If we cannot free our parts to know and understand each other, we will suffer conflict within and live a divided, dualistic, incongruent way of life as well,” writes Donaldson in the book’s forward.
After being diagnosed with DID, Catherine’s work over the 10-year period was to come to terms with being a victim of horrific abuse and acknowledge, accept and integrate her fragmentary selves.
“My intention is not to sensationalize DID, but rather to provide a greater understanding of this condition for individuals, their therapists and all others whose lives may be affected by this diagnosis. I approach my task from a Christian perspective,” states Johnson in the book’s forward.
A House Divided has received numerous positive reviews by readers who include therapists, pastors, professors, a law enforcement officer, a school psychologist and others, including the following review by Robert Williams, M.D., of Russellville, AR.
“As a family physician, I was skeptical of even the existence of multiple personality disorder, much less the therapy for it. A House Divided has removed all my doubts and is an important tool for those of us in medical or counseling fields.”
Jerry Donaldson worked with delinquent youth for over 13 years, taught at Denver Seminary on the adjunct faculty for eight years, consulted businesses and has counseled individuals in his private practice for 38 years. Catherine Jean Johnson worked in the computer industry for more than 20 years, and is a currently working as a Licensed Professional Counselor in a faith-based counseling agency. Catherine continues to assist her husband as they minister in the church. Both authors reside in the Denver area. For more information, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/n5jj5cv.
###
Note to journalists: To receive a review copy of the book, please call or email the contact listed above.
RSS