<![CDATA[Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities]]>

false <![CDATA[Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1185090136m/1551737.jpg 1551737 2 One afternoon in 1989, Karen Overhill walks into psychiatrist Richard Baer’s office complaining of vague physical pains and depression. Odder still, she reveals that she’s suffering from a persistent memory problem. Routinely, she “loses” parts of her day, finding herself in places she doesn’t remember going to or being told about conversations she doesn’t remember having. Her problems are so pervasive that she often feels like an impersonator in her own life; she doesn’t recognize the people who call themselves her friends, and she can’t even remember being intimate with her own husband. Baer recognizes that Karen is on the verge of suicide and, while trying various medications to keep her alive, attempts to discover the root cause of her strange complaints. It’s the work of months, and then years, to gain Karen’s trust and learn the true extent of the trauma buried in her past. What she eventually reveals is nearly beyond belief, a narrative of a childhood spent grappling with unimaginable horror. How has Karen survived with even a tenuous grasp on sanity? Then Baer receives an envelope in the mail. It’s marked with Karen’s return address but contains a letter from a little girl who writes that she’s seven years old and lives inside of Karen. Soon Baer receives letters from others claiming to be parts of Karen. Under hypnosis, these alternate Karen personalities reveal themselves in shocking variety and with undeniable traits—both physical and psychological. One “alter” is a young boy filled with frightening aggression; another an adult male who considers himself Karen’s protector; and a third a sassy flirt who seeks dominance over the others. It’s only by compartmentalizing her pain, guilt, and fear in this fashion—by “switching time” with alternate selves as the situation warrants—that Karen has been able to function since childhood. Realizing that his patient represents an extreme case of multiple personality disorder, Baer faces the daunting task of creating a therapy that will make Karen whole again. Somehow, in fact, he must gain the trust of each of Karen’s seventeen “alters” and convince them of the necessity of their own annihilation. As powerful as Sybil or The Three Faces of Eve, Switching Time is the first complete account of such therapy to be told from the perspective of the treating physician, a stunningly devoted healer who worked selflessly for decades so that Karen could one day live as a single human being. 1544116 2 10 2007 Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities total:332|5:124|4:113|3:65|2:23|1:7| 332 1320 604 114 5 2 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Oct 13 14:20:54 -0700 2007 Sat Mar 08 13:32:02 -0800 2008 4 1 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 13 13:49:06 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 13 13:59:25 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Jul 22 00:42:31 -0700 2007 Wed Oct 10 11:09:19 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 16 09:59:47 -0700 2009 Sat May 16 10:17:38 -0700 2009
It is fascinating, in the deepest sense of the word, to read about the patient's family history. I'm not squeamish, and am not repelled by the ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 15:16:54 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 17:13:39 -0700 2009
Knowing it is written by the doctor that treated the patient, rather than by the patient herself, makes it a little more...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 06 13:52:55 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 18:04:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Oct 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 11:41:50 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 12:00:32 -0700 2009
It is also a harr...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Aug 31 21:35:15 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 31 21:35:40 -0700 2008 Sometimes it was hard to read due to detailed images of child abuse.
I like that Richard Baer was so honest.
I had to take notes throughout to keep everyone straight.

I would recommend this book.]]> 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Sep 27 12:49:43 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 12:58:05 -0700 2009
Karen, both abused and neglected as a child, developed 17 distinct personalities to help her deal with the trauma and pain. Each personality within her mind represents a diffe...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Oct 15 18:19:58 -0700 2007 Thu Mar 27 12:50:59 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Thu Oct 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 18:02:22 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 18:11:16 -0700 2009 1 real as a clinical report, lacking any disguises or prettying up or hovering in places to prey upon the emotions of the reader.

T...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Nov 17 17:21:47 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 17 17:27:27 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 20:50:45 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 13:43:54 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Oct 12 05:50:16 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 12 06:02:00 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 true false Sun Jul 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 20 06:47:29 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 20 07:13:57 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Apr 29 21:48:01 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 14 09:19:58 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Feb 27 11:08:19 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 27 11:45:16 -0800 2008 Dr. Robert Baer retells of his journey to helping a women who sufferes from MPD. To his surp...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Feb 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 18 07:52:01 -0800 2008 Sat Jun 13 10:25:56 -0700 2009 An angry boy to scare away...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 24 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 06 15:22:29 -0800 2007 Mon Feb 25 16:08:51 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 19 06:01:01 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 25 08:50:03 -0700 2007 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1551737