The Stranger in the Mirror Quotes

“Since physical escape is impossible, the child escapes mentally. She floats out of her body, imagining that somebody else is being raped or beaten, and turns off her emotions, saying, “This isn’t happening to me.”
― Marlene Steinberg, The Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation--the Hidden Epidemic

“many high-functioning multiples are gifted writers and artists, who, as they heal, are able to find an aesthetic outlet for the sealed-off rage and pain they have not allowed themselves to feel.”
― Marlene Steinberg, The Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation--the Hidden Epidemic

“Feeling disconnected from their peers, they were also internally disconnected from their own humanity. It seems clear that violent video games can promote derealization in a susceptible person. For disaffected adolescents who may have undetected and untreated dissociative symptoms, spending hours and hours playing these games in isolation can be dangerous.”
― Marlene Steinberg, The Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation--the Hidden Epidemic

“One answer turned up in the violent video games the two were obsessed with playing. Graphic effects realistic enough to blur the line between fantasy and reality allow these kill-for-thrill games to be used to break down a person’s aversion to killing. At the time of the massacre, Doom, the game favored by one of the mass murderers, was being adapted by the Marine Corps for its own training purposes.”
― Marlene Steinberg, The Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation--the Hidden Epidemic

“Hypnosis can return an adult to more primitive levels of consciousness and may be related to reported memories of experiences in infancy.”
― Marlene Steinberg, The Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation--the Hidden Epidemic

“Trying to contain the grief is what makes you feel caged in and stuck.”
― Marlene Steinberg, The Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation--the Hidden Epidemic

“Some theorists believe that polyphasic functioning can, over time, affect a person’s sense of identity by making it harder to distinguish central concerns from peripheral ones. When life is made up of decisions, decisions, decisions, all requiring attention at the same time, where to eat lunch on a particular day may seem as important a question as, Do I believe in God? We can get to a point where the dailiness of life matters as much as the core elements of identity: one’s fundamental beliefs, moral convictions, or close relationships.”
― Marlene Steinberg, The Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation--the Hidden Epidemic

“Now maybe that Arizona incident will make sense to you. I had to get out of that apartment, because if I had stayed in that situation I would have switched, and then all of you would’ve known the secret that I’ve kept for so, so long.”
― Marlene Steinberg, The Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation--the Hidden Epidemic