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Raven and the Hummingbird: A Healing Path to Recovery from Multiple Personality Disorder
Raven and the Hummingbird: A Healing Path to Recovery from Multiple Personality Disorder by Renate F. Caldwell is an insightful exploration into the complex world of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). This book brings to life the experience of Joan, a 44-year-old woman living with 52 distinct personalities, a coping mechanism her mind created in response to the severe sexual abuse she endured as a child.
This story is rooted in a chance encounter in 2003, where Caldwell, serving as a substitute therapist at a church group, met a group of women who were seeking solace by sharing their burdens with one another. Among them was Joan, a silent figure sitting alone, whose tear-stained note led to a transformative five-year recovery journey.
What sets Raven and the Hummingbird apart is its authenticity. This is not a book steeped in theoretical frameworks or rooted in empirical research. Instead, it provides readers an intimate, unfiltered look at a challenging therapeutic journey. It invites readers to step into Caldwell’s shoes and witness the rollercoaster of Joan’s recovery, experiencing every triumph and setback along the way.
As a psychology student, I found the portrayal of Joan’s numerous personalities, particularly Beth, a seven-year-old alter, profoundly touching. Caldwell’s narrative gives readers a vivid, tangible understanding of DID, allowing us to witness the transitions from Joan to Beth and back and observe their unique characteristics and interactions. This stark portrayal of DID, coupled with Joan’s journey to recovery, offers a profound educational opportunity for both students and practitioners in the field of psychology and psychiatry.
In addition to presenting a profoundly human story of resilience and healing, Caldwell accomplishes two significant feats with this work. First, she aids Joan in overcoming her DID through dedication, diligence, and empathy. Second, she masterfully translates their shared experience into a raw, honest, and richly layered narrative. As a result, this book doesn’t merely inform; it changes its readers, offering a deeply empathetic understanding of DID.
However, it is essential to note that certain sections of the book include detailed accounts of child sexual abuse, which may be triggering for some readers. Please consider this before committing to this emotionally intense journey.
Describing the impact of this book is a challenging task. Reading it felt akin to sharing a coffee with a dear friend, intimately privy to their experiences, which is a compelling way to approach such a subject. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Caldwell and Joan for their success in both the journey to recovery and crafting a book that succeeds in demystifying DID.
I highly recommend Raven and the Hummingbird to students of psychiatry and psychology, who will find invaluable insights not readily available in standard academic literature. Additionally, anyone interested in an intimate exploration of human resilience or seeking to understand DID will find this book both enlightening and profoundly moving.
Pages: 669 | ASIN : B0BHBFS4S1
Lost in the Reflecting Pool: A Memoir
![Lost in the Reflecting Pool: A Memoir by [Pomerantz, Diane]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41nkLYogIsL.jpg)
I was truly touched by this memoir by Diane Pomerantz. Her honesty and candor, as well as her shard recollection of her life’s experiences is truly inspiring and, as a person interested in human relationships, I found this book speaking to my soul. Diane Pomerantz writes as if in conversation. Perhaps this comes from her decades of work as a child psychologist. The writing has a conversational flow and is emotional without being overly flowery or expressive. She states later in the book that writing is very therapeutic for her and this is evident to the reader.
This is a memoir about a life full of challenging experiences to which many people can relate but also moments that are so unique to her story. The author takes us through her years as a married person and into her later years and up to the present. We experience her meeting her husband. He is a physician and she is a child psychologist. They build a life together, including many issues with fertility and adoption. We experience their early years of marriage, including intense difficulties with fertility and adoption. There are many heartbreaking incidents like when the young couple adopts a baby, names him, and brings him home only to find out that the birth mother has changed her mind. It is inspiring how the author faces these challenges, she is rocked to the core but also finds a way to move forward. It’s beautiful how she got both of her children. I loved this part of the story. It made me laugh when she said her daughter liked her new brother for the first few weeks but was then ready to send him back! My son said similar things about his baby brother in the beginning, so this made me smile.
As the years go on, we watch her husband’s true personality come to forefront. It is truly disturbing to watch this unfold. She sees certain things in the beginning that are red flags but continues raising her children with him and even working together. There is a story about how she and Charles co-treat a young woman for anxiety and Pomerantz is alarmed by his dismissive response to the patient. Through the author’s struggles with illness she discovers more and more truths about her husband. It was alarming to read the breakdown of their partnership and his actions and state of mind. Her descriptions were so alarming at times, yet I believed every detail.
There is a lot of difficulty, trauma, and heartbreak in this book, but it all comes around to a positive ending and left me feeling like I was more aware in my own marriage and relationships. I like that she is able to move forward without anger, even though she doesn’t have to forgive. I really enjoyed this book. The writing style was so comfortable and easy to read. The authors candor about her life are refreshing in a world where people often only want to show the good.
Pages: 337 | ASIN: B07414L8B6
LITERARY TITAN 