Accounts of Multiple Personality Disorder have usually been written by mental health professionals as texts or case studies. Now, in Becoming One, Sarah Olson has allowed us the rare privilege of entering her internal world in her first-person account of her journey from fragmentation to wholeness. Two little girls, the author and her sister, were routinely terrorized and assaulted over a period of years by a family friend. One grew up closed and withdrawn, the other angry and self-destructive. And, most painful of all, their common suffering resulted in estrangement from each other. Becoming One began as Olson's attempt to provide a written account of her memories for her sister as a means of reconciliation and healing. The author's courage and generosity in candidly sharing her remarkable experiences provide important insights into the world of dissociation. Here is at once a highly personal look into an individual life, the dynamics of a troubled family, and the healing power of the therapeutic process.
I am the author of 'Becoming One: A Story Of Triumph Over Multiple Personality Disorder', and have maintained an online presence since 1993.
Each Friday, at my blog 'Third of a Lifetime', I post 'Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors', an annotated compilation of links tweeted in the previous week. I also maintain the Dissociation Blog Showcase, an index of ~185 blogs which discuss dissociation primarily from a personal experience perspective.
I'm humbled and honored to announce that my Twitter account (@SarahEOlson2009) was selected as one of "50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors" by Best Colleges Online.
Having survived a violent, secretive childhood, I know the craving for security, love, and hope that is so often missing in adult survivors' lives. I understand feeling crazy and continually misunderstood. I also know how hard it is to find help to move beyond the pain and daily challenges of trying to put a different life together. What I've learned over many years is that there is always hope. Always.
My premise is that 'becoming one' is an ongoing process that is continually coming into shape and focus. It requires diligence, honesty, and integrity to make it real.
It's a journey that does not have to be done alone, either. There are hundreds of great resources for trauma survivors and their supporters, many of them organized by category on my website. Be proactive, and be your own best advocate.
