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Rating: 
Summary: Thank God!
Review: Finally, someone who will say what most of the rest of us were thinking: That we're not insane! While this book is written more for the average reader (and why shouldn't it be?) than those professionally trained in the mental health profession, it is nevertheless an interesting, informative, and well-written book about so many areas of interest dealing with DID and multiples. So many books have used this topic as a jumping off point (Sybil, McCrae's Bark of the Dogwood, Darkness Visible) with effective results, but those are in a completely different genre though no less striking and unusual. But now we have the definitive book on sanity or the lack thereof. The most obvious example of deconstructing the "myth" is probably that of DID, at least in its minor form--the idea that we all suffer from it to some degree, if for nothing else, sheer survival. I'm reminded of a book from the 50s that deals with this issue, though not in the same way--"The Presentation of Self." Stylish, thought provoking, and above all informative, it's about time someone had the fortitude to write this. Thank you Martha Stout.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: I thought this book was extremely well written and fascinating to read. The stories of the author's patients, some of which are composites, are really interesting. I like the less-sensationalized view of DID. I had two problems with this book, though. The first was the practice of diagnosing people with DID without a formal assessment process. This even includes strangers. When I read the account of the man who supposedly had DID, a stranger to the author, "diagnosed" on the basis of a temper tantrum at an airport, I rolled my eyes. There are multiple instances of this type of "diagnosis" of casual friends and even strangers, all of which I thought were not justified. The other thing that bothered me was the characterization of trauma therapy as centered around recovering memories. Anyone who has read the work of those at the top of this field, such as James Chu, knows that they do not advocate this. Although they see people with recovered memory, and they sometimes use memory retrieval techniques, they don't put anything like the stress on it that is seen here. The conceptualization of therapy as "recovered memory therapy" can be very intimidating to people who have terrible memories to face. I'd like to see a shift to a focus on getting one's life back, with recovered memories secondary. This would mean that the dramatic tale of recovery through hypnosis would be downplayed in favor of the less interesting correction of cognitive distortions, etc.. It makes for a less dramatic story, which may be why it's a less popular approach for authors. This book is beautifully written and the stories are fascinating, but in my view the stress on hypnosis and "diagnoses" presented here detract from its value.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of dissociation
Review: It took me a long time to find a book like this. Dr. Martha Stout provides deeply-moving insights into the vulnerabilities of people affected by trauma. She describes the relativity of trauma and its effects through three common situations. Child abuse has been a common reason given for dissociation - but Stout shows there are many other reasons. (for example, a small boy "disconnects" from his fear when he isn't picked up at the bus stop. For a five-year-old in an unfamiliar place that is a traumatic situation) Using interesting and realistic case stories, she develops a compassionate picture of the gradations of symptoms on the dissociative continuum -- everything from temporarily zoning out while driving and disconnecting from yourself while watching a movie to the extreme dissociation of a man with multiple personalities. I read it all in one sitting (up until 6a.m.) and felt enthusiastic -- wanting to purchase one for all my family members and friends. A major point Stout makes is we all experience dissociation in varying degrees. Dissociation doesn't necessarily involve having "multiple personalities" Well-written, intelligent, accessible. Reveals the large and small traumas that cause us to separate ourselves from our experience of living.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of dissociation
Review: It took me a long time to find a book like this. Dr. Martha Stout provides deeply-moving insights into the vulnerabilities of people affected by trauma. She describes the relativity of trauma and its effects through three common situations. Child abuse has been a common reason given for dissociation - but Stout shows there are many other reasons. (for example, a small boy "disconnects" from his fear when he isn't picked up at the bus stop. For a five-year-old in an unfamiliar place that is a traumatic situation) Using interesting and realistic case stories, she develops a compassionate picture of the gradations of symptoms on the dissociative continuum -- everything from temporarily zoning out while driving and disconnecting from yourself while watching a movie to the extreme dissociation of a man with multiple personalities. I read it all in one sitting (up until 6a.m.) and felt enthusiastic -- wanting to purchase one for all my family members and friends. A major point Stout makes is we all experience dissociation in varying degrees. Dissociation doesn't necessarily involve having "multiple personalities" Well-written, intelligent, accessible. Reveals the large and small traumas that cause us to separate ourselves from our experience of living.
Rating:
Summary: A cogent, enlightening read
Review: Martha Stout has written a cogent, eminently readable book on the wide range of dissociative reactions we have to different stimuli, providing meaningful insight into the behavior of ourselves and those around us. We are all a little bit crazy, she declares. This book was something of an eye opener for me, as I had never considered dissociation as a common condition in society. Dissociation is actually a natural survival mechanism that has helped man survive for thousands of years on this planet; in cases of extreme, disturbing stimuli, the human mind may be unable to handle what it is witnessing, so it compartmentalizes the trauma into self-contained groupings within it. The person may withdraw his/her own awareness from the situation at hand, and he/she may well have no conscious memory of it after the fact. The effects of significant trauma cannot be self-contained in such a way forever, though, and so eventually the individual begins having nightmares or flashbacks, begins to space out or lose himself/herself at different times, exhibits dramatic mood swings, etc. In the most serious cases, the person may well harm himself or someone else, transform into a completely new person, lose control of his own conscious self, or exhibit what used to be called multiple personalities. It has been my understanding for some time that the number of actual multiple personality cases is extremely small, but Stout points to a small but significant number of cases of dissociative identity disorder (DID), an unknown number of which go undiagnosed. Pointing to vivid examples from her own case files as well as anecdotal accounts of nonprofessional acquaintances, Stout identifies the points along the dissociative spectrum. The most familiar and benign examples of detachment from self include daydreaming and losing oneself in a good book or movie. At the opposite end of the spectrum is full-fledged DID. In between lie such states as temporary phasing out, habitual dissociative reactions (phasing out whenever a remark or emotion suddenly triggers a trauma from early life), dissociation from feeling (feeling nothing during an event that should be emotional), intrusion of dissociated ego states (feeling strong, usually negative, emotions for no clearly discernible reason), demifugue (feeling adrift from both reality as well as your body), and fugue (losing significant periods of time wherein you unconsciously go about your daily life). In extreme cases, an individual may develop separate personalities of which he/she may or may not be consciously aware, as these separate personalities may or may not have identifiable names. The source of all these dissociative states, Start argues, is childhood trauma. She is quick to point out that trauma does not necessarily result from a condition of personal harm, although it naturally does include physical abuse, incest, emotional abuse, and similar reprehensible acts. A child has a limited understanding of the world, so he/she may be traumatized in ways his/her parents never even discern; becoming lost, for example, even for a short period of time, can have a lasting, deleterious effect on a child. Years later, some word or sound or smell might trigger this buried trauma, thereby triggering a dissociative reaction in the individual; such root causes of dissociative behavior can be very hard to ferret out. The very process of remembering can be pure torture, but whatever dissociative behavior is negatively impacting the individual's life must be uncovered in order for that person to find healing and live as normal a life as possible. One cannot protect oneself (which is basically what dissociation consists of) and live life to the fullest at the same time. In the end, one's ability to withstand and/or recover from the dissociative effects of early traumas comes down to a conscious choice of personal responsibility. I'm no psychologist, but Stout communicates her ideas in a way that makes very good sense to me; she even manages to sum up quite distinctly the difference between her techniques and those of psychoanalysis. Her case studies of dissociative identity disorder are of course fascinating, but the biggest thing I will take away from The Myth of Sanity is the insight I have gained into normal, everyday life.
Rating:
Summary: Thank God!
Review: This book is excellent. I recommend it for all clinicians, as well as for everyone in psychotherapy, and anyone interested in learning about what "makes us tick". It is not a pop-psychology book, but it is written clearly for the lay person. The premise is that we all dissociate to a greater or lesser degree. Dr. Stout does not pathologize normalcy, but normalizes those behaviors that we commonly observe in ourselves and others - and enhances our understanding and compassion of the way our mind functions in order to survive psychically. I have recommended this book to most of my own patients who often find themselves and their significant others cut-off from their emotions and the emotions of others,
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: This unassuming little book is extraordinary in it's conceptual clarity, sensitivity, and insightfulness. Phenomenology as the study of human experience from within that experience expands meaning and human understanding in ways that conceptual analysis and empirical research, as important as they may are, cannot. Dr. Stout has "captured" the dissociative experience from within and imparts an understanding that goes beyond a simple narrative description. The Myth of Sanity can be read on several levels of meaning. Professionals who work with severely maltreated children and adolescents will find much of value in this work. It is truly exceptional. William Vaughan, Ph.D.
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Resource
Review: Whether you've been diagnosed with a dissociative disorder or are just interested in learning about the effects of trauma, this book is an excellent way of telling how it is without selling out. An easy read and some much-needed opinionation make this book worth your time and your money. Highly recommended! That's just this multiple's opinion. :o)
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