The Myth of Sanity : Divided Consciousness and the Promise of Awareness - Hardcover

Stout, Martha

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670894753 ISBN 13: 9780670894758

Publisher: Viking Adult, 2001

Synopsis

The author explores the fragmented and often fragile human psyche, revealing common, everyday forms of dementia that plague millions of people and discusses the impact of traumatic memories in one's daily life. 20,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

No one likes being called crazy. But Dr. Martha Stout, a psychological trauma specialist, invites all to question their own level of mental acumen in The Myth of Sanity. Her logic makes sense: all humans experience fear, especially during youth; individuals' response systems determine how their brains catalogue traumatic experiences and trigger "dissociative" coping strategies. Those who experience horrific situations like abuse, catastrophe, or grueling medical procedures fare the worst over time; their dissociative behaviors can manifest themselves as situational fatigue, "lost" hours or days, or split personalities.

Drawing from 20 years of treating such patients, Stout presents several composite characters to illustrate all levels of dissociative behavior: from the very serious DID (dissociative identity disorder, or "switching" among distinct personalities) to the nearly universal "brief phasing out" (losing a thought or getting "caught up" in something). As each patient undergoes psychoanalysis, Stout highlights clues for identifying trauma sufferers and lends advice to their loved ones. Tending away from scientific data or supportive research findings--while tending toward a fiction-lover's prose--The Myth of Sanity focuses on personal stories and Stout's zealous admiration for responsible therapy patients who wake to a sanity unclouded by past fears. --Liane Thomas

From the Publisher:

TALES OF MULTIPLE PERSONALITY IN EVERYDAY LIFE

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0670894753
• ISBN 13: 9780670894758
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 252