For those of us blessed with mental health, and though we may sometimes take it for granted, it is difficult to imagine a worse torment than the loss of ones mind. And yet that torment must be as nothing compared to what the sufferers of Multiple Personality Disorder are forced to endure. What would it be like to lose whole stretches of time and to not know why? What would it be like to realize that you've been acting during your lost hours, relating with other people, in situations utterly foreign to you? What would you do? What would you be willing to sacrifice to regain your sanity?
Dr. Baer relates, in Switching Time his experiences with one of his patients, a relationship that lasted many years and survived many trials. As he patiently assists the woman in piecing her life back together, we learn that her condition is caused by childhood trauma so dark, so awful, that it will not be discussed here. Suffice it to say that it is no wonder that the woman's mind broke under the strain of what she was forced to endure at the hands of those she ought to have trusted most.
Though the medicine practiced here is fascinating, the human story overwhelms the procedure. How many undiagnosed sufferers of MPD are out there, even now, survivors of unspeakable events, not knowing why they are losing time? Losing their lives... A stunning read and a must-consume for anyone even mildly interested in the plight of the mentally ill. (4/5 Stars)
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