This is a book about the triumph of inner authority over the debilitating effects of trauma and abuse. In a simple and straightforward style, a three-phase model for treating dissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder) in introduced. The Collective Heart model is consistent with the current standards of care which emphasize caution and restraint. Additionally, the Collective Heart model has several unique features: It highlights the retrieval of personal authority rather than the retrieval of traumatic memories, identifies the fundamental inner unity underlying the fragmented personality system, and introduces techniques that facilitate communication between personalities and between each personality's conscious mind and the collective heart.

Six chapters of fascinating case vignettes illustrate therapeutic techniques and show how clients tap into their underlying inner unity to create the conditions for their own maturation, making it safe for their alters to grow, heal, and eventually join the host as a seamless, harmonious whole.

About the Author

Sarah Y. Krakauer, Psy.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, maintains a private practice in Williamsburg, Virginia, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology at the College of William and Mary. After obtaining intensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of dissociative disorders during her predoctoral internship, Dr. Krakauer earned her Doctor of Psychology at the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology.

Reviews

"A major strength of this book is its detailed depiction of Krakauer's clinical work. Her techniques are given in sufficient detail for the reader to use. . . . [Another] asset of the book is Krakauer's unusual candor in reflecting on alterative understandings of her findings and ideas, and on the possible limitations on the utility of her methods. . . . Many of her ideas and approaches are thought-provoking and deserve further study. . . .This book is very well-written. It reads more smoothly and clearly than most texts of its type. . . . Dr. Krakauer is a clever and skilled clinician, and those interested in the treatment of DID who are already experienced and well-grounded in the literature of that field will find it worthwhile to acquaint themselves with her contributions." -- Richard Kluft, M.D., Ph.D., American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis
"Dr. Sarah Krakauer presents her Collective Heart model in a personal, engaging and highly readable fashion, This volume will enrich clinical understanding as well as stimulate important theoretical and research developments." -- Carolyn Zerbe Enns, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Cornell College, From the Foreword
"This book is well-written and interesting to read. The model is innovative and the case examples are quite well done and compelling." -- Christine Courtois, Ph.D., Washington, D.C.
"This is the best new book on treating Dissociative Identity Disorder. Sarah Krakauer has developed a balanced caring approach based on research and clinical experience... This book will transform how you work with these patients." -- Leonard Holmes, Ph.D., Mental Health Resources
"This book presents an empathic caring model that puts power in the hands of the client and assumes that clients hold within themselves the capacity for self-healing. The goal in therapy is personal mastery and current coping rather than recovered memory. . . . This is an innovative and impressive treatment model. I am convinced that more rigorous empirical investigation would demonstrate its efficacy." -- Miriam Liss, Ph.D., Mary Washington College
"A clinical psychologist in Virginia, Krakauer introduces a new model for treating dissociative identity disorder, explores its relationship to existing models, presents preliminary support for its assumptions and efficacy, and invites further implementation and development of the model and assessment of its utility." -- SciTech Book News

Book Information
ISBN 9781138005174
Author Sarah Y. Krakauer
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 385g