The Stranger In The Mirror

Everyone dissociates. When you drive home on auto pilot and don't remember the trip, when you walk into a room and can't remember what you went in there for, when someone is in an accident and goes into an altered state where they keep functioning even though injured until they're safe again, getting help and can experience the pain.This books describes the author's diagnostic tool for evaluating dissociative experiences. She has developed a matrix of five categories of dissociation and five levels of severity. She stresses that if the dissociation is causing problems for an individual, the condition responds well to appropriate treatment no matter what the severity.One goal is to de-stigmatize persistent dissociative conditions and to remind all professionals that everyone should be treated with respect, no matter what behaviour they exhibit. No one's personality should be treated as a freak show.Another gaol is to encourage everyone to take care of themselves, to nurture their inner environment for a healthier life and she provides some great ideas on how to do that.I believe the author accomplishes these goals. This is a very readable, fascinating, helpful book.

I read this book in three days. It is a little clinical at times, but easy to follow. It is extremely detailed and really helps to sort all of this out in a clear manner. The only disappointment is that the section "Inside Stories" didn't include anything about men. I thought that the section on men was a little too short. However, compared to what is out there, this is fantastic. This book really helped me to stop feeling crazy and that this is very normal for what we have been through. The book is full of hope. It educates the reader on what is happening now. The author is incredible and should be praised for helping us pull it together. It is a scary place to be, but she has helped me to understand and be more comfortable with DID.

I have depersonalization and experience derealization 24/7. This book is good for someone with this disorder. It explains well what causes this disorder, if your experiences are mild, moderate, or severe. After each several chapters, you can take the SCID-D test that will tell you where you stand on the continuum spectrum. This is good, even though it's just a preliminary questionnaire test. She suggests that the entire test should be taken by a trained specialist. This book has an emphasize for people with DID. There are three stories of three women who have DID, but they do however experience depersonalization and derealization. Less emphasize on DID would of been better although I did enjoy the stories. She dismisses UFO abductions, past lives, and near death experiences as people who are really experiencing dissociative symptoms. She is correct that the symptoms do show up a lot in these cases, but her explanation does not explain not even half of the different kinds of cases. I bought Feeling Unreal for depersonalization and it wasn't that good I must admit. After chapter 3, it starts getting technical and a lot of searching for terminology you will be required to search, unless you're a professional or already have a lot of knowledge with depersonalization. That's why I recommend this book. It easy to read, gives a lot of explanations, and offers some techniques to help you cope with your dissociative disorder.

What I particularly noticed when I read this book was the amount of compassion Dr. Steinberg appears to have for her patients and dissociative individuals in general. Dr. Steinberg is the creator of the SCID-D, known as the "gold standard" for testing for dissociative disorders. She also has a great deal of experience in treating dissociative patients. Clearly, she is well qualified to write this book. Personally, I found this remarkable blend of professional insight and human compassion to be a delightful breath of fresh air.No single text, in and of itself, I feel, can make anyone into an "expert" on any subject. Period. However, if one has a desire to learn about and understand dissociative symptoms and disorders, this is an excellent resource whether one is a complete neophyte in regard to the subject of dissociation, or simply desiring to gain a richer understanding of what they already know about dissociative disorders.In my honest and humble opinion, I find this to be an excellent read which I have already recommended to others I know in my personal life. In all likelihood, I will probably read this book again soon as I have certainly kept thinking about the information presented within its pages since I read it. This is truly a wonderful book.

Recently found out someone I love has DID and started reading books about the disorder. This is only the 3rd book I’ve read, but this has been the most helpful and informative one I’ve read so far.I would recommend this for people who want to understand more about Dissociative disorders, either for themselves or someone they love.I believe the info in this book is extremely helpful for anyone newly diagnosed with any Dissociative disorders, and even could help those who’ve been diagnosed with PTSD or schizoaffective disorders.

Nice idea, but doesn't scratch the surface of the mirror

The book gives a clear picture of dissociation and all it's symptoms. There are plenty of examples and description of clinical cases, that makes the reading easy and the contents understandable even for a non professional reader. If you are a trained spychoterapist or a person with a curious mind willing to understand what could be part of yourself or of the peolple around you, this is a book you can't miss.

This is my favorite DID book that I've found-very informative about the history and how far the medical community has come-just so much great information that I've not found in other books. If you are looking to expand your knowledge as a patient or someone close to you has this condition I highly recommend this book.

I found this book very interesting, offering a balanced viewpoint on dissociation. The author shows nuance and invites us to see dissociation as a spectrum.I liked the way she refrained from telling spectacular stories and focused on explaining the brain’s system(s). Sounds objective. A book quite useful and thought provoking, even for the laywoman that I am.

The book was in great condition, thanks!

A must read for all involved with dissociation , therapists , family members and of course people with dissociation. Very helpful and easy to read

Such an exceptional resource for families to own where members that have anxiety issues are manifesting confusing behaviours. This book has helped us immensely to understand what our loved ones go through, we found it to be easy to read and grasp the nature of the challenges our loved ones do their utmost to cope with on a daily basis. I recommend this book especially for those in helping/caring professions such as Educators, Child and Youth Care workers and Community Advocates. Those working at food banks will find this particularly helpful in understanding their client base and hopefully implement more compassionate approaches to those they serve when denying assistance and penalizing the client access to services for extended periods of time.

Best book I have ever read on the subject and the most up-to-date.Clearly understands people who are not 'florid' and has questionnaires to help find out the severity of the disorder. I devoured the book and underlined it everywhere. Helped me in my therapy with my doctor and gave me a greater insight into myselves.Please read this if you suffer no matter how slight your dissociation is. It is soooooo helpful.