"Other
Selves" Who Kill, Published Nov. 15-30, 2002 in Criminal
Defense Weekly Online Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 24.
"Criminals And
Imaginary Companions"
Hypnos, Vol.28, No.3, December 2001, pp 201-206
Criminals who show "other selves" during forensic evaluations
prior to trial are commonly thought to have either Multiple
Personality Disorder (MPD) or to be malingering. The view presented
here is that such criminals could have created Internalized
Imaginary Companions (IIC) due to anger at abusive parents in
childhood. The IIC acted out violently in adulthood, causing the
arrest. Anger management is needed, combining "cognitive
restructuring" and a shamanic technique, called The Bottle Routine,
to remove the "anger-energy" from such criminals. This can eliminate
the IIC. Such an approach is also beneficial with angry
alter-personalities.
"If In Doubt,
Cast It Out?"
The Evolution of a Belief System Regarding Possession &
Exorcism. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 19(2) 109-121,
2000.
The question of whether or not spirit possession exists, along
with exorcism as its treatment, is explored. The evolution of a
psychiatrist's belief system that initially rejected such concepts
is followed over a 20-year period. He performed his first exorcism
on a patient who appeared to have Multiple Personality Disorder.
Subsequent patients manifested "lost souls", "evil demons" made by
"emotional imagination," and Internalized Imaginary Companions.
Exorcism seemed to be effective in ridding some of these patients
with such products of emotional imagination.
"Multiple
Personality Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and
Internalized Imaginary Companions"
Hypnos, 25(3): 125-133, 1998. In DSM-IV,
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) replaced Multiple Personality
Disorder (MPD). Review of both clinical and forensic cases over
several decades supports a view that MPD is valid for a small group
of patients who dissociated due to life-threatening trauma before
age seven. Correct diagnosis of those who used Emotional
Imagination to create Internalized Imaginary Companions (IIC's)
needs to occur, especially in forensic cases. Examples are provided
of cases which are Pure MPD, Pure DID, Pure IIC's, IIC's followed by
MPD, IIC's followed by DID, and MPD followed by IIC's. The MSD-IV
criteria for DID are inadequate to differentiate IIC's from
alter-personalities.
"Cognitive
Interviewing: A Critical Evaluation" Newsletter of the
American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 21(2):57-60, 1966. The
CI technique is fraught with dangers, both to the witnesses and to
the judicial system which needs facts, not imagination. The
inventors included four possible induction mnemonics they recommend
for use by policemen. CI will not improve the recall of traumatic
events by witnesses who feel shame or guilt about such events. All
they can be expected to do is fill in the blanks in their memory
with stories they hope will satisfy the detective in charge of the
interrogation.
"Essence Memory: A
Preliminary Hypothesis" HYPNOS, 23(1):6-13, 1996. A memory
process exists in each human being which operates parallel to that
of the five senses and the central nervous system. This process is
most clearly demonstrated by dissociators when the
Essence operates as
the Inner Self Helper (ISH)
during psychotherapy. All humans have an Essence, which stores
memories of all events in the Akashic Records in
Thoughtspace. When
the Essence of an individual deems it appropriate for that
individual to remember any event, it may, with approval of its
Supervisors, retrieve that memory and bring it to the consciousness
of the individual. Unpleasant memories are stored in bits and pieces
and coded for the level of emotional distress recall would cause
that person. An intelligent, concerned evaluation is conducted by
the supervisory Celestial
Intelligent Energy (CIE) before any traumatic memory is released
for recall. Their goal is to maintain the life and stability of the
individual.
"Simple Dissociators
in a Complex Prison" American Journal of Forensic
Psychiatry, 17(2), 37-64, 1996. Recommendations for treatment of
patients with dissociative disorders are not usually suitable for
implementation with prison inmates. Simple suggestions are provided
for treatment of simple dissociators in prison, based upon 13 years
experience in a California prison. Four inmates/patients are
described. One needed encouragement to go to school. The second one
required assertiveness training. The third one responded to a
variety of insight oriented psychotherapy in the state forensic
hospital. The fourth one was able to cope with prison life after he
agreed to a contract for proper behavior. Success depends on the
psychiatrist's awareness of the total prison environment and ability
to teach appropriate coping methods to such patients. The futility
of trying to analyze the institution and expect it to change is
discussed. The debate between working full-time and part-time is
presented. The changing goals of the state prison system from
Rehabilitation to Work to Punishment is described.
"Critical Issues:
MPD & DID Should Be Used For Two Separate Groups of Dissociators"
CANDID (California News of Dissociation and Identity Disorder),
3(3):4, 1995.
"To Be Or Not To Be,
That Is The Question" Bulletin of Anomalous Experience,
4:7-8, 1993. Much of the debate about the stories told therapists of
abduction by UFO's or Satanic Ritual Abuse in families may be the
result of difficulties the therapists are having rather than the
problems of the patient. Patients approach advertised professional
therapists, expecting treatment for what ails them, and the
therapists may have difficulty deciding what role to play. Their
common choices are Shaman, forensic reporter, or detective. I
suggest that it is impossible for one person to play all of these
roles with one patient/client/suspect. Attempts to do so may have
been responsible for much of the debate about whether the
patient/client/suspect is telling "the truth." I should know, since
I have tried to play all these roles myself, at one time or another,
and I now realize the futility of such an unrealistic attempt to be
so "flexible" in one's professional life. This is especially true
when dealing with certain types of patients.
"Travel Log: In Search
of Multiples in Moscow" American Journal of Forensic
Psychiatry, 12:51-66, 1990
"Multiple Personality
in the Workplace" American Journal of Forensic Psychiatry,
11:65-67, 1990. Anyone of you may become involved in a forensic case
where the question may be, "Does the defendant have Multiple
Personality Disorder (MPD)?" My most recent case is an illustration
of how five different doctors were pulled into this one case, each
one having a different point of view.
"Sapping and Zapping"
AASC Newsletter, 2:1-4, 1986. The practice of psychotherapy has
never been considered to be a particularly hazardous profession.
After all, what can happen while sitting in an easy chair discussing
problems with a patient? But, in working with patients afflicted
with multiple personality disorder (MPD), I eventually became aware
that such a presumption is unwarranted. Aside from the physical wear
and tear resulting from the long hours spent taking care of the
crises that these patients always found themselves in and the
professional distance they created between me and my colleagues I
discovered that they, themselves, seemed quite capable of using
psychic abilities to harm other living human beings. Usually the
therapist was exempted from this harm, as he/she was needed and
valued as a helper. But, as happens in all long term psychotherapy,
the relationship can develop into one of disappointment, anger and
intense hatred of the therapist when all does not go well in the
view of the multiple. At those times, the therapist is just as
likely to be a victim of these forces the MPD patients call sapping
and zapping as have others in the past.
"Spiritual Helpers I
Have Met" AASC Newsletter, 6:4-5, 1985, (Association for the
Anthropological Study of Consciousness) The first patient met with
the multiple personality disorder (MPD) entered my Santa Cruz,
California office for psychiatric in early 1972. The diagnosis was
made by the psychologist I called in for testing after she had been
hospitalized following a suicide attempt. After her discharge from
the hospital, she conducted an interview with her adversary
alter-personality at home, taping the entire session. When I
listened to the tape the next day, in addition to the voices of the
primary personality of the patient and her antagonist, I heard the
voice of a third entity who was trying to help my patient cope more
competently with her problems. This voice I later identified as
belonging to another entity previously unknown to the patient, an
entity I eventually called the
Inner Self Helper (ISH).
Since that lady arrived on my doorstep, I have examined at least 60
other individuals who met my definition of the MPD. In most of those
who have been seen in a treatment setting for some time, I have
identified the ISH, who has been of great help in therapy. In those
patients who were the most fragmented, other entities have spoken to
me through the patient's body, entities which identified themselves
as spirits who were there to help the patient cope with life and got
the most out of therapy with me. It is this group of helpers, the
ISH and what I call the "Higher Helpers," whom I describe in this
paper.
"The Possession
Syndrome on Trial" American Journal of Forensic Psychiatry,
6:46-56, 1985 In the last decade there has been a resurgence of
interest in the emotional disorders characterized by the mental
mechanism of dissociation, causative of such bewildering conditions
as fugue states and multiple personality disorder (MPD). This area
of mental illness has a long and controversial history, as it deals
with that part of the mind which is both fascinating and terrifying
to both the sufferer and observer. Therapists treating patients with
clearly psychologically created entities, called
alter-personalities, may also find themselves confronted with
entities for which no internal cause can be discerned and which
claim to be entities from outside the patient's mind. Thus, a
differential diagnosis becomes necessary for practical reasons, as
an alter-personality must be dealt with psychotherapeutically, and
an invading spirit must be dealt with by spiritual means.
"Difficulties
Diagnosing the Multiple Personality Syndrome in a Death Penalty Case"
International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis,
32:102-117, 1984 Abstract: The problems involved in diagnosing the
multiple personality syndrome in a rape-murder suspect are
illustrated by the case of Kenneth Bianchi and the Hillside
Stranglings. Hypnotic investigations of his amnesia revealed
"Steve," who admitted guilt for the rape-murders. "Billy" later
emerged, claiming responsibility for thefts and forgeries. Attempts
to evaluate Kenneth Bianchi with methods used in therapy yielded an
original opinion that he was a multiple personality and legally
insane. Later events showed the diagnosis to be in error. A new
diagnosis was made of atypical dissociative disorder due to the
effects of the examining methods themselves. Warning is given that
it may be impossible to determine the correct diagnosis of a
dissociating defendant in a death penalty case.
"Diagnosing
Multiple Personalities with the Rorschach: A Confirmation," co-authored with E.E. & C.F. Wagner, Journal of
Personality Assessment, 47:143-147, 1983. The Rorschach of an
authenticated male multiple personality was presented. The protocol
was found to conform to recently developed guidelines for diagnosing
the syndrome with the Rorschach. The rationale behind the decision
rules and the psychodynamics of multiplicity were discussed.
"The Multiple
Personality Defendant in Court" American Journal of Forensic
Psychiatry, 3:181-192, 1982-3. When a forensic psychiatrist
determines that a defendant may have multiple personalities, a
complex diagnostic workup faces both the psychiatrist and the
defense attorney. A case report is presented in which the defendant
was found guilty and sane under the ALI rule, in a case of assault
and robbery, even after all three of his personalities testified in
court. Recommendations are given regarding proper workup, recording
of interviews, use of historical data, use of sodium amobarbital or
hypnotic interviews and pleading mental incompetency to stand trial.
"Multiple Personality
and Criminal Behavior" American Journal of Forensic
Psychiatry, 2:32-38, 1981-2. The psychiatric disorder called
multiple personality has been found to exist predominantly in
females in a clinical population, but mainly in males in a criminal
offender subpopulation. The mental mechanisms of defense of denial,
repression, and dissociation are used by these individuals, leading
to the formulation of hostile-acting alter-personalities. Because of
a failure of control of the executive functions by a moral center,
these persons violate society's laws, but have no conscious memory
of the act. They therefore do not respond to the usual legal
sanctions. Common findings in this histories and mental status
examinations are presented. it is hoped that quicker identification
and correct diagnosis of these violence-prone individuals can lead
to appropriate legal and psychiatric approaches to the problems they
present to society.
"A Rational
Psychotherapy Plan for Multiplicity" Svensk Tidskrift for
Hypnos, 3-4:9-16, 1978 The therapy plan can best be understood as
being composed of eight intertwining stages, which usually occur in
the order listed below: 1. Recognition of the existence of the
alter-personalities; 2. Intellectual acceptance of having multiple
personalities; 3. Coordination of alter-personalities; 4. Emotional
acceptance of being multiple; 5. Elimination of Persecutors; 6.
Psychological fusion; 7. Spiritual fusion; 8. Post-fusion
experiences.
"On Discovering
Multiplicity" Svensk Tidskrift for Hypnos, 2:44-8, 1978
Therefore, I wish to confine myself to those persons who become
psychotherapy patients, or we would not see them, the ones who use
denial, repression, and dissociation as preferred ways to deal with
emotional stress. In this way, they create, in the unconscious mind,
a disconnected focus of unacceptable feelings, attitudes, and
behavior patterns which can come forth as a personality under proper
stimuli to control the body. The basic personality or ego is amnesic
for this period of loss of control, since the purpose is to allow
for the acting out of unacceptable impulses. Usually childhood anger
towards a loved one is the first such feeling handled in this way.
Next comes sexual feelings, especially if mixed with fear and anger
following a childhood rape or molestation. Thus a pattern is
established, of creating alter-personalities to act in the patient's
behalf, all while the patient is consciously unaware of what is
being done. This pattern creates its own troubles and encourages
more denial, repression and dissociation. This may seem to the child
to be the only way to cope with the pathological family members, and
indeed, it may be. However, the child grows up and enters adult life
with job, family and social responsibilities. Now the defensive
pattern grossly interferes with life, and the patient seeks therapy,
hoping to find a way out of the self made hell.
"When the Psychic Glue
Dissolves" Hynos-Nytt, 6: December 1977 The psychological
disorder known as multiple personality occurs in persons with an
extremely hysterical character disorder. Hysterics are those who
predominantly use the defense mechanisms of repression, denial and
dissociation. Any psychological trauma is so poorly tolerated that
they unconsciously repress both memory and emotions relating to such
events. They then wall these off from the rest of their
consciousness, creating the nucleus for an alter-personality. If the
trauma is extreme, such as a rape, one incident may be adequate to
create an alter-personality whose interest is in manipulative sexual
behavior. If the insult is minor, such as a disparaging remark about
good grades in school, then it may take a long series of such
insults to generate enough resentment and hurt feelings to energize
an alter-personality.
"A Guide to Parents:
How to Raise Your Daughter to Have Multiple Personalities"
Family Therapy, Summer: 83-88, 1974 The following guidelines evolved
from data revealed in the course of treatment of three women, each
with multiple personalities. Two were treated personally by the
author and the third was seen in consultation while under the care
of another physician. Their stories are so remarkably similar in
certain important.phpects that it was felt that we might now have
some keys to just how parents, or even better, prospective parents,
might raise their daughters so that they too can have more
personalities than the girl next door. Seven guidelines have been
developed, and will be illustrated by brief historical items from
each case. When all seven principles are adhered to vigorously, it
is almost a certainty that any daughter would have to develop
multiple personalities to survive.
"A New Treatment
Approach for Multiple Personalities" American Journal of
Clinical Hypnosis, 17:15-32, 1974 This paper presents a review of
the various treatments tried, and their apparent effectiveness, in
the 14 year course of treatment by many therapists of a patient with
five personalities. Effectiveness of treatment before and after the
correct diagnosis was established are contrasted. Treatment
modalities covered insulin shock, electro-convulsive shock, drugs.
traditional psychotherapy, state hospital and community hospital
milieu therapy, hypnotherapy, conjoint therapy, desensitization, and
the Internal Dialogue. as discovered by the patient herself. The
evolution of a treatment approach using one of the patient's
personalities as a co-therapist is described. |