Lillian: A True Story of Multiple Personality Disorder

For most of us, the varied parts of our personalities are woven together and unified by our memories. But what happens when we have no memories? What happens when the components of memory (facts, feelings, and body states) are split apart and no longer relate to each other?

When this story began more than 40 years ago, doctors and psychiatrists were mystified by patients with more than one personality. The diagnosis at the time was Multiple Personality Disorder. Lillian was afflicted with this condition owing to severe abuse during her childhood. Her mind held each trauma separately. Each personality took over her body, developing a life and personality of its own.

Lillian’s aunt, Jean, became friends with 22 personalities. She played hide and seek with four-year-old Mary, taught five-year-old Amy to write, shopped for undergarments with Robin Jean, and communicated endlessly with each of the others. In the process, each personality revealed its beginnings. Over time, each personality revealed its own memories of their trauma and eventually became integrated.

This is an exquisite and beautifully written story of poverty, transgenerational abuse, mental illness, and the healing power of love, science, and spirituality.

As one reader puts it: “You will laugh, cry, turn away and come back again to its compelling truth.”

Life After Divorce

Relationships are never easy to navigate, especially when they are in the process of disintegrating right before your eyes.

Have you ever wondered what you’re truly capable of? How do you face challenges like divorce, hurdles such as weight gain caused by stress, obstacles such as dealing with loneliness and explaining to family that you are fine and of course, friends who insist on setting you up on numerous blind dates?

These challenges work together to drive us. So, what if you’re divorced? That didn’t stop me. So, what if there happen to be a few extra pounds? Love it or leave it, I’m still a better me. How far are you willing to push yourself?

Some tests that we face are brought on by others, while some, we choose ourselves. Know that no matter what type of test you face, the result is a new empowered you. This book is about conquering your own doubts and rediscovering who you truly are and about knowing that you ultimately are in control. You have the power. It’s your world, everyone else is just visiting!

It Is Not About Love

All living human beings on this planet naturally seek happiness, wellbeing, and health for themselves and for their loved ones. We all have equal rights to enjoy our lives in a decent, peaceful, and joyful manner; plus, to have access to tools and methods for self-realization. Our lives are an expression of what we can accomplish through our efforts and commitments and sometimes we just need external support and guidance to establish the right path. There are ways to conduct our lives that are purely enslaving and unconscious, which bring diseases and dissatisfaction, and ways to conduct our lives that are subtle in nature, which bring effortless success and prosperity. What we choose can become our prison or our liberation. This book attempts to guide humans in the right direction.

Invisible Shrapnel

Invisible Shrapnel: The Legacy of Emotional Abuse provides an overview of the types of emotional abuse children and youth may encounter, anecdotes that illustrate impacts on the functioning of young people exposed to such abuse, potential developmental disturbances, and strategies adults can use to mediate the effects of abuse. One does not need to be a therapist to take corrective action. The research on resilience makes it clear that teachers, coaches, neighbors, extended family members, and others in a young person’s environment can positively impact the youth’s trajectory. This book offers a wealth of information on the topic of emotional abuse along with a clear message to all who care about the health of our young people that who the adult chooses to be matters.

Into the Maelstrom

From the crisis of birth to the crisis of death, each person’s life is defined by the crises experienced and the ways in which the resulting chaos is resolved. As universally experienced events, our personal identities are influenced by the past crises that mold and shape our view of ourselves and our relationships with others. Chaos, as the inevitable result of the crisis state, allows us to see our lives in new and unique ways unbounded by our past limitations. While some individuals exit the maelstrom of a crisis with apparent ease, other individuals seem to live in the chaos of perpetual crisis never fully exiting the whirlpool of emotions and never fully experiencing the calm after the multiple storms that seem to continually confront them. Written jointly by a clinical psychologist (Cappelletty) and an ethical philosopher (Màdera), this book will help both the individuals facing a crisis as well as those who wish to help them resolve the crisis and move forward. Based on psychological, medical and philosophical research and practice, this examination of crisis and chaos will help the suffering person in love and life.

Interior Consciousness

Against all odds, Brenda Murphy did the unexpected when she recovered from a devastating propane explosion. Through hard work, determination and practical strategies, Brenda reveals the power of healing from the inside out.

“Brenda is a passionate individual who lives the values she cherishes everyday and when she speaks she engages people in a very personal and profound way.” 

– J. Scongack, VP. Bruce Power

In My Head

I was 40 years old when I was diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD and ODD. Reflecting on my childhood, life all of a sudden made sense. These weren’t character flaws, but the way that my brain was designed to work.

As a parent to a neurodiverse kiddo, I knew that there were resources out there geared towards kids but when I looked for tools to use to organize my own brain, I came up short. I had survived 40 years without these resources, but now I needed to support and work with my brain rather than push it into spaces that it just isn’t designed to go in.

Instead of feeling disappointed and let down, I sought out to create a journal of activities that can help an ADHDer organize their brain, deal with intrusive thought spirals, find hope and create a space for emotional regulation. Truly, this isn’t just a journal of blank pages to dump out your thoughts (or feel overwhelmed by the vast blank pages), but a thoughtfully curated collection of activities to truly help you unravel and understand yourself.

In My Head – the ADHD Journal for Adults is a space to simultaneously get lost and find yourself in.

I Only Remember Grievances And Desserts

“Revenge is a dish best served cold” – Khan Noonien Singh

My more than 20 years of professional experience in the male-dominated career of emergency management has not exactly been a walk in the park. As less worn as the “path less traveled” may be, it is neither laced with ease nor filled with treasure. I have found it to be paved with judgment and spite. This was my experience as a pregnant teenager who insisted she would not be defined by the state of her body but forge ahead in life anyway. Although this was perhaps the lowest point of my life, I was able to find solace in cooking (particularly baking) and still decided to continue the path. And today, I can say that has made all the difference—which is the name of the chocolate truffles recipe I open with, along with the genesis of my difference-making choices.

On my career journey, I have encountered all dimensions of characters—the Cretin, the Quintessential Douche Bag, and the “Special Place in Hell” Vipers (made up of the Queen Bee and the BFF)—who have all attempted to rock the boat of my career advancement with their various strategies.

However, I have also encountered mentors who not only let me know I am not alone and provided astounding support but also stood by me and for me before others in the face of adversity. A combination of all these factors and the decisions I make along the way (some good, others, admittedly hasty and improperly reasoned) have culminated in the person I have become, both personally and professionally, and of course, a lot of recipes specially tailored to the various seasons I have had to go through.

I Have a Beautiful Brain, Compared to the Brains of Alcoholics and Drug Addicts

In this insightful and deeply personal exploration, Stewart Odendhal DVM PhD offers a unique perspective on the devastating effects of alcohol and drug addiction. Drawing from his professional background and personal encounters with addiction, Odendhal embarks on a mission to educate and deter young individuals from the lures of alcohol. This book is not only a narrative but a crusade against the widespread ignorance about the debilitating effects of alcohol on the brain.

Beginning with a startling revelation from a CT scan, Odendhal’s curiosity is piqued by the physical differences in the brains of alcoholics and drug addicts compared to those who abstain. This discovery propels him into an exhaustive research journey, delving into the science behind addiction, the societal implications, and personal anecdotes that paint a vivid picture of the struggles with alcoholism.

With chapters detailing his own experiences with alcoholic family members, the scientific intricacies of alcohol’s impact on the brain, and a poignant account of his battle with smoking addiction, Odendhal’s narrative is both educational and deeply human. He reflects on his interactions with Alcoholics Anonymous members, exploring the gap between scientific knowledge and the personal experiences of those battling addiction.

I Have a Beautiful Brain, Compared to the Brains of Alcoholics and Drug Addicts is a clarion call for a more informed approach to alcohol education, emphasizing the need for early intervention and awareness. Odendhal’s dedication to this cause shines through each page, making this book an essential read for anyone touched by the effects of alcoholism or seeking to understand the complex interplay between addiction and the human brain.

How to Eat an Elephant

The how-to guide for overcoming obstacles, the daily mantra, the wild adventure, the quarter-life crisis, and the self-help book of the century - all wrapped into one crazy story about the life of a "kinda Amish" girl. It's messy, honest, real, and inspiring. A young woman's fearless journey into the unknown after having an epiphany about the true meaning of life. The beautifully woven masterpiece looks at the life of a small-town girl who, at the age of seven, predicted that she would one day write a book. Despite being shunned by her family, she decided to take a leap of faith and left home at the age of nineteen with $500 to her name and a one-way ticket to Honolulu, Hawaii. How to Eat an Elephant is an eloquent reflection of the life of a first-generation college graduate. The nuanced writing style brings new life to the mundane artifacts of everyday life.

How Considerate Am I?

From the time I was a little girl, my mother drilled into my head that etiquette was not a matter of knowing which fork to use first. Rather, etiquette was a matter of being considerate and respectful of others. If asked, “Do you think of yourself as being a considerate person?” most of us would respond, “Of course, I am considerate.” Many of us, however, might be surprised to learn that we are not as considerate as we think we are.

How Considerate Am I? is a fun and private way to take a close look at just how considerate each of us actually is. How Considerate Am I? contains 37 categories of self-evaluation questions. The topics range from “How Considerate Am I in the Office?” to “How Considerate Am I at the Meal Table?” to “How Considerate Am I with My family?” The number of questions in each category ranges from 5 to 25, with each question being answered with “Always, Usually, Sometimes, Rarely, or Never.”

Through the scoring system within each category, the reader gets a humorous glimpse at how considerate he/she is. The score for each category is tabulated independently of the other categories. For example, I might learn that I am quite considerate when traveling by air, but not as considerate when dining in a restaurant.

This just might be a book that you would want to share with others.

Hollow Bone Recovery

Alcoholism is an insidious thief. It has robbed millions of their life, freedom, health, love, and sanity. For many years, doctors and psychiatrists, who had spent countless hours trying to help these unfortunate people, considered chronic alcoholism a hopeless condition. Even today, alcoholics are often shunned by society and considered weak and morally defective.  In the 1930s, two such outcasts, a stock speculator and a proctologist, discovered a formula that kept them sober when all other efforts had failed. It certainly wasn’t an overnight success and even today it’s not exactly popular, though it has gained worldwide respect, saved countless lives, healed relationships, and turned derelicts into responsible, stable citizens. The idea of living a happy and useful life, free from the compulsion to drink, is beyond the imagination for anyone suffering with this terrible disease, but those of us who have adopted this plan of living by 12 spiritual principles have experienced this exact miracle. The only pre-requisites are desperation, an open mind, and willingness. This journal charts the author’s progress toward physical, mental, emotional sobriety and peace with God and fellow human beings. By sharing her experiences, the author hopes to encourage others to join her in trudging this road of hope and freedom.