that my voice is sounding stronger.
“Simon is an intellectual, quite a snooty academic. He is very inquisitive and demands to know all the facts about his condition. I should warn you; he also believes that he is the original personality and is quite eager to work with me to integrate the others so that he is the only one left. He believes it is his life to reclaim not Adam’s.”
“Can he do that?” I recoil in horror. “Can he lock Adam out?”
Doctor Sheldon puts a warm hand on my arm.
“No, dear. He might be able to hold Adam back for a period at any given time, but ultimately the psychotherapy will integrate all the personalities and the original will always be the one that remains.”
I heave a sigh of relief.
“How do you integrate them?” I ask.
“It’s complicated, but basically it’s a combination of psychotherapy and hypnosis. I plan to get aggressive with Adam this time around. I need to get to the trauma, the root of his problem. It’s the only way we are going to merge all four identities successfully and with any chance of permanence. With Adam in a hypnotic state, we ask each different personality to emerge and introduce himself to Adam, to make Adam aware of his existence. The personalities will then be asked to help Adam recall the traumatic experiences or memories that originally triggered the development of the new personalities. This is important; it enables the patient to experience the emotions associated with the traumatic memories. We then explain to Adam that while these additional personalities originally served a purpose, there are alternative coping strategies available now and he no longer needs them. The final steps involve piecing together the events and memories of all four personalities, integrating them, and then continuing therapy to help Adam adjust to his new self.” He waves his hand at the hostess who is standing at the front of our aisle smiling demurely around at all the passengers.
“A bottle of water, please,” Doctor Sheldon glances across at me.
“Two, please,” I confirm and then turn my attention back to him. “And this will work? Adam will be Adam and he and I can be together. Just the two of us?”
Doctor Sheldon laughs.
“In a nutshell, yes, but it is a massive commitment from your side, not a decision to be made lightly. You cannot abandon Adam down the line because it becomes too hard for you or too much effort,” he cautions. “Adam was responding very well to treatment. Many patients are able to obtain a full recovery but only a few can maintain it. Without continued therapy, even after the personality has become fused, a patient will often dissociate again. It is imperative that we ensure that Adam remains in therapy for the rest of his life, even once he’s recovered. A partner who is willing to ensure that happens is obviously an invaluable asset.” He peers at me out of the corner of his eye and I frown in consternation. Am I Adam’s partner? A month ago we were engaged. Yesterday we were enemies. Now I feel that I barely know him.
I think of Jack Sullivan Senior. He worked side by side with Adam for five years. He knew two of his alternate personalities and he got along with them both. He trusted Adam enough to leave him a huge portion of his wealth. Even Jack Junior didn’t press charges against Adam; a sure sign that as much as they disagreed he didn’t despise him. Doctor Sheldon obviously cares for him too. I feel suddenly impatient. I need to see him. I need to see him and we can figure things out from there.
Chapter 7
By the time our plane finally touches down in Manhattan my nerves are getting the better of me. I force myself to take deep, calming breaths as we collect our luggage from the carousel. Strangely it is not Adam who dominates my thoughts, but Kevin. I can’t help but wonder what he would think of this mess and what advice he would give me. I am pretty sure he would tell me to follow my heart,
“Simon is an intellectual, quite a snooty academic. He is very inquisitive and demands to know all the facts about his condition. I should warn you; he also believes that he is the original personality and is quite eager to work with me to integrate the others so that he is the only one left. He believes it is his life to reclaim not Adam’s.”
“Can he do that?” I recoil in horror. “Can he lock Adam out?”
Doctor Sheldon puts a warm hand on my arm.
“No, dear. He might be able to hold Adam back for a period at any given time, but ultimately the psychotherapy will integrate all the personalities and the original will always be the one that remains.”
I heave a sigh of relief.
“How do you integrate them?” I ask.
“It’s complicated, but basically it’s a combination of psychotherapy and hypnosis. I plan to get aggressive with Adam this time around. I need to get to the trauma, the root of his problem. It’s the only way we are going to merge all four identities successfully and with any chance of permanence. With Adam in a hypnotic state, we ask each different personality to emerge and introduce himself to Adam, to make Adam aware of his existence. The personalities will then be asked to help Adam recall the traumatic experiences or memories that originally triggered the development of the new personalities. This is important; it enables the patient to experience the emotions associated with the traumatic memories. We then explain to Adam that while these additional personalities originally served a purpose, there are alternative coping strategies available now and he no longer needs them. The final steps involve piecing together the events and memories of all four personalities, integrating them, and then continuing therapy to help Adam adjust to his new self.” He waves his hand at the hostess who is standing at the front of our aisle smiling demurely around at all the passengers.
“A bottle of water, please,” Doctor Sheldon glances across at me.
“Two, please,” I confirm and then turn my attention back to him. “And this will work? Adam will be Adam and he and I can be together. Just the two of us?”
Doctor Sheldon laughs.
“In a nutshell, yes, but it is a massive commitment from your side, not a decision to be made lightly. You cannot abandon Adam down the line because it becomes too hard for you or too much effort,” he cautions. “Adam was responding very well to treatment. Many patients are able to obtain a full recovery but only a few can maintain it. Without continued therapy, even after the personality has become fused, a patient will often dissociate again. It is imperative that we ensure that Adam remains in therapy for the rest of his life, even once he’s recovered. A partner who is willing to ensure that happens is obviously an invaluable asset.” He peers at me out of the corner of his eye and I frown in consternation. Am I Adam’s partner? A month ago we were engaged. Yesterday we were enemies. Now I feel that I barely know him.
I think of Jack Sullivan Senior. He worked side by side with Adam for five years. He knew two of his alternate personalities and he got along with them both. He trusted Adam enough to leave him a huge portion of his wealth. Even Jack Junior didn’t press charges against Adam; a sure sign that as much as they disagreed he didn’t despise him. Doctor Sheldon obviously cares for him too. I feel suddenly impatient. I need to see him. I need to see him and we can figure things out from there.
Chapter 7
By the time our plane finally touches down in Manhattan my nerves are getting the better of me. I force myself to take deep, calming breaths as we collect our luggage from the carousel. Strangely it is not Adam who dominates my thoughts, but Kevin. I can’t help but wonder what he would think of this mess and what advice he would give me. I am pretty sure he would tell me to follow my heart,
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