Sybil is the story of Sybil Dorsett, one of the first documented cases of multiple personality disorder as diagnosed and treated by her psychiatrist, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur (all names changed to protect the identities of the individuals). Sybil experienced a lot of blank moments in her life time lapses where she didnt know where she had been or what she had been doing. These lapses were what eventually made her seek out psychiatric help. She grew up in a very restrictive and religious environment, but that was the least of her problems. It was Sybils mother, a diagnosed but untreated schizophrenic, who made Sybils life completely unbearable. She was unable to escape from her mother who physically, sexually, and verbally abused her telling her she was a bad girl and making her believe that this sort of treatment was normal and happened to everyone. Sybils father was oblivious and turned a blind eye to what his wife did accepting her explanations for Sybils many injuries and her malnourishment. When Sybil could find no way out of her predicament, she dissociated and left pieces of her behind to deal with her fear, rage, and helplessness. The resulting Sybil was a much-stripped down version of her former self. Each of these selves, and there were sixteen, had to undergo therapy and treatment and analysis under Dr. Wilburs care, before they could be integrated into the main Sybil. It took several years to accomplish this feat, during which, Sybil had to face her fears and reclaim her emotions and memories as her own. As there were many terrible things for her to remember, the healing process took quite a long time.This was fascinating in the same way that Dave Pelzers books are (recounting his own abuse of a similar nature by his mother). It was horrifying what Sybil went through, and amazing that she was able to seek help, find it, and accept it. I was curious to find out what happened to her after she received treatment and integrated her different personalities. Happily, I discovered she was able to lead a normal life (although she never married or had children), and suffered no relapses or dissociations. She did not attempt or commit suicide and died from breast cancer when she was in her 70s. Dr. Wilburs research into the history of mental illness in Sybils family really made me wonder how anyone manages to get out of their childhood mentally intact. People can be so fragile in some ways, and you never know what it is thats going to affect them. Everyone in Sybils family both sides seemed to have serious issues. I guess people find ways to deal with what hurts them, and Sybils was to develop other people to take up her cause, since no one else outside of her would.

I read this book as a teen, and it left a lasting impression on me. It was brought back to my mind after reading The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson.This story of a woman with sixteen personalities, purportedly based on real life, hooked me at the time of reading it. It was one of the factors getting me interested in "pop" psychology. Now I hear that it has been challenged (like so many similar books), but that does not take away from its fascination.The book is well-written, even though the scenes of child abuse (by Sybil's schizophrenic mother) are graphic and disturbing. However, it lost a bit of steam towards the end, as there is no clear description of Sybil's healing process.Split personality became all the rage in India, after the movies Manichitrathazhu and Anniyan became blockbusters.

A nasty piece of work. What's worse is it's a fraud. "Sibyl's" doctor manipulated her with drug dependency and emotional blackmail into agreeing with the doctor's pet theories about multiple personalities, which had catastrophic effects on psychology for decades.It's like reading a transcript of a witch trial confession.This book does a serious disservice to abuse victims.

I read this at 17, doing work training at aa psychiatric hospital and imagining that I had found out what I wanted to do. I liked the book fine - although I struggled with the narrative. One thing I had issues with was that Sybild, being obviously severely so disturbed, could pose as quite balanced and 'normal' in her everyday life. The was certainly not what I saw in the patients I met and interacted with every day. At about half the book I made the mistake of asking a professor about it and he told me that the account of the book was not true. This kind of brought the second half down a notch. I did follow this one up with When Rabbit Howls (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...), however, noting that Truddi Chas was up to 92 personalities from Sybil's 16, I had a nagging feeling that the would either topped by someone with a few hundred - or be discredited at some point...

I'd long heard of this book from my mother, who'd read it when it was more new in the literary world. So, in a sense, I was prepared for what lay ahead.Sybil is a troubled woman who's led a rather... well let's say unusual life. Small town girl full of close-minded religion with a mother who abuses her in the most perverse ways for reasons that remained her own and a father who basically plugged his fingers in his ears to everything. All these traumas, betrayals, and fears both real and not begin to crack Sybil into shards emotionally and thus her personalities are born. Each one even goes so far as to have their own physical appearance, though only in their eyes.Reading through I found myself really considering each personality their own person and not Sybil just speaking and acting differently. You come to feel they're all really individuals until it gets down into the nitty-gritty of why they're there.The reason I give this only 4 stars instead of 5 was I found a lot of places dragged on such as histories of both parents, even the grandparents, though I know for analysis it's necessary. Likewise the later half of the book where the treatment gets intense and she's slowly healing, I felt agonizing. Which, in itself, is ironic since I have a mental illness and I can sympathize with the time it takes to "get better." The chapter on Ramon was unnecessary even though it showed her ability to "stay herself" and break from her fears of others.It was a good book, a real jaw-dropper in places, but it's definitely something you have to take chapter by chapter. It's sad she took so long to begin her life proper, but considering the timeframe it's no surprise. Even now I imagine it would take as long to get a multiple personality of that calibur anywhere near the word "cured."