Comment by Lisa Dee on 31 Dec 2011 at 4:06 am

Dear Karen,

I just finished listening to Switching Time in audio book form. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated having the opportunity to get to know you, so to speak.

I too was repeatedly assaulted by my father throughout my childhood. After failed therapies in my early 20′s I finally found myself in the proper state of mind to be receptive to treatment (sober) and found two therapists that took great care of me. As you may know competent therapists are not as easy to find as one may think.

That being said I began a 3 year course of individual, group and hypnotherapy. Though I did not have MPD I did suffer from a form of dissociative disorder. Before going further I feel I should clarify that hypnotherapy, in the wrong hands, can be extraordinarily dangerous. Thankfully, I was blessed with someone who, like Dr. Baer, was careful not to influence or read anything in to the experiences I related but rather let me talk through them and come to my own conclusions. His aim was to keep me safe and offer the empathy and assurance I needed at the time. I’ve never felt able to relate my experience to others in a way that people could grasp without thinking I was just crazy, or at least that’s how I felt. When I tried explaining these sessions to my mother she actually said “Oh, do you have MPD?” She always needed a name for things and all the better if it sounded rare or exotic. When I started hearing your experiences with your alters, your rooms, your interactions with them and your doctor while “under” I felt that finally there was someone else who would “get it”. I can see how people actually split off in to true alters, I can see how close I came, me and my shadows. I still think fondly of my little “Seven”, a charming funny girl who just wanted everyone to be happy and would accept pain and humiliation as her lot in life.

Our minds are wonderous things made to adapt and survive. How sad that you and I and thousands of others have been put in situations where our brains capacity to protect our sanity was truly put to the test. To allow us to wake up in the morning and eat breakfast with our rapists and behave as if nothing had happened. How is one to cope??

How grateful I am that there are people like your Dr Baer and the ones who treated me to help us find our way out of the maze and live life to the fullest.

I’d like to share with you my therapist’s thoughts when I had my last session with her. She wisely said “Never feel you are done, never feel you’ve failed if you need to come back, never forget we all need a tune-up and maybe even a reminder that we are awesome valuable people deserving to love and be loved.” You, Karen, certainly do deserve love.

Thank you for your willingness to allow your story to be shared, it touched me in a way I never thought possible!

I pray for blessings and comfort for you and your children. I also pray that though your abusers included people professing to represent God, they do not. Please do not let that interfere with faith in Him, the only true and perfect loving Father.

Dear Lisa Dee,

Thank you so much for sharing! I love getting to know you, too, and through your letter can most certainly empathize with you. I was fortunate to have found Dr. Baer and receive the best help without needing to try to heal through a few failed therapies. I feel blessed that Dr. Baer came into my life at the right time. You are right about finding competent and qualified therapists to assist you on your journey. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if I wound up in inappropriate hands. I didn’t start hypnosis until I built trust in my relationship with Dr. Baer. I was glad he never forced hypnosis on me and we worked together on deciding on what was best for my treatment. I am glad you found someone to trust and respect.

I truly appreciate your kind thoughts, compliments, and sharing your therapist’s thoughts. I agree that healing is a life-long journey. We all need to take care of ourselves and take life as it comes without stepping backwards into the past. I try my best to live for today and look forward to my future.  When abused, as we have been, it’s always best to stay on the side of reality and to live to the best of our ability. That’s why I share my story and am currently writing a sequel to Switching Time.

Thank you for your blessings! I believe God is good and forever present in all that I do.

Wishing you all my best!

Karen