The diagnosis of multiple personality disorder (MPD) entered the clinical mainstream with a rapidity and in a manner atypical for new descriptions of psychiatric illness. This book contains the most up-to-date information on MPD available written by experts in this field. The first section is a memorial to Cornelia B. Wilbur, M.D., a pioneer in MPD treatment. It is full of personal accounts from people who knew her well. The second section deals with general issues in the treatment of MPD. It discusses basic principles in conducting the psychotherapy of MPD, posttraumatic and dissociative phenomena in transference and countertransference, and treatment of MPD as a posttraumatic condition. The third section goes on to give case studies that illustrate the application of techniques, approaches, and insights that are considered important in the treatment of MPD patients but are difficult to learn because they have not been documented in detail in the literature. Methods discussed include the use of Amytal interviews, play therapy, egoustate therapy, and the use of sand trays. The last section of the book discusses some of the contemporary concerns in the field (including consultation in the public psychiatric sector and the incidence of eating disorders in MPD patients), and on the recent history of the study of MPD.
Introduction: Cornelia B. Wilbur, M.D., and MPD in contemporary American psychiatry. A memorial for Cornelia B. Wilbur, M.D., in her own words. Appreciations of Cornelia B. Wilbur, M.D. Cornelia B. Wilbur, M.D.: an appreciation. My long-distance supervision with Cornelia B. Wilbur, M.D. The psychotherapy of MPD: general issues and concerns. Basic principles in conducting the psychotherapy of MPD. Posttraumatic and dissociative aspects of transference and countertransference in the treatment of MPD. Multiple posttraumatic personality disorder. Clinical approaches to the integration of personalities. A tactical integrationalist perspective on the treatment of MPD. Aids to the treatment of MPD on a general psychiatric inpatient unit. Case studies in the treatment of MPD: explorations in the therapeutic process. Dissociation in the inner city. Deinstitutionalization of patients with chronic MPD. The use of amytal interviews in the treatment of an exceptionally complex case of MPD. Observations on the role of transitional objects and transitional phenomena in patients with MPD. Play therapy with children with MPD. Ego-state therapy in the treatment of dissociative disorders. Use of sand trays in the beginning treatment of a patient with dissociative disorder. Contemporary issues and concerns in the study of MPD. MPD consultation in the public psychiatric sector. Eating disorders in survivors of multimodal childhood abuse. Eating disorders in patients with MPD. A history of MPD.
