Emma and Her Selves: A Memoir of Treatment and a Therapist's Self-Discovery


From the press release:

IP Books has released Emma and her Selves: A Memoir of Treatment and a Therapist's Self-Discovery, the first book from licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, May Benatar. Detailing her long-term psychotherapeutic relationship with a woman with multiple identities and Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dr. Benatar's book is a story for therapists and non-therapists alike. By exploring how her patient managed to survive trauma through dividing the mind, Benatar shows we all have various aspects of our selves we can learn to negotiate and manage.

Emma and her Selves: A Memoir of Treatment and a Therapist's Self-Discovery, describes a 20-year treatment period, during which Dr. Benatar developed as a therapist and a person. "Emma" changed her. We see how in this book that makes both Emma's story - as well as the story of her therapist - transparent, accessible, and relatable.

"I wrote this book to process the experience of treating Emma over two decades and to share some of what I learned about human experience," said Benatar. "This young woman needed to unite the shards of her own shattering, the consequence of extreme childhood trauma. Her story is one of drama, mystery and redemption, and it's instructive for anyone yearning to understand themselves better."

Sara Taber, author of Born Under an Assumed Name: A Memoir of a Cold War Spy's Daughter, said, "May Benatar offers us three rare, artfully interwoven gifts: a riveting tale of her traumatized client's struggle to unify a fractured self, a memoir of her own troubled passage toward selfhood and coming-into-being as a psychotherapist, and an exploration of the nature of human beings. Along the way, the author opens a new and revolutionary lens into the nature of that very favorite thing of ours-ourselves."

Dr. Pamela Brewer produces a podcast: MyNDTALK that addresses topics relating to mental health and relationships. Its an excellent and informative daily podcast.
She interviewed me here.

Below is a video interview I did for "Writing Fun" answering some questions about my book. Michelle Cronauer, the interviewer had her own personal experience with sexual abuse as a child is an enthusiastic and engaged interviewer.


Emma and her Selves: A Memoir of Treatment and a Therapist's Self-Discovery is now available on Amazon and at IPBooks.net.