In When Rabbit Howls, Truddi Chase documents her experience as she discovered her multiple personality disorder, now called dissociative identity disorder. Previously being misdiagnosed and thinking of herself as “crazy”, Chase seeks the help of Bob Phillips. Phillips, under the pseudonym Stanley, helps Truddi Chase recognize her ninety-two personalities. Through years of therapy, Stanley uncovers the cause of Truddi’s “troops”, and possibly the cause of other multiple personality cases. The intense abuse caused by her step father (sexually) and her mother (physically and mentally) left Chase to bury her feelings deep inside. In order to escape her reality, her mind “separated” into ninety-two people she called “troops” who protected Truddi…show more content… Truddi Chase’s mother knew all along that Truddi was being sexually attacked. She claims she could not leave the stepfather because he provided financially for the family. However, not once did she attempt to stop him from attacking Truddi. She made a remark to him (while she thought Truddi was asleep) about how he was always after Truddi, but she did not tell him to stop. She also physically abused Truddi, which was first introduced when she stomped on Truddi in front of the bus stop with her heels. This added to the girl’s mental pain. She promised Truddi she loved her and would make things better, then blamed the girl for all bad things that…show more content… Choosing this novel, I had never heard of Truddi Chase or her troops. As I read, I was incredibly intrigued at how her mind was able to split and hide her memories, and at the same time horrified at the causes of the split. The accounts of the troops inside her head, switching positions, are especially interesting. It is amazing so little is known about this woman, while so much can be learned from her, not only about multiple personality disorder but about the effects of abuse. While before it was hard to grasp the meaning of “multiple personalities”, this extreme case helped me truly understand the disorder. I am shocked at how cruel people can be to those they claim they love. At the same time, it is pleasing to see how far a stranger (Stanley) will go to correct other people’s mistakes. It was empowering to hear that Truddi (and Stanley) chose not to combine the troops. While it was mainly to protect Chase from suffering the incredible distress that would accompany bringing out all troops associated with pain, it is somewhat empowering to think of Chase as embracing her disorder rather than hurrying to get rid of it. My favorite quote from the novel was when Stanley first discovered Chase’s personalities: “Stanley had what he thought of as a brilliant idea. The soft face and the very young voice told him it was brilliant. ‘And how old are you, right now?’ he asked. ‘Twelve. I’m twelve years
