The James Tapes

Can you believe an individual can have more than one personality in the same body? Or that his memory can be so fragmented he loses days, weeks, months, and even years from his awareness? Or that one of his personalities would be a little boy, another gay, another female, another unable to feel pain, another suicidal, another homicidal, and another psychic? Dr. Joel Brende writes a detailed chronicle of his sessions with James, a man with a traumatic past and fractured personality. Every session of their eight years together was video recorded, a singular record which allows Dr. Brende to provide a detailed account of their conversations together, as well as images from the sessions, an intimate look at the inner workings of dissociative identity disorder. He has provided a record of treatment for the layperson and professional alike, guiding us through his first discovery of several unique personalities in his patient, then diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, and their path of discovery as they work together to understand what was then a relatively unknown disorder. Dr. Brende forges his own way forward with James, reviewing new research in the field, and relying on his own instincts as an experienced psychotherapist to traverse this unchartered path with empathy and caring. "Dr. Brende's account of his treatment of a patient with multiple personality disorder is both fascinating and informative...Dr. Brende's broad clinical experience with psychotherapy and hypnosis combined with his clear, "down to earth" writing style, makes this account an important contribution to the field." John C. Connelly, M.D., Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology -Medical Director Emeritus, Bradley Center Psychiatric Center, Columbus, GA - Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association"What is unique about the snippets from the ninety videotaped James tapes is the manner in which Dr. Brende helped to pioneer efforts to treat dissociative symptoms....Dr. Brende uncovered, through medical, environmental, and family interactions, the client's secrets, repressed memories, painful physiological emotions, trauma, and loosely organized and displayed thought patterns. His therapy reflected a non-threatening, warm, responsive, and understanding tone of a one-to-one trusting therapeutic relationship." Gary L Arthur, Ed.D., LPC, NCC, Professor Emeritus of Professional Counseling at Georgia State University ~ Georgia Counselor Educator of the year in 2007 ~ Author of the widely used study course: Study Guides for State Licensure Exam Preparation