The book is educational, healing, and inspirational. A quote from Christopher Rosik, Ph.D.: " Dr. Lighthart eloquently describes an effective roadmap for healing from DID, one that relies upon the help of trained professionals, the support of family and friends, and a deep faith in God".
A quote from Geraldine Ferry, Ms, Ma, LMFT, LPC: "I can't imagine much finer gifts to the reader, whether you be a person searching for answers to your own trauma and healing, or a therapist looking for additional ways to help another. Life After MPD offers wisdom, empathy, and hope whether you are at the beginning of your quest for healing, or somewhere further down the road".
"To possess knowledge of who we are, to be one complete person with self-respect and love is to be cherished. To sleep peacefully without fear, to hug without trepidation, to say 'no' with dignity and self-respect is a gift every child deserves. To have our memories, remembering what we have said and done, is a gift we too often take for granted. I say this because these are fragile aspects of our lives, easily stolen and never fully restored. What is it that robs us of these things? It is trauma, be it war, abuse, natural disaster, terrorism, medical procedures, or vairous crimes. If enough of any one or a combination of traumas occur, we are robbed of our dignity, respect, and childhood. Over some of these traumas we have no control, but others are preventable"...
"The voices stop and silence is bliss but my mind does not stay still. It races to finish what will be lost before it is gone. I am forever changing, always the same. Retrieving unretrievable memories will be a life-long process ending too soon. So it is with each waking day that I sleep, never knowing who I am within the person I have found. If you found this paradoxical, then welcome to the devastatingly compassionate world of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)".
Excerpt
"Each time God offers to heal me I have to embrace the wound and hold it out to him for His style of first aid. Experience has taught me that God's first aid is restorative, while my first aid usually causes infections. God cleans the full depth of the wound; I stay on the surface to avoid pain. Healing will never end for me, and it shouldn't. Healing is not necessarily easy, and that is okay because after each healing episode I am less and less afraid of the pain. Because of this I am more willing to embrace the uncertainty of God's ways so I can have His gift of restoration and wholeness, something every human needs". pg 130-131
"I end this book with three thought on the role of spirituality in any healing journey,...
Getting in touch with our spirituality is meant to help us heal. It is not to be used to run away and escape experiences in life. It is a part of who we are, helping us know where we came from and where we are going. It is given by God to provide us strength for life.
Spirituality requires action on our part, God is always with us when we accept Him in our lives, but He seldom provides a 'quick fix' to the pain of this world. Every one of us needs to work hand-in-hand with God.
The person I am called by God to be, the person I was created to be, was always within me. I had to look back to see where I came from before I could look ahead to see where I was going. I had to know my past to be free to enjoy my future". pg 139
"TODAY--The day begins quiet as all within sleep. One by one we begin rising to start our routine. We move about in such a way so as not to disturb any others. We move on light feet trying to keep all this stillness within, but soon the peace is disturbed as others begin to wake. The day begins as each waking person goes about their tasks interfering with no other. Now, here we stand ready to once again face a day but this day is different as is every day. Today we will listen and feel, we will love and challenge. We will again step out of ourself, this time to see how we do. Will we meet the challenge of another day and survive or will we be too weak to go an and die. Each day finds that we do both, We live and we die".
Professional Reviews
Life After MPD
By Ralph B. Allison, M.D. Coauthor: Minds in Many Pieces: Revealing the Spiritual Side of Multiple Personality Disorder.
"Dr. Lighthart provides a rare inside look at what really happens when alter-personalities integrate into one. She describes how she and her empathic therapist followed the lead of her "Holy Spirit" and resolved the damage done to her mind by her abusive parents. This shows how healing occurs when both patient and therapist are led by the same wise Spirit. Since all humans have such a Spirit, variously called the Soul, essence, Inner Self Helper, Hidden Observer, etcetera, she gives all suffering humans hope by showing how she after initially massively resisting, finally followed the good spiritual advise that is available inside all of us. Life After MPD, devoid of any psychological theorizing, will be part of the literature on Spiritual Psychology for years to come".
Life After MPD
By Midwest Book Review September 2002 issue.
“Life After MPD by educator and licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor Debra Lighthart is a deeply personal and revealing account of one woman’s affliction with Multiple Personality Disorder, the nightmare childhood that fractured her personality, and the long road to recovery. Profound, reverently reflecting a faith in God, and gut-wrenchingly real and straightforward in its description of how abuse can lead to psychological trauma, and uplifting in its recounting of the journey to wholeness through the gradual accumulation of trust. Life After MPD is recommended reading for psychology students, counseling practitioners, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in multiple personality disorder conditions.”
Life After MPD
By Nancy, a patient whose Dr. loaned her Life After MPD as part of her therapy homework.
“…I would like to take a minute and express just how much your book has impacted me and continues to do so even now several weeks after the first reading…I was apprehensive at first about reading your book. I’ve worked very hard to shut off my spirituality and I really didn’t want to open myself up to that deep hurt I’ve carried. I came home and read the first few pages and then set the book aside. I wasn’t sure I would finish reading it. The next day I picked the book up and read it in its entirety, almost without putting it down. I was so overcome by the deeply passionate and intimate relationship you have with God. It struck very DEEP inside me and resonated within the walls of my soul. I am in awe of how much Mary, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God were involved in your healing – the roles they played and your invitation for them to be a very integral part. And I’m in awe of how the depth of your personal relationship reaches out through the words and pages of your writing! It drew me in. I could feel the healing power of the Holy Spirit as I read reaching down inside. (I ended up asking [my therapist] to let us take the book again for a second reading). A previously unknown alter was so touched, she was able to make her way to the surface to journal her pain about feeling abandoned by God and then later communicate with [my therapist]…Reading your book has opened my heart to again look at spiritual things and to contemplate renewing (or perhaps experiencing for the first time) a relationship with God and allowing him to fully be a part of our healing. I’ve read a lot of books on theology and done a lot of Bible studies designed to help me understand God’s love and the place He can have in daily life. None of the reading I have done in the past has EVER been as convicting and loving or reached to the depths of the soul than what we experienced with your book. I know [my therapist] told you that your book really impacted me, but I’m not sure he knows the full impact. I can’t even say we know the full impact as of yet. Things are still being felt inside and will need to be worked through. We wanted you to know firsthand of our experience and to thank you for writing such a powerful book and not holding back on the issue of spirituality and it’s place in healing from abuse.” General note-I, Dr. Lighthart removed the therapist’s name and used “[my therapist]” to further protect the client’s identity.
This secondary physical education curriculum for Middle School and High School students is specifically designed for teenagers 14-18 years old concerning situations faced by this age group in today's society.
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Crisis Management for First Responders is for first responders to be able to help victims of critical incidents as well as their own personnel who are affected by the trauma they witness or experience themselves.
