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Loading... A Fractured Mind: My Life with Multiple Personality Disorderby Robert B. Oxnam
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  qaphsiel | Feb 20, 2023 |    ) Hank_Kirton | Apr 25, 2019 |  ) DBrigandi | Jul 3, 2017 | ) DBrigandi | Jul 3, 2017 | One last thing: I'm amazed by Oxnam's courage in writing this book. Kudos to him and the other hims (and hers) within his psyche, especially since he is such a political and academic figure who had a lot to lose when his disorder came to the public. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in psychiatric disorders, and, if possible, listen to the audiobook and hear the words in the author's own voices! (  ) wispywillow | Aug 9, 2009 | no reviews | add a review
Biography & Autobiography.
Nonfiction.
In 1989, Robert B. Oxnam, the successful China scholar and president of the Asia Society, faced up to what he thought was his biggest personal challenge: alcoholism. But this dependency masked a problem far more serious: Multiple Personality Disorder. At the peak of his professional career, after having led the Asia Society for nearly a decade, Oxnam was haunted by periodic blackouts and episodic rages. After his family and friends intervened, Oxnam received help from a psychiatrist, Dr. Jeffery Smith, and entered a rehab center. It wasnâ??t until 1990 during a session with Dr. Smith that the first of Oxnamâ??s eleven alternate personalities â?? an angry young boy named Tommy â?? suddenly emerged. With Dr. Smithâ??s help, Oxnam began the exhausting and fascinating process of uncovering his many personalities and the childhood trauma that caused his condition. "A Fractured Mind" is the powerful and moving story of one personâ??s struggle with this terrifying illness. The audiob No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)616.85Technology Medicine and health Diseases Diseases of nervous system and mental disorders MiscellaneousLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.68)
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Wikipedia in English
3
What's good:
It contains a fair bit of information on the sessions and work with his therapist. Also, there's a lot description of his inner world, how it's organized, and how the personalities interact. This was the primary reason I read this, so I appreciated it. Finally, Oxnam writes well (but see below for more on his writing).
What's not so good:
I would've appreciated more information about the therapy. Though, he writes well, Oxnam doesn't succeed in injecting much emotion; much of the writing felt pretty flat to me. I could've done without the extensive descriptions of his lavish wedding and hanging out/working with various famous people. He acknowledges that he's a name-dropper (or at least the personality who did most of the writing is), but that self-knowledge didn't seem to lead to excising these superfluous parts of the book. Though, in his defense, he tends to use these to illustrate how the various personalities help and hinder him in the situations. (