"This book discusses the psycho-analytically informed treatment of adults who were severely traumatized in childhood and who employ defensive altered states of consciousness. The majority of the patients suffer from dissociative identity disorder. The hallmark of this aberrant mental development is the presence of seemingly different identities which are kept separate through amnestic, autohypnotic mechanisms.

As a result of his work with these patients over several decades, the author is able to clarify the complex array of issues that surround dissociation of trauma, an area fraught with confusion, controversy, and anxiety. Because no one model of the mind seems adequate to explain all the data, the author draws on elements of drive theory, ego psychology, object relations theory, self psychology, and intersubjectivity to help bring an understanding of what he has observed and experienced with this remarkable patient population.

This book is rich in clinical material which the author uses deftly to illustrate the significant issues of dissociation of trauma."--BOOK JACKET.