What goes inside a person who is suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder or Multiple Personality Disorder has been a mystery to most people until now. Waterfall of Tears by Carol Keay is an insight into this disease. She entered therapy to get rid of her weight issues; however, she was well aware that it was more than that. There were many voices in her head that needed to be heard. To say that her family was not normal would be the understatement of the century. Her father and grandfather sexually abused her from the time she was a mere child of a few months. Her mother was a violent woman. She assaulted her daughter in ways that one cannot begin to fathom.
There are no words to describe the disgust that I, as a reader and a human being, felt toward those people. They truly were monsters. Such extreme abusive patterns had to create turbulence in her head.By using visualization and light hypnosis, her therapist, Kay Miller, helped her deal with her childhood trauma. One by one, she not only met with her many personalities in therapy but also began healing each one of them. What I could understand by reading her diagnosis is that her head created each one of these people to help her handle such extreme assaults.
During her therapy, she discovered many battered, terrified, and broken kids of various ages in her head. All of them had one or several memories of the pain that they went through. By acknowledging their presence and then assuring them that they would no longer be hurt by anyone, Kay and Carol began bringing them to a safe place. They called this virtual safe place the Healing Place.
How can a father be this cruel to his own daughter? Is a mother really capable of being so evil? How does a child recover after facing such sickening assaults by his/her parents? These were just some of the questions bothering me throughout the book. No wonder her brain developed multiple personalities to help her cope with such monstrosity. To tell the truth, the first few pages describing the healing place and the children in her head appeared bizarre to me. I thought this is unreal and impossible; however, once those kids started talking about their memories, I understood it. Apart from a handful of people, most of us are blissfully unaware of this disorder.
Waterfall of Tears by Carol Keay is a beautiful attempt to help us all comprehend and empathize with the people suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. She was an extraordinary woman, who should have been given a chance at a normal childhood that so many of us take for granted. Reading her everyday struggle to act normally was heartbreaking. According to the activities of the day, she had to summon a different personality from inside of her to get through the day. Her almost every day began with a severe headache and fatigue. Her husband’s unconditional love and support were undoubtedly her biggest strength. I am glad that they found each other.
The writing is clear, concise, and very insightful. After reading Waterfall of Tears by Carol Keay, readers would definitely understand the severeness of Dissociative Identity Disorder and perhaps develop more acceptance toward people struggling with it. The impact of childhood trauma can change the world of a child, and it is clearly evident from the life of the author. Nevertheless, Waterfall of Tears by Carol Keay also imparts hope. The author started her therapy in her forties, yet the effects were exceptional. This signifies that it’s never too late to acknowledge and heal your past for a life of mindfulness.
Ankita is a professional Book Reviewer, a story writer, and above all, your friend. When she is not reading, she is writing. And when she is taking a break from both these things, she is daydreaming about a place free of violence, crime, corruption, and prejudice.
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