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When Rabbit Howls
By Truddi Chase, New York: Jove Books, 1987, 400 pp., $7.50
When Rabbit Howls, by Truddi Chase, is a personal account of life with dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder. The author experienced a tremendous amount of horrific sexual, physical, and emotional child abuse at the hands of her stepfather from the age of two until her teens, as well as emotional and physical abuse from her mother. Due to this abuse, Chase started developing alternate personalities from as early as two years of age in order to deal with the realities of her life. This book is her explanation of what it is like to live with the 92 different personalities that eventually developed, who she calls “The Troops,” as well as descriptions of her progress made through therapy with Dr. Robert Phillips, her psychologist. The primary focuses of the book are the process of unearthing her traumatic memories of abuse, as well as the way that each personality deals with these experiences and appears to the world.
The title of the book refers to one of Chase’s many personalities, a very young child named Rabbit that suffered especially horrendous sexual abuse. Other personalities inside the author include a large black man named “Mean Joe,” an Irish man named “Ean,” a sophisticated woman named “Lady Catherine,” and several children. Each personality is described as having a specific purpose, and each experience different emotions and have their own memories. Essentially, the core personality then never had to deal fully with the abusive experiences. The author wrote this book as part of her psychotherapy, and in hopes of helping others in similar situations to deal with their pasts and struggles as a multiple.
Written in 1987 during Chase’s therapy, the book may be slightly out of date. However, it shows what little clinicians at the time knew about DID, and the struggles Chase’s psychotherapist had as a result of this lack of knowledge. Chase’s case in particular caused some to question the appropriateness of integration of personalities, which previously had been the consensus as the goal of therapy with DID patients. Dr. Phillips had great difficulty in locating the “core” personality of Chase, which led him to believe that losing many of her personalities would leave her with few memories and a lack of knowledge of who she is as a person.
This book may be appropriate for use in bibliotherapy with certain types of clients. Adults who are experiencing dissociative identity disorder, as well as family and close friends of those with DID, may find the book helpful and insightful. The author’s story could provide a sense of identification with others as well as an account of the great difficulties a “multiple” faces in daily life. Since DID is especially rare, it is important for clients to be able to relate to others going through the same experience.
Additionally, this book might also be helpful in psychotherapy with child abusers, who might then see the potential psychological damage that can be inflicted upon victims of child abuse. One chapter of When Rabbit Howls describes how Dr. Phillips brought Chase to one of his group therapy sessions for child abusers, and how her story affected them. While most victims of child abuse do not later develop DID, most if not all, do suffer lasting effects. Chase’s story might put this in perspective for them.
It should be noted that this book should not be used in place of psychotherapy sessions, but can be used in conjunction with typical psychotherapy, perhaps as homework and as a discussion piece. Given the potentially controversial nature of the book’s content, it is likely to stimulate conversation between the psychotherapist and the client about the realities of child abuse and living with DID. However, special caution should be exercised in prescribing this book to a client at the appropriate time in one’s therapy. Because the content is somewhat shocking, it must first be determined that the client is at an appropriate place in therapy for the use of the book.
Use of the book can be determined by the psychotherapist, perhaps when a client is deemed ready to confront painful aspects of his or her own life. The psychotherapist may then assign specific chapters of the book that focus either on the abuse the author endured, on the complexities of her multiple personalities, or on her problems with normal daily functioning. After completing the readings, the psychotherapist and client may then discuss issues that the book brought up.
A possible drawback of the book is the complexity of the writing style, which can be somewhat confusing as it is written in the first person, but by numerous personalities. Sometimes the personalities switch as many as five or six times within a single page. Furthermore, the explicit and appalling nature of the abuse the author experienced would not be appropriate for children or adolescents. Given the book’s somewhat longer length, it would also be appropriate to perhaps suggest a few chapters for clients to read rather than the book in its entirety. Use of When Rabbit Howls should always be done with the individual reader in mind regarding its appropriateness. A thorough explanation of what DID is should be given to the reader before the book is suggested, due to the fact that aspects of DID are considered unbelievable by some.
A major strength of the book is its description of the progress in the author’s psychotherapy. It shows that even in extremely difficult cases, therapeutic progress is possible, whether that means integration, acceptance, or improvement in daily living for the client. Another strength is the inclusion of the author’s struggles with her ex-husband and her daughter, both of whom have great difficulty understanding her condition and relating to her.
Additionally, the book shows how hard it is for those with DID to form real relationships with people when they themselves are struggling to figure out who they really are.
A weakness of When Rabbit Howls is the length of the book, which might put off individuals with a short attention span or weak reading ability, as well as the high school reading level and the sensitive nature of the content. Also, the book concludes with the author getting revenge against her stepfather for the abuse she endured. While this may be satisfying for the casual reader, it would most likely not be appropriate for a patient with DID.
With the difficulties and isolation a person with DID faces, identification with others and understanding of the condition can be greatly desired. Using When Rabbit Howls by Truddi Chase as part of psychotherapy can be useful in achieving these goals, both for those with DID themselves and for family or friends of those with DID. The book is both powerful and potentially eye-opening, and could provide great insight into the realities of dissociative identity disorder.