Truddi Character Analysis

When children experience trauma throughout their childhood, it can manifest in dangerous ways in their later life. Much like what happens to Truddi Chase, the main character and narrator of the novel. She was subjected to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from the age of two. This abuse she suffered by the hands of her mother and stepfather is the reason that she developed ‘the troops’ which is how she refers to her other personalities. The troops are made up of over 92 different and distant personalities, which their own names, memories and emotion range. This novel also demonstrates how difficult it can be to diagnosis multiple personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder. The troops and Truddi had met with many different doctors and specialist before meeting with Robert Philips who was able to put a name to what she was experiencing throughout her life. This book was of interest to me, because I have never really understood how multiple personalities worked. The novel breaks this down for the reader, Truddi and the troops
describe her mind like a tunnel, and the personality that best fits the situation is able to surface and take over the situation. I have seen Sybil and Split, but I much more enjoyed being able to dive into the head and see the thinking pattern of someone that has dissociative identity disorder. Matthew Towers also would talk about the novel to me and it sparked my interest, because I had never heard of anything like it. Different members of the troops wrote the chapters, but they are all telling their side of the story, that is the life story of Truddi Chase. It also demonstrates how difficult it can be to work with someone with the disorder; you not only have to gain the trust of one client, but everyone that exists within them. This was what Dr. Philips struggled the most with, because even now after working with Truddi and the troops and assisting with the writing of the novel, some of the personalities still do not trust him. I also never realized that more than one personality could be in control at once. There is a scene in the novel where one of the personalities is shopping and is being protected by one of the personalities. They are both existing almost as two different people at the same time. Throughout the novel, Dr. Philips uses a strengths based approach while working with Truddi and the troops. From their very first meeting he assures her that she is not crazy, and that some of what she is experiencing is normal in the response to the trauma she suffered throughout her childhood. He also encourages her to look at the strengths within her current life, such as being able to run her own business. He does not allow her to use the troops as a hindrance on her life, he uses her strengths as a way to empower her, and attempt to overcome the trauma she has suffered throughout her lifetime. This is the social work theory that Dr. Philips focuses his entire practice with Truddi and the troops around. This novel truly opened my eyes to the reality of having multiple personalities; it has allowed me to be able to empathize more with someone with this disorder. I now know how frustrating it must be to wake up and have no clue what has happened to you. This was a real occurrence for Truddi, when we first come in contact with her as the reader she only has five memories she is able to recall. Dr. Philips is amazing when it comes to containment, because there were times throughout the novel that I had no idea, what I would have said or done that he is able to breeze through without a second thought. This is one of the skills I’m hoping I will be able to use in my practice. I want to be able to easily contain my emotions and facial expressions without a second thought about it. I also want to be able to fully gain the trust of my future clients like Dr. Philips is able to do with not only Truddi, but with the different troop members also. I want to learn more about dissociative identity disorder, because this book did open my eyes.
I do realize that not everyone will experience the disorder like Truddi and the troops have. I want to read and learn more about other’s experiences and what the root cause of their disorder was and is. For Truddi the troops were her way of coping with the trauma she suffered as a child. I really want to meet and have a sit down conversation with someone that has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. I want to be more informed before I can consider ever working with a client that has dissociative identity disorder. I feel the best way to obtain this knowledge is to ask questions to other social workers, who have had experience when it comes to working with some that has dissociative identity disorder. I need to interact with this disorder more through literature, research, and practice in order to understand it
better.