Handbook for Trauma Survivors - Myra Abrams

In 'Handbook for Trauma Survivors,' Myra Abrams bravely delves into the labyrinth of trauma with a vulnerability that pierces through the veil of silence surrounding dissociative identity disorder (DID) and complex traumas. With poignant prose and unflinching honesty, Myra invites readers into the intricate web of their own experiences, offering a guiding light through the darkest corridors of the mind.

'Handbook for Trauma Survivors' is a hands-on approach to healing, offering practical strategies and tools for managing the aftermath of trauma, from coping with nightmares and flashbacks to rebuilding a shattered sense of self. Moreover, Myra's candid advice on finding the right therapist underscores the importance of establishing a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship-a crucial step on the path to recovery.

Our lifetime of trauma began at 22-months of age. This was when we lost our HOST (the person we were born as) to extreme trauma. FINAL OBLIVION or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) are the complete and permanent disappearance or cessation of a particular alter personality.

At 3-years of age, Aimee is an 'old soul' and became HOST #2.

The thing about complex traumas is that some of the personalities the brain creates as a reaction to the trauma, can be different from the HOST. However, we didn't know this. The brain keeps everything a big secret, which decreases the sense of self.

Here is a poem we wrote in 2012 explaining how it feels to not know who you are...

Who Am I?

It's the words over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. ENDLESSLY. All crazy. All crazy as all hell breaking loose.

Came and came and came and came to a puzzled place.

When we reached 4-years of age, when a healthy child's sense of self is developing, we had 31 personalities. This means the ego had split into 31 parts or segments, like a mandarin fruit.