Dissociation : Vol. 6, No. 4 (Dec. 1993)

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Browsing Dissociation : Vol. 6, No. 4 (Dec. 1993) by Author "Bowman, Elizabeth S."

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    Dissociation : Vol. 6, No. 4, p. 222-238 : Clinical and spiritual effects of exorcism in fifteen patients with multiple personality disorder
    (Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, 1993-12) Bowman, Elizabeth S.
    Fifteen female multiple personality disorder (MPD) patients who had felt or been told they were possessed or had undergone exorcism were interviewed to study the sequelae of these events. Thirteen had suspected they were possessed either before or after their diagnosis. Fourteen had been told they were possessed, usually before their diagnosis. Fourteen had undergone exorcisms. Seventy-one percent reacted negatively to the suggestion that they were possessed. Initial reactions to exorcisms were negative in about 80% of hosts and alters and positive in 14% of hosts and 9% of alters. Emotional reactions to exorcisms remained fairly stable over time. The exorcisms functioned as traumas and resulted in severely dysphoric feelings, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and dissociative symptoms. Subjects created new alters and experienced considerable dissociative rearrangements that led to the hospitalization of nine subjects. Spiritual sequelae were the most severe and led to cessation or severe curtailment of religious life for many subjects. The author cautions against exorcizing MPD patients.
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    Dissociation : Vol. 6, No. 4, p. 262-263 : Primum non-nocere- a reason for restraint: Dr. Bowman’s reply to Drs. Crabtree, Rosik, and Noll
    (Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, 1993-12) Bowman, Elizabeth S.