Sybil

Does anyone else love the movie "Sybil"? It was on tv again yesterday and I just had to watch it again. Her relationship with her therapist reminds me of mine. Some of the things her t says comfort me. And the movie gives me hope. She went through all that she did but was still able to heal. This movie is very triggering, but very inspiring. It's now finally out on DVD and I really recommend it (unless you are easily triggered, it's hard to watch at times).
Just my thoughts
HUGS

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm gonna try and rent it! Thanks for the tip!

Very triggering for me. Proceed with caution on this one, I'd say.--Suzy

Yes, on all accounts I think...for those with DID it can be all those things perhaps? The author of When Rabbit Howls is also a real person. She lives in the Tampa area and does talks. Hope your healing takes a swift journey.

Yes I have watched it. I watched it the first time and the unedited version when a counselor had asked me to go through testing because she noticed things like my journal writing had more than one style of handwriting and wording and when I was with her doing memory recall work I would space off. So she wanted the county mental health counselor t hat I was seeing to evaluate me and refer me for testing. So I watched that movie and it scared the crap out of me. I went to my county mental health appointment and lied so that I would not fit the oral questionaire that is given before referring someone for testing. then of course JEH got mad at me for lying to prevent testing. a few years later I went ahead and got tested and came up a 10 on the dissociative Identity Disorder's dissociation scale and very quickly told my therapist she was nuts in not so clean vocabulary and left.

when the movie came on cable I taped it because I had finally after 20 years come out of my denial by working with SKR. I thought I would watch it little by little but first I wanted to do some research on the book and movie and the person. What I found out was that some of what is in the movie has been overdramatized and in some cases the situations depiected in the movie had not existed, they were created by the scripting team in scripting for a movie to add dramatics for ratings.

So Im no longer afraid of that movie.I started watching a little bit at a time but still could not watch it with out losing tine and other dissociation problems soI put it on my shelf and left it there. About a year ago I gave it to my therapist and told her she could keep it. It wasn't doing me any good just sitting on my bookshel.

It has come on cable on a variety of channels including those that chop movies down to a G-PG ratings but still don't watch it. I know that some of the scenes have been made up and overdramatized. So I would end up sitting there getting mad at it saying yea right as if, give me a break, as if someone can REALLY clime up a wall bookcase and not have those boards buckle and eventually break that is made out of a thick steel slab so that it will hold Sally Fields weight. no cat in real life can have their head chopped off and then chase the person chickens involuntarily do that not cats and a person cannot literally hold hands with an alter like they show in the last scene.

Whats the use of watching something that I now know all the behind the scenes stuff of the making of the movie and so on.

the one thing I do like about the movie and the reality of what DID is - Every time Sally Fields went through a switch they showed very clearly that she was doing so because something in her present life matched the memory piece she switched into - when the swingset noice triggered (upset) her because it unconsciously reminded her of her mother and the abuse situation that contained that noise (the sense of sound) she switched into reacting the way she did when she reacted to the sound during the original abuse situation - walking (wailking with her mother to the barn) and she came out of it when that memory stopped replaying she had walked into a duck pond. During all the switches the watcher is shown very clearly that the switching happened because Sybil was triggered (upset) and that trigger (thing that upset her) was shown keeping with the truth of DID switching is trigger related and the resulting "alter" she switched was matched with what was happening in her present live.

Another part I liked is that the scripters stayed very true with the fact that when in an alter the person cannot be made to act or do anything that that memory is. When in the memory piece of suicide nothing could get her to do anything else but try to commit suicide. her boyfriend ended up grabbing her as she jumped, when she was triggered into a thumb sucking curled up memory piece she sat in that corner and curled up and sucked her thumb and nothing the therapist could do would change that. she could not be made to do anything she sat there and sucked her thumb for hours.

As for the therapist client relationship in the movie well on the one side I like it and on the other I don't because not all therapists are like this and people watching the movie might get the wrong idea of what to expect when they enter therapy. not all therapists are hands on and not all therapists hold their clients and not all therapists hold their sessions outside of their office.

Hi. I am new to this group and scared to death. I am unsure of how to get started on posting to be able to communicate. I am looking for someplace that is safe to talk and where I can meet others to get support and also give support. I have not done this so this is new to me. I am not sure what I can share here and what I cannot. I was hoping that maybe you could tell me how to get started. I did not mean to invade your conversation. I do think that Sybil is an excellent movie but it took me a long time to be able to watch it. I can relate in so many ways and that is scary. If you could help me I would greatly appreciate it. I want so much to get answers and share with someone but I am scared. I cannot find anyone that I trust out here in this big place we call the world besides my t. I am afraid that there is no one that cares if I am out here or not. I really could use a friend right now and I guess I am risking to reach out where it feels so dark. Thank you

Hi, purplesecrets!

Welcome to PC...I'm glad you are here. You did just great communicating above...you didn't crash the conversation, you just joined in!

You can be sure that you have found just the kind of place here that you've been looking for...there are SO many kind and caring people, and we're glad you want to be here, too! So join in the fun, you'll make lots of friends I know!

Your friend,
DJ

Hi purplesecrets!

Welcome to PsychCentral. You're doing just fine posting so no worries.

You will find lots of helpful people here. Take some time to read other posts, visit other forums, and post more when comfortable. You may feel a bit less stressed if you go slow.

You also might want to post something like this in the Internet travelers Lounge. It's a good place to get started as not everyone will read this thread, but most do check that forum to welcome newbies.

I cannot say that I love the movie...... but I did enjoy watching it again (as an adult this time) for it does explain a lot of what many of us go thru or have gone thru after suffering with such abuse.

I watched the movie one night when I was alone to get the jest of the entire movie again and then I watched it my husband and my 16 year old son - my son had a lot of questions after the movie was over and I took the time to answer them for him...... the hardest thing for him to try and understand was how a MOTHER could do such things to her own flesh and blood.... her little baby girl.

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

I haven't seen the movie, but I read the book recently. I wonder how true the book is to what it is really like having DID. The things that happened to Sybil are atrocious, and obviously the mother was herself insane. Sybil is an inspiration as she becomes strong and whole and overcomes her past. I like the way it shows how the memory pieces hold all the strength and ability that Sybil isn't aware that she possesses. It makes me want to find strength like that in myself, but if I ever had it, I fear that it was stripped away long ago and is gone.

Welcome Purple secrets...I saw the movie Sybil many years ago...with Sally Field playing the roll it was very good...anyhow, just wanted to welcome you and to tell you that there are alot of caring people here at PC...Always join in the conversation...the more the merrier! Good luck to you!!!

Glad you came to PC, Purple secrets. Welcome!--Suzy