When the Devil Knocks

JD

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:16:47 +0000

Biography

JD is an adolescent boy who holds tremendous anger towards Mr Dyk, Hilary’s main abuser. He also feels frustrated and guilty because he could not protect Joanie. When some of the alters visit Mr Dyk’s grave, JD goes berserk. He’s also a bit of a prude, embarrassed at any mention of sex. Whenever JD comes out in therapy he covers up an innocent photograph of a nude statue. A very athletic boy, JD once tried to sign up for a children’s soccer team but was rejected because of his little problem of appearing to be a middle-aged woman.

Mary

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:16:17 +0000

Biography

Mary is a stubborn, self-centred teenager who believes that she should take over entirely since she’s stronger than Hilary. When she first appears in therapy, Mary is extremely judgmental of Hilary and of the other alters, and Hilary is initially terrified of her power. Mary loathes what she sees as Hilary’s weakness. As the most powerful alter, Mary has a vested interest in keeping the status quo – if she can’t simply take over. She’s finally persuaded to connect with Hilary so she can learn to use Hilary’s computer. Mary also loves to drive Hilary’s car – only she’s never learned how to drive and keeps having accidents.

Joanie

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:08:52 +0000

Biography

Joanie has the enormous task of carrying Hilary’s sadness. When she first comes out Joanie has no voice and must write everything down. Tim teaches her to speak by “lending his voice”. Joanie loves all things red – cherries and hearts and the light that she sometimes sits beside to cheer herself up. In therapy she learns to breathe in red things in order to feel better, as well as how to battle through the bad memories to the calm in the eye of the storm. Early on, Tim and Mary both despise Joanie for what they see as weakness – she cries all the time – but they will come to see Joanie’s strength in carrying the biggest burden of them all.

Tim

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:04:09 +0000

Biography

Tim is the alter whose job is to accept affection from Hilary’s worst abuser, and to keep happy memories of good times with Mr Dyk separate from the bad stuff. Mr Dyk taught Tim to drive a truck and shoot a rifle and Tim is initially very angry at Hilary and the other alters for saying bad things about Mr Dyk. Tim contains his anger by always keeping his fists clenched. As he relaxes during therapy and begins to feel safe, Tim also reveals a 12-year-old’s sense of humour: “Where does a fish keep his money? In the riverbank.” Tim has fabulous playful energy, which he unfortunately exhibits sometimes by coming out and flying toy airplanes at Hilary’s place of work. During therapy, he matures enormously – becoming a friend and protector to Little Hil and Joanie.

Little Hil

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:43:46 +0000

Biography

Little Hil is just five years old but she has a big job – separating Hilary from early memories of emotional and physical abuse inflicted by her mother, as well as sexual abuse at the hands of a relative. Little Hil can’t remember that the abuse is in the past, or even that “the mother” is dead. Hil often sucks her thumb and, when she’s scared, pulls out her own hair. She likes dogs and teddy bears, and has a special bear named Freddie. During therapy, Hil pairs up with another alter, Tim, who becomes her big brother and tries to teach her that it’s safe now.

Hilary Stanton

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:14:29 +0000

Autobiography

I was born Sept 16, 1950; the middle child in a family of five. My dad was a farmer who married a war-bride from Liverpool and brought her back to cold, isolated Alberta. I don’t think she ever recovered! Looking back, I think Mother had mental problems. She’d be nice one minute and abusive the next. She also had real favourites among her kids, and I sure wasn’t one of them. Mother didn’t seem to be able to love me at all – maybe because I was always a tom-boy, not what she thought a little girl should be. I think my early childhood of neglect and abuse is what made me a target for pedophiles, and ultimately led me to fracture into fragments – as a sufferer of Dissociative Identity Disorder. (Many people still know it as Multiple Personality.) Throughout my life, I suffered from blackouts and would find myself places that I didn’t remember going. I thought that was normal, until I had a breakdown in my early 40s and got myself into therapy. That’s when I began getting in touch with my alters, distinct personalities whom I’d created to help me survive childhood abuse and neglect that began in infancy and lasted until I left my mother’s home at age 17. I can’t say enough about how important the alters were to me. They saved my life. Even with all the chaos caused by being multiple, now that I’m whole, I miss them.