| Truddi Chase | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 13, 1935 |
| Died | March 10, 2010 (aged 74) (died of COPD after a lengthy illness) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Author |
| Known for | Author of an autobiography |
Truddi Chase (June 13, 1935 – March 10, 2010) was the author of the book When Rabbit Howls (1987), an autobiography about her experiences after being diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. According to her personal account, she was born near Rochester, New York and grew up in small nearby towns.
Contents |
In her autobiography and in numerous interviews, Chase wrote that she was repeatedly and violently sexually and physically abused by her stepfather and beaten and neglected by her mother during her childhood and teenage years.[1] By her report, she had always remembered that molestation and abuse occurred from the age of two onwards but that she could not focus on details before going into therapy. It was during sessions with hypnotherapist, Dr. Robert Phillips that she concluded that she had multiple personalities.
Unlike most people documented with MPD (the official diagnosis at that time), Chase refused to integrate her personalities, instead thinking of them as a cooperating team. In her book, she describes giving talks to convicted child molesters to explain her abuse history and to warn them that child abuse is psychologically devastating.
In a television interview with Oprah Winfrey, Chase stated that a Washington Post reporter had tracked down her family, including her stepfather, who denied everything. Another interview with Phil Donahue revealed that Phillips himself had sought out the family and discovered that her mother had also sexually abused her. The mother had died just before the book's publication.
In 1990, the autobiography was made into a two-part CBS miniseries, retitled Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase which cast Shelley Long in the title role. Truddi worked very closely with the screenwriter to ensure the adaptation was genuine.[2]
Chase was the first guest on Oprah Winfrey's radio program, and one of the first on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She returned in 1990 for a second interview. [3]
Chase died on March 10th, 2010 at the age of 75.[4]