Nearly 1,700 Suspected Child Sex Predators Arrested During Operation “Broken Heart”, Lost-in-the-mall: False memory or false defense?, Sybil and Multiple Personality Disorder: Original Sybil book was an accurate description of Shirley's life

Nearly 1,700 Suspected Child Sex Predators Arrested During Operation “Broken Heart”

The Department of Justice today announced the arrest of almost 1,700 suspected online child sex offenders during a two-month, nationwide operation conducted by Internet Crimes Against Children task forces. The task forces identified 308 offenders who either produced child pornography or committed child sexual abuse, and 357 children who suffered recent, ongoing or historical sexual abuse or were exploited in the production of child pornography.The 61 ICAC task forces, located in all 50 states and comprised of more than 4,500 federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies, led the coordinated operation known as “Broken Heart” during the months of April and May 2019. During the course of the operation, the task forces investigated more than 18,500 complaints of technology-facilitated crimes targeting children and delivered more than 2,150 presentations on internet safety to over 201,000 youth and adults. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nearly-1700-suspected-child-sex-predators-arrested-during-operation-broken-heart  

Lost-in-the-mall: False memory or false defense?
Ruth A. Blizard & Morgan Shaw
Published online: 26 Apr 2019
https://doi.org/10.1080/15379418.2019.1590285 

Abstract

False Memory Syndrome (FMS) and Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) were developed as defenses for parents accused of child abuse as part of a larger movement to undermine prosecution of child abuse. The lost-in-the-mall study by Dr. Elizabeth Loftus concludes that an entire false memory can be implanted by suggestion. It has since been used to discredit abuse survivors’ testimony by inferring that false memories for childhood abuse can be implanted by psychotherapists. Examination of the research methods and findings of the study shows that no full false memories were actually formed. Similarly, PAS, coined by Richard Gardner, is frequently used in custody cases to discredit children’s testimony by alleging that the protective parent coached them to have false memories of abuse. There is no scientific research demonstrating the existence of PAS, and, in fact, studies on the suggestibility of children show that they cannot easily be persuaded to provide detailed disclosures of abuse.

Deconstructing the lost in the mall study
Lynn S. Crook and Linda E. McEwen
Journal of Child Custody

ABSTRACT
In their frequently-cited “lost in the mall” study from two decades ago, Loftus and Pickrell claimed their findings “reveal that people can be led to believe that entire events happened to them after suggestions to that effect.” The study continues to be cited by the media and by academics to support claims that adults who recover memories of childhood sexual abuse have been led to believe such claims by therapists. The study parallels claims that parents coach children to falsely accuse and thus alienate the other parent in child custody cases. We describe how laws passed by state legislatures led to the need for a new defense for abuse accusations and how a foundation was established to promote that defense. We report that Loftus, who designed the study to support the new defense, testified over 20 years later that the study results apply only to the 24 subjects and cannot be applied to other populations.

Sybil and Multiple Personality Disorder
The original Sybil book was an accurate description of Shirley's life.
http://sybilandmpd.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-of-sybil-in-her-own-words-by.html 

Review of "Sybil in her own words"

Permission was given to post this here.

The book "Sybil in her own words" by Patrick Suraci, Ph.D. is for sale at Amazon.com

After reading the book "Sybil in her own words" by Patrick Suraci, Ph.D., I realized the importance of this book. The people in the Sybil story are treated like human beings and they are allowed to speak about their own life stories. What is interesting about this book, is that it is written by a professional who has experience with the scientific knowledge of MPD.

The book shows how Dr. Connie Wilbur's treatment was successful and that Shirley Mason (Sybil) never had a relapse or return of her MPD symptoms after her treatment with Wilbur. She was able to live a full life, as shown in her interactions and discussions with Patrick Suraci, Ph.D. 

In chapter seven, Dr. Suraci goes back to Shirley Mason's home town to check on her story and validate it. He speaks with three women, Wilma Bode, Betty Christen and Patricia Alcott, who were classmates and playmates with Shirley in her childhood. Wilma and Betty were two of the few children that were able to enter Shirley's household.

Wilma stated, "We always said that her mother was an old witch." She describes Shirley as having troubles concentrating in school and not knowing if she was day dreaming or that her attention was drawn away. Wilma is asked if she believes if Shirley was abused. Wilma states that she believes that some of what is written in the book did happen.

Betty talks about Shirley's mother. She states that her mother never came over to visit, but would come over and look (or peek) in the windows when they had company. She said that "Ms. Mason relieved herself in a neighbor's yard." 

Patricia describes Shirley's mother as "strange, stern, raucous" and "someone to stay away from."  She states that Shirley's mother (Mattie) "had a shrill voice and ridiculed Shirley." Shirley's mother repeated things over and over again. Patricia stated Mattie "played the piano too loudly, bombastically, venting anger. She was harsh."  She said that Shirley's father (Wilbur) "stood in shaded corners with his head down."

Patrick Suraci describes the mechanism of "splitting" that contributed to the development of Shirley's personalities. Shirley came to view Mattie sometimes as the "good mother" and sometimes as the "bad mother." 

In his chapter on Shirley in New York, Patrick Suraci speaks with Jim and Naomi, Shirley's closest living relatives. Jim had noticed that on the phone Shirley "was a different personality, a different person."  Naomi agreed and described a strong change in personality also. Naomi in Chapter Nine tells Patrick that Shirley and Dr. Wilbur confirmed that the book Sybil "was 100% accurate."

The pictures in the book are excellent. Under one of the pictures drawn by Shirley's alter Peggy of a Christmas tree (in black and white), the note describes that Christmas was unpleasant for Shirley because she would receive a lot of games and toys which her mother would put away and not let her play with. Shirley was told she could play with them another time. Yet her mother would give them away to a poor family that didn't have anything.

Patrick Suraci states in his chapter Controversy Over Sybil that Mason, Schreiber and Wilbur were offered money, television and media interviews to reveal Shirley's identity, but did not do this. He discusses the problems with Dr. Herbert Spiegel's view of the Sybil story, as well as other skeptical of the story.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in the Sybil story. It is very well documented, using actual transcripts of conversations with those in the story and those that knew Shirley, showing that the original Sybil book was an accurate description of Shirley's life.

Susan Powell's Blood Found At Josh Powell's Home, SYBIL in Her Own Words

Susan Powell's Blood Found At Josh Powell's Home, New Documents Show
By MIKE BAKER 03/30/12

TACOMA, Wash. — Authorities investigating the 2009 disappearance of a Utah woman found her blood in the family home and a hand-written note in which she expressed fear about her husband and her potential demise, according to documents unsealed Friday.

The files raise further questions about why Susan Powell's husband was never charged in her disappearance before he killed himself and their two young sons in a gas-fueled inferno in Washington state earlier this year. Investigators in West Valley City, Utah, never arrested Josh Powell or even publicly labeled him as a suspect in his wife's disappearance....

Shortly after Susan Powell disappeared, authorities found blood evidence on a floor next to a sofa and determined that it was Susan Powell's. The sofa appeared to have been recently cleaned, and two fans had been set up to blow on it.

Investigators found several life insurance policies on Susan Powell that totaled $1.5 million and determined that Josh Powell had filed paperwork to withdraw her retirement account money about 10 days after her disappearance.

The documents describe Josh Powell as unwilling to help in the investigation.

A safety deposit box used by Susan Powell had a hand-written letter titled "Last will & testament for Susan Powell," according to the documents. She wrote in that letter that she did not trust her husband and that they'd been having marital troubles for four years.

The letter also said that "if Susan Powell dies it may not be an accident, even if it looks like one," according to the documents....

Investigators had found a gas can, tarps and a shovel in Josh Powell's vehicle shortly after the investigation began. Susan Powell's cellphone was also in the car, and Josh Powell "did not have an answer as to why," according to the documents. One person interviewed by police said Powell had once made comments about how to kill someone and dispose of the body....

The documents also describe how Steven Powell had an apparent obsession with his daughter-in-law. A locked cabinet in Steve Powell's bedroom contained multiple images of Susan Powell, including some of her in her underwear. Other images showed nude female bodies with Susan Powell's face copied onto them.

Another image showed Steven Powell masturbating to an image of Susan Powell.

Susan Powell wrote in her personal journals that she did not want Steven Powell involved in her life and wished that Josh Powell would sever ties with him. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/josh-powell-susan-powell-missing-utah_n_1392756.html


SAT MARCH 31
7pm • Free
READING: PATRICK SURACI: SYBIL IN HER OWN WORDS
Dr. Patrick Suraci, a friend of Sybil/Shirley Mason, will read from his book SYBIL in Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities, and Paintings. Recorded conversations between Mason and Suraci will be made public for the first time, and Suraci will share his interpretations of paintings of five of Mason's sixteen personalities.
Bluestockings, 172 Allen St
212-777-6028 • bluestockings. com http://www.indypendent.org/2012/03/30/indy-weekly-events-calendar-march-30-april-5


more information on the reading:
Projections of the paintings of 5 of Sybil’s 16 personalities are accompanied by his interpretations. Shirley’s recorded conversations with Dr. Suraci will be heard in public for the first time. Documents will be produced exposing the untrue statements made by others attempting to claim the Sybil case is a fraud, including how documents were distorted.


Sybil and MPD blog http://sybilandmpd.blogspot.com/
This blog will be about the book "Sybil" and the life of Shirley Ardell Mason. Sybil was published in 1973 and written by Flora Rheta Schreiber about the treatment of Sybil Dorsett (which is a pseudonym for Shirley Ardell Mason) for what is now called dissociative identity disorder (then called multiple personality disorder). She was treated by her psychoanalyst, Cornelia B. Wilbur.

Private Practice - ABC Makes TV History, Public Reading of SYBIL in her own words

Private Practice Partners with RAINN As ABC Makes TV History

ABC made television history this month when its hit drama, Private Practice, ran a storyline about a male survivor of sexual assault. The episode featured a character that had just returned from Afghanistan, who discloses that he was raped during his military service. This was the first time that a national network addressed sexual assault in the military.

The Private Practice team, led by the show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, partnered with RAINN for the second time in the last year. Experts on RAINN's staff were able to help the show's writers and producers understand what many men go through after an assault, and the challenges they face in their recovery process.

http://rainn.org/news-room/private-practice-military-survivor-episode

The Time Has Come - Full Episode - Private Practice - ABC

http://abc.go.com/watch/private-practice/SH559070/VD55167665/the-time-has-come



Press Release: Reading of "SYBIL in her own words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings."

The public is invited to attend a reading of the book "SYBIL in her own words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings." It is the follow up to the original book SYBIL. Being her friend, Shirley gave Dr. Suraci the materials for this book about her life after her cure. Paintings of 5 of her 16 alternate personalities will be projected on a screen and Dr. Suraci shall give interpretations of the various emotions each personality displayed.

A recording of her conversation with Dr. Suraci will be played so the audience will hear Sybil/Shirley's voice for the first time. Shirley maintained her anonymity until her death.

The event will be held on March 31, 2012 from 7pm to 9pm at the Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen St. New York, NY 10002 - 212.777.6028

Sybil in her words - Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sybil-In-Her-Own-Words/108610352553254

Sybil in Her Own Words - Patrick Suraci, Psychologist
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-suraci/post_2699_b_1152241.html

Patrick Suraci, Ph.D. Biography http://members.authorsguild.net/psuraci/

Sybil in Her Own Words, 400,000 US Girls Under Ten Are Sexually Assaulted

Sybil in Her Own Words by Patrick Suraci, Psychologist 12/15/11

....I recently published Sybil In Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings. It is a follow-up to the case of a woman who had 16 personalities, then called Multiple Personality Disorder. Flora Schreiber wrote this story titled Sybil. The therapist, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur used unorthodox, but not unethical, treatment for ten years, such as, psychoanalysis, hypnosis and Sodium Pentothal which resulted in the complete integration of the 16 personalities.

Sybil was the pseudonym for Shirley Mason who was born on January 25, 1923, in Dodge Center, Minnesota. She was an artistically gifted and shy only child. Her family was well known in this little town; therefore, her mother's bizarre behavior was overlooked. During Shirley's treatment the alternate personalities emerged and told of the abuse by her mother. Whenever her mother committed an atrocious attack on Shirley, she would split and development another personality to cope with the trauma.

Attacking the veracity of Sybil published in 1973 did not begin until April 24,1997, when Dr. Herbert Spiegel gave an interview to the New York Review of Books. He stated that Sybil was not a multiple, but rather an hysteric. He claimed to have hypnotized her, performed regression studies and filmed her for the class he taught at Columbia University, thus, discovering that Sybil's therapist, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, had been: "helping her (Sybil) identifying aspects of her life, or perspectives, that she then called by name. By naming them this way she was reifying a memory of some kind and converting it into a 'personality'..." In fact, he accused Dr. Wilbur of implanting false memories....

When I asked Dr. Spiegel for the film hypnotizing Sybil, he said he could not find it. When asked why he had waited 24 years to report this so-called fraudulent case, he said no one had ever asked him about Sybil....

After Ms. Nathan received many negative criticisms over her inaccuracies and fabrications in Sybil Exposed, a fact checker from the Times claimed she had verified the documents in the Schreiber archives in the Special Collections Library at John Jay College. The sign-in book, which is meticulously guarded, requires a person's signature and date. There is no such entry from this fact checker.

While researching my book, Shirley's cousin Naomi Rhode, found an audio cassette made by Shirley and Dr. Wilbur on February 18, 1977.They were discussion publishing a book about Sybil's paintings. They spoke about the time Dr. Wilbur sent Shirley to Dr. Spiegel. Dr, Wilbur says, "I think that hysterics are people who are willing to enter into a contract with someone whom they trust.

Now if they don't trust that individual to some extent, they may appear to enter into a contract, but they don't really. And as an example of that, I would like to point out that, although Sybil was very readily hypnotizable by me...An expert used her as a demonstration subject, and she agreed to this and he was disagreeable to her.

As a consequence he could not really hypnotize her" Shirley added, "She (Sybil) didn't trust him as much. He tried to make her make something special out of things in her life that weren't special, like birthdays...".

....Shirley gave me information, journals, art work, anything I wanted to make my book an accurate picture of her life. She wanted people to know the benefits of therapy and that she was cured and lived a productive life.... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-suraci/post_2699_b_1152241.html

Patrick Suraci received his Ph.D. in psychology from the New School for Social Research. He taught at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Baruch College, City University of New York. He worked as a staff psychologist for the New York Police Department and is now in private practice in Manhattan. His first book was Male Sexual Armor: Erotic Fantasies and Sexual Realities of the Cop on the Beat and the Man in the Street and recently published SYBIL in her own words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-suraci/


400,666 US Girls Under Ten Are Forcibly Raped
By James R. Marsh on December 15, 2011

A recently released report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals some sobering numbers: nearly 1 in 5 women have been raped in their lifetime. This statistic is widely known and almost universally accepted. But what do these numbers say about children?

According to the study, approximately 80% of female victims experienced their first rape before the age of 25 and almost half experienced the first rape before age 18 (30% between 11-17 years old and 12% at or before the age of 10).

When you crunch the numbers even more, you discover that approximately 400,666 girls under ten have experienced "completed forced penetration, attempted forced penetration, or alcohol/drug facilitated completed penetration." http://www.childlaw.us/2011/12/400666-girls-under-ten-forcibl.html

Center for Disease Control and Prevention
The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS)

On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States, based on a survey conducted in 2010. Over the course of a year, that equals more than 12 million women and men.

Those numbers only tell part of the story—more than 1 million women are raped in a year and over 6 million women and men are victims of stalking in a year. These findings emphasize that sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence are important and widespread public health problems in the United States. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nisvs/

The Myth of Parental Alienation Syndrome, Sybil in her own words

The Myth of Parental Alienation Syndrome and Its Impact on Women in Child Custody Cases Thursday, December 8, 2011, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Course Description:

A diverse panel from varying disciplines will explore how the theory of 'Parental Alienation Syndrome' (PAS) disproportionally affects the way judges and court collaterals make decisions and recommendations in child custody determinations, focusing on New York State.

Other topics to be discussed include:

clinical and ethical issues surrounding parental alienation syndrome,
lack of clinical and empirical evidence to support PAS as valid,
biases towards using parental alienation as the defining factor in which parent receives custody,
its intersection with child and intimate partner abuse, and
a first hand account of its affect on a former child involved in a custody dispute.

Faculty:

Program Co-sponsor: NYCLA's Women's Rights Committee

Faculty: Jennifer Collins; Nancy S. Erickson, Esq., MA Forensic Psychology ; Dr. Joyanna Silberg, Executive V.P. of the Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence (Psychologist); Garland Waller, Professor of Television, Boston University

http://www.nycla.org/index.cfm?section=CLE&page=CLE_Detail&itemID=2554&dateID=20111208


"SYBIL in her own words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings"

A kindle version is available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/SYBIL-her-words-Personalities-ebook/dp/B0067QMNVU/

A paperback version is available at: http://www.amazon.com/SYBIL-her-own-words-Personalities/dp/0615560474/

words deleted from the dust jacket of Sybil Exposed

posted with permission

words deleted from the dust jacket of Sybil Exposed

"The original letter from Helen Vogel, executor of Flora
Schreiber's will, giving access to Dr. Patrick Suraci to all of
Schreiber's archives, dated Sept. 5, 1998, is in the Special
Collections Library at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The archive was make public shortly after that. Simon & Schuster has agreed to delete from the dust jacket in future editions of the book "Sybil Exposed" the words "first person'" in the sentence: "The Sybil archive became available to the public only recently, and Nathan is the first person to have examined all of it...."

SYBIL in her own words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings

SYBIL in her own words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings

The book "Sybil" by Flora Rheta Schreiber written in the 1970's, has recently received media attention again.

One author has attacked the veracity of the Sybil story, calling MPD - DID (dissociative identity disorder) a "cultural construct." Research shows that this isn't true. MPD - DID is found around the world. Research studies have shown it to be caused by severe, repeated trauma.

For research study information, see http://childabusewiki.org/index.php?title=Dissociative_Identity_Disorder

Another book published this year was written by a psychologist that knew Sybil and others in her life.

The book is called "SYBIL in her own words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings"

A kindle version is available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/SYBIL-her-words-Personalities-ebook/dp/B0067QMNVU/

A paperback version is available at: http://www.amazon.com/SYBIL-her-own-words-Personalities/dp/0615560474/

Several articles have been written about the new book.

Book Review of "Sybil in her own words" http://sybilandmpd.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-of-sybil-in-her-own-words-by.html

from Sybil's closest living relative http://sybilandmpd.blogspot.com/2011/11/from-sybils-closest-living-relative.html


Sybil In Her Own Words - The Untold Story of Shirley Mason http://sybilandmpd.blogspot.com/2011/09/sybil-in-her-own-words-untold-story-of.html


The author Patrick Suraci, Ph.D. describes writing the book "Sybil in her own words" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBgr92uC4YI&feature=youtu.be


Biography of the author "Sybil In Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason" http://members.authorsguild.net/psuraci/


Art work from the book, "Sybil In Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason" http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.108682822546007.17639.108610352553254&type=1


Review of "Sybil in her own words"

Permission was given to post this here.

After reading the book "Sybil in her own words" by Patrick Suraci, Ph.D., I realized the importance of this book. The people in the Sybil story are treated like human beings and they are allowed to speak about their own life stories. What is interesting about this book, is that it is written by a professional who has experience with the scientific knowledge of MPD.

The book shows how Dr. Connie Wilbur's treatment was successful and that Shirley Mason (Sybil) never had a relapse or return of her MPD symptoms after her treatment with Wilbur. She was able to live a full life, as shown in her interactions and discussions with Patrick Suraci, Ph.D.

In chapter seven, Dr. Suraci goes back to Shirley Mason's home town to check on her story and validate it. He speaks with three women, Wilma Bode, Betty Christen and Patricia Alcott, who were classmates and playmates with Shirley in her childhood. Wilma and Betty were two of the few children that were able to enter Shirley's household.

Wilma stated, "We always said that her mother was an old witch." She describes Shirley as having troubles concentrating in school and not knowing if she was day dreaming or that her attention was drawn away. Wilma is asked if she believes if Shirley was abused. Wilma states that she believes that some of what is written in the book did happen.

Betty talks about Shirley's mother. She states that her mother never came over to visit, but would come over and look (or peek) in the windows when they had company. She said that "Ms. Mason relieved herself in a neighbor's yard."

Patricia describes Shirley's mother as "strange, stern, raucous" and "someone to stay away from." She states that Shirley's mother (Mattie) "had a shrill voice and ridiculed Shirley." Shirley's mother repeated things over and over again. Patricia stated Mattie "played the piano too loudly, bombastically, venting anger. She was harsh." She said that Shirley's father (Wilbur) "stood in shaded corners with his head down."

Patrick Suraci describes the mechanism of "splitting" that contributed to the development of Shirley's personalities. Shirley came to view Mattie sometimes as the "good mother" and sometimes as the "bad mother."

In his chapter on Shirley in New York, Patrick Suraci speaks with Jim and Naomi, Shirley's closest living relatives. Jim had noticed that on the phone Shirley "was a different personality, a different person." Naomi agreed and described a strong change in personality also. Naomi in Chapter Nine tells Patrick that Shirley and Dr. Wilbur confirmed that the book Sybil "was 100% accurate."

The pictures in the book are excellent. Under one of the pictures drawn by Shirley's alter Peggy of a Christmas tree (in black and white), the note describes that Christmas was unpleasant for Shirley because she would receive a lot of games and toys which her mother would put away and not let her play with. Shirley was told she could play with them another time. Yet her mother would give them away to a poor family that didn't have anything.

Patrick Suraci states in his chapter Controversy Over Sybil that Mason, Schreiber and Wilbur were offered money, television and media interviews to reveal Shirley's identity, but did not do this. He discusses the problems with Dr. Herbert Spiegel's view of the Sybil story, as well as other skeptical of the story.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in the Sybil story. It is very well documented, using actual transcripts of conversations with those in the story and those that knew Shirley, showing that the original Sybil book was an accurate description of Shirley's life.

Review of "Sybil in her own words" by Patrick Suraci, Ph.D.

Permission was given to post this.

The book "Sybil in her own words" by Patrick Suraci, Ph.D. is for sale at Amazon.com

After reading the book "Sybil in her own words" by Patrick Suraci, Ph.D., I realized the importance of this book. The people in the Sybil story are treated like human beings and they are allowed to speak about their own life stories. What is interesting about this book, is that it is written by a professional who has experience with the scientific knowledge of MPD.

The book shows how Dr. Connie Wilbur's treatment was successful and that Shirley Mason (Sybil) never had a relapse or return of her MPD symptoms after her treatment with Wilbur. She was able to live a full life, as shown in her interactions and discussions with Patrick Suraci, Ph.D.

In chapter seven, Dr. Suraci goes back to Shirley Mason's home town to check on her story and validate it. He speaks with three women, Wilma Bode, Betty Christen and Patricia Alcott, who were classmates and playmates with Shirley in her childhood. Wilma and Betty were two of the few children that were able to enter Shirley's household.

Wilma stated, "We always said that her mother was an old witch." She describes Shirley as having troubles concentrating in school and not knowing if she was day dreaming or that her attention was drawn away. Wilma is asked if she believes if Shirley was abused. Wilma states that she believes that some of what is written in the book did happen.

Betty talks about Shirley's mother. She states that her mother never came over to visit, but would come over and look (or peek) in the windows when they had company. She said that "Ms. Mason relieved herself in a neighbor's yard."

Patricia describes Shirley's mother as "strange, stern, raucous" and "someone to stay away from." She states that Shirley's mother (Mattie) "had a shrill voice and ridiculed Shirley." Shirley's mother repeated things over and over again. Patricia stated Mattie "played the piano too loudly, bombastically, venting anger. She was harsh." She said that Shirley's father (Wilbur) "stood in shaded corners with his head down."

Patrick Suraci describes the mechanism of "splitting" that contributed to the development of Shirley's personalities. Shirley came to view Mattie sometimes as the "good mother" and sometimes as the "bad mother."

In his chapter on Shirley in New York, Patrick Suraci speaks with Jim and Naomi, Shirley's closest living relatives. Jim had noticed that on the phone Shirley "was a different personality, a different person." Naomi agreed and described a strong change in personality also. Naomi in Chapter Nine tells Patrick that Shirley and Dr. Wilbur confirmed that the book Sybil "was 100% accurate."

The pictures in the book are excellent. Under one of the pictures drawn by Shirley's alter Peggy of a Christmas tree (in black and white), the note describes that Christmas was unpleasant for Shirley because she would receive a lot of games and toys which her mother would put away and not let her play with. Shirley was told she could play with them another time. Yet her mother would give them away to a poor family that didn't have anything.

Patrick Suraci states in his chapter Controversy Over Sybil that Mason, Schreiber and Wilbur were offered money, television and media interviews to reveal Shirley's identity, but did not do this. He discusses the problems with Dr. Herbert Spiegel's view of the Sybil story, as well as other skeptical of the story.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in the Sybil story. It is very well documented, using actual transcripts of conversations with those in the story and those that knew Shirley, showing that the original Sybil book was an accurate description of Shirley's life.

http://sybilandmpd.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-of-sybil-in-her-own-words-by.html

from Sybil’s closest living relative

posted by permission from Naomi Rhode

As Shirley Mason’s (Sybil) closest living relative, I was close to her for the 30 plus years through the saga of her life journey. In fact, I was with her for several days during the week of her death, at her request, and was one of the only people that was in constant contact with her over those 30 years. I kept her identity confidential at her fervent request. Through all these years up until literally the day before she died, she verified the complete accuracy of the book, ‘Sybil’. Debbie Nathan claims that she contacted me for an interview in 2008 and that I declined. Over the years many people have contacted me for information about Shirley’s life. Not knowing their intent, always, I have declined all such interviews. If Debbie was one of those people, I do not recall the call, as I do not keep records of every call in a busy business life. I apologize for this, but I do not recall her calling. Knowing Dr. Connie Wilbur, and Flora Schreiber, also, the book concerns me greatly. It is an attack on their credibility, their research, and their professionalism. And, the book is a complete attack on the person I loved, Shirley Mason.

Shirley did not die a recluse. Shirley was a loving, and productive woman until her final,lengthy bout with cancer. She painted, and taught painting. She sold her paintings. She corresponded with friends, and regularly with us. She was a woman of strong spiritual faith in God, loved her books and her music, and loved our family greatly. She chose, however, to live carefully and confidentially because she was adamant that her identity not be known. She was very protective of our family and any recourse her life and story may have on us.

SYBIL In Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Ritual Abuse Torture

"SYBIL In Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings" by Patrick Suraci, Ph.D.

SYBIL is a new book about Shirley Mason who had 16 personalities. It tells the story of her life after her cure depicted in the book SYBIL and TV movie starring Sally Field. This book contains paintings by 5 of Sybil's alternate personalities. The author's interviews with Shirley Mason report her own words and her new whole personality. (video of Dr. Suraci explaining the book.)
http://bea11.mapyourshow.com/3_0/exhibitor_details.cfm?exhid=331445&markcamefrom=y

"SYBIL In Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings" by Patrick Suraci, Ph.D. presents evidence refuting Dr. Spiegel's claim to have hypnotized Shirley Mason. Dr. Suraci discovered an audio cassette where Ms. Mason and Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, her therapist, discuss how it was impossible for Dr. Spiegel to hypnotize Shirley, because she did not trust or like him.

SYBIL In Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings (2011), a book written by Patrick Suraci, Ph.D. ISBN: 978-0-615-44600-4
http://members.authorsguild.net/psuraci/

Born May 31, 1936 in Rochester, New York, Patrick Suraci received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Assumption College, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the New School for Social Research, New York in 1981.

His latest work, Sybil In Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings is being launched at Book Expo America at the Jacob Javitz Center in New York City on May 24, 2011....Dr. Suraci was a Staff Psychologist for the New York Police Department and is now in private practice in Manhattan. He has taught at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Baruch College at the City University of New York.

Sybil In Her Own Words: The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings
Dr. Suraci developed a friendship with Shirley Mason (Sybil) after she was cured from Multiple Personality Disorder. She gave him personal effects and paintings made by five of her personalities which all appear in the book. He discovered evidence to disprove the critics who were attempting to attack the veracity of her case.
http://members.authorsguild.net/psuraci/

Sybil In Her Own Words on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sybil-In-Her-Own-Words/108610352553254


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Persons Against NST Non-State Torture Including
Ritual Abuse-Torture (RAT) have a new website at http://nonstatetorture.org/

We work from a human rights, relational feminist perspective. All forms of non-state torture (NST) are a violation of the victimized persons human rights as stated in international human rights instruments such as UDHR, CAT, CEDAW, ICCPR and CRC. Perpetrators of NST, like all torturers, goal is the destruction of the victimized person's sense of personhood, therefore, our relational perspective is aimed at helping individuals so victimized to reclaim and empower their relationship with/to/for Self.
There are many forms of NST, such as ritual abuse-torture (RAT), child torture, spousal torture, relational torture, acculuraltural, and combinations of all of these, such as enduring torture - NST - when being trafficked. These realities are all found in our writings, our educational materials and our presentations. http://nonstatetorture.org/about/

Ritual Abuse Torture - Child Abuse Wiki