Questions for class discussion:
1. Have you experienced moments in which you “weren’t yourself?” What were the circumstances? Do you think it is possible to explain it as another, less embraced version of you (the way Harriet eventually does with Brickman and Ruina)?
2. Carters talks about human plurality; “the idea of there being two or more selves in a single body.” Were Harry’s selves Harry, Ruina, and Brickman or were there more? Which other characters revealed multiple selves, whether implicitly or explicitly? They don’t need to have different names (ex, Bruno’s multiple versions of Bruno).
3. Have you performed an experiment in which “you are totally immersed in a part, your thoughts, perceptions and feelings become those of that character”? What was the experience like? Carter says, “It this state your behavior is an honest reflection of your inner self” – Did it feel more honest than your everyday self? Were you able to see that immediately or did it require retrospection?
4. Do you feel an enduring and ongoing sense of self or can you feel the switch between your changing entities?
5. Berni mentioned the possibility of auditory hallucination as a coping mechanism to encourage homeostasis. Carter seems to argue something similar but in the case of multiple personalities, “Far from being pathological, the separate existences it [disassociation] helps to create and maintain can help us cope with the complexity of modern life and exploit the opportunities it offers.” Would you argue for or against the idea of a non-pathological form of disassociation?
6. Do you think the experiences of the “Hidden Observer” could effect in some way the generally conscious personality?
Questions I had in general:
1. Why do you think Eric Berne distinguished between parent and adult with the three inner beings (child, adult, parent)?
2. Is Voice Dialogue used for the general population or for those with auditory hallucinations and multiple personalities?
3. How does one learn another language in one’s other self(ves)? How much exposure if required? How does one’s selves attain exposure?
4. Why isn’t hidden observer technique taught to more nurses & doctors in impoverished areas where anesthesia is less readily available?
