Book review: Beyond the Veil - Kennedy Allen - A challenge accepted and met

By: Tom Cloyd - 14 minute read

(Reviewed: 2024-03-26:1650 Pacific Time (USA))

Kennedy Allen. (2024). Beyond the Veil: Empowering Transformation in the Dissociated Mind: Empowering Transformation in the Dissociated Mind. Independently published. 194 pp. $10.99 paperback - Amazon.

Dissociative Identity Dissorder (DID) is a grave mental illness that is nothing is not challenging to understand, much less write about. This graceful, well-executed book fearlessly embraces the subject and comes away with all of us the better for it. It offers a well-organized, well-researched, and artfully written account of a much-ignored, and -misunderstood disorder that was first clearly identified over a hundred years ago. The struggle to achieve an accurate understanding of the disorder continues, to this day, as does the fight to get accurate information into the public mind. Allen’s fine book is a serious step forward in this struggle.

First impressions

Opening this book, we see first a detailed, two-page Table of Contents. With these particulars it’s clear that the scope of this book is carefully thought out and well-organized. The first part focuses on dissociation and particularly on DID (dissociative identity disorder), while the second part address self-help and healing. The impression given is of a good range of topics which are thorough but not overwhelming.

Such upfront detail invites further investigation, especially given the range of topics taken up. My professional background (25 years as a trauma therapist, specializing in DID) led me to look first at the References section, which runs 8 pages. It contains a wide range of sources. Some are primary, professional sources, but most are secondary or tertiary sources written for the mental health consumers and the general interested public.

To take up a subject of this complexity, one with which considerable controversay has been associated, take courage. To produce such a well-formed result takes competence. Allen exhibits an abundance of both. Coupled with a graceful and relaxed writing style, this is an easy book to get into quickly.

The preview

Allen’s introduction introduces us to key facts and aspects of dissociative disorders which receive crucial focus later. Matters of DID’s prevelance, the experiential confusion and chaos experienced by those who have it, social stigmatization and isolation, and relationship difficulties are all presented as daily challenges to be managed.

Above all, this introduction portrays clearly and accurately the ongoing multiple effects of the disorder’s roots in chronic childhood trauma. Principle among these are the fragmented sense of self at the core of the disorder, and the pervasive fear endured in daily life - fear of the experience and effects of the disorder’s disruption of daily life, and the fear that is the consequence of living with trauma memories (many of which are not consciously recallable) which when triggered cause a re-experiencing of aspects of the original trauma.

In mere words it surely is not possible to convey to the reader what living with this disorder is truly like, any more than mere words could convey the experience of surviving a catestrophic house fire and living for weeks on a burn ward, with 80% 2nd and 3rd degree burns covering your body. You might think you can imagine this, but you would be to foolish think that your imagination could present to you the actual experience. Approaching the narrative of Allen’s book, therefore, one is well advised to be cautious and humble. There is much more here than easily can be comprehended.

Allen makes clear that the aim of the book is to inform, encourage, and support healing from DID. Lightly touched upon, but clearly mentioned, is the fact that the author has been on this healing journey. Its success is surely a large motivating factor behind writing this book. Motivation for the reader affected by DID also to begin (or continue) this journey is provided by Allen’s ample description of the multiple positive outcomes which it can yield, a description that concludes with a warm and encouraging personal statement.

Dissociation and its disorder

The essence of dissociation, Allen makes clear, is separation rather than integration of mental process. This encompasses feelings, thoughts, sensations, memories, and ultimately sense of self. Simple to say, but challenging to comprehend, the reader nevertheless does well to pause and consider what this means.

Briefly suggested¹ is the fact that dissociation is actually a rather common experience. In fact, if dissociation’s essence is separation, then inability to recall where one’s car key were last laid down is clearly a common dissociative experience. (### - Point to be made here is that integration is not automatic, in daily life nor in development of the self.) One implication of this is that most of us can understand “dissociation”.

What we will have difficulty with is the dissociation inherent in DID - encountering memories or evidence of behaviors in one’s life which cannot be someone else’s but which clearly do not seem to belong to oneself, or at least not to the sense of self that is currently in the front of consciousness.

Allen is quick to point out that the resultant challenges of this dissociation are often accompanied by disorientation, substance use, and self-harm - “as a way to cope with emotional distress.”²

Description of the range of primary and secondary symptoms (my distinction, not Allen’s) of DID is thorough and accurate. Particularly noteworthy is the account given of alter-switching. She sketches out a day in the life of “Emma”, and in this I recognize many of the DID clients I have worked with. Allen’s description is brief, but well conveys essential aspects of living with switching alters. Although this account is anything by exotic or weird, some readers may still find it a bit fantastical. I would assure them that if anything it is understated, and in no way inaccurate.

Of real interest to the reader may be the descriptions given of the other dissociative identity disorders - the ones that Hollywood does not make misleading movies about. In these descriptions, and in the careful descriptions of the kinds of memory loss or blockage (amnesia) characteristic of the dissociative disorders, we see the great care Allen invested in understanding this group of disorders. For a concerned, thoughtful reader, there is much to be learned here.

Discussions of the causes of dissociation and the neuropsychological dynamics of dissociation quickly reveal to the thoughtful reader how little we currently know about dissociative disorders. Dissociation is characterized as an adaptive response, but there is considerable dispute about this in the professional world. Neurophychology has yet to show us much about what is actually happening durring dissociation, much less how it arises.

Allen emphasizes, appropriately, the disruptions in one’s sense of self which make DID such a troubling disorder to live with. The effects, both daily and long term, are most often severe. Relationship problems, low self-esteem, problems in managing emotions - all of these and more are typical.

ch. 2

Trauma in childhood is the most clearly identified cause of DID, and Allen surveys well the sorts of experiences which can be traumatic,³ including those the reader would expect and several that are not apt to come to mind but which definitely cause widespread traumatic experience in a wide range of populations. Allen then surveys in detail how dissociation might become visible in children, follow traumatic experience.⁴

Allen’s discussion of adult traumatic dissociation⁵ is equally detailed and thorough.

One of the most interesting and informative features of the book is a compare and contrast section comparing DID with schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder (BPD). A major benefit of this section it the education it gives the reader in key concepts and assessment tools we use in thinking about these disorders and learning more about individuals who may have them.

It is worth noting that DID, BPD, and schizophrenia have in common that in past decades they have been much misunderstood, mistreated, mischaracterized, and maligned in the public mind and even in parts of the pschotherapy community. We are doing better in recent years, but these problems are still with us, which is one of the reasons why thoughtful expositions such as this book are so valuable. Education of the public is still a largely unmet need.

Allen surveys the range of currently dominant psychotherapy models with which someone with DID might engage. A particularly strong section of the book addresses how to make use of a psychotherapist - questions to ask, ways of locating a therapist, and what you may be asked in your initial contacts. All this well may assist a potential therapy client to be less anxious about such an engagement. Especially with serious trauma disorders, such pre-contact anxiety is known to be a very real problem. The possibiliy of therapy’s failing to help is addressed, as is medication. Concerning the latter, it is made clear that this is for symptom management only, not primary treatment.

Self-help strategies receive considerable attention, and in detail. A major benefit of this section of the book is that attention to such matters will necessarily require honesty about personal risks, as evidenced by personal history and supported by professional assessment. What we look at tends to have less control over us, and Allen’s detailed discussion of adverse symptoms, their risks, and how they might be addressed will surely be of use to mamy people.

I am particularly pleased with the range and detail of this second part off the book. Not all readers will be able to make sufficient use of what Allen offers here, but with professional help of even modest skill most or all of it could have very real benefit. It is to be stressed that independant management of one’s mental health is the goal of all psychotherapy, so this second part of the book is best seen as an adjunct to serious therapy.

It should be mentioned that psychiatric hospitalization is common in DID, as is substance use/abuse and self-harm. This is a grave disorder, which seriously distresses those living with it, and drastic measure to cope with these distresses are common. The self-help approaches Allen describes in detail can significantly reduce such distresses and the seriousness of their effects on health and behavior.

Allen does not state that such self-help will result in one’s “overcoming” DID, although the title given to Part Two of the book might mislead one into thinking this. That is not remotely realistic. PTSD that lasts more than a year practially never resolves without professional help. DID is a whole order of magnitude more serious, and once it’s present the only know way out of it is psychotherapy - but only certain types are known to be effective.

The book concludes with a nicely done FAQ section which recapitulates and summarizes some of the book’s most important content as well as adding some new information. As a summary of the book’s key points it is quite good. It is an excellent place to begin reading, and then again to conclude in reading the book. Surveying this section, I am once again struck by the surprising range of topics addressed and the competence evidenced by the answers offered. Well done!

A serious reader of this book, whether affected by significant dissociation or not, will come away with a much improved appreciation for the range of ways in which dissociation can be a major disruptive factor. They will have a much improved appreciation or the complexity and impactfulness of dissociative identity disorder. Both Allen and I hope that they will also finish the book with real hope for how we can, at the present time, much improve the living experience of those with dissociative disorders. As with most serious undertakings, the work is neither simple or quick, but the rewards are more than worth the investment.

Recommendation: buy this book. It’s an educational and self-help bargain!

About the author

Allen offers a brief but informative account of their connection with the book’s subject⁶, telling of a childhood characterized by major dissociative episodes. One day, at about age 10 or 11, Allen discovered that the state of mind they assumed everyone experienced was not at all recognized by their playmates. From this point on, curiousity about what was actually happening with them, internally, what it meant, and what could be done about it became a serious preoccupation. This personal account ends in present time, with the search for answers ongoing. This book has been one of the results of this search.

Book structure

5 pp: Introduction;
2 pp: Table of Contents;
150 pp: book chapters;
- 75 pp: Part One - Dissecting Dissociation (four chapters)
- 75 pp: Part Two - Overcoming with Self-help Strategies (four chapters)
13 pp: Appendix: FAQs
3 pp: Conclusion
8 pp: References

References ^{^}

Howell, E. F. (2011). Understanding and treating dissociative identity disorder: A relational approach. Routledge.

Allen, K. (2024). Beyond the Veil: Empowering Transformation in the Dissociated Mind: Empowering Transformation in the Dissociated Mind. Independently published

Notes ^{^}

(About page numbers: those given for Allen, 2024, are for the print edition; the Kindle edition page numbers will differ slightly.)

WRITING NOTES

You mk a # of pts in your lead which warrant attention
Bethany Brand - what do you have?
- nothing in FF saved bkmrks (24-03-27:1831)
- nothing in Zotero
- [ ] Recoll gets a number of hits, including in Chrome bookmarks

CRITICISM

References not linked to chapters, much less pages. Readers wanting to learn more about a topic are left to figure which of the references might be worth locating.
References are very wide-ranging. Significant reliance is made upon consumer-level tertiary sources, such as Cleveland Clinic articles and that VeryWell website. Authors of these articles are often less than qualified, which would matter if the articles were more thorough, carefully sources, and well argued, but they characteristically are none of these.
how explict are recommendations re: “healing”?
DID is “rare”? This characterization existed before there was formal study of mental illness prevelance in the USA.
- try to find that page you wrote up re: studies done by NIH/NIMH on mental illness prevelance in the US. Should be on website. Need dates, and confirmation that MPD/DID was not included
- van der Kolk takes up this “rare” characterization in his “The body…” book
warning against self-diagnosis?
results over-promised: dealing with depression on one’s own is hard enough; taking on DID on one’s own is a whole order of magnitude more difficult. Readers should be cautioned that DID is in that small class of “most-difficult” mental illnesses which, even with experienced expert help, has a remediation success rate that is far less than we would like. (Cite B. Brand )
“repressed memories” - p. 45
author’s present situation, as described, reveals no exposure to therapy, evidence-based or otherwise. How well are the know therapies and their consequences portrayed?
the American valuation of independent action and self-help-driven progress has its very real limits. Cancer treatment would be one outstanding example. Treatment of trauma dissorders which do not resolve on their own would be another. Recognition of this latter problem is seriously inadequate in two ways: too few people realize that effective treatment is available, and the efficacy of such treatment is even less well-recognized. This, frankly, is tragic, for it means that too many people continue to suffer needlessly.

(### “disruptions in one’s sense of self” - the problem here is getting an accurate sense of reality, per Boone, Steele, and van der Haart)

(### take up the prevelance question)

(### p. 13 dissociation as coping. V. also p. 16; reliance upon this concept is pervasive - search for it. Explore what if any evidence exist for this interpretation. Talk about our inability to see the developmental process, such that we must post-hoc our model - risky, and not subject to validation. )

(### pages on amnesia - is implicit memory mentioned? Beyond the scope of this book but very much a reality in trauma disorders)

(### dissociation, integration failures, and ego state conflict in normals)

(### alters as ego states, and the benefits of learning to observe ego state switches in normals)

(### “adult traumatic dissociation” - not made clear is that adult trauma is not known to produce DID; how about the other DD’s?)

Amazon revieew

Unexpected encounters with elegance and good craft are always a delight, and such an encounter was my experience with Allen’s Beyond the Veil. The book’s principal subject - Dissociative Identity Dissorder (DID) - is a grave mental illness that is nothing is not challenging to understand, much less write about.

This graceful, well-executed book fearlessly embraces the subject and comes away with all of us the better for it. It offers a well-organized, well-researched, and artfully written account of a much-ignored, and -misunderstood disorder that was first clearly identified over a hundred years ago. The struggle to achieve an accurate understanding of the disorder continues, to this day, as does the fight to get accurate information into the public mind. Allen’s fine book is a serious step forward in this struggle.

My professional background (25 years as a trauma therapist, specializing in DID) led me to look first at the References section, which runs 8 pages. It contains a wide range of sources. Some are primary, professional sources, but most are secondary or tertiary sources written for the mental health consumers and the general interested public.

The book’s Introduction portrays clearly and accurately the ongoing multiple effects of the disorder’s roots in chronic childhood trauma. Principle among these are the fragmented sense of self at the core of the disorder, and the pervasive fear endured in daily life - fear of the experience and effects of the disorder’s disruption of daily life, and the fear that is the consequence of living with trauma memories (many of which are not consciously recallable) which when triggered cause a re-experiencing of aspects of the original trauma.

and summarizes some of the book’s most important content as well as adding some new information. As a summary of the book’s key points it is quite good. It is an excellent place to begin reading, and then again to conclude in reading the book. Surveying this section, I am once again struck by the surprizing range of topics addressed and the competence evidenced by the answers offered.

This book is an excellent choice both for anyone experiencing disruptive dissociation, and also for anyone who is in a caring relationship with such a person. Its subject is challenging but learning more about it has significant benefits. For the price, it’s a real bargain

Allen, 2024, p. 14. ^
Allen, 2024, p. 15. ^
pp. 34-36. ^
pp. 38-41. ^
pp. 41-44. ^
Allen, 2024, pp. 8-9, 46-48. ^

☀ ☀ ☀