Reviewed by Chris Fischer for Readers' Favorite
Wow! Just, wow! That's exactly what I thought when I finished reading Mending the Shattered Mirror: A Journey of Recovery from Abuse in Therapy. This intriguing and horrifying true story of the abuse that author Analie Shepherd went through at the hands of her therapist kept me reading into the wee hours of the night; I was that engrossed in the story. Analie, a woman who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, sought the help of a therapist after suffering a terrible tragedy. What she found from her therapist, instead of help, was physical, verbal and emotional abuse. Finally freeing herself from this horrible person, she finds retired psychiatrist, Laurie, through an abuse survivor's support group, TELL. The book recounts their four-year email relationship and the healing that both women are able to achieve from the past wrongs they have suffered.
I loved Mending the Shattered Mirror: A Journey of Recovery from Abuse in Therapy. Loved. It. How's that for a review? Well, it is absolutely how I felt about this amazing book. This heart-wrenching story will definitely make you question the therapist and patient relationship, and realize how much harm a person with the wrong intentions in a helping profession can do to a vulnerable person. Author Analie Shepherd is clearly an amazing and resilient woman, and I thank her for being willing to share her very difficult story with the public. I could not give this book a higher recommendation, and I certainly hope that the author will consider writing a second volume that details her continuing life.