One afternoon in 1989, Karen Overhill walks into psychiatrist Richard Baer’s office complaining of vague physical pains and depression. Odder still, she reveals that she’s suffering from a persistent memory problem. Routinely, she “loses” parts of her day, finding herself in places she doesn’t remember going to or being told about conversations she doesn’t remember having. Her problems are so pervasive that she often feels like an impersonator in her own life; she doesn’t recognize the people who call themselves her friends, and she can’t even remember being intimate with her own husband.

Baer recognizes that Karen is on the verge of suicide and, while trying various medications to keep her alive, attempts to discover the root cause of her strange complaints. It’s the work of months, and then years, to gain Karen’s trust and learn the true extent of the trauma buried in her past. What she eventually reveals is nearly beyond belief, a narrative of a childhood spent grappling with unimaginable horror. How has Karen survived with even a tenuous grasp on sanity?

Then Baer receives an envelope in the mail. It’s marked with Karen’s return address but contains a letter from a little girl who writes that she’s seven years old and lives inside of Karen. Soon Baer receives letters from others claiming to be parts of Karen. Under hypnosis, these alternate Karen personalities reveal themselves in shocking variety and with undeniable traits—both physical and psychological. One “alter” is a young boy filled with frightening aggression; another an adult male who considers himself Karen’s protector; and a third a sassy flirt who seeks dominance over the others. It’s only by compartmentalizing her pain, guilt, and fear in this fashion—by “switching time” with alternate selves as the situation warrants—that Karen has been able to function since childhood.

Realizing that his patient represents an extreme case of multiple personality disorder, Baer faces the daunting task of creating a therapy that will make Karen whole again. Somehow, in fact, he must gain the trust of each of Karen’s seventeen “alters” and convince them of the necessity of their own annihilation.

As powerful as Sybil or The Three Faces of Eve, Switching Time is the first complete account of such therapy to be told from the perspective of the treating physician, a stunningly devoted healer who worked selflessly for decades so that Karen could one day live as a single human being.

"Psychotherapist Baer's compelling and engaging memoir traces his journey through the treatment of a patient's extraordinary case of multiple personality disorder. When Karen Overhill seeks out Baer's help for her depression, she soon divulges lost hours and past abuse. Baer soon receives a letter from seven-year-old Claire who 'lives inside Karen,' and discovers there are more personalities, or 'alters,' living within adults, teenagers, children, boys and girls. Realizing that all he knows about multiple personalities he's gleaned from journals and textbooks rather than clinical experience, Baer uses hypnosis to communicate with the alters, discovering the horrendous abuse that led to the creation of each personality. By nurturing them-especially the children-over several years and with the aid of Holdon and Katherine, the alters who function as parent/guardians to the rest, Baer guides them to accept integration. Meanwhile, Baer's marriage dissolves and budget cuts force him to release all his patients except Karen, for whom he comes to care deeply. In this moving and informative memoir, Baer gives readers fascinating insights not only into a rare disease, but also the journey of two individuals determined to understand and overcome all the odds." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Baer, now medical director for the nation's largest Medicare contractor, had a psychiatry practice for 14 years. He offers a complete account of his 18 year odyssey with Karen Overhill, a seemingly normal wife and mother who came to him for depression and eventually revealed 17 separate personalities. A classic case of multiple personality disorder (MPD), Karen survived a childhood of unimaginable horror and was only able to maintain even a tenuous grasp on sanity with the help of 16 alters who lived inside her--men, women, and children, each frozen at a certain age and stage in Karen's development. Baer draws on 622 pages of progress notes, videos and audiotapes of sessions, and Karen's journal entries and letters to describe their journey into the human psyche. B&w letters and drawings are included, along with an epilogue by Karen herself. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"An important and insightful look into the world of a multiple."

--Cameron West, bestselling author of FIRST PERSON PLURAL

“This is Dr. Baer’s incredibly moving and inspiring account of how his patient, Karen, drove herself to heal psychic wounds that surely would have devastated someone less resolute. Particularly fascinating is how Baer, despite frequently feeling overwhelmed, guided Karen to a place where she could risk knowing — and exploring — the horrors lurking in her elaborate inner world.  Throughout the book, one marvels at this caring therapist and his immense honesty, courage and commitment.”

--Dena Rosenbloom, Ph.D., co-author of LIFE AFTER TRAUMA

“SWITCHING TIME takes the reader on an absorbing journey through a psychiatrist’s dauntingly challenging first case of multiple personality disorder — from the beginning of therapy to stable integration and recovery. Vivid...loaded with fascinating details...a richly rewarding read."

-- Colin Ross, author of MULTIPLE PERSONALITY ORDER and THE OSIRIS COMPLEX

The first story centering on multiple personality disorder to be told by the treating physician, this is the incredible saga of a young woman pitched into an unimaginable darkness who, to survive, created 17 different versions of herself. 20 b&w photos.

RICHARD BAER is Medical Director for Medicare in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. He had a private psychiatry practice for fourteen years and served as President of the Illinois Psychiatric Society.