In Search of Teressa: A Journey Into The Mind Of A Woman With Many Personalities

In Search of Teressa: A Journey into the Mind of a Woman with Many Personalities is written by Dr. Lynette Louise (“The Brain Broad”) in partnership with Teressa, a woman who was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities). Though the story is largely a telling of Teressa’s life, the journey is an untangling of how a life – any life – is influenced by our memories, our minds, and our beliefs - all of which can be manipulated.

Teressa’s childhood is one of malnourishment and abuse. Her mom is unpredictable and cruel while her dad is a mean drunk. Teressa clings to religion for guidance and purpose while also using it to prove her own worthlessness.

She has memory problems and health problems and feels burdened with the responsibility of taking care of many siblings. As she shares her story with Lynette, who shares it with readers in a style similar to a fiction novel, she is simultaneously self-centered and self-loathing. The first part of the book is Teressa’s story alone.

In Teressa’s truth, there is murder. It is a beautiful love story, yet there is a search for mental stability and missing memories. There are babies, family vacations, and Disneyland joy. There is hoarding. There is a diagnosis of Multiple Personality Disorder with alters (alternate personalities).

The second part of the book is the story of Teressa and Lynette as they seek answers and work to help Teressa become one unique person. It is a beautifully written exploration of the brain, memory, behaviors, beliefs, environments, and mental health issues – how they are interconnected, pliable, and influenceable. Lynette interviews family, friends, psychiatrists, and counselors in Teressa’s life, always accompanied by her adult autistic son to interviews.

As a neuro-therapist, writer, and Teressa's friend, Dr. Louise is qualified and gifted. Fast-paced and invigorating, readers will recognize in this book some of their own attitudes and behaviors playing out in their lives.

In Search of Teressa is a powerful true story that invites readers into the elusive world of mind, memory, and psychological stability.