Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery

Gildiner applies this term to Danny’s circumstances. Intergenerational trauma occurs when the traumatic experience of an individual causes their descendants to show “adverse emotional and behavioral reactions […] similar to those of the person” who experienced the trauma (“Intergenerational Trauma.” APA Dictionary of Psychology). Danny physically experiences the trauma of abuse at his residential school and Gildiner presents his personal experience in the context of the longstanding abuse of Indigenous American people in past generations. The behavior of parents toward children is highly significant in intergenerational trauma transmission. Danny’s parents have experienced trauma themselves and have feelings of guilt and shame for being unable to protect him, both of which affect their interactions with him. Gildiner points out how part of Danny’s father’s method of coping with his trauma is alcohol—his alcohol use disorder in turn affects the two younger sons whom he raises.

Gildiner describes multiple personality disorder as a complicated psychological condition in which a person “develops several different personalities” (254). The personalities emerge at differing times, with each one displaying distinct and separate traits from the other personalities. Gildiner explains that the name of the disorder was revised in 1994 and changed to dissociative identity disorder (DID). Here, the distinction is made between the person’s main or primary personality and the other personalities that develop and splinter off from the main one, like branches on a tree. Gildiner discusses MPD and DID in relation to Alana. Alana’s primary personality is a witty and mild-mannered woman who is kind and hardworking. Three other personalities develop and at times “take over” Alana’s true self. Each one is equipped with traits that Alana lacks. For instance, Chloé is an aggressive, angry, and overly sexualized personality. Gildiner explains that, for Alana, the other personalities serve a function in coping with and responding to Art’s abuse, and allow Alana to act in ways that her primary personality cannot assimilate. Sexual trauma and physical and emotional abuse are common causes of this disorder, which normally occurs in highly intelligent and mentally strong personalities. For this reason, it is an important part of Gildiner’s exploration of resilience and “heroism” in the face of trauma.

This condition is referenced numerous times throughout Gardiner’s book. It is officially defined as “a pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy” (Mitra, Paroma, and Dimy Fluyau. “Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” StatPearls, 13 Mar. 2023). People with this condition have an intense focus only on their own ego and frequently subvert circumstances to present themselves as being wronged or a victim. For instance, although Madeline’s mother, Charlotte, is the one who abuses Madeline and manipulates and berates Duncan, Charlotte repeatedly places the blame for her behavior on each of them, not on herself. Instead of accepting responsibility for her actions, she insists that they are the ones causing her to behave as she does. Her frequent references to Madeline as a “monster” reinforce this. In short, a narcissist cannot accept responsibility for their actions, nor are they capable of empathy (feeling and understanding what others are feeling).

A person with OCD experiences insistent, recurring thoughts that are intrusive, undesirable, and impossible to ignore (i.e., “obsessions”). In order to stifle or quiet the insistent thoughts, the person engages in specific behaviors (“compulsions). OCD is closely related to anxiety. Gildiner diagnoses Madeline with this disorder: Madeline obsesses over a fear of plane crashes. To cope with this, she cancels all scheduled flights and prevents her employees from flying as well. Gildiner (and the OCD specialist who works with Madeline) helps her to understand that the true issue is not her fear of a plane crash, but the belief that she is a worthless “monster” (a belief instilled in Madeline by her abusive mother).

This term refers to the “limits people create to identify safe, reasonable ways for others to interact with them” (34). Gildiner explains that establishing clear boundaries and enforcing them consistently is a key component for healthy relationships. In the case of Laura, the lack of established boundaries causes her boss to make outrageous and unfair demands of her, expecting her to “cover” for his own poor performance and asking Laura to maintain lies and secrets. Gildiner shows how the establishment of boundaries is something that an individual can put in place to improve their situation and regain a sense of control. In Laura’s case, Gildiner helps her to see how her lack of boundaries is contributing to her stress.

This action involves changing the meaning of an event, behavior, or occurrence by viewing it from a different perspective. Gildiner uses this term in both negative and positive ways. An example of its negative use is Laura’s assessment of her childhood situation. Laura does not consider her abandonment by her father as neglect, but instead reframes it as a challenging situation that she must learn to endure. When Gildiner shows concern or empathy for Laura’s traumatic experience, Laura reframes this concern as “overbearing and overprotective” (19), insisting Gildiner is being hyperbolic. Here, reframing is an unconscious coping mechanism. In its positive sense, reframing describes the process through which the therapist provides alternative ways for the patient to evaluate the problem presented, in order to open up possibilities for solving it.