The Seer by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 2

Three long years later, Gordon found himself not only a licensed physician, but a different person. He had witnessed more than enough human pain, and done things that few would have the stomach for. But as his last rotation began, he took the time to apply for his fellowship, and once again, returned to Harvard. As a psychiatry fellow, he blossomed as his fascination grew. He was particularly impressed by a bizarre case of a woman in her twenties who had suffered frequent and intense sexual abuse at the hands of her father, beginning at age four. The horror of these experiences continued when she gave birth at thirteen years of age and the child was taken by the state. The father was taken into custody on, among other charges, incest. One might think this was the end of the child’s trauma, but the damage had been done, and in an attempt to protect her psyche, her developing ego splintered into fragments, each forming its own identity. By the time she began therapy, she had developed twenty separate personalities. She likely would not have sought treatment because she either didn’t realize there was a problem or resisted the idea of treatment all together had it not been for one of her personalities attempting to commit suicide.

One night, she rolled into the emergency room at Boston General Hospital, where Gordon had been assigned the residency for his fellowship. She had driven a serrated knife into her chest, but because of the serrations, she was unable to either pull it out, or push it in the rest of the way with the intention of piercing her heart. Some of her personalities withdrew, while others panicked. Fortunately, the strongest of them took charge and called 911. As soon as fire fighters and paramedics burst through the door of her house, the young woman blacked out. Because of the trauma associated with the nearly successful suicide attempt, all her personalities withdrew, and none would be able to recall what led to her bout of self-destruction. Gordon was able to get her to open up as - at least - two of her personalities told almost identical stories of the event. The reason for the attempted suicide was not clear, and it would take years of integration therapy to see only a partial recovery.

Again, what took years, culminated in the accomplishment of his long term goal, and Gordon left his fellowship a board certified psychiatrist. There was only one more decision to make. Where would he practice? He remembered back to his residency in Maine, and although he hadn't seen much of the state, he recalled the smell of the ocean in the early morning hours, sunsets over the White Mountains, and the howl of winter winds as they spun their way around the hospital during cold, dark nights. He had his choice of going anywhere in the country, but felt pulled back to Maine. But before leaving his fellowship, Gordon decided against working in a hospital. Positions were rare, and the hours were long. He was not, at this point, a married man and thus far, did not have time for dating. He still required something of a personal life - a way to blow off steam - and eventually, this came in the form of photography. When he wasn't working on the business plan for his practice, he was making his way up and down the southern coast of Maine, photographing anything that caught his eye.