view . fall 2012
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She is perhaps the most famous, controversial,
intriguing—and ultimately inspiring—case of
multiple personality disorder in history.
Shirley Mason is “Sybil”.
Mason suffered from what is now known as dissociative
identity disorder and unwillingly shared her mind with 15
other personalities.
Mason, a shy and withdrawn child, grew into a timid
and forgetful adult who often experienced blackouts and
breakdowns. Her case puzzled therapists and doctors. It
was not until she moved to New York in 1954 to reunite
with her first psychiatrist, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, that she
received a definitive diagnosis of multiple personality
disorder. It most likely stemmed from the physical and
sexual abuse she endured at the hands of her mother.
With Wilber’s blessing, author Flora Schreiber worked
with Mason to publish her story, protecting her identity
by using the name Sybil Dorsett. The book,
Sybil,
was a
sensation and later adapted into an Emmy-winning film
starring Sally Field.
Almost four decades later, Mason is again the
subject of a book about her life. However, this time, she
collaborated with University of Windsor alumnus Dr.
Patrick Suraci BA ’57 to tell the story in
Sybil: In Her Own
Words. The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple
Personalities and Paintings.
Suraci, born in Rochester, N.Y., earned a scholarship
to Assumption College, predecessor of the University of
Windsor, and graduated with a degree in psychology. “I
have always remembered my days in college as one of the
best times of my life,” says Suraci.
In 1973, he met Sybil author Schreiber while they both
taught at John Jay College in New York City. He found
himself drawn to a painting in the author’s office. “It held
an aura of mystery about it. It had no signature.” Schreiber
left the painting to him upon her death. It was only when
Suraci had it reframed that he discovered Mason’s name
etched into the frame and realized she was its painter.
Mason fascinated him, leading Suraci to devote 20
years of his life to learning more about her case. While
under the care of Dr. Wilbur, Mason had never relapsed.
When Wilbur died in 1993, however, Suraci says he
wondered about Mason’s well being and decided to call her.
The two formed a deep friendship.
Sybil: In Her Own Words
is a well-documented version
of the last five years of Mason’s life and the time she
spent with Suraci until her death in 1998. It includes actual
conversations, providing Mason with the chance to reveal
herself in her own words and allowing the reader to see
behind the controversial medical case into the human being
who was its subject.
A unique aspect of the book is the inclusion of Mason’s
paintings, which were created by several of her alternate
personalities. They give haunting insight into some of the
defining facets of Mason’s life, including the abuse she
suffered and her dream of having the perfect family.
Suraci says that the most powerful lesson in the
book was the strength that Mason displayed in the face
of adversity. “She had the courage to persist in therapy
for 11 years until she was cured. She had the courage to
speak with me about her incredible life for five years while
she had cancer. When she was in pain, she always said,
‘tomorrow will be better.’”
Sybil: In Her Own Words. The Untold Story of Shirley
Mason, Her Multiple Personalities and Paintings,
by
Patrick Suraci, PhD, is available at
Amazon.com
and
BarnesndNoble.com
in hardcover, paperback and
e-book versions.
Student writer Dawn Trottier is in her second year of studies in the
University of Windsor’s Digital Journalism program.
BY DAWN TROTTIER
The Untold Story of Shirley Mason, Her Multiple Personalities
and Paintings, by Dr. Patrick Suraci BA ’57
Sybil: In Her Own Words
CAMPUS AUTHORS
