Tango from Chaos to Creativity
by Jean Pollack
Dancing is a means toward self-knowledge, creation, and self-expression, freeing oneself from trauma. A psychologist for more than twenty years, Dr. Jean Pollack shares the story of her “dance” with a particular patient, Jacen, in Tango from Chaos to Creativity.
This account is one man’s haunting story of his devastating abuse taken from years of therapy with Pollack. It is a creative nonfiction, which means that this is a true story of a man, his abuse, his words, and his poetry, which he is happy to share with others who have been abused. Jacen’s diagnosis is dissociative identity disorder, which used to be called multiple personality disorder.
Throughout the pages of the book, the author highlights Jacen’s poetic descriptions as they beautifully acknowledge his separate personalities and their communication and progression toward integration. It chronicles the patient’s childhood memories and his complex coping system to help him survive his ongoing abuse. The dialogue and relationship that develops among the parts is a soulful and rewarding dance to experience.
This book was written because Jacen’s story had to be told. His words and poetry deepen one’s understanding of the process of dissociation and offer hope to those who have suffered abuse. Furthermore, it is a story of hope – hope for everyone who has been hurt or abused.