We discussed her former therapy experience. She had seen another therapist, who had employed cognitive behavioral therapy, but she had seen no cessation of her symptoms. Her husband had insisted she see another therapist. By the time she recounted her symptoms, she was crying - we had not even gotten to the details of her trauma.

     I wanted to tread lightly with this client, and I wanted to develop a rapport with her. Her trust of therapists hung in the balance. I explained to her that each individual is unique, and I pointed to my collection of all things zebra-ish - figurines, pillows, stuffed animals, pictures, etc. - that are present in my office. I told her that no two zebras have the same stripe pattern, just as no two humans have the same fingerprints. She seemed calmer as we talked about things unrelated to her symptoms. I said I tailor my therapy to each unique client, refusing to use a "cookbook" method. Building trust was my goal with her at first.

     We briefly discussed her employment duties, her children, and her goals in life. She was quite articulate about wanting to be a better employee, feel rested, and get rid of the insomnia, flashbacks, and nightmares. Her understanding of her dissociative episodes was lacking, so we talked briefly about how our body seeks to "escape" the trauma.

     By now she was able to begin her description of the event that had caused the symptoms some years ago. Her mother had been murdered, her body dismembered, and some of the pieces left where the client could find them. When she tried to sleep, she visualized the pieces, and she had flashbacks of her trauma at finding them. When she did sleep, she was awakened several times during the night by nightmares of what might have happened to her mother before she was killed. At work, she found herself unable to concentrate or perform her clerical duties because of the dissociative episodes. The symptoms were becoming worse - she was tired most of the time from lack of restful sleep, and her job performance was not up to her employer's standards. Her husband wanted to help her, but he did not know what to do except to get her to another therapist -- me.