A Brilliant Adaptation: How Dissociative Identity Disorder and the Power of the Therapeutic Bond Saved Me

by Sally Maslansky, Daniel J. Siegel (foreword)

A searing and profound memoir of one woman’s journey through dissociative identity disorder and childhood sexual abuse—and how she found hope, healing, and recovery. Sally Maslansky is living the perfect a beautiful home in Malibu, California, a successful Hollywood producer husband who adores her, and a recently adopted son she treasures. But when Sally begins to remember the trauma she endured as a child, her world begins to unravel. In this gripping and provocative memoir, psychotherapist Maslansky shares how childhood sexual abuse led her to develop dissociative identity disorder (DID), and how, with the help of renowned therapist Daniel J. Siegel, she ultimately recovers. The book reveals the power of therapeutic bond to heal deep attachment wounds, the science of neuroplasticity in healing the traumatized mind, and our capacity as human beings to reconcile unspeakable experiences in order to grow, change, and live vibrant, loving, and joyful lives against all odds. Together with Siegel, Maslansky slowly recovers her childhood memories and reconnects with the forgotten parts of herself—parts that she grows to admire, respect, honor, and love, because they literally saved her young mind from unimaginable horrors. In the book, Siegel describes Maslansky’s DID as a brilliant adaptation of the mind—a protective force that kept her mentally safe when the people she should have trusted most were the ones responsible for her abuse. Whether you have struggled with DID yourself, love someone who has DID, or are simply looking to be inspired by the tenacity of the human spirit, this memoir offers a provocative glimpse into an often pathologized and misunderstood condition, and shows the profound and healing possibilities of therapy, human understanding, and the will to survive.

Genres: Memoir

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2026

Reviews

[Blair Bisbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, indeed!
Clear, succinct, startling, compelling, exquisitely cathartic for author and reader alike; Sally’s story of her journey back through her childhood is one of remarkable courage and persistence in seeking, confronting, revealing & ultimately triumphing over unimaginable evil. Sally has transformed her agonizing awareness of unspeakable experience into a powerful, humanity-affirming narrative, illuminated by her arrival at a level of understanding and empathy she now wields as a powerful force for good in guiding her clients down the path to wholeness, paying forward the gift her mentor, now colleague, Dr. Dan Siegel brought forth within her. So much more than mere clinical recitation; Sally has humanized her story into something universally cognizable, the realm of true literature. Congratulations my counselor and friend; brilliant, indeed!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. Best explanation & description I have ever read about how it feels to have many “states” and how she interacted with them and, later, how they integrated. Also, the best explanation I’ve heard — in layman’s terms — why it’s now DID and not MPD.

I appreciate that she focused on how DID kept her as mentally healthy as possible and not how it made her a freak or basket case.

Some parts of the therapy sessions were a little confusing and hard to read, but I completely understand why she wrote it that way.

Many thanks to Booktrovert (NetGalley) and Harbinger Publications for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.