Lillian, A True Story
“A beautifully written story of poverty, trans generational abuse, mental illness, and the healing power of love, science, and spirituality.”
In the winter of 1976, Lillian Mason, a married mother of three young sons living in Niagara Falls, NY, felt that something wasn’t right.
Overwhelmed and confused, Lillian was drawn to the brink of the Falls. Just as she began to enter the water the state police pulled her back from the edge. Admitted to the hospital, Lillian began a 21-year journey of psychiatric treatment and eventual healing.
This is her remarkable story as told by each of her personalities.
The true life story of Lillian Mason who developed Multiple Personality Disorder due to severe childhood abuse.
Audiobook and Kindle now available.
Interview with the Author
Frank Alabiso discusses how, 40 years after meeting Lillian, he came to write the story of her Multiple Personality Disorder discovery and recovery. Sharing insights from therapy sessions with Lillian’s 10-year-old son James, Frank also shares his experiences with Lillian's different personalities who often joined their sessions.
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2024
“The story is fascinating. Surviving horrific abuse as a child, Lillian partitions aspects of her personality creating multiples. Each reveals themselves and develops a relationship with her aunt who preserved the record of their separateness.
Lillian finds her "brokenness" accepted and knows all parts are loved.
The history of her treatment at a time when little was known about MPD makes for a "can't put it down" reading experience.”
Lillian....In The News
Lillian....In The News
North Tonawanda native Dr. Jeffrey Smalldon, a forensic psychologist, and Amherst psychologist Dr. Frank Alabiso have recently published non-fiction books that offer enthralling accounts of aberrant human nature that emanated from their fields.
Alabiso’s book Lillian: A True Story of Multiple Personality Disorder was published in June 2023 by Austin Macauley Publishers and recounts the diagnosis and recovery of Lillian Mason who was living in Niagara Falls, N.Y. at the time of her Multiple Personality Disorder discovery. The book asks, “What happens when the components of memory (facts, feelings, and body states) are split apart and no longer relate to each other?”
Dissociative identity disorder (DID), also known as multiple personality disorder, is a rare psychiatric disorder that is diagnosed in about 1.5% of the global population. DID was first described in 1906 by Dr. Morton Henry Prince, a neurologist, and founder of the American Psychopathological Association and Harvard Psychological Clinic. Since then, DID has captured our attention, and been highlighted in numerous books, movies, articles, and professional symposia.
About Dr. Frank Alabiso, Author
Dr. Frank Alabiso is a clinical psychologist with more than 40 years of experience in treating individuals for the psychological effects of trauma on personality development. Over the span of his career, Dr. Alabiso has treated four individuals afflicted with the rare diagnosis of multiple personality disorder.
In the course of his private practice, Dr. Alabiso became acquainted with Lillian. Inspired by her personal strength and her triumph over mental illness, Dr. Alabiso joined Jean Baker Reynolds in bringing Lillian’s story to light.
