During my days as a psychiatrist, I met many odd people with obscure problems. But none of them stand out in my mind as much as 7 year old, Cole Davis. Cole, was brought to my clinic after he took a pair of scissors and attempted to cut himself open, in the middle of class.
At first, I believed that this was an emotional outburst, caused by hidden domestic abuse. But after he made a few more attempts on his life, I hypothesized that he was actually suffering from an obscure case of split personality disorder.
In order to get to the root of his problem, I decided that I would have to see his personality shift myself. With the consent of his parents, I belted him to a bed inside of my office, and began attempting to trigger him. Was this ethical? No… But did it work? Beautifully. After testing a few possible triggers I finally got a response from him. His body flailed furiously, and he screamed like a soul escaping from hell.
When he calmed down, he began smiling madly. Mildly concerned, I proceeded with the test. “If you answer this question, I’ll let you go. Do you understand?” He nodded. “Good. What is your name?” He laughed under his breath.
“Charlie.”
When the session ended, I brought Cole’s parents into my office to ask them (without any context) if the name meant anything to them.
“Nothing he’d be aware of comes to mind.” His mother began. “But, I was planning on naming his brother Charlie before…” She stopped.
“The miscarriage?” I guessed.
“Not exactly…. Cole absorbed Charlie in utero.”
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Credits to: Breakevencoast5
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