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January-March, 2015

Sybil as Metaphor

by Rev. Cheryl Hubbard, O.M.C.

Many of us associate the name Sybil with multiple personalities. “Sybil” is the name of a made for TV miniseries from 1976, based on a true story. I saw it on TV at that time and just watched it again. Seeing it again nearly 40 years later, through the eyes of ACIM, it is a new movie to me and even more interesting.

Sybil was a severely abused child who as an adult was diagnosed with what then was called “multiple personality disorder.” It is now called “dissociative identity disorder.” All of her dissociated personalities were children. There were a total of sixteen personalities that emerged with the help of her psychiatrist. Her doctor was a compassionate and loving woman who came to love Sybil and Sybil learned to love and trust her. The relationship between the two of them reminds me of the relationship ACIM describes as the one between us and the Holy Spirit/Jesus.

Sybil’s therapist worked with Sybil for eleven years. She always told Sybil that if she would just look at her fears with her help, the pain would go away. This sounds just like the Holy Spirit talking to us. We cannot do this alone. We need His Help in looking at our buried terror. Just like us, Sybil did begin to believe that this help was available. But it was not until her life was out of control. Does that sound familiar? At some point for each of us, the pain and the denial become intolerable and we start to listen to that kind, loving and compassionate Voice within us.

Using Sybil as metaphor, she allowed her therapist to guide her through the terror. She realized how angry and murderous she really felt. She was finally able to reintegrate all of her parts. Isn’t that what we all need to do? We must look at our fears, our grievances, and our hatreds with the Help of Holy Spirit. And then we can begin to truly forgive everyone and everything, including ourselves. And finally we reintegrate all of our separate parts and return together to our Father, from Whom we have never really been apart, now reunited as God’s Holy Son.

© 2015, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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