Book Review
Breaking Free - My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder
By
Apr 16, 2008 - 7:23:16 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Herschel Walker, a 1982 Heisman Trophy winner, retired football great, successful businessman and father speaks candidly for the first time about the highs and lows in his professional football career as well as his personal battle with dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) in his memoir, BREAKING FREE: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder (A Touchstone Howard Hardcover/Simon & Schuster; April 14, 2008; $24.95; ISBN: 1-4165-3748-1). For Walker, DID provided an explanation for his behaviors while being a positive influence in his life.

All his life, retired football great and all-around athlete Herschel Walker has felt disconnected from those around him. He has felt a part of, yet apart from, the people around him including:
apart from his classmates when he was an overweight, stuttering boy who struggled to deal with cruel teasing and longed for some positive attention
apart from his family when he developed his own exercise routine to get in shape, partly so he could beat his sister in track
apart from the student body and fans when he became a football star in high school, at the University of Georgia and in the pro leagues
apart from his teammates when he competed in track events in the off-season instead of attending spring practice with the team.

As a coping mechanism, Herschel developed a personality that didn’t feel the loneliness he experienced and reaffirmed that he was just fine; and a personality that was fearless; and a personality that felt no physical pain; and a personality that indulged in daredevil stunts; and a personality that helped him deal with an aversion to crowds, and a personality that wanted to act out all the anger and frustration he always suppressed.

Walker now understands that he created “alters” who could withstand abuse. In effect, his “alters” allowed him to “go away,” or escape internally to deal with pain/trauma. But beyond simply enduring, other “alters” came forward to help Herschel overcome numerous obstacles and were integral in his success in high school and in becoming an athlete recognized on a national level.

What Herschel didn’t realize at the time was that these separate personalities, and the loss of time and memory he experienced, were all part of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) with which he was diagnosed as an adult.

BREAKING FREE recounts Walker’s Christian upbringing in Wrightsville, GA where he received love and support from his family amid the racial tensions of the 1960’s and 1970’s when he witnessed various KKK’s attacks. In Wrightsville his interest in sports—track, and football—where nurtured and his stuttering became almost nonexistent and he became valedictorian of Johnson County High School, 1980.

Throughout BREAKING FREE, Walker’s competitive spirit is underscored through football, track, and martial arts with anecdotes from high school track meets, his football career at the University of Georgia, and professional career playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and various martial arts tournaments.

Today, Herschel Walker is a successful businessman. He is the brand behind Herschel’s Famous 34 serving commercial and non-commercial segments of the food service industry. Herschel’s Famous 34 is dedicated to helping others who are less fortunate. That is why, as part of its corporate charter, 15% of all profits are given to various non-profit charitable organizations serving people in need.

In retrospect, Herschel can clearly see how DID worked in some of the emotionally and physically painful parts of his childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. In BREAKING FREE, Herschel tells his story—from the joys and hardships of childhood to his explosive impact on college football and his remarkable professional career—giving voice and hope to those with DID. Herschel shows how this disorder played an integral role in his accomplishments and how he has learned to live with it today. His compelling account testifies to the strength of the human spirit and its ability to overcome any challenge. Herschel’s life is proof that it is possible for people with DID to live positive and successful lives.

About the Author:

Herschel Walker is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of college football. He earned consensus All-American honors three consecutive years, and capped a sensational college career by earning the 1982 Heisman Trophy in his junior year. Upon turning pro, Walker spent twelve years in the NFL, where he rushed for more than 8,000 yards and scored sixty-one rushing touchdowns. He lives in Dallas, TX.


BREAKING FREE: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder

By Herschel Walker with Gary Brozek and Charlene Maxfield

Foreword by Dr. Jerry Mungadze

A Touchstone Hardcover / Simon & Schuster

On Sale: April 14, 2008 / Price: $24.95 / ISBN: 1-4165-3748-1 / 8 Page Photo Insert

For more information on BREAKING FREE, please visit:
www.herschelsfamous34.com or www.simonsays.com.

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