Friday, October 14, 2011

The woman with 100 personalities

The woman with 100 personalities:

Kim Noble, although she doesn't care to be called that, has over 100 distinct personalities.



For a journalist, this presents certain problems. Kim Noble herself is merely a name on a birth certificate - a portmanteau of identities. So which version of her do you interview? Do you talk to whomever pops up? Hayley? Judy? Ken?

It turns out there's a protocol: you meet Patricia, the dominant personality among the many alter egos in Noble's head. With the help of regular support workers, Patricia looks after Aimee and makes sure there's milk in the fridge. It is Patricia who answers the door and welcomes me in.



A horrifying and fascinating story. Noble wrote a book about her experiences and the varied body of art done by her various personalities can be seen here. And do watch this video; it's a clip of one of Noble's personality switches...the language she uses to describe herselves is interesting. (via @dunstan)

Tags: Kim Noble

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