Chewing on Stan Taylor's Black Book of Power - The Chrysalis - Intro

This begins Part II of The Black Book of Power entitled The Chrysalis. With Part I complete, I feel comfortable summarizing Part I - The Awakening as simply a mirror. The average reader interested in this form of content likely saw a lot of themselves within the pages. It appears to have been written in a way as to form self-disgust when looking at this mirror--the obvious objective being to invigorate a desire to change. Does that work psychologically? Perhaps. It does not work if I hold a similar mirror to my children. It does not work if I hold it to my employees. It does not work for my wife, my neighbors, or my friends. So who does it work for?

Let's start by separating two interpretations of "work." For the examples above, it would not "work" in that the subject would be immediately repelled by the mirror with severe indignation. In that regard, who isn't immediately repelled? Only those who already think about these things, already see them, and who aren't being told directly and personally by someone they know. So it "works" in that they won't run. But will it work in actually helping them? Psychologically speaking, not usually. Stan began his book explaining that his target audience is self-help junkies. In such a way, he adequately predicts that his book will fail for most of his readers. By stating it bluntly, he buys himself a little more time. But ultimately, the self-deprecating outlook and high from the ass-kicking pep talk will eventually wear off. It might work for a few, but it will invariably become one of the many books on the junkie's shelf. Shame rarely works for very long.

What does work, is something we don't want to hear: small and perpetual steps toward better mental models, exercising the skills patiently and consistently, and retaining hope in long term success over short term gains with enough perspective to overcome short-term regression. If anyone promises anything else, they're selling something. Stan hasn't explicitly stated he's going to do anything quick yet, but starting with shame means he's bought himself a short amount of time before the shock and awe wears off. Let's keep reading!

Rebecca

It is unclear if Rebecca is a true story or a fictional one, but I can easily assume many women can relate in some fashion to the described plight. Stan tells the story of a woman who was mentally abused by her husband for years and had finally had enough. When she finally broke away, she realized she didn't know who she was and had a meltdown of identity confusion. He labels the event as an example of identity diffusion following trauma bond severance. In a world where 20-40% of women experience physical violence from their partner let alone emotional trauma, I need to be very clear with my words. Yes, many women will relate strongly with examples of the Rebecca story. And yet, most will not relate specifically with utter breakdown of self identity as described. For sure, some will, but it is not the norm. And yet, Stan purports the following:

Identity reconstruction after narcissistic abuse always shows the same pattern:

• Week 1–2: Liberation euphoria. The parasite dies. Freedom feels possible.

• Week 3–4: Identity diffusion. Without the oppositional identity nothing feels solid.

• Week 5–6: The dissolution. Complete loss of self-coherence. Most quit here.

• Week 7+: Conscious reconstruction. Building new neural pathways through deliberate choice.

None of that is based on any studies or reports I could find. And in fact, it's just not true. Very few people ever undergo identity diffusion the way Rebecca is stated to have experienced. There is some truth in that people start out excited, they do find some confusion, and 60-75% will return at least once. They do not return due to identity dissolution but because of children, finances, fear, threats, and general feelings of isolation. But hey, we are getting a bit beside the point here since this is merely brought up as a metaphorical anecdote of sorts for what Stan promises to do to his readers.

At the end of this intro, Stan explains that his readers will undergo this process. The Chrysalis, so to say, is when we climb in our butterfly cocoons, melt into goo, and rebuilt ourselves into something beautiful. Interesting imagery, and I suppose we can take him at his word that this is his intent, but I retain significant concerns. This is simply not how growth typically occurs as stated above. This is the film equivalent of cutting to a montage where the main character puts in all this effort in the course of a week and suddenly becomes a champ. It's just not reality. Let's continue and hear him out though. Onward to Chapter 4.

If you have enjoyed this summary, you may be interested in previewing my latest book which I am currently writing. This book will be free to the benefit of mankind and you can provide your comments to help guide its direction. Your Mind is Made of Voices