Truddi Chase was an American author best known for her harrowing and groundbreaking autobiography When Rabbit Howls (1987), a vivid account of her life with dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder. The book, written from the perspectives of her many identities—whom she referred to collectively as “the Troops”—offered a raw, unfiltered look into the aftermath of severe childhood abuse and the survival mechanisms it triggered.
Born near Honeoye Falls, New York, Chase endured a traumatic upbringing, which she later described in her writings and interviews. She reported enduring ongoing sexual and physical abuse at the hands of her stepfather and neglect from her mother starting at the age of two. Though she remembered the abuse throughout her life, she didn’t begin to understand its full psychological impact until she entered therapy in her mid-forties. At the age of sixteen, she ran away from home, changed her name to Truddi Chase, and began building a new life.
Her dissociative identities began to emerge fully in 1979, during a period of significant stress and anxiety. Under the care of hypnotherapist Robert Phillips, she was diagnosed with DID and identified 92 separate identities. Unlike many individuals with the disorder, Chase chose not to integrate her personalities into a single identity. Instead, she embraced the multiplicity, working with her “Troops” to form a functional and cooperative collective.
When Rabbit Howls, co-written with her therapist, provided a unique literary structure: the book opens with an introduction from her therapist, then shifts to a chorus of voices that narrate Chase’s life from different angles, reflecting the lived reality of DID. The memoir was widely recognized for its emotional depth, narrative innovation, and advocacy on behalf of abuse survivors.
Chase became a public figure following the book’s release. Her 1990 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show made a significant impact; her story moved Winfrey to tears and resonated deeply with many viewers. That same year, her life was dramatized in the two-part ABC miniseries Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase, starring Shelley Long.
Committed to advocacy, Chase gave talks to convicted child molesters to raise awareness about the long-term psychological harm caused by abuse. Her courage and honesty helped destigmatize mental illness and shed light on the complexities of trauma.
Truddi Chase died in 2010 at her home in Laurel, Maryland, at the age of 74. Her legacy continues through her writing and the lives she touched by speaking out. Her story even influenced pop culture— Grant Morrison cited her memoir as an inspiration for the DC Comics character Crazy Jane in the Doom Patrol series.
Through When Rabbit Howls and her public appearances, Chase gave voice to those who had been silenced, using her personal pain to illuminate a path toward healing and understanding.