Twinship, a master status in sociological terms, reverberates through mythic and recorded history. The post modern world embraces the facsimile, the doppelganger, the body snatcher, the loss of uniqueness at the subatomic level, and the inevitable slide of identity towards identicality. Will the real person please stand up? How better to understand the inner world of twins than to study their dreams? This I did with prodigious support from Dr. Robert Van de Castle, coauthor of the Hall and Van de Castle dream coding scales, and Dr. William Domhoff, a prolific researcher in quantitative dream studies and author of the web site www.dreamresearcher.net. Given my life-long fascination with both twins and dreams, I forged ahead and have published a dissertation for my PhD from Capella University, “Do twins dream twin dreams?: A quantitative comparison with singles’ dreams,” available at ProQuest/UMI.

Several years ago my identical twin was killed in the crash of a small plane and I was thrust into the deepest grief. Through my gradual acceptance of ‘twinless twin’ status, I was privileged to meet Dr. Jane Greer, a clinical expert in twin loss, and Dr. Nancy Segal, a researcher into twin psychology and herself a fraternal twin. We were all seeking the answer to what differentiates the cognitive schemata or, in other words, the archetypes of the twin psyche from those within the singleton psyche. All were looking to understand twinship and to help twins adjust to life in a singleton-dominated culture.

In this powerful memoir, an identical twin embarks on a heroine’s journey to find her lost twin. Along the way, she provides a rare glimpse into the Twin World to all who honor twinship. How does our heroine survive twin loss? The Tao shows her the way. She learns that the dark is the source of the light. The still is the source of all motion. The wise one trusts her Heart above the World. Now a Jungian analyst, the lone twin shares her hope for spiritual ascent and reunion.

Several years ago my identical twin was killed in the crash of a small plane and I was thrust into the deepest grief. Through my gradual acceptance of ‘twinless twin’ status, I was privileged to meet Dr. Jane Greer, a clinical expert in twin loss, and Dr. Nancy Segal, a researcher into twin psychology and herself a fraternal twin. We were all seeking the answer to what differentiates the cognitive schemata or, in other words, the archetypes of the twin psyche from those within the singleton psyche. All were looking to understand twinship and to help twins adjust to life in a singleton-dominated culture.

In this powerful memoir, an identical twin embarks on a heroine’s journey to find her lost twin. Along the way, she provides a rare glimpse into the Twin World to all who honor twinship. How does our heroine survive twin loss? The Tao shows her the way. She learns that the dark is the source of the light. The still is the source of all motion. The wise one trusts her Heart above the World. Now a Jungian analyst, the lone twin shares her hope for spiritual ascent and reunion.

Joined from conception, twins have prenatal bonding and competing. During early childhood, twin pairs tend to bond more closely with each other than with the mother and father. In school they are unusual, magical, powerful compared to peers. Some pairs become complementary and some competitive; these modes can shift dramatically. Twin separation and loss are profoundly difficult situations. Parents also have questions about dressing twins alike or differently, putting them in the same class or separating, allowing them different skills and hobbies, enhancing individuation.

Twin Talk, a radio program on WorldTalkRadio.com. Purchase excerpts by topic. 72 episodes devoted to the complexities of twin life.