Dr. Margery Runyan, Psychotherapist, Author

Dr. Runyan, herself a twin, has devoted her life to twin studies, read thousands of studies and books, met the foremost twin experts, and made inroads into improving psychotherapy for twins, their parents, friends, siblings, and partners. Her friends call her Mercy.

Dr. Mercy Runyan

I am Margery Runyan, an identical twin. I was raised as an identical twin in the 50s and have since studied the phenomenon of twinship with fascination and commitment. I wrote my doctoral dissertation on the dreams of identical twins. I hosted a live one-hour weekly radio show on World Talk Radio called Twin Talk that was broadcast world-wide for two years. Twin Talk episodes are offered on this site.

I have experienced the world for these many years through twin eyes. I cannot explain this world view nor can I truly understand the singleton experience. We are somehow different. 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.

Spiritual Autobiography
Biography & CV

Margery & Malinda

Do Twins Dream Twin Dreams?

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.

Meet The Author
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The Tao of Twins – New Cover

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.

Meet The Author

My Latest Book

The Tao of Twins

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The Tao of Twins: A Heroine’s Journey

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.

Meet The Author

My Latest Book

The Tao of Twins

Purchase

Radio Show: Twin Talk

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.

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