Patient: Ben Evans, SUNSET BEACH

Case History: Ben thought his twin brother, Derek, was dead. Then, Derek turned up in town very much alive, imprisoned Ben in a warehouse and took over his life. Poor Ben even had to watch through a two-way mirror as his fiancée, Meg, made love to Derek. When Ben finally escaped, he passed out and was brought to the hospital, where Derek found him. Derek made it look as if Ben were dead and arranged for his cremation. Crazy funeral worker Diane mistook Ben for "Steele," the hero of her romance novels. She kissed the "dead" man just as his drugs wore off and Ben sprung back to life. To keep "Steele" with her forever, Diane administered shots that kept Ben immobile.

Soap Opera Digest: What impact will all of this have on Ben in his everyday life if and when he escapes?

Dr. Gilda: If I were Ben, I'd continue to pinch myself to try to find out if I was really dead or really alive. He's escaped imprisonment and death several times; he's played hero -- he's been through so much. It's going to have a major impact.

Digest: What would it do to a person to find one's "dead" brother alive?

Dr. Gilda: That had to be very shocking and traumatic. To believe that somebody is dead and to go through the point in life where you accept that takes some time. To believe that you have lost a twin brother, who is not just a sibling, but a part of yourself, someone who looks like you and acts like you, makes one question how much of you is really alive. To lose a twin is extremely traumatic by all accounts and studies we know of. Now, he's shocked into a new kind of reality because Derek wants to take over Ben's life entirely. He wants to be all of Ben.

Digest: Ben never gives up hope. What gives hm the will to fight what seems to be a losing battle?

Dr. Gilda: The will to recapture his identity, no doubt. And to fight for Meg.

Digest: Will Ben be able to get over the fact that Meg slept with his brother?

Dr. Gilda: I think the fact that Meg slept with his brother will be less traumatic than his brother coming back and trying to impersonate him. Meg was fooled, but so were a bunch of people who knew Ben. I think this couple stands a chance for forgiveness.

Digest: What type of person would invent a fantasy as Diane did, and carry it to such an extreme?

Dr. Gilda: She saved this guy and just got a little mixed up thinking that she gave him back his life, so he owed her his life. She lives out fantasies. By kissing him and waking him (which up until now has been the role reserved for the man) she became further involved in the fantasy.

Digest: Ben was always a dark, mysterious character who didn't open up to many people. How will this experience change his personality?

Dr. Gilda: Other people will learn about Derek and what happened, so now Ben will be faced with a situation where he won't be able to hide all his experiences. He's going to have to learn how to live a more open life, which can open him up more in his relationship with Meg.

Digest: How is this all going to affect Meg?

Dr. Gilda: Meg is going to start questioning how well she knows this guy. Most women can pretty much tell who a guy is. If they have opened up their minds and hearts to a man, they can tell if the man they are sleeping with is their lover. That's when you're emotionally naked, as well as physically. There should have been more questioning going on. Derek and Ben are different human beings, so they would have enjoyed different things.

Digest: Is Ben justified in wanting to kill his brother?

Dr. Gilda: It is understandable that he wants to kill off the bad seed. Derek tried to take his whole life and soul, and no one should be allowed to get away with that.

Source: Soap Opera Digest