Ritual
Abuse
Even
though ritual abuse (RA) is highly controversial
in the public arena, it is frequently discussed
amongst trauma survivors, specifically in
the DID/MPD community. In the environment
where thousands and thousands of survivors
worldwide speak of the atrocities of ritual
abuse, the only controversy that remains is
how to manage and treat such complicated issues.
All
too many therapists are trained to be ‘neutral’
and ‘to neither confirm nor deny’
the existence of abuse. However, to ritual
abuse survivors, this approach negates the
enormity of their experiences and makes effective
therapy impossible. Denying – or neutralizing
– the existence of ritual abuse instantly
aligns that ‘listening’ person
with the perpetrators. Without the clear acceptance
of the reality of an external controlling
organization, the RA survivor continues to
be at risk for ongoing abuse, continued training,
and ritualistic contact.
Therapists
that are unable to accept the existence of
ritual abuse are doing more harm than good
for the DID survivor. Much of the programming
done in a ritualized setting involves teaching
that ‘nobody will believe you’
or that ‘the organization will always
own you’. Both of these lies can be
addressed effectively, but only with therapists
that are truly able to address those issues.
RA
survivors very often are in ongoing contact
with their perpetrator group, and are in dire
need of external safety and protection. If
someone is still being abused, elements of
therapy are being undermined and sabotaged
nearly as quickly as progress can be made.
Therapists must be alert to such dangers,
and work with their clients to achieve safety
from ongoing abuse as quickly as possible.
Furthermore,
most RA contact comes via someone in the survivor’s
birth family – people that are frequently
in contact with the survivor. Don’t
assume that all family members that appear
to be friendly and supportive are actually
safe people. “Public facades”
do exist for perpetrators as well!!!
Ritual
abuse is an enormously complicated subject
requiring a great deal of attention and years
of treatment. Treatment includes everything
from: meeting the internal RA parts of the
DID system, learning about triggers, processing
trauma, stopping ongoing contact, finding
safe support people, examining the ways the
cult used the person (including roles that
involved hurting other people), deprogramming,
spiritual healing, etc. Treatment is difficult,
emotionally grueling and very complicated.
However,
always remember – freedom and healing
ARE ABSOLUTELY possible.
While
AbuseConsultants.com continues to develop
written material in this area, please refer
to the following links for additional information:
(The
following articles may graphic in nature.
Please assess you personal safety before reading
them.)
“Breaking
Free of the Cult” by Svali, Suite101.com
- An article that addresses issues facing
the person who wishes to leave a transgenerational
cult, including safety
“How
the Cult Programs People” by Svali,
Suite 101.com
- Brief descriptions of some of the ways the
Illuminati program their members. Warning:
may be triggering to survivors, please use
caution and stay safe.
“How
the Cult Programs People: Part 2”
by Svali, Suite 101.com
- Second half of article on cult programming
“Easter
in the Cult” by Svali, Suite 101.com
-**trigger graphic discussion of abuse and
a ritual, please do not read without a therapist
present** This article discusses how the cult
celebrates the Easter season.
“How
to Support a Survivor” by Svali,
Suite 101.com
- This article discusses how support people
can help a survivor of ritual abuse.
Svali is an RA survivor that has the goal
of educating therapists and support people.
She has a collection of over 60 articles on
the topic of Ritual Abuse posted on www.Suite101.com.
She also has an online book called “The
Illuminati: How the Cult Programs People”
http://www.centrexnews.com/columnists/svali/archive.html
Other
resources for Ritual Abuse information include:
Ritual
Abuse, Ritual Crime and Healing
DID/SRA
Survivors
S.M.A.R.T.
Ritual Abuse Newsletter
From
the Inside Out
If
you would like to process any of these issues,
please consider a clinical
consultation.
|
