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21.
Cults and ritualistic abuse a touchy subject By
Tom O'Connell The
very word "cult" stirs up strong feelings because so many cults
have inflicted so much harm on so many people. But the word
"cult" is not synonymous with "evil." According to
Webster's New World Dictionary, "cult" simply means "a
system of religious worship or ritual; devoted attachment to a person,
principle, etc.; a sect." The
most prominent world religions have existed as cults at one time or
another, but when participants become numerous we don't call them cults
anymore. So the word "cult," as we use it, has a minority ring
to it. Perhaps a "suspicious minority." One
of the most fascinating conferences I ever attended was the first National
Conference on Cults and Ritualistic Abuse, some years ago when I was
serving as national correspondent for the U.S. Journal of Drug and Alcohol
Dependence. Why was I at that conference? There happens to be a connection
between drug use and cult rituals. "The
use of drugs in connection with ritual abuse is incredibly
prevalent," said David Sakheim, Ph.D., co-founder of the Traumatic
Stress Institute in South Windsor, Connecticut. "Parents in cults
tend to use drugs with their children at a very early age to enhance the
magic and block pain. Among other substances, they use heroin,
hallucinogens, and mescaline." Types
of ritual abuse covered at this conference included brainwashing, torture,
and ritual sacrifice. Did we think these extremes had disappeared with the
advance of civilization into modern times? Lisa Kaplan of Community
Program Innovations, who coordinated the conference, said this about
ritual abuse: "This abuse is extreme, systematic, organized and
deliberate physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse. Any
religion or philosophical system can be used to justify it." Kaplan
explained that a conspiracy of silence surrounds cult activities, and even
after people leave a cult they are threatened by that conspiracy because
they know the "secret." Therapists who treat severely
traumatized survivors may face challenges too, reported keynote speaker
Louise Edwards, a registered clinical counselor from British Columbia. Cautioning
therapists, Edwards said, "Be aware that when you deal with secretive
and shame-based issues, families often take offense." She explained
that ritual abuse has been more openly discussed in recent times
"because the pioneers in child sexual abuse persisted in raising
public awareness." Common
characteristics of ritual abuse affecting children were listed by Edwards: •
Absolute control over the child •
Mind games •
Abuse of power •
Twisted words that say one thing yet mean another •
Insistence that there are certain right ways to do things •
Absolute thinking about worship •
Cruel savagery against children performed in the name of love. David
Sakheim told me that his own interest in trauma victims related to his
personal history. His grandparents were killed in Nazi Germany. Here are
some highlights of the information he delivered: *
"Satanic ritual abuse includes pacts with the devil, signatures
written in blood, tattoos on parts of the body such as the genitals,
'voluntary' tortures, rape, physical abuse, and isolation in closets.
'Voluntary' means the person has to say he or she wants to be hurt; they
have to say they like it." *
"...they actually believe that by torturing people they help them to
get special powers that make them stronger." *
"I've never seen anyone into Satanism who wasn't also into drugs. And
I've seen many who were into pornography, creating it and using it for
themselves and others." *
"A woman had to watch a cow's tongue being cut out, then wear that
tongue all evening. She was warned that if she broke secrecy her own
tongue would be cut out." *
"Such assaults on the psyche often trigger personality dissociation,
So, many ritual abuse survivors suffer from multiple personality disorder.
When people reach the breaking point, psychological dissociation sets in
and personalities emerge that can accept the teaching of the cult." *
"Members are told to throw morality out the window and just do what
they want to do." *
"Most survivors come from families with a long history. That's why
they're so hard to document." In
addition to the challenges faced by therapists when patients'
"alter" personalities begin to emerge, there are problem of
knowing what medication to consider. "Nobody knows anything about
meds for this disorder," said Sakheim. The
challenge of dealing with the fallout from what may be generations of
untreated impairment is summed up in Sakheim's comment: "Ritual abuse
survivors average seven years in the mental health system before they are
diagnosed." |
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