Cult and Ritual Abuse : Narratives, Evidence, and Healing Approaches (9781440831492)

This personal yet scholarly journey into the confusing and clandestine world of ritual abuse survivors sheds light on their catastrophic experiences and their efforts to heal afterward.Revised, updated, and expanded, this third edition of a classic study is one of the most authoritative and evenhanded volumes to tackle its hotly debated subject matter. Incorporating the authors'firsthand observations, the book provides historical, anthropological, and psychological context for contemporary reports of both ritual abuse and ritual crime.In addition to sharing patient vignettes and a history of cult and ritual abuse in society, the authors explore fascinating topics related to these practices, among them what triggers personality shifts for victims even many years after the abuse has stopped. Importantly, the book shows how ritual abuse affects society as a whole, influencing civil and criminal law, politics, legislation, social movements, social welfare, and psychological theory. It provides unique insights into the scientific study, forensic investigation, and implementation of social services for survivors of cult and ritual abuse, discusses new research and treatment strategies, and establishes the foundation for a psychological diagnosis to be called Cult and Ritual Trauma Disorder. Revised, updated, and expanded, this third edition of a classic study is one of the most authoritative and evenhanded volumes to tackle its hotly debated subject matter. Incorporating the authors' firsthand observations, the book provides historical, anthropological, and psychological context for contemporary reports of both ritual abuse and ritual crime. In addition to sharing patient vignettes and a history of cult and ritual abuse in society, the authors explore fascinating topics related to these practices, among them what triggers personality shifts for victims even many years after the abuse has stopped. Importantly, the book shows how ritual abuse affects society as a whole, influencing civil and criminal law, politics, legislation, social movements, social welfare, and psychological theory. It provides unique insights into the scientific study, forensic investigation, and implementation of social services for survivors of cult and ritual abuse, discusses new research and treatment strategies, and establishes the foundation for a psychological diagnosis to be called Cult and Ritual Trauma Disorder. "Pam and Randy were generous and helpful to me some years ago when I was working with a survivor of cult and Satanic abuse in South Africa. This book would have been incredibly helpful at the time. As I read this book I was struck by Randy's humility and honesty about himself as well as the sharing of his feelings and experiences. Many of his experiences about his early work and 'not knowing' what was happening with patients who had suffered these abuses and his struggles to research and document his findings are to be admired. The disbelief and at times condemnation of other therapists, and especially government organizations, that he endured was similar to my experience. I believe that the denial about the validity of the existence of ritual abuse is one of the reasons it continues. The fact that this book is easy to read, believable, and informative will perhaps help people to recognize that these evils are present in society all over the world. This will then hopefully contribute to a reduction in the incidence of these crimes." Chapter 1 The Church In Thetford Forest 1 -- Chapter 2 On The Borderline 5 -- Chapter 3 Entering Uncharted Territory 13 -- Chapter 4 Multiple Personalities 20 -- Chapter 5 Possession, Ritual Abuse, And Dissociation 38 -- Chapter 6 Empirical And Forensic Evidence Of Ritual Abuse 52 -- Chapter 7 Breaking The Code 79 -- Chapter 8 The African Connection 93 -- Chapter 9 Other Cultures 107 -- Chapter 10 1990: The Year Of The Awakening 119 -- Chapter 11 Investigating Western Occultism 126 -- Chapter 12 An Introduction To Wicca 144 -- Chapter 13 Satanism? 152 -- Chapter 14 Nihilists And Revisionists 163 -- Chapter 15 The Politics Of Psychotherapy 180 -- Chapter 16 The Media 189 -- Chapter 17 Will The System Protect Them? 200 -- Chapter 18 Cult And Ritual Trauma Disorder 223 -- Chapter 19 Where Do We Go From Here? 234. James Randall Noblitt And Pamela Perskin Noblitt. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.