Issue 77 – November 2007

S M A R T
(Stop Mind control And Ritual abuse Today)
P. O Box 1295, Easthampton, MA 01027-1295 USA E-mail: SMARTNEWS@aol.com

The purpose of this newsletter is to help stop secretive organizations and groups from abusing others and to help those who allege they have been abused by such organizations and groups. This newsletter is not a substitute for other ways of recovering from ritual abuse. Readers should use caution while reading this newsletter. If necessary, make sure other support systems are available during and after reading this newsletter.

Important: The resources mentioned in this newsletter are for educational value only. Reading the books cited may or may not help your recovery process, so use caution when reading any book or contacting any resource mentioned in this newsletter. Some may have a religious or other agenda that may be separate from your own recovery process. Others may have valuable information on the Masons and other organizations, but have triggers or be somewhat sympathetic to those organizations. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the views expressed in this newsletter constitute expressions of opinion, and readers are cautioned to form their own opinions and draw their own conclusions by consulting a variety of sources, including this newsletter. Resources listed, quoted and individual articles, etc. and their writers do not necessarily support all or any of the views mentioned in this newsletter. Also, the views, facts and opinions mentioned in this newsletter are solely the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily the opinions of this newsletter or its editor.

SMART wants to thank all those that have contributed resource information to the newsletter.

Information on next summer’s conference is available by writing us at the above address or by going to http://members.aol.com/smartnews/smart-2008-conference.htm

Information on this summer’s conference tapes is available by writing us at the above address or by going to http://members.aol.com/smartnews/smart-2007-conference.htm

Resources and Information

Please note: Listing of these resources does not necessarily constitute our endorsement of them. They are for educational value only and some may be heavy for survivors to read. Some of the conferences listed may not necessarily be safe for all survivors. S.M.A.R.T. recommends always bringing a support person to all conferences. If you are a survivor of mind control and/or ritual abuse, S.M.A.R.T. recommends that you try to bring a support person that is familiar with mind control techniques. LMS: article from ACHES-MC (Advocacy Committee for Human Experimentation Survivors – Mind Control) for unconsentually federally funded mind control as children or adults Canada contact Lynne Moss-Sharman, 230 Miles St. E. #3, Thunder Bay, Ont. P7C 1J6, lsharman@shaw.ca

2007 Conference Transcripts on the Web

2007 Neil Brick – Stopping Ritual Abuse – What can we do today http://members.aol.com/smartnews/nb07.htm

2007 Carol Rutz – The World Will Know: Results of the 2007 International Survey For Adult Survivors of Extreme Abuse Http://members.aol.com/smartnews/cr07.htm

Samantha Cooper – Building Bridges – http://members.aol.com/smartnews/sc07.htm

Joanne – Healing a Family Fractured by Harm – http://members.aol.com/smartnews/jo07.htm

Legal Information

New Book on Cult Leader Details What Prosecutor Calls His ‘Most Significant’ Case – R. Robin McDonald – Fulton County Daily Report 7/30/07 “Dwight “Malachi” York was a false prophet…and a sexual predator who headquartered his religious cult in rural Georgia, then used his position as a religious leader to deflect scrutiny from his criminal activities, a newly published book asserts. York’s brazen willingness to attack his skeptics as racist, while portraying himself as a victim of racial and religious persecution, enabled him to con politicians, law enforcement authorities, civil rights organizations, academics and journalists, according to Bill Osinski, the author of “Ungodly: A True Story of Unprecedented Evil.”…”Ungodly” is the story of York’s rise and fall and the sordid secret behind his professed dreams to build a black Utopia in Putnam County, Ga., and take global a new religion with him as its self-styled savior. Inside Tama-Re, the faux Egyptian compound he had built on a 440-acre farm in Putnam County, York turned his female followers into concubines and their children into sex slaves. Today, the man who set himself up as The Master Teacher of the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors and the Pharaoh of Tama-Re is in federal prison, serving a 135-year term for racketeering and transporting minors in interstate commerce for unlawful sexual activity. http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1185527208760

National survey highlights child abuse shame 8/8/07 By Martin Johnston One in every ten children has been sexually abused, according to national survey which confirms New Zealand’s high levels of violence. Six in ten had experienced physical violence and eight in ten emotional violence, the survey of more than 2000 children aged 9 to 13 found. Massey University eduction lecturer Dr Janis Carroll-Lind publicised her PhD findings….http://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/story.cfm?a_id=110&objectid=10456409

Church Abuse Trial Ordered in San Diego By Allison Hoffman, AP San Diego (AP) 8/24/07 – A federal bankruptcy judge on Friday ordered immediate jury trials in more than 40 sex-abuse lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Trials scheduled in San Diego for five cases had been suspended in February when the diocese abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection, the night before the first trial was slated to begin. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Louise DeCarl Adler’s ruling on the 42 lawsuits is a victory for about 150 people who claim they were sexually abused by priests as children. http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/1044655/church_abuse_trial_ordered_in_san_diego/index.html

San Diego priest abuse claims settled By Angelica Martinez and Karen Kucher Union-tribune 9/7/07 San Diego – The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego reached a $198.1 million agreement with 144 childhood sexual abuse victims Friday morning. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070907-1449-bn07diocese3.html

CBS: 5,100 Boy Scout leaders removed for abuse David Edwards and Muriel Kane 8/29/07 CBS News reported Tuesday on “disturbing revelations” regarding the Boy Scouts, saying that “over the last 60 years, at least 5,100 adult leaders were kicked out of the Scouts because of allegations of sexual abuse.” http://rawstory.com/news/2007/CBS_5100_Boy_Scout_leaders_removed_0829.html

from LMS Helping girls flee brothels TheStar.com – News – Helping girls flee brothels 6/4/07 Craig and Marc Kielburger – For 40 years Father Shay Cullen decried the treatment of neglected and forgotten children in the Philippines, but it wasn’t until he helped smuggle a television camera inside a jail that the world started paying attention. The tape showed hundreds of children as young as 5 locked in cages stacked a half-dozen high. Most were child prostitutes, caught in that country’s rampant sex tourism trade. Broadcast on CNN, it highlighted an issue the world couldn’t ignore, and hit hardest in North America, where many of the children’s regular customers live….More than 60,000 Filipino girls work as child prostitutes. They are recruited by pimps in rural areas of the country from unsuspecting, desperately poor families who send their daughters to the city to earn extra money. http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/221184

Cornwall couple lauded for battling child abuse 5/4/99 A police officer and his wife from Cornwall have been formally recognized for their courage in trying to bring pedophiles to justice in their southeastern Ontario community. Perry and Helen Dunlop were given medals of honour Monday by a human rights group in Victoria, B.C. The Dunlops long pushed for an investigation into abuse against children. Despite their efforts, and the positive attention, the case is far from over — and the pressure on the Dunlops continues. Perry Dunlop has been ostracized by his colleagues, charged with offences under the Police Act (he was later cleared) and took stress leave from work — all because he reported a suspected case of child sex abuse to child welfare authorities, even though the police had dropped the matter, even though he’d been told by senior officers to stay out of it. Helen Dunlop says for all the trauma she and her husband have suffered, the award shows people across the country are paying attention. Perry Dunlop’s action has turned into a huge investigation. So far, 12 men have been charged and at least 50 people have come forward with claims of abuse. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/1999/05/04/pedofile990504.html#skip300x250

Abuse victims complain about grilling at Cornwall inquiry Accused need equal treatment, lawyer says 2/20/07 Sexual abuse victims have complained about harsh treatment by lawyers at the Cornwall public inquiry, prompting the commissioner to intervene. Commissioner Normand Glaude was to tell lawyers Tuesday how far they should go when questioning the victims at the inquiry, after least one victim stormed off the stand in the middle of his testimony and another made a written complaint about how lawyers treated him….The inquiry is examining how public and private institutions responded after dozens of people alleged they were sexually abused by prominent men in the eastern Ontario community over several decades. …But Lee, who represents the victims, countered that the victims’ names aren’t important because they have no connection to each other. Meanwhile, he said, it is important to name both alleged and convicted abusers because of rumours that they were connected through an organized pedophile ring. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/02/20/cornwall.html

Key witness stonewalls again at Cornwall sex-abuse inquiry Ottawa (CBC) 9/18/07 – A former Cornwall police officer whose whistle-blowing sparked a controversial sexual-abuse investigation in the eastern Ontario community has refused for the second time in as many days to testify at the inquiry into the scandal. Perry Dunlop was forced by a subpoena to come from his home in British Columbia to appear at the inquiry, but both Monday and Tuesday he refused to answer questions from the witness stand, even when he was offered independent legal advice. “I lost my first house through legal advice. I don’t want legal advice,” he responded. “I have nothing to say. The inquiry, which opened in February 2006, has been examining the response of authorities in the 1990s to complaints that prominent members of the Cornwall community sexually abused dozens of children over decades starting in the 1950s….Dunlop’s wife, Helen Dunlop, who answered a number of questions at the hearing on Tuesday morning before her husband was called to the stand, agreed to testify that afternoon. She described her husband as a man who loved his job, his community and his friendships with colleagues, but lost it all after he began his key role in the sexual-abuse investigation in 1993. That September, Dunlop walked in on two police sergeants while they were discussing the Catholic Church’s agreement to pay a former altar boy $32,000. In exchange, the victim was dropping an abuse complaint. Against orders, Dunlop handed the original complaint to the Children’s Aid Society, which pursued the case. He was disciplined for speaking out, but his continued work eventually led to four police investigations and charges against 15 people. Helen Dunlop broke down several times when she described the stress on her husband, his problems in collecting disability payments and the friends who encouraged him to drop the case. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/18092007/3/canada-key-witness-stonewalls-cornwall-sex-abuse-inquiry.html

Captured: ‘King of the Child Exploitation Suspects’ – Ex-Deputy who Allegedly Raped His Daughter and Posted the Video Online Finally Caught in Hong Kong By Pierre Thomas, Jack Date and Theresa Cook 5/2/07 The U.S. Marshals Service said a law enforcement team had hunted down Kenneth John Freeman — the man the director of the Marshals Service called the “king of the child exploitation suspects,” tracking him to Hong Kong where he was arrested Monday….Authorities charge that Freeman raped his daughter over a two-year period, starting when she was 10 years old. He videotaped the scenes and posted them online in what, they said, became “one of the most widely downloaded child pornography videos” in recent history, seen by millions….Billion-Dollar Black Market Industry – Child porn has emerged as a multibillion dollar black market industry, though “average people don’t believe it,” said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “The reality is, with the advent of the Internet, the problem of child pornography has exploded,” said Allen. “There are more victims, the victims are younger, there are millions of people who are consuming, who are watching these images.” U.S. Marshals Director Clark noted that with technology’s advances comes the downside that children like Kylie Freeman can be victimized repeatedly. “Individuals like Mr. Freeman post pictures globally that are downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. [This] means that this image of this innocent child gets replicated and viewed over and over and over again,” he said….”There’s a myth here,” he said, “and that is the myth of the stranger.” Allen pointed to NCMEC’s data, which show that most child sexual exploitation victims know the perpetrator of the crime — at least 35 percent of them are the victim’s own parents and 70 percent are other family members or someone close to the child. http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3132195&page=1_ and http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=3132195&page=2

Delaware leads the way on sex abuse 7/31/07 by Maureen Paul Turlish – On July 10, a history-making event took place in Delaware when Gov. Ruth Ann Minner signed into law what is believed to be the most comprehensive civil legislation concerning the sexual abuse of minors. Delaware residents, over a period of two years, worked very hard to make the Child Victims Act (Senate Bill 29) a law. It provides for a two-year moratorium on the statute of limitations on lawsuits for sexual abuse. Victims have until July 10, 2009, to seek damages regardless of when the assaults occurred. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/pa/8821237.html

Mind Control and Experimentation

Conference Gives Comfort to Victims of Abuse – August 13, 2007 12:00 pm – Windsor Locks, Connecticut (WWLP) – A conference meant to give hope and inspiration to survivors of severe child abuse was underway at the Doubletree Hotel in Windsor Locks, Connecticut Sunday. Many of the conference organizers and speakers are survivors of child abuse and they hoped the event would educate the public. Advocating for stricter child welfare policies, therapist Jeanette Westbrook spoke to conference attendees about her personal story of coping with abuse. Motivational speaker Kim Kubal, came from Australia to give encouragement and comfort to those struggling with the memories of abuse. Organizers plan to raise awareness of issues facing children by initiating community projects and agencies to help adult and child victims of abuse. http://www.wwlp.com/Global/story.asp?S=6923795

The CIA and Nazi War Criminals – National Security Archive Posts Secret CIA History Released Under Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act – National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 146 – Edited by Tamara Feinstein – 2/4/05 Washington D.C., February 4, 2005 – Today the National Security Archive posted the CIA’s secret documentary history of the U.S government’s relationship with General Reinhard Gehlen, the German army’s intelligence chief for the Eastern Front during World War II. At the end of the war, Gehlen established a close relationship with the U.S. and successfully maintained his intelligence network (it ultimately became the West German BND) even though he employed numerous former Nazis and known war criminals. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB146/index.htm

from LMS Medical experimentation – The Duplessis Orphans – Disasters and Tragedies – CBC Archives http://archives.cbc.ca/IDCC-1-70-1633-11300/disasters_tragedies/duplessis_orphans/

The Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE), was created by President Clinton on January 15, 1994 to investigate and report on the use of human beings as subjects of federally funded research using ionizing radiation. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/radiation/

For Immediate Release – EXTREME ABUSE SURVIVORS BREAK THE SILENCE – Mind Control and Ritual Abuse Exposed as “Hidden Holocaust” Almost 1500 extreme abuse survivors from more than 30 countries recently participated in an online survey (in English and German) designed to explore commonalities regarding the nature and extent of the horrible crimes committed against them. Results of this and other surveys in the series — one for professionals who have worked with adult survivors and one (currently online) for caregivers of child victims — show the interplay between ritual abuse, traumatic mind control, child pornography, clergy abuse, sex trafficking and other forms of torture. (http://extreme-abuse-survey.net) Presenting some of the preliminary results of the adult survey to a large group of her fellow survivors and their advocates at SMART’s “Tenth Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control Conference” in Windsor Locks, CT on August 11, 2007, Carol Rutz challenged the audience: “Imagine for a moment that you are among this group of respondents and endured only one of these things, let alone the gamut of them. (1) Incest; ( 2) Child pornography and prostitution; (3) Sexual abuse by multiple perpetrators: (4) Being caged; (5) Starvation; (6) Bestiality; (7) Buried alive; (8) Electroshock; (9) Sensory deprivation; (10) Sleep deprivation; (11) Forced cannibalism, (12) Secret government-sponsored mind control experiments performed on you as a child.” Rutz continued: “Now imagine that no one believes you! This is what it feels like to be an Extreme Abuse Survivor.” Survey questions reflect some of the most contentious issues to ever engage the mental health field and spill over into the public arena: the reality of ritual abuse and government-sponsored mind control experiments, the credibility of repressed memories, and claims that therapists implant false memories of incest and ritual abuse in their clients’ minds. Relative to these controversies, of those who responded to the related questions, 55% reported ritual abuse in a satanic cult. 26% reported that secret government mind control experiments had been performed on them as children. 64% reported having memories of incest before they sought therapy. 48% reported having memories of ritual abuse before they sought therapy. Of 257 who reported secret mind control experiments used on them as children, 67% also reported having been ritually abused in a satanic cult. Of 53 different healing methods, respondents overwhelmingly chose individual psychotherapy/counseling as the most effective method for helping them overcome the aftereffects of extreme abuse. “The results of this survey will challenge many to step out of their comfort zones and change their world views,” Rutz said in her closing remarks. “Will we allow these heinous types of abuse to lie in the shadows or do we have the courage to bring them into the light and face them?” Interview Contact: Wanda Karriker, Ph.D. easurvey@twave.net Interview Contact: Carol Rutz casey@dmci.net

Violent sexual abuse, brainwashing and neglect: What it’s like to grow up in a religious sect By Lynne Wallace 9/2/07 Sisters Kristina and Celeste Jones and and their half-sister Juliana Buhring are at Kristina’s house in Nottingham, getting ready to go out. Kristina makes up her eyes, Celeste decides she looks all right as she is and Juliana does her hair. They could be any three carefree young women getting ready for a night out – but up until now their lives have been anything but carefree. They are going to the signing of their new book Not Without My Sister about their experiences growing up in the abusive Children of God (CoG) cult; the book, to their astonishment, has become a best-seller. http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2912592.ece

Defense: witnesses in church rape cases now deny abuse 8/15/07 – AP Amite – Lawyers for church members accused of raping children say one alleged abuse victim now says he was never abused and his brother, an alleged witness, backs him up, a Baton Rouge newspaper reported Wednesday. Statements by two boys and a girl were the center of allegations that the minister of Hosanna Church, his wife and five members of their now defunct congregation sexually abused children from 1999 to 2003. But the boys, now 21 and 17 years old, now say there was no abuse and they were coerced into statements against the adults in the spring of 2005, attorneys for the minister, Louis Lamonica, and for the only defendant whose trial has been scheduled told The Advocate Tuesday…..The girl, now 7 years old, still maintains she was sexually abused, prosecutors and her mother told The Advocate outside court on Tuesday, when a pretrial hearing was held for Bernard. His trial is scheduled Nov. 26. Because of her age during the alleged abuse — infancy until she was 3 years old — she is not expected to testify, Assistant District Attorney Don Wall said….Nine church members were arrested and seven indicted….Wall said Bernard admitted abusing children, and one of those statements was videotaped. His statements mirrored the children’s, the prosecutor said.” http://www.wwltv.com/local/northshore/stories/wwl081507khchurchabuse.37ae5b4f.html

In Depth: Aboriginal Canadians – A timeline of residential schools CBC News Online | Sept. 19, 2007 http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/aboriginals/timeline_residentialschools.html

may be heavy for survivors – Non-State Actor Torture in Canada : A Shadow Report 8/17/07 has information on ritual abuse torture http://www.ritualabusetorture.org/shadowreport.pdf

article describes crimes – from LMS – Bishop may convene rare ecclesiastical court Michael Valpy – From Saturday’s Globe and Mail 9/15/07 The Anglican priest alleged to have abused students through cult practices at an Eastern Ontario elite private school may face a rare ecclesiastical court convened by the bishop who is investigating his behaviour. The judicial procedure – almost never used in the Anglican Church of Canada – would be triggered by Rev. Charles Farnsworth’s refusal to accept either a finding by the bishop that the allegations are substantive or a sentence of punishment that the bishop might impose. It has been used perhaps half a dozen times over the past 170 years. Mr. Farnsworth, in a Globe and Mail interview, has denied any knowledge of students being abused sexually, psychologically or physically during the two decades ending in 1997 when he was headmaster of Grenville Christian College near Brockville, Ont. He also has denied the specific allegations against him. Bishop George Bruce, who heads the diocese in which the now-closed school is located, has interviewed or scheduled interviews so far with nearly 20 former students and will continue his investigation at least until the end of this month. He has told former students he is taking their allegations “very seriously” and that he will keep his investigation open until everyone who wants to be heard is heard….Former teachers have said all but one or two of the school’s staff until at least 1997 were “oblates” of the Community of Jesus, an organization in Massachusetts that has been identified in the U.S. media as a cult. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070915.grenville15/BNStory/National/home

from LMS Class-action suit being prepared against GCC (Brockville Recorder & Times) 9/13/07 By Kim Lunman – A lawyer based in Burlington is drafting a class-action lawsuit for hundreds of former Grenville Christian College students alleging decades of psychological and physical abuse at the now-closed private school east of Brockville. Personal injury lawyer Christopher Haber – who has been soliciting former pupils of the boarding school on an Internet message board where the allegations have surfaced – said “over 1,000” potential plaintiffs across North America have contacted him over the past several days. “We’re currently reviewing and investigating the entire matter with the view to filing a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the victims,” he said in a telephone interview. “We’ve had probably over 1,000 inquiries,” said Haber. “The magnitude of the response did take us aback. …There’s all kinds of allegations of cruel and unusual punishment at the school.” http://www.caica.org/Greenville_Christian_College_class-action_lawsuit_against_GCC.htm

from LMS describes crimes – Grenville probe widens to include ex-teachers Michael Valpy – From Saturday’s Globe and Mail 9/8/07 The investigation into Grenville Christian College has widened with allegations of abuse involving former teachers – allegations that will be heard firsthand Saturday at an inquiry established by an Anglican bishop of Eastern Ontario. Bishop George Bruce, in whose diocese the now-closed school is located, will hear from former student Richard Van Dusen how one teacher held him down while a second teacher beat him with a heavy wooden object until his underpants were soaked with blood. Mr. Van Dusen, managing director of Toronto’s contemporary dance company, Dancelands, said he sent the bishop a letter on Thursday recounting his experiences and received an e-mail back saying Bishop Bruce was treating it as a “formal complaint” – which in church language means a cause for a disciplinary inquiry where a bishop decides he has jurisdiction….The Globe and Mail for the past week has published accounts from former students alleging cult practices at the school and physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Joan Childs, a former senior administrator at the school, has called it an emotionally, spiritually and physically abusive place and apologized for the “hurt and pain” caused to people. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2007/09_10/2007_09_08_Valpy_GrenvilleProbe.htm from LMS Brockville’s local paper was advised not to publish abuse allegations Michael Valpy from Saturday’s Globe and Mail 9/1/07 The staff of Brockville’s newspaper knew nearly 20 years ago of allegations of religious cult practices at Grenville Christian College but backed off from publishing an article because of legal threats and sources who changed their minds about allowing their names to be used….But just before the newspaper was about to publish its findings, members of the school community who previously had agreed to be quoted began telephoning the paper to say their names could not be used. The newspaper’s lawyers said that without the names they should not risk publication. “We had thought that finally the place would become known for what it is . . . [but] virtually every person we interviewed got cold feet, terrified of repercussions against either the kids or the parents, which meant we had no quoted sources to support and verify our claims.” And at the same time, Mr. Grant said, the paper received a letter from a major Toronto law firm threatening libel action on behalf of school authorities if any article saw print.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070901.grenville-side01/BNStory/Front

Polygamist leader convicted of sex charges in arranged marriage By Jennifer Dobner – AP 9/25/07 ST. George, Utah – The leader of a polygamous Mormon splinter group was convicted today of being an accomplice to rape for forcing a 14-year-old girl to marry her 19-year-old cousin. Warren Jeffs, 51, could get life in prison after a trial that threw a spotlight on a renegade community along the Arizona-Utah line where as many as 10,000 of Jeffs’ followers practice plural marriage and revere him as a mighty prophet with dominion over their salvation….The mainstream Mormon Church, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, renounced polygamy more than a century ago, excommunicates members who engage in the practice, and disavows any connection to the FLDS church. Jeffs is also charged in Arizona with being an accomplice to both incest and sexual misconduct with a minor for arranging marriages between two underage girls and relatives of theirs. In addition, Jeffs is under federal indictment in Utah on charges of fleeing to avoid prosecution. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-jeffs0925,0,301115.story
describes crimes in detail Former Satanist Convicted of Human Sacrifice – Defendant Represented Himself During Trial 8/16/07 Miami – The Miami man accused of killing another man in what prosecutors call a satanic human sacrifice has been found guilty of second degree murder. http://www.local10.com/news/13909541/detail.html?rss=mia&psp=news

Journal Articles

Many of the journal abstract excerpts and quotes in this section of the newsletter came from the backlash_ology@yahoogroups.com listed as BO For info. write backlash_ology-owner@yahoogroups.com

An Empirical Look at the Ritual Abuse Controversy by Randy Noblitt, PhD is at http://members.aol.com/ritualabuselinks/RA_evidence.htm

Research on the Effect of Trauma on Memory – Research has shown that traumatized individuals respond by using a variety of psychological mechanisms. One of the most common means of dealing with the pain is to try and push it out of awareness. Some label the phenomenon of the process whereby the mind avoids conscious acknowledgment of traumatic experiences as dissociative amnesia. Others use terms such as repression , dissociative state , traumatic amnesia, psychogenic shock, or motivated forgetting. Semantics aside, there is near-universal scientific acceptance of the fact that the mind is capable of avoiding conscious recall of traumatic experiences. http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/tm/tm.html

Summary of Research Examining the Prevalence of Full or Partial Dissociative Amnesia for Traumatic Events – The most comprehensive review of the scientific literature on dissociative amnesia has been conducted by Brown, Scheflin and Hammond in their book, Memory, Trauma Treatment, and the Law . (New York: Norton, 1998). This book is viewed as setting the standard in the field after receiving the American Psychiatric Association’s 1999 prestigious Manfred S. Guttmacher Award for best book in law and forensic psychiatry. Brown, Scheflin and Hammond reviewed 43 studies relevant to the subject of traumatic memory and found that every study that examined the question of dissociative amnesia in traumatized populations demonstrated that a substantial minority partially or completely forget the traumatic event experienced, and later recover memories of the event. Dissociative amnesia can occur after any type of traumatic event. http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/tm/prev.html

Handbook on Sensitive Practice for Health Professionals: Lessons from Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse – Our mission is to help the people of Canada maintain and improve their health – Health Canada….(II)B. What is ritual abuse? Ritual or ritualistic abuse refers to abuse at the “extreme end of the spectrum of child sexual abuse.” Individuals who have experienced ritual abuse often identify both as survivors of childhood sexual abuse and ritual abuse. Ritual abuse usually involves a combination of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and frequently refers to abuse suffered by individuals as part of a group, and in the context of a powerful belief system. Finkelhor, Williams and Burns describe three subtypes: 1) true cult-based in which sexual abuse is only one element of the child’s involvement in cult rituals and beliefs, 2) pseudo-ritualistic, in which sexual abuse is the principal activity and cult rituals are secondly….http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/html/nfntsxsensi_e.html

A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE The Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women – The process: In August 1991 the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women announced the appointed members of The Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women. The Panel travelled to all parts of Canada, consulted with 4,000 people, in 139 communities, of which eighty-four per cent were women, 16 per cent were men. Status and non-status Aboriginal women, Inuit, and Métis women were also included. Individuals and organizations submitted nearly 700 personal testimonies, discussion papers, research, and reports to the Panel. The Panel partially funded a Toronto-based study, The Women’s Safety Project, which involved 420 in-depth interviews about violence against women, with women between the ages of 18 to 64. Additionally, The Panel distributed a survey through members of Parliament, for their constituents that provided another means for Canadians to share their experiences of violence with The Panel and offer opinions about solutions….The prevalence: “The Panel … [heard] from many women from all regions of Canada who named themselves as survivors of ritual abuse. … There are no statistics on ritual abuse in Canada.” (p. 45). http://www.ritualabusetorture.org/prevalence.htm

What Can Happen to Abused Children When They Grow Up – If No One Notices, Listens or Helps? Some Statistics from the Research – For purposes of this document, abuse, and ,trauma, are defined as: interpersonal violence in the form of sexual abuse, physical abuse, severe neglect, loss, and /or the witnessing of violence….The mental health system is filled with survivors of prolonged, repeated childhood trauma. – 50 to 70% of all women and a substantial number of men treated in psychiatric settings have histories of sexual or physical abuse, or both. (Carmen et al, 1984; Bryer et al., 1987; Craine et al., 1988) – As high as 81% of men and women in psychiatric hospitals with a variety of major mental illness diagnoses, have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse. 67% of these men and women were abused as children. (Jacobson & Richardson, 1987) – 74% of Maine’s Augusta Mental Health Institute patients, interviewed as class members, report histories of sexual and physical abuse. (Maine BDS, 1998) – The majority of adults diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (81%) or Dissociative Identity Disorder (90%) were sexually and/or physically abused as children. (Herman et al, 1989; Ross et al, 1990) http://www.theannainstitute.org/wchac-stats.html

[Pseudo-dementia conversion and post-traumatic stress disorder.] Montefiore, D, Mallet, L, Levy, R, Allilaire, JF and Pelissolo, A Encephale 33(3):352-5, 2007. BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often associated with other psychiatric syndromes. However, studies exploring conversion and PTSD comorbidity are scarce….a 45-year-old patient without medical or psychiatric history . . . suddenly started suffering from amnesia and symptoms of delirium . . . One year later, the symptoms were unchanged until the patient watched a movie (³Mystic River²) that described the story of a man with sexual abuse in childhood. He suddenly remembered that he lived the same experience when he was 8 years old. At the end of the movie, his wife surprisingly noticed that he was walking and speaking normally. All the neurological symptoms disappeared. Unfortunately, symptoms of a severe PTSD appeared, as well as a major depressive disorder. . . . the administration of clomipramine (200 mg/d) and a combined therapy with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) led to a significant improvement of PTSD and depression symptoms. ….Service de Psychiatrie Adulte et CNRS UMR 7593, Hopital de la Pitie-Salpetriere (AP-HP), 47-83, boulevard de l¹Hopital, 75013 Paris, France.

Stanford University Medical Center – 7/30/07 – Severe Trauma Affects Kids’ Brain Function, Say Researchers – Science Daily — The first study to examine brain activity patterns in severely traumatized children showed their brains function differently than those of healthy children, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. The study hints at the biological underpinnings of the disorder called PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. It also provides a valuable benchmark with which to assess the effectiveness of potential therapies. “Now we can see some real neurological reasons for the impulsivity, agitation, hyper-vigilance and avoidance behaviors that children with untreated PTSD often exhibit,” said Victor Carrion, MD, child psychiatrist at Packard Children’s. “The fact that their brains appear to be working differently may indicate a deficit for which other areas of the brain are trying to compensate.” http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070726184910.htm

October 13, 2008 · Filed Under Newsletter 2007 - Issues 72 - 77

Issue 77 – November 2007

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