Wednesday, July 24, 2024

New Book: Demystifying Mind Control and Ritual Abuse: A Manual for Therapists - Alison Miller

 

New Book: Demystifying Mind Control and Ritual Abuse: A Manual for Therapists - Alison Miller                     
Karnac Books  July 2024 Paperback
ISBN 13 : 9781800132658  ISBN 10 : 1800132654
 
Dr. Miller will be speaking at the 2024 Online Annual Ritual Abuse and Mind Control Conference - August 10 - 11, 2024.  Information is at https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/
 
Karnac books
https://www.karnacbooks.com/product/demystifying-mind-control-and-ritual-abuse-a-manual-for-therapists/97609/?MATCH=1 

Google Books limited preview: https://books.google.com/books/about/Demystifying_Mind_Control_and_Ritual_Abu.html?id=9MFx0AEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description 

This book was written to meet the need of therapists: a succinct, thorough, practical, clear, down-to-earth handbook to which a therapist can refer as needed. Many, if not most, therapists have encountered a victim of complex mind control and ritual abuse, and most therapists feel deskilled in this work. Working with such clients is a challenge for therapists, given the extreme and prolonged nature of the clients’ trauma, the severity of their dissociative disorders, the complexity of the mind control they have experienced, and the reality of organised perpetrator groups who follow up on their victims. Every therapist needs to know the basics of this work.

Chapter 1 defines and explains dissociation, ritual abuse, and mind control. It lists indicators which suggest a client may be a victim, and recommends developing ‘reflective belief (or possibly) disbelief’ rather than maintaining ‘therapeutic neutrality’. Chapter 2, The therapeutic relationship, describes victims’ training to not form bonds, the parental nature of the therapeutic bond with such clients, and practical ways to relate to someone dealing with internal multiplicity. Chapter 3, The life of a mind control survivor, describes victims’ planned experiences from infancy all the way through adulthood. Chapter 4, Engineered personality systems, describes the most common forms of training or programming, and the ‘jobs’ of inner parts of the victim. Chapter 5, Stabilisation and internal safety, explains the way in which some parts punish the victim for disloyalty by creating destabilising symptoms. Chapter 6, Working with the personality system, describes internal hierarchies and how to work with them. Chapter 7, Present-day physical safety, looks at the ongoing torture and harassment of many victims by perpetrator groups, and describes the training of various parts to return to the perpetrators, report to them, and be available for further abuse. Chapter 8, Working through the traumatic memories, gives guidelines regarding how to help a client work through the numerous traumatic training memories. Chapter 9, Confronting the spiritual issues in ritual abuse, describes the perpetrators’ spiritual/moral abuse and simulation of spiritual entities. It discusses the question of demonic possession, and looks at the real spiritual issues which victims and therapists must deal with. Chapter 10, Healing for our clients and ourselves, discusses victims’ emotional healing, grieving, developing self-esteem and integration, and therapists’ intimidation and vicarious traumatisation.

‘Alison Miller’s latest book, Demystifying Mind Control and Ritual Abuse, is a tour de force in advanced psychotherapy for the most difficult of clients, those who have been subjected to torture since before birth and throughout their childhood in order to create compliant slaves without walls. She is a knowledgeable, tough, and compassionate guide who takes a clear-eyed look at what it really takes for therapists to do this work and gives us the tools to do so. She calmly addresses a topic that most find unbearable to acknowledge, that children can and are routinely used to serve the darkest desires of humanity. She lays out many practical tips; each chapter could almost be its own book. Any therapist who finds themselves confounded and feeling deskilled by a victim of organized abuse that is cult related, ritually abused and/or mind controlled will find helpful tips and resources in these pages. This book should be required reading for all therapists.’

Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW, psychotherapist and consultant specialising in trauma and extreme abuse, sought-after speaker, and award-winning author

‘Having worked in this difficult field for several decades, Alison Miller has found a further way of passing on her knowledge of mind control and ritual abuse. What’s more, she does so in the most honed, processed way. This is a handbook which is easy to read despite the fearfulness of its subject. It is filled with wise information culled from decades of experience. It will aid the newcomer and the experienced clinician alike.’

Valerie Sinason PhD, founder and patron, Clinic for Dissociative Studies, and author of The Orpheus Project

‘Demystifying Mind Control and Ritual Abuse: A Manual for Therapists delivers just what Dr. Miller promises – a book for therapists “who need a succinct, practical, down-to-earth guide for this challenging work.” She describes the strategies that mind control abusers apply to victims, beginning in infancy, to induce dissociated identities to form, to manipulate them, and to then set them up against each other for long-term, often lifetime control. These abusers hope to prevent victims from ever consciously accessing their memories, from being able to receive the help of a psychotherapist, and from ever defying and escaping their mental controls. Then Dr. Miller offers step-by-step therapeutic guidance in troubleshooting all of these obstacles so that survivors may discover their own minds and exercise agency over their own lives. This is a wonderful reference book to help psychotherapists navigate this toughest-of-all courses of psychotherapy.’  Ellen Lacter, PhD, psychologist, USA

‘Dr. Alison Miller's new book, Demystifying Mind Control and Ritual Abuse: A Training Manual for Therapists, is the most comprehensive book written to date on this topic. Dr. Miller discusses all of the techniques needed to help survivors of these crimes. Her book is easy to read and understand. It explains ways to work with trauma survivors in a compassionate, respectful, and comprehensive manner. Her many years of experience and research provide a unique guide into helping mind control and ritual abuse survivors. I have been proud to work with Dr. Miller in both Survivorship (survivorship.org) and SMART (ritualabuse.us). Every time I attend one of her workshops or webinars or read one of her books, I learn more about our field, myself, and ways to help other survivors.’
Neil Brick, editor and conference coordinator for SMARTNews at https://ritualabuse.us 

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Ritual Abuse Conference - August 2024, New sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein, Megachurch pastor “inappropriate sexual behavior”

                    

 
The 2024 Online Ritual Abuse Conference August 10 – 11, 2024  Information about the conference is at https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/ 

The speakers include Dr. Alison Miller, Adah Sachs PhD, Dr. Lynn Brunet, Patricia Quinn and Michael Skinner. We are offering special low prices until July 15, 2024. Please feel free to write smartnews@aol.com for more information.

 
 
NYC prosecutors intend to bring new sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein ahead of retrial By  PHILIP MARCELO  July 9, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan prosecutors said Tuesday that they intend to bring new sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein as they anticipate a November retrial for the disgraced media mogul.

Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said in court that prosecutors are actively pursuing claims of rape that occurred in Manhattan within the statute of limitations.
She said some potential survivors that were not ready to step forward during Weinstein’s first New York trial have indicated they are now willing to testify.

But when pressed by the judge, Blumberg said prosecutors have not yet brought their findings to a grand jury. She also said she could not provide the court a timeline for when their investigation will be complete.

“The People are still investigating in a trauma-informed manner,” she said. “That is an ongoing process.”....

Among those in the packed courtroom Tuesday was Jessica Mann, the former actor Weinstein was convicted of raping his 2020 trial.
Mann did not speak to reporters but prosecutors have said she is prepared to testify against Weinstein again.

Weinstein’s other accuser, Mimi Haley, did not attend Tuesday’s hearing and has expressed reluctance about going through the trauma of testifying again. Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, said in an email Tuesday that her client has not yet made her decision about participating in the retrial.

The Associated Press does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named, as Haley and Mann have.
Weinstein has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual....

In April, New York’s highest court threw out Weinstein’s rape conviction after determining the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women that were not part of the case.
The ruling reopened a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures. The #MeToo era began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein.

Weinstein, who had been serving a 23-year sentence in New York, was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and is still sentenced to 16 years in prison in California. But in an appeal filed last month in California’s Second District Court of Appeal, Weinstein’s lawyers argued he did not get a fair trial in Los Angeles. 
 https://apnews.com/article/harvey-weinstein-sexual-misconduct-retrial-metoo-3d7151343d25ee65c3cb7849100e4fa0 

Lawyer for megachurch pastor blamed 12-year-old for initiating ‘inappropriate’ sexual conduct  Letters sent in 2007 by a lawyer for Robert Morris shed light on how the pastor explained his past sexual behavior with a child — and who else might have known about it. Pastor resigns from church after child sex abuse allegation  July 9, 2024 By Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton

In 1982, pastor Robert Morris was a 21-year-old husband and father who  traveled the country telling young people about Jesus. Cindy Clemishire was a 12-year-old girl who dressed in flowery pink pajamas and still liked to play with Barbie dolls.

On Christmas that year, Morris — who would go on to found Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, and become a leading figure in the American evangelical movement — began what he would later describe as “inappropriate sexual behavior” with Clemishire while he was staying at her parents’ home in Oklahoma. Clemishire said Morris told her to come see him in his room before bed, and she was the type of girl who listened to instructions from trusted adults.

But 25 years later, when Clemishire hired an attorney and threatened to sue Morris, accusing him of repeatedly molesting her as a child, a lawyer representing Morris responded by blaming Clemishire for what happened to her, according to 2007 correspondence obtained by NBC News.

“It was your client,” wrote lawyer J. Shelby Sharpe, referring to Clemishire at age 12, “who initiated inappropriate behavior by coming into my client’s bedroom and getting in bed with him, which my client should not have allowed to happen.

The Feb. 6, 2007, letter was one in a series of exchanges that year between Sharpe and Gentner Drummond, a lawyer who represented Clemishire at the time. Clemishire said in an interview last week she had been seeking $50,000 in restitution from Morris to cover the cost of counseling. Morris, through his lawyer, instead offered to pay $25,000, but the talks fell apart, Clemishire said, because she was not willing to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
Drummond, who is now Oklahoma’s attorney general, confirmed Clemishire’s description of the 2007 negotiations and declined to comment further.

Monday, June 10, 2024

The 2024 Online Annual Ritual Abuse and Mind Control Conference August 10 – 11, 2024

 

The 2024 Online Annual Ritual Abuse and Mind Control Conference August 10 – 11, 2024

Information about the conference is at https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/

The speakers include Dr. Alison Miller, Adah Sachs PhD, Dr. Lynn Brunet, Patricia Quinn and Michael Skinner. They are offering special low prices until July 1, 2024. Please feel free to write smartnews@aol.com for more information.

Dr. Alison Miller will speak about Stabilizing and Healing Techniques for Survivors. Survivors have front people and insiders, parts hidden inside, who react to things in the present as if it was the past. Front people have been trained to be in denial about the history of abuse and about the existence of other inside people. Survivors' overreactions to things in the present come from the insiders. Dr. Alison Miller is a retired clinical psychologist who practised for over forty years, specializing for the last twenty-five years in survivors of ritual abuse and mind control. Her new book, Demystifying Mind Control and Ritual Abuse: A Manual for Therapists, is coming out in October 2024. 

Dr. Lynn Brunet will speak about Traces of Masonic Ritual Abuse in Carl Jung's Red Book and Black Books. Jung recorded these experiences in journals that he called the Black Books and The Red Book. In late 2018 the Answer to Jung: Making Sense of The Red Book was published. This study demonstrates that Jung's fantasies are not entirely original but that their plots, characters, settings and symbolism are remarkably similar to some of the higher degree rituals of Continental Freemasonry. Lynn Brunet (PhD) is an Australian art historian, artist and survivor of Masonic ritual abuse.

Adah Sachs PhD will speak about Attachment Reationship in DID: Survival, Destruction and Healing. Attachment is a survival instinct. It makes any newborn, from elephant to human to robin reach out and attach to another, because the newborn’s life depends on protection and care. This presentation, however, will discuss in depth how the life preserving instinct of attachment may be corrupted by trauma and abuse, and become a vehicle for harm and destruction. In families where abuse is an inevitable part of life (such as RA families), the intense distress and terror experienced by the child (or adult) intensifies their attachment needs. Adah Sachs PhD is an attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapist and a member of the Bowlby Centre. She has worked for decades with adults and adolescents in psychiatric care, as consultant psychotherapist at the Clinic for Dissociative Studies and as head of psychotherapy for one of the London boroughs, now retired.

Patricia Quinn will speak about Exploring Our Many Facets Through SoulCollage (C). SoulCollage's popularity has spread worldwide because of its appeal and elevation of our inner awareness of ourselves and our world. Patricia Quinn MS, ATR-BC, LCAT, NBCCH is an artist and art therapist in private practice in Orange, NY who worked as an addiction clinician and prevention director and supervisor for 23 years.   

Michael Skinner will speak about Musical Performance and Sharing About Why His Songs Were Written. Michael Skinner will perform and share about why the songs being shared were written. He uses his music for healing and in speaking out as an advocate addressing the concerns of trauma, abuse and mental health. Michael Skinner is an award-winning advocate, educator, writer and critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, guitarist, addressing the issues of trauma, abuse and mental health concerns.

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

The Survivorship Trafficking and Extreme Abuse Online Conference 2024 Presentations


The Survivorship Trafficking and Extreme Abuse Online Conference 2024 Presentations https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-trafficking-and-extreme-abuse-online-conference-2024-presentations/

Conference Videos and PowerPoints from Dr. Randy Noblitt, Dr. Lynn Brunet, Patricia Quinn, Dr. Rainer Kurz and Neil Brick

Conference Speakers

The Survivorship Trafficking and Extreme Abuse Online Conference 2024 https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-trafficking-and-extreme-abuse-online-conference-2024

Clinicians can contribute to the well being of extreme abuse survivors directly by providing competent professional services. We can also assist by training graduate students who will become future clinicians. Folz and colleagues (2023) found deficits in trauma-informed training in their sample of 193 APA-accredited clinical psychology programs. Only 5% required a course relevant to trauma-informed care, resulting in only 8% of graduates receiving such formal training. We will discuss opportunities for being a college or university guest speaker, adjunct faculty and core faculty member. Participants will also discuss leading topics and trends in the contemporary trauma and dissociation literature.

Randy Noblitt is a professor of Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University, Los Angeles and a licensed psychologist in Texas. He has evaluated and treated extreme abuse survivors clinically since 1979. He has authored three editions of the book Cult and Ritual Abuse with Pam Noblitt (1995, 2000, 2014). Together they also edited Ritual Abuse in the 21st Century (2008) and they have authored a recent book, Navigating Social Security Disability Programs: A Handbook for Clinicians and Advocates (2020). https://ritualabuse.us/smart/randy-noblitt/

Tackling Complex Trauma Assessment Problems with Cybernetic Big 5 Theory Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz

This presentation draws on contemporary personality assessment theory to illustrate opportunities and risks when using psychometric questionnaires in situations where extreme abuse has been alleged. DeYoung (2015) outlined a comprehensive ‘Cybernetic Big 5 Theory’ that revolves around the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality that psychologists converged on (e.g. Digman, 1990). Digman (1997) found that Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Low Neuroticism form a meta-factor ‘Alpha’ whereas Extraversion and Openness form a meta-factor ‘Beta’. DeYoung refers to these as Stability and Plasticity respectively and associates them with serotonergic and dopaminergic systems. Furthermore, DeYoung differentiates two Aspects for each of the Big 5. Johnson (2014) developed public domain versions of the ‘gold standard’ Big 5 personality questionnaire NEO which can be used free-of-charge: https://drj.virtualave.net/IPIP/index.html

The application of NEO IPIP and NEO-PI-3 to challenge poor assessment practice in a case of alleged organized child sexual abuse/exploitation will be illustrated including item level nuances (Stewart et al., 2022). Another case study will illustrate results of a multi-tool assessment of a self-identified survivor of extreme abuse using the Big 5 as an organizing framework in line with Bainbridge et al. (2022). A third case study will illustrate the use of Great 8 Totals (Kurz, 2014) as a proxy for the General Factor of Personality (Musek, 2008), conceptually the opposite of the general factor of psychopathology (Forbes et al., 2021), to challenge misleading results on the Millon MCMI questionnaire. The presentation shows how Cybernetic Big 5 Theory can help to overcome complex psychological assessment practice problems.

Rainer Kurz is a Chartered Psychologist based in London. Since 1990 Rainer has worked in Research & Development roles for leading test publishers. His PhD dissertation was on enhancing the validity and utility of ability testing. Rainer developed 50+ psychometric tests and authored more than 100 publications. He is a Consultant Editor for Test Reviews at the Psychometric Testing Centre (PTC) of the BPS. Rainer has been investigating complex trauma assessment problems since 2012. He presented 30+ posters on trauma, dissociation and healing at international peer-reviewed conferences that are available here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rainer_Kurz2

Ritual Abuse, Sex Trafficking and Mind Control Neil Brick

This presentation will explain how ritual abuse, mind control, and different suggestive techniques work to control sex trafficking survivors (Karriker, 2008). The presenter will describe different historical examples of how mind control and ritual abuse have been used. Legal cases will also be discussed from various parts of the world (McGonigle, 1999; New York Times, 1988). Research studies, like the Extreme Abuse Survivors Survey, will be presented, as well as examples of different cults and their techniques (Hassan, 2018).

Mental health diagnoses, like Dissociative Identity Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and their origins in sex trafficking survivors will be explained. The presenter will discuss his personal experiences of being in a cult as a child experiencing torture, sexual abuse, and mind control techniques. The forced development of these diagnoses and their symptoms will be connected to how they are used to control sex trafficking survivors. Ways to expose and prevent ritual abuse, mind control, and sex trafficking will be discussed. Finally, there will be a discussion of the future of advocacy efforts to stop ritual abuse, sex trafficking, and mind control.

Masonic Ritual Abuse: Its Characteristics, Prevalence and Expression in Western Art and Culture. Dr. Lynn Brunet

This presentation will examine the subject of Masonic ritual abuse. Based on the presenter’s personal experience and accumulated art historical research over the last two decades it asks a series of questions about its prevalence, how it is similar and different to other forms of ritual abuse, how it is expressed in art and culture and what its implications are for us today. Freemasonry is sometimes described as the ‘cult of the establishment’ and there is a great deal of material available about it and its rituals that can enable research into its practices, which is not necessarily the case for other cults.

The research, to date, suggests that the children of Freemasons are particularly vulnerable to abuse, but while they might be struggling internally with something inexplicably profound, disturbing or terrifying, they may not necessarily appear at a therapist’s office as many of them are encouraged by their abusers to express their trauma in creative ways. Driven to obsessively release the effects of the trauma, this can become a lifelong way of coping, resulting in the creation of cultural artefacts that are imbued with the traces of cruel ritual practices without the creators themselves being consciously aware of their source.

Uses of Art Therapy, Sensory Awareness and EMDR in Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)  Patricia Quinn

This presentation will describe the fluid uses of art therapy, Sensory Awareness and EMDR in treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). The didactic portion will entail justification for using each modality, the benefit if the client being able to choose a treatment modality themselves, and examples of their clinical use with two clients with very different levels of access to memories of their past trauma. This effective, responsive healing approach will be useful for all counselors and therapists working in a variety of settings. The general descriptions of client responses may contain triggering content. The presentation contains a calming experiential that combines a body-based relaxation and use of art to counter-act traumatic memory.

None of the material on this page, on linked pages or at the conference is meant as therapy, or to take the place of therapy.

Monday, May 6, 2024

Survivorship Reports Successful Conference - Celebrates 35 Years of Helping Survivors

Survivorship Reports Successful Conference - Celebrates 35 Years of Helping Survivors
 
 
Survivorship reports working hard to support survivors for 35 years. The participants at this year's conference were provided with resources and educational materials to help them learn about trafficking and extreme abuse. https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-trafficking-and-extreme-abuse-online-conference-2024
 
Neil Brick presented "Ritual Abuse, Sex Trafficking and Mind Control." He described how ritual abuse, mind control, and different suggestive techniques work to control sex trafficking survivors. Neil Brick is a survivor of ritualistic abuse. http://neilbrick.com  S.M.A.R.T. https://ritualabuse.us
 
Dr. Lynn Brunet discussed "Masonic Ritual Abuse: Its Characteristics, Prevalence and Expression in Western Art and Culture." She examined the subject of Masonic ritual abuse. She asked a series of questions about how it is expressed in art and culture. Lynn Brunet (PhD) is an Australian art historian, artist, and survivor of Masonic ritual abuse. Her research examines the coupling of trauma and ritual in modern and contemporary Western art and literature.
 
Patricia Quinn spoke about "Uses of Art Therapy, Sensory Awareness and EMDR in Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)." She described the fluid uses of art therapy, Sensory Awareness and EMDR in treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). She presented "Using Creative Choice and Flow to Engage Healing States. She described the fluid uses of art therapy in treating complex traumas including Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Patricia Quinn MS, ATR-BC, LCAT, NBCCH is an artist and art therapist in private practice. She has taught courses in art therapy for 30 years.
 
Randy Noblitt PhD discussed "Teaching Trauma and Dissociation in Higher Education." He explained how researchers found deficits in trauma-informed training in their sample of 193 APA-accredited clinical psychology programs. Randy Noblitt is a professor of Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University and a licensed psychologist in Texas. He has evaluated and treated extreme abuse survivors clinically since 1979. https://ritualabuse.us/smart/randy-noblitt/
 
Dr. Rainer Kurz presented "Tackling Complex Trauma Assessment Problems with Cybernetic Big 5 Theory." He explained contemporary personality assessment theory to illustrate opportunities and risks when using psychometric questionnaires in situations where extreme abuse has been alleged. Rainer Kurz is a Chartered Psychologist. Since 1990 Rainer has worked in Research & Development roles for leading test publishers. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rainer_Kurz2
 
There were discussion groups for survivors, including "Recovery Tips for and by Survivors."
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

The Survivorship Trafficking and Extreme Abuse Online Conference May 3 - 5, 2024

 

The Survivorship Trafficking and Extreme Abuse Online Conference May 3 - 5, 2024       
 
copied with permission
                                                     
https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-trafficking-and-extreme-abuse-online-conference-2024 
 
Survivorship

For survivors of ritual abuse, mind control, trafficking and torture and their supporters. https://survivorship.org
 
Survivorship is proud to announce its 2024 conference occurring May 3 – 5, 2024.
 
Low prices until April 24th. Write info@survivorship.org  for more information
 
Speakers:
 
Ritual Abuse, Sex Trafficking and Mind Control - Neil Brick. Describes how ritual abuse, mind control, and different suggestive techniques work to control sex trafficking survivors. Neil Brick is a survivor of ritualistic abuse. http://neilbrick.com  S.M.A.R.T. https://ritualabuse.us
 
Masonic Ritual Abuse: Its Characteristics, Prevalence and Expression in Western Art and Culture. Dr. Lynn Brunet. Examines the subject of Masonic ritual abuse. Asks a series of questions about how it is expressed in art and culture. Lynn Brunet (PhD) is an Australian art historian, artist, and survivor of Masonic ritual abuse. Her research examines the coupling of trauma and ritual in modern and contemporary Western art and literature.
 
Uses of Art Therapy, Sensory Awareness and EMDR in Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) - Patricia Quinn. Describes the fluid uses of art therapy, Sensory Awareness and EMDR in treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
 
Using Creative Choice and Flow to Engage Healing States - Patricia Quinn Describes the fluid uses of art therapy in treating complex traumas including Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Patricia Quinn MS, ATR-BC, LCAT, NBCCH is an artist and art therapist in private practice. She has taught courses in art therapy for 30 years.
 
Teaching Trauma and Dissociation in Higher Education - Randy Noblitt PhD Researchers found deficits in trauma-informed training in their sample of 193 APA-accredited clinical psychology programs. Randy Noblitt is a professor of Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University and a licensed psychologist in Texas. He has evaluated and treated extreme abuse survivors clinically since 1979. https://ritualabuse.us/smart/randy-noblitt/
 
Tackling Complex Trauma Assessment Problems with Cybernetic Big 5 Theory - Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz Draws on contemporary personality assessment theory to illustrate opportunities and risks when using psychometric questionnaires in situations where extreme abuse has been alleged. Rainer Kurz is a Chartered Psychologist. Since 1990 Rainer has worked in Research & Development roles for leading test publishers. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rainer_Kurz2
 
Recovery Tips for and by Survivors - Open discussion for survivors and their helpers.
 
The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT) will coordinate and be responsible for continuing education activities. IVAT is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. IVAT maintains responsibility for this continuing education program and its content. Full information is at
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

The Survivorship Trafficking and Extreme Abuse Online Conference May 2024

 

The Survivorship Trafficking and Extreme Abuse Online Conference 2024

Survivor Conference - Saturday and Sunday May 4 - 5, 2024

Clinician's Conference - Friday May 3, 2024

https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-trafficking-and-extreme-abuse-online-conference-2024

Special Low Prices:

Register and pay before April 20, 2024:

Fri: $150 - clinician’s conference

Sat: $100 regular price - $50 low income survivors

Sun: $100 regular price - $50 low income survivors

 

Conference Speakers

 

Recovery Tips for and by Survivors

Survivors and their helpers have developed a variety of techniques toward healing from traumatic experiences. This presentation will encourage an open discussion of these techniques. Techniques will include those used in individual and group therapy and in survivors’ personal lives. This will be an open discussion for survivors and their helpers. The moderators will be Dr. Randy Noblitt and Neil Brick.

 

Teaching Trauma and Dissociation in Higher Education

Randy Noblitt PhD

 

Clinicians can contribute to the well being of extreme abuse survivors directly by providing competent professional services. We can also assist by training graduate students who will become future clinicians. Folz and colleagues (2023) found deficits in trauma-informed training in their sample of 193 APA-accredited clinical psychology programs. Only 5% required a course relevant to trauma-informed care, resulting in only 8% of graduates receiving such formal training. We will discuss opportunities for being a college or university guest speaker, adjunct faculty and core faculty member. Participants will also discuss leading topics and trends in the contemporary trauma and dissociation literature.

 

Randy Noblitt is a professor of Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University, Los Angeles and a licensed psychologist in Texas. He has evaluated and treated extreme abuse survivors clinically since 1979. He has authored three editions of the book Cult and Ritual Abuse with Pam Noblitt (1995, 2000, 2014). Together they also edited Ritual Abuse in the 21st Century (2008) and they have authored a recent book, Navigating Social Security Disability Programs: A Handbook for Clinicians and Advocates (2020). https://ritualabuse.us/smart/randy-noblitt/

 

Tackling Complex Trauma Assessment Problems with Cybernetic Big 5 Theory Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz

 

This presentation draws on contemporary personality assessment theory to illustrate opportunities and risks when using psychometric questionnaires in situations where extreme abuse has been alleged. DeYoung (2015) outlined a comprehensive ‘Cybernetic Big 5 Theory’ that revolves around the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality that psychologists converged on (e.g. Digman, 1990). Digman (1997) found that Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Low Neuroticism form a meta-factor ‘Alpha’ whereas Extraversion and Openness form a meta-factor ‘Beta’. DeYoung refers to these as Stability and Plasticity respectively and associates them with serotonergic and dopaminergic systems. Furthermore, DeYoung differentiates two Aspects for each of the Big 5. Johnson (2014) developed public domain versions of the ‘gold standard’ Big 5 personality questionnaire NEO which can be used free-of-charge: https://drj.virtualave.net/IPIP/index.html

 

The application of NEO IPIP and NEO-PI-3 to challenge poor assessment practice in a case of alleged organized child sexual abuse/exploitation will be illustrated including item level nuances (Stewart et al., 2022). Another case study will illustrate results of a multi-tool assessment of a self-identified survivor of extreme abuse using the Big 5 as an organizing framework in line with Bainbridge et al. (2022). A third case study will illustrate the use of Great 8 Totals (Kurz, 2014) as a proxy for the General Factor of Personality (Musek, 2008), conceptually the opposite of the general factor of psychopathology (Forbes et al., 2021), to challenge misleading results on the Millon MCMI questionnaire. The presentation shows how Cybernetic Big 5 Theory can help to overcome complex psychological assessment practice problems.

 

Rainer Kurz is a Chartered Psychologist based in London. Since 1990 Rainer has worked in Research & Development roles for leading test publishers. His PhD dissertation was on enhancing the validity and utility of ability testing. Rainer developed 50+ psychometric tests and authored more than 100 publications. He is a Consultant Editor for Test Reviews at the Psychometric Testing Centre (PTC) of the BPS. Rainer has been investigating complex trauma assessment problems since 2012. He presented 30+ posters on trauma, dissociation and healing at international peer-reviewed conferences that are available here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rainer_Kurz2

 

Ritual Abuse, Sex Trafficking and Mind Control Neil Brick

 

This presentation will explain how ritual abuse, mind control, and different suggestive techniques work to control sex trafficking survivors (Karriker, 2008). The presenter will describe different historical examples of how mind control and ritual abuse have been used. Legal cases will also be discussed from various parts of the world (McGonigle, 1999; New York Times, 1988). Research studies, like the Extreme Abuse Survivors Survey, will be presented, as well as examples of different cults and their techniques (Hassan, 2018).

 

Mental health diagnoses, like Dissociative Identity Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and their origins in sex trafficking survivors will be explained. The presenter will discuss his personal experiences of being in a cult as a child experiencing torture, sexual abuse, and mind control techniques. The forced development of these diagnoses and their symptoms will be connected to how they are used to control sex trafficking survivors. Ways to expose and prevent ritual abuse, mind control, and sex trafficking will be discussed. Finally, there will be a discussion of the future of advocacy efforts to stop ritual abuse, sex trafficking, and mind control.

 

Masonic Ritual Abuse: Its Characteristics, Prevalence and Expression in Western Art and Culture. Dr. Lynn Brunet

This presentation will examine the subject of Masonic ritual abuse. Based on the presenter’s personal experience and accumulated art historical research over the last two decades it asks a series of questions about its prevalence, how it is similar and different to other forms of ritual abuse, how it is expressed in art and culture and what its implications are for us today. Freemasonry is sometimes described as the ‘cult of the establishment’ and there is a great deal of material available about it and its rituals that can enable research into its practices, which is not necessarily the case for other cults.

 

The research, to date, suggests that the children of Freemasons are particularly vulnerable to abuse, but while they might be struggling internally with something inexplicably profound, disturbing or terrifying, they may not necessarily appear at a therapist’s office as many of them are encouraged by their abusers to express their trauma in creative ways. Driven to obsessively release the effects of the trauma, this can become a lifelong way of coping, resulting in the creation of cultural artefacts that are imbued with the traces of cruel ritual practices without the creators themselves being consciously aware of their source.

 

Uses of Art Therapy, Sensory Awareness and EMDR in Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)  Patricia Quinn

 

This presentation will describe the fluid uses of art therapy, Sensory Awareness and EMDR in treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). The didactic portion will entail justification for using each modality, the benefit if the client being able to choose a treatment modality themselves, and examples of their clinical use with two clients with very different levels of access to memories of their past trauma. This effective, responsive healing approach will be useful for all counselors and therapists working in a variety of settings. The general descriptions of client responses may contain triggering content. The presentation contains a calming experiential that combines a body-based relaxation and use of art to counter-act traumatic memory.

 

We recommend that survivors bring a safe support person to the online conference who is familiar with the issues ritual abuse survivors may need help with.

 

None of the material on this page, on linked pages or at the conference is meant as therapy, or to take the place of therapy.

 

https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-trafficking-and-extreme-abuse-online-conference-2024