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AND OTHER CONSEQUENCESOF
CULT-INVOLVED TRAUMA
PRESENTED BY:DONI P. WHITSETT, PH.D; LCSW
CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORKUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Affect Regulation
PTSD as a disorder of affect (emotional) regulation
Cornerstone of good mental health
Affect dysregulation the basis of mental illness
Re-experiencing
Intrusiv
e
thoughts
Nightmare
s
flashback
s
Avoidance
Hyperarousal
RemindersHyperarousal
Angry outburstsStartle response
Lacks concentration Insomnia
THREE PRONGS OF PTSD
Complex PTSD
Complex PTSD
Alteration in regulation of affect and impulses a. affect regulation b. modulation of anger c. self-destructive d. suicidal preoccupation e. difficulty modulating sexual
involvementf. excessive risk taking
Alteration in attention or consciousness a. amnesia b. depersonalization c. transient dissociate episodes
Somatization a. digestive system b. chronic pain c. cardiopulmonary symptoms d. conversion symptoms e. sexual symptoms
Source: van der Kolk, B. & Fisler, R. (1994). Childhood abuse and neglect and loss of self-regulation. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic. 58(2)
Alteration in self-perception a. ineffectiveness b. permanent damage c. guilt and responsibility d. shame e. nobody can understand f. minimizing
Alterations in perception of perpetrator a. adopting distorted beliefs b. preoccupation with hurting perpetrator c. idealization of the perpetrator
Alterations in relationships with other a. inability to trust b. victimizing others c. revictimization
Alterations in systems of meaning a. despair and hopelessness b. loss of previously sustaining
beliefs
Affect Regulation
Ability to calm oneself downAbility to enliven oneselfMother first acts as psychobiological
regulatorBrain sprouts axons and dendrites within a
secure attachmentBaby takes on the self soothing and enlivening functions for herself
Brain Development
Optimal Brain Development
Strong connections up and down between higher and lower cortical regions
Thinking + feeling = good judgment
The Cult Parent
Pre-occupied with cult activities
Children hinder their cult-defined goal
In child-like position vis a vis cult leader
Parents as “middle management”
Hebian Axiom
Neurons that fire together wire together.
Donald Hebb
The Stress Response
Faced with immediate danger Cortisol and Epinephrine are released
HPA Axis Feedback loop Danger is over – return to baseline
“Toxic stress caused by significant adversity can produce physiological disruptions that undermine the development of the body stress response systems and affect the architecture of the developing brain ….” (www.developingchild.harvard.edu/library)
Effects of Chronic Stress
Impaired stress response
Hippocampal damage
Dissociation Cults practice dissociative techniques
Chronic Sympathetic Arousal
Anorexia IBS
SensitizationKindling Hippocampal
Cell Death GI Tract
Respiration Skin
Headaches Pain
Lewis, Kelly, Allen (2004) Restoring Hopeand Trust. Baltimore, MD. Sidran Inst. P.57
Other Emotional Consequences
Guilt and ShameSpiritual abuseMoralitySelf-fulfilling prophesyThe spousal relationship
Attachments threaten leader Reparation Identification with the aggressor (leader)