Cult and Ritual Abuse

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.

James Randall Noblitt, PhD, is professor of clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in Los Angeles, CA. Pamela Perskin Noblitt is a non-attorney representative advocating on behalf of Social Security Disability claimants.

Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 The Church in Thetford Forest Chapter 2 On the Borderline Chapter 3 Entering Uncharted Territory Chapter 4 Multiple Personalities Chapter 5 Possession, Ritual Abuse, and Dissociation Chapter 6 Empirical and Forensic Evidence of Ritual Abuse Chapter 7 Breaking the Code Chapter 8 The African Connection Chapter 9 Other Cultures Chapter 10 1990: The Year of the Awakening Chapter 11 Investigating Western Occultism Chapter 12 An Introduction to Wicca Chapter 13 Satanism? Chapter 14 Nihilists and Revisionists Chapter 15 The Politics of Psychotherapy Chapter 16 The Media Chapter 17 Will "the System" Protect Them? Chapter 18 Cult and Ritual Trauma Disorder Chapter 19 Where Do We Go from Here? Appendix A Cult and Ritual Trauma Disorder: A Proposed Diagnosis in DSM Format Appendix B Letter from the FBI, January 18, 1993 Notes References Name Index Subject Index About the Authors