42 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 10, 2019
induce dissociative states and create new
internal, or “alter,” identities (Miller, 2012).
Abuse of children within cultic settings may
also follow a nonritualized course, with children
subjected to sexual, physical, and/or
psychological abuse that is not directly related to
ritualized programming. Although nonritualized
abuse may be perpetrated as a means of
asserting control through violence, such abuse is
not associated with prescribed rituals or
ceremonies. In my clinical experience, not all
cults practice ritual abuse, nor due all groups
who may be classified as cults necessarily
engage in ritual abuse of its members. For those
groups who engage in abuse of their members
(and/or members’ children), the level of sadism
exercised in ritual versus nonritualized abuse is
individualized and inconsistent thus, the “level
of sadism” of ritual abuse cannot be generally
stated. The case of “Sarah,” described in the
following text, illustrates that severely sadistic
abuse can occur as an isolated event or isolated
events with individual cult members or persons
not explicitly affiliated with the cult.
The instances of abuse I discuss in this
manuscript include both ritualized and
nonritualized sadistic abuse, and also incest.
Sadistic abuse is defined as “extreme adverse
experiences” wherein the perpetrator derives
pleasure from the suffering of the victim(s), and
it includes “acts of torture, overcontrol, and
terrorization, ...ritual involvements, and
malevolent emotional abuse” (Goodwin, 1993,
p. 181). The sadistic nature of the traumatic
content I describe in this manuscript may be
disturbing for some readers, particularly those
individuals who have survived abuse or
violence. I encourage readers to use discretion
should the material shared here elicit a strong
negative response.
The organized and systemic nature of ritualized
trauma includes multiple experiences of torture,
threats of death to self and loved ones, and
exposure to gruesome scenes. Children
subjected to ritual abuse are often brought into
the abuse by a trusted loved one or caregiver and
are subjected to repeated exposure throughout
childhood. This repeated victimization affects
development of emotional regulation and
interpersonal skills (Cloitre et al., 2009), and it
impairs the individual’s ability to master
developmental milestones. Dr. Bessel van der
Kolk (2005) labeled the disruption of victims’
lifespan development and resulting
symptomology as developmental trauma
disorder.
Developmental Trauma Disorder: Framework
for Presenting Problem
DTD accounts for the complex nature of
traumatic stress when the client has experienced
ongoing trauma at the hands of caregivers that
extends over multiple developmental periods
(Bremness &Polzin, 2014). Van der Kolk and
colleagues (2009) proposed the addition of DTD
to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-
5), but they were unsuccessful. The DSM-5
maintains posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
as the only diagnosis that explains the
symptomology attributed to traumatic
experience. Although DTD is not officially
acknowledged as a diagnosis by the American
Psychiatric Association (APA), the symptoms
outlined in DTD consist of consensus criteria
developed by the National Child Traumatic
Stress Network (NCTSN). These criteria were
derived from numerous longitudinal studies that
utilized diagnostic interviews to explore the
experience of children who have been exposed
to complex trauma to include ritual and cult
abuse (Bremness &Polzin, 2014).
DTD provides practitioners with a
comprehensive outline for understanding the
spectrum of symptoms and altered perception
experienced by survivors of ritual abuse.
Individuals with DTD experienced multiple
traumatic exposures that incited “intense affects
such as rage, betrayal, fear resignation, defeat
and shame,” and caused the child/adult survivor
to engage in “efforts to ward off the recurrence
of those emotions” these efforts included
avoiding experiences that preceded the trauma
or “engaging in behaviors that convey a
subjective sense of control in the face of
potential threats” (van der Kolk et al., 2009, p.
10). Survivors with DTD experience somatic
problems, from headaches and stomach aches to
induce dissociative states and create new
internal, or “alter,” identities (Miller, 2012).
Abuse of children within cultic settings may
also follow a nonritualized course, with children
subjected to sexual, physical, and/or
psychological abuse that is not directly related to
ritualized programming. Although nonritualized
abuse may be perpetrated as a means of
asserting control through violence, such abuse is
not associated with prescribed rituals or
ceremonies. In my clinical experience, not all
cults practice ritual abuse, nor due all groups
who may be classified as cults necessarily
engage in ritual abuse of its members. For those
groups who engage in abuse of their members
(and/or members’ children), the level of sadism
exercised in ritual versus nonritualized abuse is
individualized and inconsistent thus, the “level
of sadism” of ritual abuse cannot be generally
stated. The case of “Sarah,” described in the
following text, illustrates that severely sadistic
abuse can occur as an isolated event or isolated
events with individual cult members or persons
not explicitly affiliated with the cult.
The instances of abuse I discuss in this
manuscript include both ritualized and
nonritualized sadistic abuse, and also incest.
Sadistic abuse is defined as “extreme adverse
experiences” wherein the perpetrator derives
pleasure from the suffering of the victim(s), and
it includes “acts of torture, overcontrol, and
terrorization, ...ritual involvements, and
malevolent emotional abuse” (Goodwin, 1993,
p. 181). The sadistic nature of the traumatic
content I describe in this manuscript may be
disturbing for some readers, particularly those
individuals who have survived abuse or
violence. I encourage readers to use discretion
should the material shared here elicit a strong
negative response.
The organized and systemic nature of ritualized
trauma includes multiple experiences of torture,
threats of death to self and loved ones, and
exposure to gruesome scenes. Children
subjected to ritual abuse are often brought into
the abuse by a trusted loved one or caregiver and
are subjected to repeated exposure throughout
childhood. This repeated victimization affects
development of emotional regulation and
interpersonal skills (Cloitre et al., 2009), and it
impairs the individual’s ability to master
developmental milestones. Dr. Bessel van der
Kolk (2005) labeled the disruption of victims’
lifespan development and resulting
symptomology as developmental trauma
disorder.
Developmental Trauma Disorder: Framework
for Presenting Problem
DTD accounts for the complex nature of
traumatic stress when the client has experienced
ongoing trauma at the hands of caregivers that
extends over multiple developmental periods
(Bremness &Polzin, 2014). Van der Kolk and
colleagues (2009) proposed the addition of DTD
to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-
5), but they were unsuccessful. The DSM-5
maintains posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
as the only diagnosis that explains the
symptomology attributed to traumatic
experience. Although DTD is not officially
acknowledged as a diagnosis by the American
Psychiatric Association (APA), the symptoms
outlined in DTD consist of consensus criteria
developed by the National Child Traumatic
Stress Network (NCTSN). These criteria were
derived from numerous longitudinal studies that
utilized diagnostic interviews to explore the
experience of children who have been exposed
to complex trauma to include ritual and cult
abuse (Bremness &Polzin, 2014).
DTD provides practitioners with a
comprehensive outline for understanding the
spectrum of symptoms and altered perception
experienced by survivors of ritual abuse.
Individuals with DTD experienced multiple
traumatic exposures that incited “intense affects
such as rage, betrayal, fear resignation, defeat
and shame,” and caused the child/adult survivor
to engage in “efforts to ward off the recurrence
of those emotions” these efforts included
avoiding experiences that preceded the trauma
or “engaging in behaviors that convey a
subjective sense of control in the face of
potential threats” (van der Kolk et al., 2009, p.
10). Survivors with DTD experience somatic
problems, from headaches and stomach aches to
