SixofNine! wrote earlier:
In view of the obvious good that you can do with verifiable abuse cases, I suggest you think long and hard about giving credence of any kind to these unverifiable "satanic" ritual stories. Your work is to important to be sidetracked by sensationalism.I emphatically agree!!! This particular, critically important point cannot be over-stated.
An article which brilliantly illustrates the serious limitations that exist within the professional legal and psychiatric systems to address the issue at hand is found in Esquire magazine, March, 1994 issue, page 76 entitled The Lost Daughter: How one American family got caught up in today's witches' brew of sexual abuse, the Sybil syndrome, and the perverse ministrations of the therapy police by John Taylor. I love this article for its salient directness; I also totally hate this article because it encourages the (understandable) sentiment to dismiss the legitimacy of ANY and ALL cases of this sickening topic. Accummulating, managing or analyzing the available data, in fact even IDENTIFYING it as pertinent - is difficult, if not impossible; any who wander into this quagmire of shit with the motive to assist are at extreme risk of any number of unpredictable outcomes, the least of which can annhiliate their professional and personal lives in a heartbeat.
I can provide scanned copies of the article if it is inaccessible on the net, if anyone is interested.
some other links for the brave and/or curious:
Forensic Considerations in Ritual Trauma Cases Description: "Occasionally, a person writes an article that is outstanding, clear, and definitive. Ms. Gillotte has done this in this article, and her work shows the effects of ritual trauma on small children, and explains wh it is often difficult for them to disclose their abuse.
From Paragraph 1: "Cases involving child sexual abuse, as well as other types of abuse, sometimes involve allegations that are unusually bizarre, or even incredible in nature. Such cases may actually be indicative of a far more complex and sinister form of abuse known as ritual trauma. While much is known about the dynamics of ritual trauma, very few professionals have the training necessary to effectively recognize and assess such cases. As a consequence, the bizarre nature of a child's behaviors and/or disclosures often leads professionals to discount the child's allegations of abuse altogether."
From Paragraph 2: "This material is designed to assist and educate virtually every level of professional in the system dealing with child abuse in recognizing ritual trauma and understanding its basic dynamics. In addition to providing a workable definition for ritual trauma and describing its common elements, professionals are provided a comprehensive checklist of signs and symptoms..."
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/ritual_abuse/63761
Satanic Ritual Abuse: The Evidence Surfaces Site's description of article: "This is one of the best articles I have ever read on the reality of ritual abuse with evidence cited that makes disbelief difficult"
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/ritual_abuse/80394
Prejudice Against Survivors "This article discusses the experiences of prejudice in the community and church that survivors of ritual abuse have undergone."
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/ritual_abuse/78508
Bleckkk,
lauralisa