Introduction
This topic is extremely challenging. Virtually every aspect of learning and communicating about it is difficult. But here you can build your knowledge methodically and view information that has been presented with neutrality and care.
For those unfamiliar, this will be an eye-opening process. And for those engaged in this topic, it will give you the clarity to help others begin to understand.
It’s vital to have a strong grasp of the terminology related to this subject. Throughout Bird’s Eye View content, you’ll see the following foundational assumption (and you can use it, too): In order to discuss something productively, we need to begin with a common vocabulary. This section on terminology will help you to gain clarity and, as you’re ready, it will help to build a bridge of understanding for others.
Trigger Warning
Nothing here is sensationalized or gratuitous, but it includes frank (and therefore horrific) descriptions and examples of ritual abuse and trauma-based mind control.
If you are in a healthy state of balance, then becoming educated about these monstrous crimes can help you to bear witness for those who have endured unimaginable trauma, preparing you to be a powerful ally for truth, justice and healing.
However, your individual health and healing is of primary importance. In order for the content here to serve a productive purpose, you need to be well-resourced — not re-traumatized. Please be cautious. For information that is less potentially triggering, please see About Trauma or Trauma-Based Victimization: Healing Resources.
Trauma
- When a person experiences a psychologically overwhelming experience, we call this trauma.
- Trauma “creates something like an injury in our autonomic nervous system.” (source)
- Trauma overwhelms the individual’s ability to cope or integrate the ideas and emotions involved in the experience.
- Learn more: Unresolved Trauma
Dissociation
Humans have a neurological mechanism to survive trauma: a natural, protective response that dissociates the experience so that the person can endure the pain and horror, and continue to go on.
- Dissociation is the separation of things that are usually together.
- In the case of trauma, dissociation refers to specific psychological processes that naturally happen and change the way a person experiences themselves.
- The processes of dissociation are described with various clinical terms and diagnoses such as depersonalization, derealization, dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder.
- Learn more: A Foundational Understanding and Torture & The Science of Mind Control
Trauma Memory Processes
- While a typical memory is of a whole event (sights, sounds, feelings and meaning are all associated), dissociation causes the event to be separated from meaning or feelings, and various parts of the event are stored separately.
- Thus, memory recall of dissociated events is unlike typical memory where all associated elements are recalled at once.
- Dissociated memories are recalled in fragments, perhaps as a “flash” without the typical context. Sights can be separated from sounds, which can be separated from feelings and so on.
- In the case of severe child abuse, “many events are experienced in a state of shock, stored in a dissociative state, and recalled in fragments.” (source)
- Over time, survivors may recall enough fragments to piece together the event which caused the mind to dissociate at the time of the trauma.
- Learn more: A Foundational Understanding and Torture & The Science of Mind Control
Clinical Terminology & Diagnoses
Dissociative disorders are mental disorders that involve experiencing a disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions and identity. People with dissociative disorders escape reality in ways that are involuntary and unhealthy and cause problems with functioning in everyday life. Dissociative disorders usually develop as a reaction to trauma and help keep difficult memories at bay. Symptoms — ranging from amnesia to alternate identities — depend in part on the type of dissociative disorder you have.
— Mayo Clinic
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) / MPD & DDNOS
- Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) was previously called Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). It is a clinical diagnosis characterized by the presence of two or more dissociated states that periodically take control of the individual’s behavior.
- Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS) is a close variant of DID. Miller explains that in both DID and DDNOS, separate ego states switch behind an apparently normal presenting personality but that “DID is distinguished by the fact that inside parts periodically take over and act in the outside world, leaving the main personality with amnesia about what happened during these time periods. Both dissociative disorders prevent the secrets of abuser groups from being discovered.
- The dissociated states are what may be called “alternate personalities” or “alters.” However, expert Alison Miller cautions, “Be careful about using the word “alter” with your client. Many multiples, especially ritual abuse survivors, have a negative reaction to that word, usually because of its resemblance to the word, ‘altar,’ a central feature in both church and occult rituals.”
- Learn more: A Foundational Understanding and Torture & The Science of Mind Control
Mind Control / Trauma-Based Mind Control (MC)
- In some settings the term “mind control” may refer to any tactics designed to control another by influencing their beliefs and behaviors, through such techniques as propaganda and gaslighting. Trauma-based mind control (MC) is different, specifically referring to the manipulation of the natural trauma response of dissociation.
- MC is the deliberate splitting of the psyche to create and control alternate aspects or personalities. This means that part of a person’s mind has been “programmed” (through unimaginably sadistic, traumatic “training”) to obey orders while another part of the mind is unaware of the programming.
- This enables the psychopathic controller to have both a slave and secrecy. A person programmed in this way can be made to serve as a spy, assassin, drug runner, sexual slave and so on.
- The techniques of MC have been scientifically perfected in the years following Operation Paperclip and include many forms of drugs and sadistic torture, including drowning and near-death experiences, painful electroshock, gang rape and bestiality.
- Learn more: A Foundational Understanding and Torture & The Science of Mind Control
Ritual Abuse (RA)
- Ritual Abuse refers to the organizers and the setting surrounding some forms of Trauma-Based Mind Control.
- RA is the “prolonged, extreme, sadistic abuse, especially of children, within a group setting. The group’s ideology is used to justify the abuse, and abuse is used to teach the group’s ideology. The activities are kept secret from society at large, as they violate norms and laws.” (source)
- Some definitions of RA include or allude to the manipulation of dissociative states such as: “abuse that occurs in a ceremonial or circumscribed manner for the purpose of creating or manipulating already created alter mental states. ” (Noblitt)
- RA often involves extreme, sadistic, repetitious torture, brainwashing for the purpose of indoctrination and control, drugs, sexual abuse, and attempts to control the soul. (See here for a more specific list of examples.)
Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA)
- “The repetitive and systematic sexual, physical, and psychological abuse of children by adults as part of cult or Satanic worship.” (Kelley)
- Satanic cult abuse was the first ritual abuse discovered by mental health professionals and thus earlier definitions of ritual abuse (from the 1980s) focused on its religious (specifically Satanic) aspects. Now it is known that religious and Satanic groups perform RA as do non-religious groups.
Flashback
- Due to the dissociation inherent in trauma, “the sensory fragments of memory intrude into the present, where they are literally relived.” (Bessel van der Kolk MD)
- Flashbacks can occur at any time, during wake or sleep.
A flashback is a dissociated memory that returns to consciousness. It can be a smell, a taste, a sound, a picture, an emotion, or all these things together. It can last a moment, or linger on for weeks… All these are fragmented memories rising up into consciousness. They can be extremely vivid and can appear to be happening in the present. The more fragments come together at the same time, the more intense the flashback. Flashbacks are terrifying if you don’t know what they are, and if you don’t realize they will eventually stop. Experiencing flashbacks doesn’t mean you are going crazy – it means that you are at a point in your life when you are able to deal with things that you couldn’t cope with earlier. They tend to lose their intensity when you have assembled the fragments into a coherent memory, talked about it, cried about it, and absorbed the memory into your life.
— Survivorship
Triggers & Cues
A trigger is something that brings a memory or feeling to consciousness. Triggers “are catalysts, so to speak.” (source)
The term is used broadly. For example, a trigger can refer to:
- A rude comment that triggers a feeling of inadequacy and fear experienced from childhood bullying.
- The sound of a car backfiring that triggers a battlefield memory of artillery fire.
- A hand signal, telephone call or greeting card that has been programmed via MC to be triggers for particular actions.
The word “cue” ‘is usually used more narrowly and refers specifically to a trigger that activates a program.” (source)
Screen Memory
In mind control, a screen memory is a memory planted to hide (screen) another memory. Victims who have regained their memory have reported various techniques that perpetrators use to implant screen memories, including:
- A real event
- A hypnotically induced memory
- Staged scenes
- Computer-generated or virtual reality experiences
Virtual reality programming (VR) is a form of programming that has become more and more widely used… It involves the person being placed in VR headsets and suit while a cult-created VR disk is used to run the program. It can be used to create 3D and holographic images, and especially is useful in scripted programming, and target practice sequences for assassin training. Under hypnosis, the person will really believe they are in the scene. Virtually any scenario can be recreated. Images to be “burned in” will be… reinforced repetitively… Some trainers feel it removes the element of “human error” in training, and use it quite extensively.
— Svali, RA survivor
Sources & Resources
See here for a list of sources and resources for the entire Trauma-Based Victimization section.
