From: mjs23x@gmail.com   
      
   Myths, Facts and Beliefs of Ritual Abuse    
      
   Believing is harder    
   than dismissing.    
   To believe is to trust    
   Believing saves lives    
   Other articles about ritual abuse.    
   click on links below    
   Ritual Abuse Index    
   Ritual Abuse:      
   Definition. Evidence.    
        
   Ritual Abuse:    
   Why don't they tell?    
   Ritual Abuse:    
   What are the rituals    
   Ritual Abuse:    
   Why is it so hard to believe?    
      
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   There are a wide range of beliefs and myths regarding ritualised abuse and the   
   survivors of it. If people could only keep a more open mind rather than simply   
   believing what they read in the press or have heard on the grapevine, we might   
   eventually arrive    
   at the more factual information. If we close our minds and dismiss accounts of   
   survivors of anything, we will never know the truth. Even if it turns out that   
   only one person in the world has experienced ritual abuse, in any of its   
   forms, we need to know    
   about it.    
                                            Facts and Myths    
        
   Ritual abuse doesn't happen    
   !    
   The same worldwide disbelief happened when adult survivors of child sexual   
   abuse first spoke out. Many people denied its existence. Survivors have no   
   investment in lying, only abusers do. Many people do not believe survivors,   
   yet more and more come    
   forward and tell of their experiences. There are documented cases from   
   different parts of the world, including cases which have been proven in the   
   courtroom. It therefore does happen.    
        
   Ritual abuse is in some way different from other forms of abuse    
   !    
   All abuse is ritualised and organised to some degree and is based on an abuse   
   of power. While there may be differences in the specifics of any abuse and   
   even in the beliefs of the abusers, ritual abuse is similar to other forms of   
   abuse. It may be more    
   extreme, in some cases, but the effects on survivors are very similar.    
        
   Ritual abuse is worse than other forms of abuse    
   !    
   All abuse is horrendous and can have devastating effects on survivors. It is   
   an individual experience and no one can declare any form of abuse better or   
   worse than any other. Abuse is not a comparative nor competitive thing and the   
   effects on each person    
   will be entirely unique to them.    
        
   Ritual abuse is everywhere    
   !    
   As with all forms of abuse, ritual abuse crosses all boundaries of race,   
   class, culture, etc. It may not be everywhere, but it can certainly happen   
   anywhere. It is not specific to one type of person.    
        
   Ritual abuse happens only in cults    
   !    
   Some does and some does not. Some abusers belong to cults or groups but ritual   
   abuse can also happen within the family setting or an individual basis.    
        
   All ritual abuse is generational i.e. it runs in families    
   !    
   As with all kinds of abuse, most adults have choices. It can be that there is   
   a family history of ritual abuse but survivors do get out of it and end the   
   'tradition'. Some people choose to abuse in this way without any previous   
   history of involvement in    
   ritual abuse. People can be recruited into ritual abuse either directly   
   because they are interested or vulnerable, or indirectly through pornography   
   or prostitution.    
        
   All ritual abuse involves devil worship    
   !    
   Some does, some doesn't. Abusers will use any excuse and/or tactic to hold and   
   maintain their power over survivors including the use of a belief system.   
   Other belief systems besides Satanism may also be used by abusers to take   
   power over individuals,    
   including Christianity.    
        
    Beliefs, Myths and Facts about Survivors of Ritual Abuse    
        
   One of the most important things to understand about any survivor of any kind   
   of abuse is that generalisation is not useful. People are individuals with   
   individual responses. It is better to get to know individuals rather than   
   swallowing the many myths    
   that abound.    
        
                                                          Myths and Facts    
        
        
   Survivors are all still involved with the group on some level    
   This is insulting to the many survivors who have escaped. Leaving any abusive   
   situation is a process and not an single event. Some survivors may be involved   
   and may still be being abused. Some survivors maintain some contact with the   
   abusers for quite a    
   long time. The same is true of survivors of domestic violence and child sexual   
   abuse where there can be many difficulties to overcome in getting out.   
   Continued involvement is no more the case in ritual abuse than any other form   
   of abuse.    
   There is no escape possible for survivors of ritual abuse    
   Though escape from this type of abuse can be very difficult, many survivors do   
   get out. We have countless testimonies from survivors who have escaped and   
   stayed free.    
        
   All survivors of ritual abuse report back to the 'family' or group    
   As with any abuse, breaking away can be very difficult. This does not mean   
   that they report back to anyone. Many survivors do break away completely and   
   many keep contact to a minimum.    
        
   Survivors of ritual abuse can never lead normal lives unless they have years   
   of therapy    
   Survivors were speaking out and leading normal lives long before therapy was   
   invented. Many survivors of ritual abuse do lead normal lives and do so   
   without therapy. They hold responsible jobs, raise families and get on with   
   their lives. Some survivors    
   do get help from therapists but many are unable to yet can still find a way to   
   heal and move on.    
        
   Survivors of ritual abuse are so badly damaged that only professionals can   
   help    
   Many people need professional help in their lives, not just survivors of   
   ritual abuse. Some survivors help themselves. Some get help from friends. Some   
   go to organisations, help each other or go to therapists. Not all survivors   
   are badly damaged, though    
   some may be.    
        
   Survivors can be involved and not be aware of it if they have multiple   
   personalities    
   Any survivor's awareness of ongoing abuse can be blocked out, forgotten,   
   denied or minimised as a way of coping with a horrendous situation. People   
   with multiple personalities can be just as aware of everything that is going   
   on around them as anyone else.   
       
        
   Due to the satanic element, only Christians should support survivors of ritual   
   abuse    
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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