Four survivors of child sex trafficking describe their escape and healing journeys. They share their challenges in recovering from ritual abuse (RA) and mind control (MC) and how, in their quest for freedom, they overcame their abusers' attempts to control them. All of the panelists had symptoms of their abuse that were not recognized for many years. These included Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), nightmares, daydreams with violent content, brutal low self-esteem, tremendous guilt, addictions, and suicidality. The panelists experienced inexplicable attraction to macabre subjects or cult symbolism. Although very talented and intelligent, they often struggled to function in daily life. For the panelists, healing is a way of life. Despite the horrors of their childhood and the challenges they face in their life today, by accepting, appreciating, validating, and supporting themselves and others, they find a sense of peace and even joy. The panelists will describe their continuing work to empower themselves and other survivors. Peer counseling, workshops, art shows, and creating safe spaces for RA/MC survivors to share their experiences are just a few examples. They will also describe how they reach out to the general public through blogs, websites, podcasts, and videos. The panelists' goal is to dispel some common myths about ritual abuse and mind control. They hope that those working with sex trafficking victims will learn to recognize survivors of RA and MC and be able to support them in all aspects of their experience and healing.
Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.
Jean Riseman is a leader in the survivor community, organizing supportive, cultural, and educational events for survivors and their allies. She is a survivor of ritual abuse, mind control experimentation, and child pornography, a retired clinical social worker, and a co-founder of the GrassRoots RA/MC Survivors’ Collective.
https://grassroots-ra-mc-collective.org Co-founder, GrassRoots RA/MC Survivors’ Collective ra-info.org Annotated bibliographies and articles on RA/MC ritualabuse.wordpress.com Personal blog https://survivorship.org/simplifying-complex-programming/ Simplifying Complex Programming. Presentation at S.M.A.R.T 2002 conference
Donna Lyon is an academic, researcher, producer, and survivor of ritual abuse from Melbourne, Australia. She is founder of Left Write Hook, an evidence-based participatory arts program for survivors pairing creative writing with boxing to explore the survivor’s lived experience and creative interventions into recovery through embodied trauma.
Anneke Lucas is an author, speaker, advocate for sex trafficking victims, and creator of the Unconditional Model. Her work is based on personal experience of a 35-year healing journey as a survivor of extreme abuse. Anneke’s book “Quest for Love: Memoir of a Child Sex Slave,” was published in 2022.
Mary Sparrow is an artist, poet, mother, and public speaker whose work documents her 25-year journey of survival and healing from extreme abuse. Brought into a murderous sex trafficking ring as a small child, her work aims to support herself and others in their healing and empowerment.
Website: sparrow4everfree.com Instagram@sparrowdose Instagram account: artwork