What is ritual abuse?
Ritual abuse is a severe form of abuse of children, adolescents and adults consisting of physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse involving the use of rituals or ceremonial abuse.
Ritual abuse is most commonly repetitive abuse, which can be multi- generational and commonly associated with ritual beliefs and practices; often satanic but not necessarily.
The abuse often occurs within families (both extended and immediate) or cult groups. There are often multiple abusers and occurs over an extended period of time.
Abuse can also occur outside of a child’s family without the parent’s knowledge.
Children are often born into a cycle of abuse and incorporated into the ritual of abuse both as perpetrator and victim. Commonly
birthing rituals are performed.
The abuse rituals and occurrences often coincide with cult and/or satanic calendars. Birthdays are often included in the dates of abuse.
Ritual abuse survivors commonly reports rituals around both animal and human sacrifice. Many rituals involve the use of blood.
Ritual abuse provokes extreme feelings and reactions; children were often punished for expressing those feelings so they learn to block out, numb or split from those feelings.
The abuse often occurs within families (both extended and immediate) or cult groups. There are often multiple abusers and occurs over an extended period of time.
Abuse can also occur outside of a child’s family without the parent’s knowledge.
Children are often born into a cycle of abuse and incorporated into the ritual of abuse both as perpetrator and victim. Commonly
birthing rituals are performed.
The abuse rituals and occurrences often coincide with cult and/or satanic calendars. Birthdays are often included in the dates of abuse.
Ritual abuse survivors commonly reports rituals around both animal and human sacrifice. Many rituals involve the use of blood.
Ritual abuse provokes extreme feelings and reactions; children were often punished for expressing those feelings so they learn to block out, numb or split from those feelings.
As defined by The Ritual Abuse Task Force, Los Angeles County Comissioin for women:
"Ritual abuse is the brutal form of abuse of children, adolescents, and adults, consisting of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, and involving the use of rituals. Ritual does not necessarily mean satanic. However, most survivors state that they were ritually abused as part of satanic worship for the purpose of indoctrinating them into satanic beliefs and practices. Ritual abuse rarely consists of a single episode. It usually involves repeated abuse over an extended period of time.
The physical abuse is severe, sometimes including torture and killing. The sexual abuse is usually painful, sadistic, and humiliating, intended as a means of gaining dominance over the victim. The psychological abuse is devastating and involves the use of ritual/indoctrination, which includes mind control techniques and mind altering drugs, and ritual/indoctrination which conveys to the victim a profound terror of the cult members and of the evil spirits they believe vult members can command. Both furing and after the abuse, most victims are in a state of terror, mind control, and dissociation in which disclosure is exceedingly difficult."
"Ritual abuse is the brutal form of abuse of children, adolescents, and adults, consisting of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, and involving the use of rituals. Ritual does not necessarily mean satanic. However, most survivors state that they were ritually abused as part of satanic worship for the purpose of indoctrinating them into satanic beliefs and practices. Ritual abuse rarely consists of a single episode. It usually involves repeated abuse over an extended period of time.
The physical abuse is severe, sometimes including torture and killing. The sexual abuse is usually painful, sadistic, and humiliating, intended as a means of gaining dominance over the victim. The psychological abuse is devastating and involves the use of ritual/indoctrination, which includes mind control techniques and mind altering drugs, and ritual/indoctrination which conveys to the victim a profound terror of the cult members and of the evil spirits they believe vult members can command. Both furing and after the abuse, most victims are in a state of terror, mind control, and dissociation in which disclosure is exceedingly difficult."