Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR PREFACE by Ellert R. S. NijenhuisFOREWORD by Alison MillerWHO THIS BOOK IS FOR SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE Dissociation in everyday life; dissociation and programming CHAPTER TWO A working model demonstrated through case studies CHAPTER THREE Practical conclusions for psychotherapy CHAPTER FOUR How distinctions in the internal and external worlds develop as a result of experiences CHAPTER FIVE Inside views from a sadistic world CHAPTER SIX Inside views from a survivor CHAPTER SEVEN Death of an assassin CHAPTER EIGHT About dissociative worlds CHAPTER NINE Therapy to facilitate nurturing attachmentsCHAPTER TEN Truth, lies, deception, and fabrication CHAPTER ELEVEN Dissociation, imagination, and fantasy CHAPTER TWELVE Power and powerlessness CHAPTER THIRTEEN The language of violence CHAPTER FOURTEEN Differences that make a difference CHAPTER FIFTEEN Prospects-so much is missing GLOSSARY NOTES REFERENCES FURTHER READING INDEX

About the Author

Gaby Breitenbach is a psychologist and psychological psychotherapist. As well as working with clients who suffer from traumatic experiences, she is also a system therapist and behaviour therapist. In 1985 she first encountered the topic of extreme traumatization, and has now founded a house ('Vielseits') for survivors of extreme violence, based in Germany.

Reviews

'Gaby Breitenbach explains that we have a duty to provide adequate treatment to those human beings who have borne witness to this dark world. Are we courageous enough in our hearts and in our minds to listen to them and to grant our patients their right to be heard, as she describes so aptly?'- Ellert Nijenhuis, psychologist, psychotherapist, researcher, author of Somatoform Dissociation: Phenomena, Measurement, and Theoretical Issues'Child abuse by organized perpetrator groups has been ignored for much too long in the literature both on child abuse and on dissociation. Gaby Breitenbach's groundbreaking work in this area deserves to be available to English-speaking therapists, as it sheds light on this hidden world and its effects in structuring the complex personality systems of survivors.'-Alison Miller, psychologist; author of Healing the Unimaginable: Treating Ritual Abuse and Mind Control and Becoming Yourself: Overcoming Mind Control and Ritual Abuse'This book delves deeply into the meaning of dissociation, its causes and mechanisms. The author is a compassionate and observant therapist in Germany who has packed this book with important observations and information about how extreme violence fragments the brain. Translated from the German, this book clearly explains what motivates perpetrators for power and survivors for survival. Ms. Breitenbach captures the texture of life in her clients' sadistic, organised cult families. She is particularly strong on describing the cult's sadistic violence for its own sake committed by some of the "upstanding" citizens of higher society. Also vivid are her depictions of how the human brain works, what humans do unconsciously to survive, and how to heal from dissociation. This book is written for psychotherapists but would be helpful to all people interested in this field, survivors and support people.'-- Wendy Hoffman, psychotherapist and author of White Witch in a Black Robe: A True Story About Criminal Mind Control'Gaby Breitenbach encourages us to listen in order to hear the voices of deeply affected victims -survivors of unbearable and unbelievable violence, a violence which destroys the life of young children forever, and also affects their families and friends. She refutes the questioning of victims' reports with a comprehensive and clear description of the facts. Although doubt is necessarily part of any scientific discussion, there is no longer any doubt that child pornography exists, that human sex trafficking exists, that sexual exploitation of young children exists, and that children are sold by their own parents for sexual slavery. The effects on survivors are devastating. The book provides an inside view into this extreme and largely concealed form of violence. In her writing, Gaby Breitenbach provides both professionals and victims with a model which helps them understand the situation of severely traumatized people. The book is a great help in bringing light into a dark reality.'- Werner Tschan MD, Psychiatrist, Switzerland