Together – we can do what we can’t do alone.
LDM works alongside groups LISTED HERE on behalf of trafficking survivors.
Modern Day Slavery and Emotional Shattering
The more a person knows about the reality of human trafficking, the more they come to understand the emotional toll of this brutal crime. If the person undergoing severe, repeated trauma is a young child, they usually dissociate, which means their conscious mind recedes so that they are not aware of what is happening. The memories of the event are stored in a part of the mind that is not readily accessible to them.(1) In order to survive, they may develop DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder).(2) For older children, seven years and above, and adults, their abuse will likely result in PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder).(3)
In both cases, the aftermath of their hideous experiences requires healing from emotional shattering. This involves a caring, healthy community as well as a competent counselor who understands dissociative issues.
(1) One study showed that 77% of women who have been abused had times when they could only remember parts of their abuse or else they couldn’t remember it at all… Initially, it might seem strange that someone cannot remember the most traumatic incident in her life, but these traumas are too much for a little girl to handle. Dissociation can be helpful in keeping the child from consciously experiencing the trauma; it can be a gift of protection from God to keep little children from going mad in situations where escape is impossible. (Sexual Abuse: An Introduction for Lay-Counselors, by Dr. Joann Roof, 2007)
(2) Dissociative Identity Disorder is associated with severe psychological stress in childhood, most often ritualistic sexual or physical abuse. The primary characteristic of this disorder is the existence of more than one distinct identity or personality within the same individual. (DSM-IV)
(3) Post-traumatic Stress Disorder always follows a traumatic event which causes intense fear and/or helplessness in an individual. Symptoms include re-experiencing the trauma through nightmares, obsessive thoughts, and flashbacks (feeling as if you are actually in the traumatic situation again). (DSM-IV)
