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Forensic Considerations in Ritual Trauma Cases (Part 2) - Page 5

© Sylvia Gillotte, attorney

 Child has poor attention span, learning problems  Child has frequent or intense nightmares; fears going to bed, cannot sleep, or has disturbed sleep such as night terrors, bedwetting, or sleepwalking  Child has suicidal or homicidal ideation  Child compulsively self-mutilates  Child cries continuously and/or is inconsolable

I. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

 Child fears the parent(s) will die, be killed, or abandon him/her; or states that someone has threatened similar action  Child fears that he/she will be kidnapped and forced to live with someone else  Child is afraid to be separated from caretaker, cannot be alone at all, clings  Child fears the parent(s) no longer love him/her, are angry and wish to punish him/her, or want to kill him/her  Child “screens out” what parent(s), other caretaker, teacher, etc., says and/or fails to retain information they give  Child becomes excessively angry or upset when told what to do or not to do  Child frequently reacts to correction and guidance with “I hate you,” “I want to kill you,” physically attacks others, or otherwise threatens them with bodily harm  Child talks about my “other” mommy or daddy or family (i.e., in the cult)  Child expresses fear that a sibling, friend, or pet will be killed, hurt, kidnapped, or molested

J. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH PLAY OR PEER RELATIONS

 Child destroys toys; acts out death, mutilation, cannibalism, and burial themes; pretends to kill play figures, taking out eyes, pulling off heads or limbs; pretends to eat the figures or drink their blood and/or bury them  Child’s play involves themes of drugging, threats, humiliation, hanging, torture, bondage, magic, weddings and other ceremonies  Child, e.g., in play therapy setting, obsessively chooses toys such as dinosaurs, monsters, or hooded figures, and engages them in frightening, aggressive and/or destructive scenarios; or child seems unnaturally fearful of such figures  Child is unable to engage in age-appropriate fantasy play, or can do so for only brief periods  Child hurts other children, sexually and/or physically  Child’s drawings or other creative productions show bizarre, occult, sexual, excretory, sadistic, death or mutilation themes  Child is extremely controlling with other children and/or siblings, and constantly plays “chase” games  Child talks to an “imaginary friend” who he/she will not discuss, or who he/she states is a “spirit” friend  Child gets on the floor and pretends to be an animal, or believes that he/she is an animal at any given moment

K. OTHER FEARS, REFERENCES, DISCLOSURES AND STRANGE BELIEFS OR BEHAVIORS

 Child fears the police will come and put him/her in jail, or states that “bad” policeman hurt or threatened him/her

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