Common themes and structures in male victims' stories of religion and sexual abuse

This paper presents some outcomes of research on the narrative construction of religion and sexual abuse in male victims. Twelve open biographic interviews with adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse have been analysed for content and structure. Three narrative themes were identified to appear in all interviews: distance/proximity, power/powerlessness and guilt/innocence. Using statistical methods (correlations and cluster analysis), the relation was investigated between these narrative themes and categories of evaluation, life period addressed, religion, sexuality and significant others. At group level, very few correlations or patterns were found. Two possible explanations are discussed: (1) the lack of canonical stories and (2) the limitations to narrative competence as a result of traumatization. Structure analysis at the individual level yields relatively coherent patterns, so that the second explanation hypothesized seems less likely. Based on content and structure analysis, three narrative methods of construction are discussed: contrasting stories of sexual abuse and religion, sequencing stories and reinterpreting themes from both religion and sexual abuse. Finally, implications are discussed concerning researching canonical stories and their impact on coping, understanding and facilitating the creative potential of narrators, and the complicated relationship of individual constructions, confessional convictions and academic theological theories.     

Survivor of That Time, That Place: Clinical Uses of Violence Survivors' Narratives

Narratives by survivors of abuse offer compelling entries into the experiences of abuse and its effects on health. Reading such stories can enlarge the clinician's understanding of the complexities of abuse. Furthermore, attention to narrative can enhance the therapeutic options for abuse victims not only in mental health arenas, but also in other medical contexts. In this article we define the genre of survivor narratives, examine one such narrative in particular (Push by Sapphire, 1996), and explore the clinical implications of narrative in abuse victims' clinical care.     

Timing Disclosure Sessions: Adding a Narrative Perspective to Clinical Work with Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Though the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of survivors of childhood sexual abuse has burgeoned in the last 20 years, relatively little guidance is available in the popular or professional literature to assist clients or therapists about issues of disclosure of this abuse to family members. When authors explicitly focus on disclosure, the timing of such disclosure is usually framed within a psychological and/or interpersonal perspective. In this article, we suggest that attention to characteristics of the sexual abuse narrative itself offers an important additional resource to guide decision making with respect to disclosure. We also describe ways that a narrative approach to disclosure can produce empowering conversational practices. A detailed case example provides the clinical material to illustrate this narrative approach to disclosure.     

Supervising counsellors who work with survivors of childhood sexual abuse

This paper draws attention to issues for supervisors who support counsellors working with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse from the perspective of trauma theory. The author describes the effects of vicarious traumatization and the unconscious dynamics that contribute to this experience. A narrative approach is included as another way of supervisors listening to distressing stories, both those of clients and of their counsellors, and reflects on the value of bearing witness to those stories in supervision and of recognizing them as a source of healing.     

Overcoming Problems of Relativism in Postmodern Psychotherapy

Relativism as an ideal of postmodern informed therapy remains a topic of debate. The thesis that no truth in conversation is privileged over and above another appears to leave the impression that a narrator can shape any preferred version of reality. This has often led to accusations of ideological neglect of issues such as power abuse, and cultural or political discrimination. This paper proposes a step towards a solution to this problem, by challenging the postmodern notion that one can speak of historically and culturally situated contingencies of multiple realities, while also stating that no truth is privileged. It shall be argued that the idea of clients’ multiple realities implies that these must be treated as socially reproduced realities, in which many forms of truth may resist the freedom of narrative choice. Further, the different realities of the client call for both a nomothetic and ideographic concept of truth, and correspondingly both strictly scientific and pragmatic ideals within narrative therapy. These aspects shall be combined in an outline of a concept describing ‘Complex Social Realities’, which opens narrative therapy towards integrative and cooperative approaches to therapy.     

The Case Study of Jacob: Childhood Sexual Abuse and the Limitations of the Holding Environment

Childhood sexual abuse and trauma influence relational development in significant ways. Notable among them are the development of a patient's internal object world, fantasies, and sense of self. Dynamic formulations and holding techniques are used to identify, process, and alter fractured relational dynamics. However, the use of such techniques may also influence a patient's narrative process, pulling them away from the realities of their life as lived. Using the case study method, focusing specifically on the patient's narrative development, this article examines the impact of analytic framing on a patient's experience of child sexual abuse and trauma.     

Disequilibrium and Loss of Narrative Coherence in Identity Construction: A Piagetian Perspective on Trauma in Adolescent Victims of Sexual Abuse

Previous authors have presented contradictory views of trauma as either the over- or under-elaboration of experience. This article provides a new theoretical perspective on trauma by incorporating Piagetian constructivism. On a theoretical level, it argues that both forms of narrative disruption following a traumatic episode are not contradictory. Rather, both over- and under-elaboration indicate disequilibrium and loss of narrative coherence in the construction of personal identity. Results are presented from an empirical study of the autobiographies of 15 adolescent victims (between the ages of 12 and 17) of sexual assault. Participants were enrolled in the initial stage of a psychotherapeutic treatment program for abuse in Santiago, Chile, at the time of study. Analysis of participant autobiographies reveals multiple forms of disorganization. The majority of adolescent narratives referred to predominance of traumatic experiences, whereas a small number of cases excluded traumatic experiences altogether. Discussion of study results shows that both forms of narrative disorganization indicate disequilibrium and loss of narrative coherence. Piagetian constructivist theory provides insight into this phenomenon by supporting and advancing understandings of trauma from a constructivist perspective. Implications for therapeutic treatment of sexual abuse, which may help generate clinical guidelines, are presented.     

A Review of “Divorce: Causes and Consequences”

Substance abuse affects millions of adults each year, of whom one in five are older adults. Given pervasive stereotypes about later life and the ways in which older persons internalize such messages, dealing with and using previous work on substance abuse, the social breakdown syndrome, and narrative therapy, we describe the importance of and ways for marriage and family therapists to work with older persons facing the compounding experiences of ageism and substance abuse. The purpose of this study was to: 1) identify the prevalence of substance abuse among those 65 and older; 2) document and emphasize the unique challenges of addressing this issue among those 65 and older; and 3) provide an application of the narrative approach to working with older persons presenting with substance abuse.     

Life story research: A relevant methodology for counsellors and psychotherapists

Aims: This paper introduces, describes and proposes life story research as an important, relevant and appropriate contribution to counselling and psychotherapy research. It shows how narrative knowledge is created and constructed through the stories people tell about their lived experiences and explores the concept of ‘narrative knowing’ (Bruner, 1986). Methods: Drawing on life story research with people who linked their history of problematic drug use with experiences of historic trauma/abuse, the paper contributes to the ongoing discussion related to the similarities/differences between therapy and research and what we might learn from each that informs the other. Implications for practice: The paper offers narrative ideas and practices as ways of researching matters of social and psychological importance. It suggests that therapists (and counselling researchers) could learn from what participants tell us about the therapeutic value of using life story methods which one participant described as helping him to face ‘out into the world, without unduly or specifically delving into, or focusing on [my] emotional state’. This learning may be particularly relevant for therapists working with traumatised clients.     

The double-edged pen: Omnipotent fantasies in the creativity and addictions of Stephen King

The legendary debate over whether a connection between creativity and addictions exists is one that is shrouded in mystery and intrigue, but also one that continuously returns to the circuitous metaphor of the chicken and the egg. In an effort to better understand nuances in the relationship between creativity and addictions, this paper examines the life of Stephen King, and the omnipotent fantasies from which both his creative processes and addictive behaviours emerged. Since the early twentieth century, psychodynamic thinkers have highlighted omnipotent fantasies as a psychological force driving creative processes as efforts towards personal transformation. Similarly, numerous psychodynamic theories have highlighted omnipotent fantasies as playing a cardinal role in the psychological processes that propel substance abuse. And yet, the construct of omnipotence has yet to be examined as a theoretical bridge to bind such theories of creativity and substance abuse together. While fostering personal meaning and self-transformation when manifested in his creative writing processes, omnipotent fantasies have also lead Stephen King down a precarious path of addictive behaviours. Through a narrative analysis of the life of Stephen King, who has written in great depth about both his creativity and substance abuse, I will illustrate how omnipotent fantasies often shape and foster both healthy, creative processes towards growth and maladaptive, addictive impulses towards self-destruction.     

Memory for child sexual abuse information: Simulated memory error and individual differences

Building on the simulated-amnesia work of Christianson and Bylin (Applied Cognitive Psychology, 13, 495–511, 1999), the present research introduces a new paradigm for the scientific study of memory of childhood sexual abuse information. In Session 1, participants mentally took the part of an abuse victim as they read an account of the sexual assault of a 7-year-old. After reading the narrative, participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: They (1) rehearsed the story truthfully (truth group), (2) left out the abuse details of the story (omission group), (3) lied about the abuse details to indicate that no abuse had occurred (commission group), or (4) did not recall the story during Session 1 (no-rehearsal group). One week later, participants returned for Session 2 and were asked to truthfully recall the narrative. The results indicated that, relative to truthful recall, untruthful recall or no rehearsal at Session 1 adversely affected memory performance at Session 2. However, untruthful recall resulted in better memory than did no rehearsal. Moreover, gender, PTSD symptoms, depression, adult attachment, and sexual abuse history significantly predicted memory for the childhood sexual abuse scenario. Implications for theory and application are discussed.     

Effect of maltreatment on preschoolers' narrative representations of responses to relieve distress and of role reversal

A total of 80 low-socioeconomic status maltreated preschoolers were contrasted with 27 nonmaltreated preschoolers on their narrative representations. The children completed story stems, taken from the MacArthur Story-Stem Battery (MSSB; I. Bretherton, D. Oppenheim, H. Buchsbaum, R. N. Emde, & the MacArthur Narrative Group, 1990), that introduced stressful family situations. Using the MacArthur narrative coding manual (J. Robinson, L. Mantz-Simmons, J. Macfie, & the MacArthur Narrative Group, 1992), coders rated portrayals of parental and child character responses, as well as participant responses, to relieve children's distress. They also rated role reversal (children caretaking their parents) from the narrative emotion coding manual (S. L. Warren, L. Mantz-Simmons, & R. N. Emde, 1993). Maltreated preschoolers portrayed parents and children as responding less often--yet themselves as stepping into the story more often to relieve children's distress--than did nonmaltreated preschoolers. Abused children (sexually, physically, or both) portrayed the most participant responses, and neglected children (with no abuse) portrayed the fewest child responses. Role reversal was associated with physical abuse.     

Broken mirror: The intertwining of therapist and client stories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA)

In recent years, there has been a great deal of attention given to the potential increased risk of vicarious traumatisation (VT) for clinicians with a history of childhood sexual abuse.

I am curious about whether the silencing, which has been ubiquitous within society, is also prevalent within the therapeutic profession. I wonder if therapists with a history of abuse feel they have to bracket their experience, and if this limits the potential for positive transformation.

In this paper, I draw upon my narrative study of therapists with a history of abuse. The methodology followed was narrative inquiry with two therapists in addition to an autoethnography. I used ‘narrative analysis’ to analyse the data. The findings of the study covered themes of transgenerational trauma, ‘the wounded healer’, caregivers’ responsibility in communal cultures and dissociation.

In this paper, I will consider the part dissociation plays when there is a shared history of trauma, and the ways in which dissociative enactments within the consulting room themselves may be part of the mutual healing. For this paper, only extracts from interviews with one of my participants will be included.     

Portrayals of Intimate Partner Violence in Music Videos: Effects on Perceptions of IPV Warning Signs

The present research examined the effects of viewing music videos containing intimate partner violence (IPV) on minimization of warning signs of IPV, that is, perceiving that psychologically controlling and demeaning behaviors are not abusive. One video portrayed overt IPV in a narrative form and the other contained overt IPV but no identifiable narrative. Lyrics for both included violent content, but the music was distinctly different—one song was rap interspersed with somber singing and the other had an upbeat pop sound. The video and audio channels were combined in a 2-×-2 factorial design with an external control group so that all combinations of narrative and non-narrative video with the rap and pop music were presented to college student participants (153 participants, 53% female) in a between-subjects design. Participants showed greater minimization, that is, they were less likely to perceive the psychologically controlling and demeaning behaviors as abusive to the extent that they were transported into the video and enjoyed it. Minimizing perceptions of abuse as a function of viewing music videos that portray IPV is discussed as a negative consequence of such videos.     

A little bit transparent with one another: Constructing vulnerability in the evangelical discourse of women preachers

Using four categories of Brown’s shame resilience theory (SRT), this paper analyses two similar online videos by prominent American evangelical female preachers: Joyce Meyer and Beth Moore. As each unpacks her survivor’s story of childhood sexual abuse, SRT (and its components of vulnerability, critical awareness, reaching out and speaking shame) can provide a matrix for interpreting the narrative in which each preacher frames her self-disclosure.     

Avoiding awareness of betrayal: Comment on Lindblom and Gray (2009)

Betrayal trauma theory (BTT) predicts that unawareness of abuse by someone on whom a victim is dependent may serve to protect a necessary relationship. Lindblom and Gray (2009) contribute to a growing line of BTT studies by measuring narrative detail in a sample of undergraduates who met Criterion A of the PTSD diagnosis and who rated the abuse as their most distressing trauma. Although many core betrayal traumas do not fit Criterion A, Lindblom and Gray found a small effect in the predicted direction. Having found an effect as predicted by BTT, curiously the authors then argue that PTSD Avoidance is a confound for forgetting the abuse to be statistically managed. This is particularly curious since symptom 3 of Criterion C is ‘inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma’. Despite constraining participant selection and other methodological issues, Lindblom and Gray's results add support to BTT. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Treatment of Violence and Victimization in Intimate Relationships

This essay presents an analysis of violence in intimate life that draws on multiple theoretical perspectives. These include but are not limited to feminist theory, object relations theory, systems theory, narrative and social constructionist theory, and neurobiology. It is argued that it is possible to be effective in ending violence and abuse through a modified couples treatment format that addresses relationship issues, individual trauma, and biological vulnerability while simultaneously taking a clear, moral position that violence, abuse, and inequality are intolerable in any form.     

Gender, Religion, and the Experience of Suffering: A Case Study

This article explores how gender and religious belief come together in an elderly woman’s experience of suffering. It is based on qualitative research that explored experiences of suffering in a group of community-dwelling elders (80+) living in a North American city. We use the case study method to introduce themes that show suffering’s uniqueness to the individual whose narrative we report, as well as similarity to themes that emerged in other participants’ narratives. In this case, an elderly woman’s gender and religious identities merge in her stories of suffering, which include the memory of a childhood disability and an incident of clergy abuse that occurred 70 years previously. A key finding in this paper is that key themes in her story of suffering, which are disablement and clergy abuse, resonate to the general themes of suffering found in our study, which are (1) threats to personal identity; (2) loss of a valued item, quality, or relationship; and (3) a lack of control over self or the circumstances of life.     

Building the Nest: Reworking Adolescent Development in Adult Recovery from Addiction

Using an extended case vignette, the author explores addiction, specifically compulsive gambling and substance abuse, from several psychoanalytic perspectives. Addiction/compulsive behavior is explained as a strategy for managing loss at key developmental stages. The concept of trauma repetition is utilized to understand both the repetitious nature of chronic addiction, and the trauma that underlies it. The process of recovery is chronicled through the therapeutic relationship. A classic children's story is referred to as it threads through the narrative.