ic ritual abuse was conducted by Robinson (1994) whose phenomenological study examined the experience of self-cutting in eleven females identified as having multiple personality disorder. The purpose of the study was to find and describe the essential structure of the self-cutting experience in this dissociative population.
Subjects, who were referred by their therapists, provided detailed, written protocols describing a single, non-suicidal, self-cutting experience. Supporting data was collected in follow-up interviews. Protocols were analyzed by rigorous, phenomenological methodology.
Results of the study revealed that self-cutting was related to pathological attempts to find relief from an intense state of distress with the use of cutting as a means of expression of one's internal states. Data reflected two sub-groups of cutters: ritual abuse survivors and non-ritual abuse survivors.
One of the most well established consequences of satanic ritual abuse is the development of multiple personality disorder in victims. Indeed, as noted by Brockman (1992):
The issue of satanic ritual abuse has gained widespread public and professional attention in the past ten years. During therapy, many adult Multiple Personality Disorder clients describe memories of Satanic Ritual Abuse beginning in childhood. (p. 982)
An extremely comprehensive delineation of psychoemotional symptoms associated with satanic ritual abuse in childhood was provided by Shaffer (1991) who collected interview data from 20 adult outpatients, all of whom reported ritualistic abuse in childhood. Subjects originally came from various geographical locations and were in psychotherapy at the time of the interview. Shaffer (1991) concluded that the experience of ritual abuse in childhood seriously impairs adult functioning. As adults, these victims suffered from repeated self-abuse, unusual fears, a high incidence of substance abuse, and post-trauma...