#isstd

You may have come across the acronym "RAMCOA", which stands for "ritual abuse, mind control, and organized abuse."

If you search the Internet for RAMCOA, you might come across a result like this:

If you click the link, you'll be taken to a site that briefly describes what RAMCOA supposedly is, with content like:

MC - Mind Control. A shortened form of TBMC, standing for Torture Based Mind Control. MC is also known as programming, where victims are repeatedly tortured starting at a very young age to intentionally cause a system of dissociated parts that function perfectly to suit the abusers' needs.

alpha : a base program, one of the very first implemented. it trains the victim's mind to accept every order given by handlers willingly. parts with alpha programming will often have no will of their own, and very little personality outside of following orders.

aiw : alice in wonderland. typically split into 3 different sections : black alice, white alice, and crazy alice. ideally, a system scripted with aiw would have all three. white alice makes sure the system forgets the trauma, black alice makes the system feel like theyll be a danger to others if they remember the trauma, and crazy alice makes the system think theyre making it up or going insane if they ever remember it.

Literally all of this comes from a conspiracy theory - specifically, the Project Monarch alter programming conspiracy. It was developed and pushed by far right conspiracy theorists. Most of what people run into specifically traces back to Fritz Springmeier, a man who claimed in the 90's that the fight for gay rights was part of a plot to enthrone the antichrist in the year 2000. The Project Monarch conspiracy theory was always adjacent to the Satanic Panic, if not a somewhat niche part of it. If you start checking citations, you will find many of these people citing Svali, a conspiracy theorist who gets a lot of her material from Springmeier. (Example 1, example 2.)

This is no accident. The term RAMCOA was created by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), which was created by and for psychologists who believed in the myths promoted during the Satanic Panic.

The RA part comes from "satanic ritual abuse," which was coined by Dr. Lawrence Pazder of Michelle Remembers (cw for descriptions of horrible abuses) fame. Lawrence Pazder is the man who effectively started the Satanic Panic. It cannot be overstated that Pazder, now a known malpractitioner, was considered the expert on ritual abuse during this time.

The MC part comes from "trauma-based mind control," which was coined to refer to the alleged abuses inflicted in Project Monarch. Parts of this conspiracy theory that can't be traced back to Fritz Springmeier can usually be traced back to Cathy O'Brien and Mark Phillips, two other (really racist) conspiracy theorists.

Ultimately, the entire conspiracy theory is constructed from tropes that go back to The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion (a known antisemitic hoax), blood libel, and early modern witch panic.

Searching the Internet for RAMCOA resources, ritual abuse, or trauma-based mind control will always bring you to conspiracy theorists.

(Also, the term OEA, which stands for "organized extreme abuse," will lead you to conspiracy theorists as well.)

Saying “um you do know Jews aren’t Satanists” in response to criticism about antisemitism is either intellectually dishonest or just ignorant.

Sure, but that doesn't mean the Satanic Panic was primarily about Jews. The idea of secret cults of Satanists has been around for centuries. Much of the same accusations that have been made about Jews and Satanic cults in the 80s have also been made about witches who were believed to be consorting with the devil for hundreds of years.

The tropes about witches eating children, to be fair, likely sprang from the blood libel and antisemitic tropes. But it's complicated, and we're talking about beliefs that had evolved over centuries. So even if they had related origins historically, these origins would have been largely forgotten by the culture in the 80s. (And not particularly easy to research pre-internet.)

The Satanic Panic was hundreds of years after the Salem Witch Trials, where accused witches were said to be consorting with the devil and cannibalizing children.

These ideas were ingrained in our cultural idea of what a Satanist was in America.

Again, it's complicated. Because if you go back hundreds of years, you would probably find that a lot of the tropes surrounding witches were probably based at least in part on antisemitic tropes. But I think these diverged pretty significantly over time to the point where I don't believe hardly anyone, aside from the most fringe groups, actually considered their fears over Satanist cults to be related to Judaism at all.

You say I'm being intellectually dishonest. But I think it's intellectually dishonest to describe the Satanic Panic as primarily antisemitic when the majority of the people involved likely weren't associating Judaism with Satanism at the time. And to the point that antisemitic tropes were involved, these tropes have been associated with fictional Satanic witches for centuries and were largely divorced from whatever association with Judaism they originally had in the public consciousness in America.

And in regards to RAMCOA, I find this particular talking point to be incredibly manipulative.

"Don't use RAMCOA because RAMCOA is related to Satanic Ritual Abuse which came from the Satanic Panic and the Satanic Panic was antisemitic because Jews have been accused of being Satanists before, therefore you're being antisemitic for using RAMCOA."

Let's all be 100% clear on what's going on here.

The anti-RAMCOA side is trying to emotionally manipulate cult survivors into not using accurate language because of tenuous connections to antisemitism.

And I don't particularly like how calling the Satanic Panic as a whole antisemitic, for the purpose of manipulating cult survivors into not identifying with RAMCOA, perpetuates associations between Judaism and Satanism that should never have existed to begin with.

I don't see how accusing people who talk about Satanic cults of antisemitism could possibly do anything but cause harm to the Jewish people who I assume would be happy to not be associated with Satanism at all.

Which brings me to one final point:

The ISSTD is The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.

Endo is short for endogenic, a term used by people who consider themselves to be systems without having the disorders that create systems.

OSDD/DID/Complex dissociative disorders are formed in very early childhood due to extreme repeated trauma that changes the way that your brain develops.

The article

This is incredible

Hi! Do you have any sources to back this up (who are the systems speaking out and what is the harm the ISSTD has done/can we find and read this information on our own)?

We understand that the ISSTD is a large organization, tackling the research of an incredibly stigmatized set of disorders in an environment that is made up by professionals for professionals (and the public). Any large organization will have some bad actors. The ISSTD is no exception, and our opinions on the organization as a whole are nuanced.

However, we can firmly say that many of their public resources have proven to be invaluable and incredibly beneficial to our system, our loved ones, and our support team. The ISSTD conducts real research with goals to ultimately understand trauma, dissociative disorders, how they’re connected, and how to treat them. Much of what we understand about ourselves and our disorder is thanks to resources released by the ISSTD.

The organization may certainly be in need of reform. They very well may need more systems on their board, or sensitivity training for its members. And we don’t support them uncritically. But we truly believe they’ve done more for systems than TPA ever has.

We’re open to having our minds changed, if anyone wants to add to this discussion or if there are sources proving otherwise!

Because apparently some people need a double take. 

With the rise of people researching and seeking potential diagnosis of DID, I feel like accurate information needs to be laid out and professionals questioned. As all things should be.

ISSTD stands for International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation and was founded roughly in the 1980s to help set guidelines for dealing with dissociative disorders, especially Dissociative Identity Disorder (known then as Multiple Personality Disorder). 

Upon first look they may seem like a good source of information; undoubtably a relief to many people with DID or OSDD, as believable information on those disorders is already hard to find. But there is a problem. And the problem lies mostly within the members of the organization itself. 

Board members of ISSTD have been involved in many questionable controversies, conspiracy theories and odd beliefs throughout the years. Statements about “ritual abuse”, “satanic abuse” and “mind control programming” being the cause of DID in people have all been made by the members of the group. Some other notable controversies are that of, for example 

the False memory controversy: The issue of false memories, particularly related to trauma and childhood abuse, is already a hot topic within the field of psychology. Many critics raise concerns that therapeutic practices employed by some professionals, including those affiliated with ISSTD, could inadvertently lead to the creation of false memories or suggestibility in already vulnerable individuals. Such as those with PTSD or DID.

Controversial treatment approaches: ISSTD has been associated with controversial forms of therapy, including methods like recovered memory therapy and age regression. These approaches have drawn criticism and more importantly, real ethical concerns from many professionals, who argue for evidence-based and ethical practices.

the RAMCOA thing. Organizations such as ISSTD claim that RAMCOA (ritual abuse mind control organized abuse) is a real phenomenon that involves organized and sadistic abuse, often linked to cults or secret societies. They claim that methods used include rituals, programming, and mind control techniques. Skeptics and critics argue that the concept of RAMCOA is primarily based on anecdotal evidence and lacks scientific support. They highlight concerns about the potential for false memories, suggestibility, and moral outrage of the entire concept. 

There are probably many more things to point out, those are just a few of the top of my head. I need to point out that I am NOT trying to take away the voices of abuse victims; but reputable, citable information needs to be raised among all others, and harmful beliefs and practices (especially of an organization that claims to want to help an already traumatized and vulnerable population) clearly pointed out. 

If you choose to follow their opinions and information anyway, I obviously can’t stop you, but you should be aware of who you’re choosing to represent you. Not everything they give information about is wrong, but (in my opinion at least) their beliefs need to be taken into consideration if you do choose to follow their lead and/or recommend their research to others.

Amen.

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Ponieważ najwyraźniej niektórzy potrzebują dodatkowego objaśnienia.

Wraz ze wzrostem liczby osób robiących research na temat, a także poszukujących potencjalnej diagnozy DID, czuję, że należy przedstawić dokładne informacje i zweryfikować profesjonalistów, z którymi się stykamy.

  ISSTD, inaczej Międzynarodowe Towarzystwo Badań nad Traumą i Dysocjacją zostało założone mniej więcej w latach 80 ubiegłego wieku. Na pierwszy rzut oka sprawiają dobre wrażenie i wydają się rzetelnym źródłem informacji; co niewątpliwie jest ulgą dla wielu osób z DID lub OSDD, dla których znalezienie wiarygodnych informacji na temat swoich zaburzeń i tak jest trudne. 

Ale jest problem, który leży głównie w samych członkach organizacji. Członkowie zarządu ISSTD byli przez lata zaangażowani w wątpliwe kontrowersje, teorie spiskowe i dziwne przekonania. Poświadczenia o „nadużyciach rytualnych”, „nadużyciach satanistycznych” i „programowaniu i kontroli umysłu” będących przyczyną wytwarzenia się DID u ludzi, zostały nieraz składane przez członków grupy. Niektóre inne godne uwagi kontrowersje dotyczą np:

Kontrowersje dotyczące fałszywych wspomnień: Kwestia fałszywych wspomnień, szczególnie związanych z traumą i wykorzystywaniem w dzieciństwie, jest już gorącym tematem w dziedzinie psychologii. Wielu krytyków wyraża obawy, że praktyki terapeutyczne stosowane przez niektórych profesjonalistów, w tym tych związanych z ISSTD, mogą nieumyślnie prowadzić do tworzenia się fałszywych wspomnień lub sugestii u osób już i tak na nie wrażliwych (takich jak właśnie osoby z zespołem stresu pourazowego lub DID).

Kontrowersyjne podejścia do leczenia: ISSTD jest kojarzone z kontrowersyjnymi formami terapii, w tym metodami takimi jak terapia odzyskanej pamięci i regresja. Podejścia te spotykały się nieraz z krytyką i, co ważniejsze, szeroko pojmowanymi obawami etycznymi ze strony profesjonalistów, którzy opowiadają się za praktykami opartymi na dowodach i etyce.

koncepcja RAMCOA. Organizacje takie jak ISSTD twierdzą, że RAMCOA (ritual abuse mind control organized abuse) jest prawdziwym zjawiskiem, które wiąże się z zorganizowanymi i sadystycznymi nadużyciami, często powiązanymi z sektami lub tajnymi społeczeństwami. Stosowane metody miałyby obejmować rytuały, programowanie i techniki kontroli umysłu. Sceptycy i krytycy mówią natomiast, że koncepcja RAMCOA opiera się przede wszystkim na niepotwierdzonych dowodach oraz anegdotach i nie ma poparcia naukowego. Podkreślają obawy dotyczące możliwości tworzenia się u pacjentów fałszywych wspomnień oraz sugestii i moralnego oburzenia całego założenia.

Pewnie jest jeszcze wiele innych rzeczy, o których warto wspomnieć, ale tu wymieniam te, które przyszły mi od razu do głowy. Muszę zaznaczyć, że NIE próbuję odbierać głosu ofiarom nadużyć, ale należy ponad wszystko odnosić się do renomowanych, potwierdzonych naukowo informacji, a szkodliwe przekonania i praktyki (zwłaszcza  głoszone przez organizację, która twierdzi, że chce pomóc już straumatyzowanej i wrażliwej na sugestię populacji) wyraźnie wskazywać i obalać.

Jeśli mimo to zdecydujesz się podążać za opiniami i informacjami płynącymi z ISSTD, oczywiście nie będę cię powstrzymać, ale powinieneś być świadomy tego, kim są i jakie przekonania mają ludzie, którzy mają cię reprezentować. Nie wszystkie informacje, które podają są błędne, ale (przynajmniej moim zdaniem) należy wziąć pod uwagę ich przekonania, jeśli zdecydujesz się cytować ich jako źródło i/lub polecić innym ich badania.