We all know the word “witchcraft” and that it represents something dark, sinister and evil. The Webster Dictionary defines it as Full Definition of witchcraft
1a : the use of sorcery or magic
b : communication with the devil or with a familiar
2: an irresistible influence or fascination
We know that one of the common techniques that abusers use is to take the words of a victim and “switch” them around and their meaning around. This is done as part of “Gaslighting,” court manipulation, betrayal bonding, and psychological and emotional assault and “mind bombing” to assure that their version of facts is believed by ill trained and uneducated psychologists, legal entities, law enforcement as well as family and friends. This certainly is a “irresistible” influence or fascination that is attached to power and control which, those of us who work with abusers, see them have and use – and to their benefit.
“Switchcraft” is a term I have coined as a “sinister” problem that victims are at a loss to know how to stand up against. They already have the process of betrayal bonding happening in their lives. They have already been “shown” by abusers that no one will believe them because society and families along with friends, don’t understand the combined effects of power and control, trauma bonding, betrayal bonding, and sociopathic-type behaviors, isolation and threats of all types, have had in their lives. The victim already has tried to tell the “truth” of what is going on but, most of the time, it has fallen on ears that don’t believe that their story is as bad as they say it is (cognitive dissonance), that if it was they would have left and this person hasn’t so it has to be exaggerated, and so on.
Well-meaning mental health professionals unwittingly collude with perpetrators of abuse because those mental health professionals are undertrained, possibly abusers themselves, think that because they have a license/certification/degree, they know everything they need to – when in fact school doesn’t teach them what they need to know regarding abusers/perpetrators/sociopathic type individuals. School is highly inadequate in teaching “everything” about anything – that takes continuing education throughout one’s career. Yet mental health professionals feel they are “smarter” and somehow more superior to others because they passed some tests that gave them a degree and/or license. Reality check to all of us, continuing education along with experience makes one hopefully smarter – but that is up to the individual who has “ethical, moral, and professional and spiritual” compass’s that guide them.
To those who are involved with survivors of abuse who are sharing their trauma with you, have the courage and decency to empathize with the experience being told you, keep your advice to yourself if you don’t have the education or experience to give the proper and educated advice, and let the victim know you don’t know what to do but am glad that you were trusted enough to be told the experience and to let them know there are people who can help who have “Switchcraft” education and experience to help them. And the way to find those who have that education is to ASK a psychologist, therapist, social worker, if they have been trained specifically in the area of domestic violence and trauma with credentials to back up their “yes” if that is what they are given. Psychologists and other mental health professionals need to be interviewed by victims of abuse to ensure that domestic violence continuing education, certifications, and expertise is actually part of that mental health professional’s practice. Get “Proof” before you see someone to help you with your victimization to ensure you won’t be poly-victimized.