Thursday, January 8, 2015

Statement and Behavioral Analysis of Sexual Abuse Victims


Statement and Behavioral Analysis of Sexual Abuse Victims
by Peter Hyat

Sexual abuse is an attack against the body, but it is also an attack against the brain.  This is evident in the language.

In viewing Statement Analysis and sexual abuse, we know that elements of "water" and "light" can enter the language.  "Coverings" such as blankets, or towels, can also enter the language.

At times, the indicators can be found simply in a school teacher's language, not because she is involved in sexual abuse as perpetrator or victim, but because she suspects it in one of her students.  We find these linguistic indicators in social workers, nurses, doctors, and others who may treat or care for sexual abuse victims.

The linguistic indicators of sexual activity, for example, must be assessed in context.  There are times where PTSD combat sufferers and sexual abuse victims share language.

We follow pronouns.

The pronoun "I" should be present in truthful victim statements, but it is the pronoun "we" that carefully separates truth from deception.

In analyzing one of the Cosby accusers, we saw that she used the pronoun "we" in regard to herself and Cosby.  The word "we", rather than "Cosby and I", indicates unity and cooperation.  We noted that once she described the attack, the word "we" disappeared from her vocabulary.  In fact, we also saw that "Bill", first name, casual, also disappeared once the attack took place. This is another signal of veracity.

"He has sex with me."  This is instead of "we had sex."  The word "with", when found between people, creates distance.  Interviewers must listen carefully to not only the pronouns, but to see if the word "with" is used in this context.  It is the 'norm' for sexual abuse victims.  They do not see "we", that is, cooperation and unity, with the assailant.

The word "we" has caused me, all by itself, to accuse an alleged victim of lying.  It has never failed me.  Sexual abuse false allegations are often met with admission or confession once the liar is confronted.

Why do sexual abuse victims wait so long?

We often find "he began to..." and "he started to..." in their language.  Summits, the reliable first person singular, past tense reliable commitment can change to present tense verb, specifically at the attack.  This is a possible signal of PTSD, that is, "post traumatic stress disorder" impact.

1.  Those victimized during development.
2.   Those victimized during early adolescence.
3.  Those victimized during adulthood.

These are there different classifications of victims.  The first can have the most lasting impact.  Those sexually assaulted in childhood will often use the word "child" in relation to their own selves. There is a powerful element of silence in childhood sexual abuse victims.  They cannot speak out, often due to threats, but sometimes due to fear of consequence; loving the abuser, not wanting the abuser to be in trouble.

During the assault, hormonal rise is evident.  Sometimes the brain will seek to protect itself with the imagination going off on a 'safety tangent', that is, the child is picturing something else happening while the assault is taking place.  As the stress hormones are elevated, the brain "goes elsewhere".

Whenever the brain has elevated hormones, a powerful imprint will be left.  (This is why pornography is so detrimental for developing children and adolescents).

If the brain goes off into imagination to escape AND the hormones are significantly elevated, the "leaving" or "departing" of the brain becomes powerfully engraved in the brain, sometimes called "Dissociative Disorder" (in various ways).  It becomes a 'permanent portrait' of the brain.
The victim will suffer for the rest of her life.

This is somewhat overly simplistic but picture it this way:

The post-speech child is being sexually abused.  The brain seeks escape and the child's mind goes to the park.
while "at the park", the cortisol levels are through the roof, dangerously imprinting the brain "at the park."

In memory, later, where is the child?

At the park?
or, is she being abused?

Later, she tries to describe this and sounds like a split personality or "two" people.

The pre-speech victim may be the worst of all possibilities, as the child experiences the trauma of abuse (for people of faith, they believe we are created in the Image of God, making sexual assault against the "soul" or "image bearer" of Divinity), but does not have linguistic capability that is so necessary to "talk down" the trauma --this is what "debriefing" does in alleviating pressure on the brain).

The pre-speech child may still "wander" off (Dissociative Identity Disorder, or "DID") without linguistics.

This adult, like the post speech victim, has a "need" to communicate what has happened, and may still feel the silencing or suppression in order to protect the abuser, or even to protect one's own reputation.

There is a violent war going on in the brain of the victim.  It begins even before she can speak and it will impact her every day that she walks this earth.  Even 'healing' is measured, and not complete.  It will never be complete while on the earth.  The suffering, in some form, will always be there, just as scars stay with the body, so they do with the brain.

(Perhaps you might understand why, every so often when a child goes missing, I get on my soap box and write about parental responsibilities, especially when I read about a 5 year old out walking alone. You'll have to indulge my soapbox in this regard, when a case like that opens up.)

Statistics show that such victims of sexual abuse are:

a.  highly likely to go off into substance abuse
b.  suicidal, suicidal ideation
c.  depression and anxiety; feelings of worthlessness, without purpose or value
d.  promiscuity; giving of oneself to strangers; not recognizing where her body ends and his body begins; boundary issues, overt sexual behavior (sometimes frigidity, inability to trust, enjoy natural sexuality, etc)
e.  compromised immune system leaving way for a myriad of besetting illnesses and diseases
f.  strange verbal descriptions, sounding almost 'schizophrenic' (see "DID" above.  This is vital for analysts)
g.  Unusual perception issues, including taste, smell, touch.
h.  Unexplained illnesses and medical phenomena:     some victims have sensory issues where her right arm felt cold to the touch, while the left arm felt hot to the touch.  A doctor placing her hand on the limbs could literally feel what is verbally described.  A simple touch can, at times, feel like a knife invading the body, while the same touch, later, felt like a normal human touch.
i.  serial troubled relationships, inability to maintain stable relationships
j.  life of self sabotaging happiness and peace; professionally sabotaging career, finances, health, etc
k.  desire to destroy "home", that is, the place where one should feel safe and protected (see "j")

Due to the added suffering of being silenced, the victim learns at an early age to not articulate what has happened.  When the normal urge to talk is suppressed, damage can be done.  Compounded over years, the brain seeks to 'forget' what happened, in order to stop the conflict caused by suppression (verbal expression releases tension).  Eventually, the victim 'forgets' what happened.

The body, however, does not forget, and we find victims "punishing" themselves, drinking or drugging themselves to death, or letting men sexually abuse them, which feels 'normal' to them, since it was imprinted upon them during the childhood assault.

It is, however, during the natural declination of human growth hormone that we all age, and show signs of aging.

One of the things you've likely noticed is that when you fall, you do not bounce back as easily as you did when you were younger.  Professional athletes often decline more in a single year than they though possible.  At 38, he may be productive still, but at 39, the brain signals to the body what to do, but the body is a split second behind, and at high levels, that is all it takes to fail.  HGH and Testosterone injections put off these decline, as Roger Clemens and Bobby Bonds and others learned, and it helps them bounce back from injuries faster and stronger.

But not for women victims.

As they move into their 30's, the natural slowing down of life allows for the past to creep up on them.  Where once they were able to sustain the depression and anxiety by reason of natural youthful energy, they now find that the depression and anxiety from sexual abuse's impact increases.

Memories return as the power of suppression weakens.

This is why many do not come forward for many, many years.

It is similar with those assaulted as adolescents, though the impact is not as acute.  We do not see Dissociative Disorders as much in victims of sexual abuse who first were assaulted as teens, for example, as we do with those assaulted before the age of 5, who were imprinted with the "lack of personal boundary", that is, where their body ended, and another's began.  This is why the natural desire of a child to close the bathroom door, at a certain age, is missing in some sexual abuse victims. Later, they are not embarrassed to be naked and give themselves to strangers.

There will always be some who will falsely accuse men of sexually assaulting them.  I have dealt with such cases and have gotten confessions.  Most do so because of the word "left" in Statement Analysis:  the accused leaves them and the hurt of being left is turned into revenge.  Their language, like all of ours, gives them away.

Adult victims when assaulted have the same hormonal increase, and if it does not go down quickly, an impression is left.  Like combat PTSD sufferers, they are subject to depression, flashbacks, nightmares, etc.  These victims are more likely to speak out earlier than those assaulted in adolescence, and those assaulted in childhood.  The younger the victim, the longer the delay in reporting, is a pattern.

Generalizations are used to show norms and patterns.  A principle is not established on an exception.  There are, and always will be, exceptions.

Generalizations serve a purpose.  When the generalization is not politically correct, it is often not only discounted, but demonized.  This is to lose valuable information.

Not all sexual abuse victims fit into the above pattern, nor the pattern to follow, but many do:

Many act out the assault.

In general:

Women turn their rage inward, and act out in self-destruction.

Men turn it outward, and become violent towards others.

Women suppress the attack, but the suppression battle is often lost between 35 and 45 years of age.  They no longer are successful and begin to speak about the abuse.  This is where they are challenged as to why they were silence for so long.

The reality is that they were not silent, nor ever have been.  If society was listening, the abuse was being broadcast in childhood, and especially in the teenaged years, through various means.  This is where behavioral analysis comes in.

The sudden washing or refusal to wash.
The seemingly normal 6 year old child suddenly packages and brings to school his own feces.
The loving 12 year old girl is suddenly allowing men of all ages, at age 15, to touch her and abuse her sexually.

Sometimes parents describe it as change where a light switch was turned off and their wonderful little girl has disappeared and an unrecognizable "monster" has appeared, with suicidal ideation, sexual misconduct, perversion, eating disorders, and so on.  The body is "broadcasting" that something is very wrong.

Do not be surprised when sexual abuse victims suddenly speak out after 20 years.

I do not trust Gloria Alred because I have analyzed her statements before and she is unafraid of lying.  It does not, however, discount the new accusers.  They will stand or fall on their own statements and statement analysis will get to the truth.  If they enter her language, we will pick it up.

If they are deceptive, we will pick it up.

If they are truthful, we will learn the truth.

The bottom line or conclusion about Bill Cosby is this:

We have one victim who has told the truth and given us a lengthy sample from which to work.  She was sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby.

Then, we have Cosby's own refusal to issue a denial.  If he is unable or unwilling to tell us that he didn't do it, we are not permitted to say it for him.  He can now play the race card, or appeal to race, his comedic record, or can even attempt to bully his victims into silence.  It matters not the pigment of his skin, nor the passage of years.

He sexually assaulted his victim, and from some of the other statements I have seen, it is likely that he has many victims and is a sexual and serial predator who enjoys, as he himself joked, drugging and assaulting them while they are in the state of vulnerability.

I will continue to analyze statements of sexual victims and when there is deception, deception will be indicated. If I am the one interviewing, I will use the deception to elicit a confession and seek to learn the motive.

Where a sexual victim tells the truth, I will support this and not allow them to be impugned due to the natural suppression that especially female victims show, and add to their suffering.

With their immune systems compromised, and a life time of depression, anxiety, self harm, and medical and psychological issues too numerous to name, they have suffered the indignity of sexual assault far more than I can assess: I will not add to their suffering with blanket condemnations because of the passage of time, or the status of celebrity of the abuser.  That a given victim may not suffer from what is come from above does not nullify what therapists, for example, find daily in their treatment of victims.  They seek to alleviate or at least, mitigate the suffering by causing the brain to 'relive' the suppressed information, and reduce the sting, or impact.

The statements and behavior of victims match.

The statements often indicate ongoing suffering, matching the raising of a complaint, and the testimony of not only the subject, but the peripheral interviews of collateral contacts.

The suffering is not singular.  The victim, once molested, is sentenced to a lifetime of suffering, as are those who love the victim.

To stand and applaud Bill Cosby in light of the credible disclosure and the lack of denial, is to bring yet more pain to those who suffer.

It is interesting for me, during trainings, to bring up the statements of Michael Jackson, who was not only indicated for deception, but actually revealed, through content analysis, that he had victims in many countries where he traveled and performed.  During this training, I have found resistance only from females who, all about the same age, were teenagers when "Thriller" was released.  ("Thriller" was a Jackson album, and a video which included dancing.).  One female police officer impressed me most when she acknowledged that he had, indeed, molested children, yet she felt a need to deny this, due to a powerful emotional connection she had, as a 15 year old, when "Thriller" was released.  This self honesty impressed me.  She highlighted that the heavy influx of hormones in the body during adolescence combined with the natural influence that music has upon the brain, along with skillful dance, all came together in powerful admiration of Michael Jackson.  Yet, she saw him as one who was deliberately neutering himself and change his race, through surgery, and how his statements indicated deception.

Such emotional intelligence allows for analysis to proceed.  It is those who refuse to see their own prejudices and influences that may blind them to proper work.

For those who believe that sexual abuse victims who come forward "twenty years too late", it is hoped that they will consider not only the stigma and shame attached to sexual abuse victims, and consider how defense attorneys have portrayed them as "whores", but also how the brain, in its natural attempt to protect the victim from such an assault against nature (especially by trusted loved ones, or those in paternal positions), will not only cause suppressed memories, but a desire to be silent, and continue to suffer.

Skilled therapists must "read the history" of the subject, in every case; not only the cases where the therapist may suspect deception.  The "body speaks" much in the way the brain "leaks" truth, via wording. Girls who, while thin, see "fat" may not simply be safely dismissed as "attention seekers", but their behavior may belie something considered "unspeakable" because the impact seems, even after decades of research, to still not do it justice.  We are unable to speak with authority the fullness of suffering, just as the victims themselves, almost with great unity, say "how do I explain the unexplainable?"

Understanding what one attempts to communicate is the heart of analysis.

It is important for investigators, particularly female investigators, to become not only proficient in Statement Analysis, but to become experienced at analyzing sexual abuse and sexual assault statements in children and in adults.  Most victims prefer being interviewed by a female.

I have interviewed both children and adults in too many sexual abuse cases.  I have indicated even children, for deception.  In those cases, though rare, all had the child entering into the language of a parent.

In one particular case, the child accused a man utilizing the language of her mother, of whom had owed the man money, and did not want to pay, therefore, she coached her own child on how to accuse him, even though it would mean possibly prison.

I indicated her for emotional abuse of her child.

Do not dismiss the new Crosby accusers based upon the presence of a fame-seeking attorney.  Judge by their words.  Let their words guide your opinion.  Even if one has a motive for money or fame, we still need to learn if it happened, or not, when we formulate an opinion.

Judgement is inescapable.  Everyone of us has an opinion or judgement on whether or not someone is telling the truth, or lying.

In Statement Analysis readers, they are able to not only formulate an opinion like everyone else, but give a tangible reason for their opinion.

Bill Cosby is judicially innocent and the judgment here is not legal judgment.  For investigators, it is the same:  it will guide their investigation.  If they believe the subject "did it" they will pursue, sometimes with vigor, for justice. If they believe the subject did not do it, with their limited time, they will look elsewhere.

Training is key.

A significant amount of time should be spent by all investigators in statements concerning allegations of sexual assault.  There are unique elements present, and the application of principle is evenly done. The context of application is invaluable for those who seek truth.



16 comments:

~mj said...

"The reality is that they were not silent, nor ever have been. If society was listening, the abuse was being broadcast in childhood, and especially in the teenaged years, through various means"

Thank you Mr. Hyatt for this post.

Tania Cadogan said...

Thank you Peter

Christina-Marie said...

Peter, you nailed it on 35-45 being the age at which suppression can no longer be sustained.

Almost 30 years after being molested, I went very public with my story, by founding a blog dedicated to my story and healing path.

In my state, the statute of limitations has long since run, so legal recourse is not available to me, but I'm hoping -- by taking my story to the world -- to:

1. Let others know they are not alone.
2. Give hope to others who have yet to find their voices, and help amplify those voices which have been found.
3. Raise awareness of sexual abuse within the education system.
4. Document the long-lasting effects sexual abuse has on just one victim.
5. Use my experience to encourage change within legislation in my state, as regards the statute of limitations on sexual abuse and trafficking.

GetThem said...

Sometimes it's just so embarrassing they don't tell anyone too. Maybe when they get older they change their minds for their own reasons and decide to tell because maybe they feel more empowered and not a weak little kid. I believe it is possible for people to hide sexual abuse for years. People hide every other shameful thing they do... think of people who use pornography, or alcoholics, druggies, sexual addiction, cheating on spouses, gambling. People hide that stuff for years and years, so why is it so surprising for victims of sexual abuse to hide if for years.

Tania Cadogan said...

off topic

Former Canadian Broadcasting Corp radio host Jian Ghomeshi embroiled in a sex scandal now faces additional charges of assaulting three more women.

Ghomeshi, 47, was charged Thursday with the three new counts of sexual assault. He was charged in November with four counts of sexual assault and one of choking stemming from alleged incidents involving three other women.

His lawyer, Marie Henein, said he will plead not guilty to all eight charges

The three new alleged assaults took place in August 2002, July 2003 and February 2008, Crown prosecutor Michael Callaghan said in court, reported Toronto Star.

Dressed in a grey suit and black tie, and flanked by his lawyer, Ghomeshi stayed silent as he left the courthouse in Toronto Thursday.

He was greeted by a large crowd of reporters, curious onlookers and protesters, some of whom heckled him. One woman was heard yelling, 'castrate him!' according toThe Globe and Mail.

The CBC fired Ghomeshi, the host of the internationally syndicated music-and-arts show ‘Q’ heard on public stations in 180 US cities, in October in response to media reports about the allegations.

Ghomeshi has maintained his innocence, saying he had consensual ‘rough sex’ with women, which he compared to ‘a mild form of Fifty Shades of Grey.'

He initially sued his former employer claiming wrongful termination but later withdraw the $55million lawsuit.

The CBC said it had seen graphic evidence that he had injured a woman in what Ghomeshi said were consensual sex acts involving bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism.

In his seven years at the helm of Q, Ghomeshi interviewed numerous A-list celebrities including Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand and Paul McCartney.

The Q show, now being hosted by other people, is carried on Public Radio International and has had a wide following on National Public Radio.

Since Ghomeshi's November arrest, the CBC has launched an internal investigation into whether senior managers ignored the host's behavior because he boosted the broadcaster's ratings, particularly among a younger demographic.

Ghomeshi, who remains free on $100,000 bail, is due back in court February 4, when a preliminary hearing is expected to begin, but he is not expected to appear in person.

His bail conditions, which include living with his mother in Toronto's north end until the trial, were renewed.

The CBC is struggling to contain the fallout from the allegations, which recall the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal at the BBC.

The UK broadcaster was accused of turning a blind eye to the sexual assaults because of Savile's celebrity.

The CBC placed two executives on leave of absence Monday.

The allegations, first reported in the media in October, rocked the Canadian public broadcaster, a vaunted Canadian institution.

Ghomeshi defended his actions in a 1,500- word statement on Facebook then, saying he had consensual 'rough sex' with women and is the victim of a disgruntled ex-girlfriend.

After the Toronto Star reported several more allegations days later, Ghomeshi posted that he would confront the allegations 'directly,' but wouldn't discuss them with the media.

Tania Cadogan said...

cont.


One of the 12 women who have contacted police since October was actress Lucy DeCoutere, a star of the long-running TV and film series Trailer Park Boys.

DeCoutere, who also serves as a captain in the Royal Canadian Air Force, was the first woman who made allegations against Ghomeshi to speak on the record about her experience.

DeCoutere said she went on a date with him and alleges that when they returned to his home, he pressed her up against a wall, choked her and slapped her across the face several times.

Author and lawyer Reva Seth became the second woman to go public, writing in the Huffington Post that Ghomeshi put his hands around her throat and sexually assaulted her, although it was not known if she was one of the women who filed a complaint to police against Ghomeshi.

Seth described in the blog how Ghomeshi was 'funny and charming,' when the pair first started seeing each other casually.

But one evening, she claims, his behaviour suddenly changed.

She wrote: 'When it was over, I got up and it was clear I was really angry. My sexual interactions until then had always been consensual, enjoyable and fun.

'He gave me some weird lines about how he couldn't tell if I was actually attracted to him or not. And somehow this was meant to explain his behaviour.'

Afterwards she decided not to involve the police and opted not to come forward fearing the impact of online trolls.

But she eventually decided to reveal her identity after hearing Lucy DeCoutere speaking on CBC about her 'remarkably similar experience'.

None of the allegations from any of the women have been proven.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2902381/Three-sex-assault-charges-against-fired-CBC-radio-host-Jian-Ghomeshi-judge-orders-live-mother-trial.html

Trigger said...

GREAT POST!!!

"The reality is that they were to silent, nor ever have been...etc"

I was "punished" with such severity that I fainted from fear, at age 9, for "telling" about the sexual abuse and naming my abuser.

The name "Bill Cosby" must evoke feelings of terror, nausea, and anger, in these victims. I hope that they can find healing.

Anonymous said...

Peter, I hope you read this & can answer this question. If a husband "has sex with" his wife after she has taken a sleeping pill AND had asked him not to initiate sex when she is under the influence of the medication but he does anyway, would you call that rape? If her body responded positively to the sex but she did not give consent because the sleeping pill renders her unable to really recall the incident, is it rape? (Recalling some of what happen but not most of it) For this one I have to be anonymous

Tania Cadogan said...

if she doesn't give consent it is rape

~mj said...

"11A Rape (except Statutory Rape)

The carnal knowledge of a person, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity" - as per the FBI effective 1/2013

www.fbi.gov/.../new-rape-definition-freq..

ACH said...

Memphis Pat said...
Not that you aren't a genius, Peter, but it doesn't take a genius to see that Gloria Allred never misses an opportunity to be in the news. However, I have believed these women from the beginning and if it takes seeing Gloria's mug on TV for the next decade to make the serial rapist, Cosby suffer as his legacy bites the dust, I'm in. It also doesn't take a genius to see that Ms. Rashad stands to lose a great deal of money in residuals from The Cosby Show if the reruns go away (which they surely will). Peter, have you contacted the New York Times about Statement Analysis of the one victim whose story holds up as truthful? I believe that might sway some of the Cosby crusaders with their "innocent until proven guilty" rants. Thanks for the good stuff today about delayed reports from victims. I personally know that to be true. It's also important to know that one survivor speaking up almost always emboldens others.

January 9, 2015 at 1:16 AM
I copied and pasted this post from Memphis Pat because I think it bears repeating. As usual, follow the MONEY.

ACH

Anonymous said...

I'm not Peter Hyatt, but that is rape to have sex with anyone who can not willingly participate.

Anonymous said...

Not cool to imply that being a victim of abuse is anything like those other things. Those "shameful things" people do and hide? Like Peter said, there never was any hiding, no silence.

C5H11ONO said...

Your readers should watch the dicumentary "Just Melvin, Just Evil" which depicts how one man single handedlt destroted so many family members. The statistics related above are demi strated in the dicumentary. It is difficult to watch.

Sara said...

Anon jan 9 2:10am----it was rape. My now ex-husband did the same to me. Repeatedly. I, too, was unsure for a while due to incomplete memory or awareness due to being asleep. I went to the police. I was believed because I had videotape proof (he surreptitiously recorded the events and I found his tapes), and also because I volunteered for a polygraph (though the police never gave me one). It was the most devastating period of my life. Many times I regretted coming forward. Now, 8 years later, I am glad I did. Yet, were it not for the video evidence, I would prob regret it because most likely the result would have been a further victimization. I was further victimized by two PhD level "custody evaluators" who determined I was basically lying to gain an advantage during the divorce. I'm still hurting from that in addition to what he did. He is a monster. Evil incarnate. Still torturing me through his position as "father" to my children, even though I won custody. Can you tell by my words the pain I am still in today? To be treated like an inanimate object. Dehumanizing.

From Anon jan 9 2:10am- said...

Thank you for everyone's replies. Sarah: I am not happy about what you went through but it is a relief to know someone else out there in the world knows & understands. I have been divorced from that man for over 10 years but I still struggle with the pain & anger almost daily. At the time that I was going through the non-consensual sex, the coercion, the demands, it never occurred to me to go to the police. And, for some reason I would not want to be the one to change the relationship my (now) adult children have with him if I had brought all of that out into the light. I do not want my daughter to view him as a rapist. She adores her dad. That bond is important. I guess all that matters now is learning to move on past the pain. How?