(FRANCE)
La Croix International [France]
May 8, 2024
By Capucine Licoys
Interview with a psychotherapist and victimologist who assists individuals who have left religious communities because of abuse
Isabelle Chartier-Siben, a physician and victimologist, serves as the president of the association “C’est à dire,” which supports victims of abuse, particularly within the Church. In an interview with La Croix’s Capucine Licoys, she discusses the care of religious individuals who have left deviant communities, a group she has been assisting for about 30 years.
La Croix: Many former religious abuse victims describe a control that continues beyond leaving the community. How does this mechanism work?
Isabelle Chartier-Siben: When a religious person leaves due to a change of vocation, there is a period of readjustment to the ordinary world. This can be a painful but surmountable stage. In deviant communities, the outside world is somewhat “paranoidized,” described as dangerous, perverse, and incapable of understanding their supposed privileged relationship with God. The victim ends up convinced of the superiority of their vocation and their community.Further reading:
Religious orders in France bolster fight against sex abuse
Gradually, they shift their individual psychic defenses onto the group. They enter a symbiotic relationship with other members, not realizing that they are sacrificing their own identity for deviant thinking. They are forced to dissociate. Thus, after leaving, it is common for them to remain trapped in a logic of internalized control from which it is difficult to break free alone.
When you first meet a patient who has experienced some form of abuse, what is the therapeutic emergency?
At the first appointment, an abuse victim—whether the abuse is psychological, spiritual, or physical—is in a state of great confusion. They might arrive at the association and talk about missing a train and enduring ten years of sexual abuse without distinguishing the severity.Further reading:
French bishops confer with Vatican officials on handling sex abuse
Therefore, the priority is for the patient to become aware of their traumatic experience. The therapist must allow them to unfold their typically chaotic story, interjecting occasionally to show support. Session by session, a patient engulfed in mystical jargon can begin to deconstruct the control system and eventually regain autonomy of thought.
Once there is awareness, how do you help the patient rebuild?
Once the person has reconnected with reality, in-depth emotional work similar to that done with victims of terrorist attacks is necessary. Both types of patients experience repetitive nightmares and flashbacks—they relive the anxiety of the traumatic moment. It starts with these daily emotions, tracing their source to find the “trigger.” This could be a former religious person collapsing at a remark from their work supervisor, without necessarily linking it to past abuses of authority. In these moments of daily life blockages, it becomes clear that automatic thought is still under influence. These harsh confrontations with reality need to be dissected to defuse the intrusion of the past on the present. That’s when a spark of life can emerge.
Further reading: Pope praises “courageous vocation” of those who care for sex abuse survivors
In this second phase, I am on a tightrope. I must ensure that my patients neither barricade themselves in denial nor confine themselves to their status as victims. In each session, it is essential to unravel the story of the abuse while making room for ordinary life. Sometimes they grumble about this, but allowing room for everyday problems helps them move forward and stabilize an otherwise fragile ordinary life framework.