Trafficking in Human Beings Amounting to Torture and other Forms ...

9.5 Working with Psychological
Conditioning, Traumatic Re-enactment and
Traumatic Bonding
Psychological conditioning
“An important aspect of therapy for sexual abuse survivors
is to help them learn to protect themselves and to make
conscious choices about not engaging in relationships or
behaviours that are harmful.”
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk 114
There is consistent research evidence that victims of repeated
sexual abuse and other forms of interpersonal violence
are at greater risk of re-victimisation compared to those
who have not been abused 115 . This is a problem which has
been frequently observed by HBF clinicians in the course of
their work with victims of trafficking. Predictors of re-victimisation
include childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse
or multiple traumas. 116
Clinical notes on an East Asian woman exploited since
childhood and trafficked for sexual exploitation
Yoon has been conditioned throughout her life to
exploitation and subservience in brothels. Her extreme
youth, isolation, and lack of supportive networks, increased
her vulnerability to such an extent that it was relatively easy
for the trafficker to establish and maintain a level of control
that resulted in her having no autonomy whatsoever in any
aspect of her life. She only socialized with other women
who were similarly exploited in brothels in which she
worked.
People who have suffered interpersonal violence in trafficking
for various forms of exploitation may display passivity
and an inability to control their own destiny, as well as an
underlying inability to form normal emotional attachments.
This can be the result of their habituation to systems of subjugation
and brutality which have repeatedly shown them
that self-preserving responses and reactions are futile. It is
a reason why they may feel unable to try and initiate escape
even after the physical constraints of their captivity have
been relaxed, remaining psychologically rather than physically
controlled by their traffickers.
114 Psychiatric
Clinics of North America,
-
”, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse,
An Eastern European man trafficked for
forced labour
Jon is used to carrying out orders and instructions. He has
worked at various restaurants for years without receiving
any payment other than occasional handouts of £10
or £20. It seems that he believes in each case that he will
be eventually paid for his work, and the discovery that
he will not has not deterred him from this pattern. He is
motivated by his need of a place to stay and problems in
his country of origin. However, clinicians have noticed that
he has learning difficulties and is highly “suggestible”. He
has become conditioned to a certain way of life and lacks
the autonomy necessary to take any initiative to help his
case, including accessing health services. He is not used
to directing his own actions and this puts him in a high risk
group for further harm/exploitation.
Over a prolonged period of time, a culture of blame and the
internalization of shame can have a long term and damaging
effect on the outlook of the victim.
Experiencing a traumatic event in the form of threat to life,
physical, or psychological integrity may overwhelm ordinary
human adaptation to life, resulting in intense fear, loss
of control, threat of annihilation, and when action is of no
avail, helplessness and terror. Helplessness (to take action to
change the outcome) appears to be a major factor in defining
the experience of trauma. The traumatic reaction emerges
from the disorganized system of self defence (fight, flight,
freeze), and from the dissociation of sensations and emotions
related to the experience. These reactions may affect
normally integrated functioning, increasing physiological
arousal and emotional dysregulation, and causing changes
in cognition and memory. 117
In cases where clients struggle to take initiative or to assert
themselves even in minor ways, clinicians should explore
this carefully through therapeutic work. It is important that
they can recognize psychological conditioning in victims
of trafficking, but can also distinguish it from other factors
that may give rise to similar responses and behaviour:
– The significance of cultural differences for some
people who have been trafficked should not be underestimated.
Sometimes they may not act in ways that are “expected”
because they are not sure of what is required from
them, or their understanding of a situation differs greatly
from how it is perceived by others. Lack of confidence in
What’s New in the Study and Treatment of Interpersonal
Trauma
107