Comments on: PTSD and restorative justice http://www.moritherapy.org/article/ptsd-and-restorative-justice/ making lives better, making better lives Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:24:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: lin http://www.moritherapy.org/article/ptsd-and-restorative-justice/comment-page-1/#comment-359568 lin Wed, 26 Dec 2007 04:17:11 +0000 http://www.moritherapy.org/article/ptsd-and-restorative-justice/#comment-359568 Thank you for mentioning restorative justice. Though the fellow who abducted and raped me when I was a kid was punished for hurting children, the criminal justice model is unsatisfying. A perp is prosecuted for committing crimes against the state, though those who are hurt are always individuals. <em>lin's last blog post..<a href='http://dealingwithhealing.blogspot.com/2007/12/exhilarating.html' rel="nofollow">Exhilarating</a></em> Thank you for mentioning restorative justice. Though the fellow who abducted and raped me when I was a kid was punished for hurting children, the criminal justice model is unsatisfying. A perp is prosecuted for committing crimes against the state, though those who are hurt are always individuals.

lin’s last blog post..Exhilarating

]]> By: isabella mori http://www.moritherapy.org/article/ptsd-and-restorative-justice/comment-page-1/#comment-229506 isabella mori Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:39:37 +0000 http://www.moritherapy.org/article/ptsd-and-restorative-justice/#comment-229506 it's not just people with mental illness who have dangerous thoughts. everyone does. and they need to be contained. one way of doing that is talking to a therapist about them. often (there is very little room for "always" in human behaviour) this prevents the violent thoughts from being acted upon. i'm a bit leery about basing decisions too much on what the message is to other people. it can so easily get into a mentality of "what will the neighbours think". IF he will be acquitted, i think it should still be possible to make sure that the stereotype you alluded to will not be nurtured. it’s not just people with mental illness who have dangerous thoughts. everyone does. and they need to be contained. one way of doing that is talking to a therapist about them. often (there is very little room for “always” in human behaviour) this prevents the violent thoughts from being acted upon.

i’m a bit leery about basing decisions too much on what the message is to other people. it can so easily get into a mentality of “what will the neighbours think”.

IF he will be acquitted, i think it should still be possible to make sure that the stereotype you alluded to will not be nurtured.

]]> By: Scott http://www.moritherapy.org/article/ptsd-and-restorative-justice/comment-page-1/#comment-229481 Scott Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:59:28 +0000 http://www.moritherapy.org/article/ptsd-and-restorative-justice/#comment-229481 I knew a guy, a childhood sexual abuse survivor, who confessed to his support group that he had fantasies about sex with children. He was very worried that he might be becoming a pedophile. The group's response startled me. To a man (they were CSA survivors themselves) they strongly supported him and said that he was very brave to confess his fantasies. He has since brought up the fantasies with his therapist and has been under treatment. It makes me wonder what would have happened if the support group had responded negatively to this guy's admission of these fantasies. The resulting shame might have forced him to suicide, or even worse, to ignoring his fantasies until they became so strong that they overwhelmed him. I have nothing but admiration for people who suffer from mental illness and who confess the dangerous thoughts that they sometimes have. I think that the only way that we are going to grow as a society is if we adopt a caring and understanding way to deal with this type of potentially dangerous behavior, and I think we should applaud individuals who come forward and take responsibility for themselves. However, in this case, I agree with you, Isabella. It sounds to me like this soldier is trying to use PTSD, a condition that rarely causes "acting out" behavior, to avoid the responsibility for raping his friend's daughter. If he is acquitted, I worry that it will send a very negative message that people with mental illnesses are out of control maniacs who are a danger to everyone. Such a stereotype would only help ensure that anyone who is suffering from dangerous thoughts will never come forward and ask for help. I knew a guy, a childhood sexual abuse survivor, who confessed to his support group that he had fantasies about sex with children. He was very worried that he might be becoming a pedophile.

The group’s response startled me. To a man (they were CSA survivors themselves) they strongly supported him and said that he was very brave to confess his fantasies. He has since brought up the fantasies with his therapist and has been under treatment.

It makes me wonder what would have happened if the support group had responded negatively to this guy’s admission of these fantasies. The resulting shame might have forced him to suicide, or even worse, to ignoring his fantasies until they became so strong that they overwhelmed him.

I have nothing but admiration for people who suffer from mental illness and who confess the dangerous thoughts that they sometimes have. I think that the only way that we are going to grow as a society is if we adopt a caring and understanding way to deal with this type of potentially dangerous behavior, and I think we should applaud individuals who come forward and take responsibility for themselves.

However, in this case, I agree with you, Isabella. It sounds to me like this soldier is trying to use PTSD, a condition that rarely causes “acting out” behavior, to avoid the responsibility for raping his friend’s daughter.

If he is acquitted, I worry that it will send a very negative message that people with mental illnesses are out of control maniacs who are a danger to everyone. Such a stereotype would only help ensure that anyone who is suffering from dangerous thoughts will never come forward and ask for help.

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