GreatCosmicMothersUnite

I want targeted parents to begin incorporating this into the very fabric of your understanding – this is a trauma pathology – your pathology, the pathology in your families, is in the domestic violence category. We are in the world of trauma pathology; domestic violence.

I know what everybody has been calling you, “high-conflict divorce.” That is a mask. No. There is no such thing. Look closer… see, it’s domestic violence – the emotional abuse of the targeted parent by the other spouse-and-parent, using the children as the weapons. See? Right there. Right in front of you… domestic violence pathology – intimate partner violence using the children as the weapon.

I know that you, the parents, see it. I see it. Clear as day.

They have you thinking this is somehow normal. It’s not. Its pathological. It is a variant of domestic violence. It is traumatizing you, the targeted parent, and it is psychologically and developmentally abusing the child.

And forensic psychology is not properly assessing or diagnosing the pathology – yikes – because they are ignorant of standard stuff they should know – holy cow yikes; attachment, family systems therapy, personality pathology, complex trauma.

This is not new stuff. This is standard knowledge. Bowlby, Minuchin, Beck, van der Kolk. Basic stuff in professional psychology.

So it beats me why forensic psychology isn’t applying this knowledge in their assessment and diagnosis with your families. Dr. Childress knows this stuff, and Dr. Childress is saying your families are a form of domestic violence – a trauma pathology. You are being traumatized and your children are being abused.

Dr. Childress, a clinical psychologist, a child development and trauma expert, is saying this. You are being emotionally abused and traumatized and your children are being psychologically and developmentally abused by the allied parent.

I am willing to debate this in any professional forum at any time with anyone. I would love a law school sponsored debate on clinical versus forensic psychology solutions in the family courts. Woo hoo. Anytime, anywhere.

Domestic violence. The pathology in court involved “high-conflict” divorce is a form of domestic violence… and it is not being properly diagnosed by forensic psychology.

Uh-oh for them when that becomes known. The field of forensic psychology has been hiding your abuse and trauma so that they can financially feed off of you. Uh-oh for them when that becomes known.

We won’t worry about that right now, not yet… so much. We first need to get you and your families out of the court system and away from forensic psychology, over to clinical psychologists, trauma informed clinical psychologists, who can treat and heal your families.

Until we get AB-PA knowledgeable therapists, I’d recommend you turn to the domestic violence therapists. When you get a court order for family therapy – consider looking for a domestic violence therapist. Down the road, we’ll start increasing knowledge, but as a start… that’s where I’d recommend turning.

And don’t discount the extent of your own trauma, your traumatic grief. As a clinical psychologist, I’m recommending that targeted parents seek out a personal trauma therapist for the treatment of their PTSD (complex trauma; traumatic grief). I’d suggest at least six months to help process the sadness, grief, and loss.

The treatment for traumatic grief is to restore bonded relationships. That would be a good thing, don’t you think? We’re working on that. Today would be good.

This is a trauma pathology. You are being traumatized and emotionally abused, your children are being psychologically abused. You know that. I’m simply confirming that, it’s true. It is a form of domestic violence – emotional and psychological abuse – emotional abuse of you, and psychological abuse of your child. Yes. You are correct. This is true.

So, that’s our starting point for finding solution. The truth.

The first thing we have to do is to stop the active emotional abuse of targeted parents by the other spouse, and the active psychological abuse of the child (using the child as a weapon).

Next is to restore loving and bonded relationships throughout the family. Finally, it is to stabilize the family’s successful transition into a healthy separated family structure. That’s our goal, that’s what we are going to do.

Craig Childress, Psy.D.

Clinical Psychologist, PSY 18857