3/12/11 Legal Abuse Syndrome a Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome

[Guest guest]

_NYC Rubber Room Reporter: Legal Abuse Syndrome and The 3020-a " Trial " _

(http://nycrubberroomreporter.blogspot.com/2010/03/legal-abuse-syndrome-and-3020\

-trial.html)

A close-up look at the New York City public school system from the

viewpoint of a parent advocate, who also provides details on teacher

re-assignment

issues and the people who have been, are now, or will be affected by the

City of New York and the New York City Board of Education policies of

corruption and fraud.

Legal Abuse Syndrome and The 3020-a " Trial "

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rIStsf6uzLk/S5tCwepuz2I/AAAAAAAACb4/vQROLkfN0b8/s1600\

-h/karin-huffer.png)

Karin Huffer

Many people throughout the world are victimized by a judicial proceeding

that turned out badly, or turned out well but included torture from an

abusive judge and/or lawyer, loss of family, career, money, house, and/or

health

despite a successful end. Everyone is affected by the experience and many

are traumatized by it.

The " teachers' trial " 3020-a arbitration is not a trial, people say. It

doesn't matter. The trauma of being put into a situation similar to that of

being " on trial " is enough to establish a baseline for psychological trauma

and _post-traumatic stress syndrome_

(http://nycrubberroomreporter.blogspot.com/2010/03/nyc-teacher-acute-stress-synd\

rome.html) .

In May, 2007, I attended a conference on judicial accountability and

whistleblower protection in Washington DC and Huffer was there. She is

the Editor of a book on Legal Abuse Syndrome, what I am writing about here.

Legal Abuse Syndrome

WARNING: Protracted litigation can be hazardous to your health.

Legal Abuse Syndrome - PTSD

You know you have traumatic stress when:

•Ø there are no words to describe how you feel...

•Ø your heart is saying, I CAN'T STAND TO BE HERE, NOW

•Ø Peace, rest and recuperation are prevented by intrusive thoughts and

emotions

Our's is a time of injustice due to ethical violations, legal abuses and

Fraud on the Court.

What do we do about it? Also, See " Current Hot Topics. "

Legal Abuse Syndrome(LAS) is a psycholegal trauma (a form of post

traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is a psychic injury, not a mental illness.

It

is a personal injury that develops in individuals assaulted by ethical

violations, legal abuses, betrayals, and fraud. Abuse of power and authority

and a profound lack of accountability in our courts have become rampant. This

adds greatly to the original distress requiring court assistance in the

first place.

This stress can and does lead to physical illness. AMA statistics show

that around 85% of all physical illness is directly attributable to stress.

Legal Abuse Syndrome is a public health menace in this country. It leads to

massive medical intervention costs, burdens insurance companies, and adds to

Medicare and Social Security costs. Most painfully it shuts down the

brilliance and creativity of its sufferers. Legal Abuse Syndrome is detrimental

to all of society, and nobody is immune.

Whatever the court setting, whether it is regarding divorce, child

custody, parental support, probate matters, personal injury, property disputes,

legal or medical malpractice, criminal charges or other deeply personal

issues, the frauds put forth in our courts add greatly to the trauma. When

litigants are unable to get fair resolution to their issues, when the court

dysfunction further adds to the litigant's burden, when no amount of actual

case law compels an equitable outcome, litigants suffer often disabling levels

of stress. When further attempts to achieve redress fail, litigants

display the hallmark signs of Legal Abuse Syndrome(LAS) a subcategory of PTSD.

To Overcome the Devastation of Legal Abuse Syndrome, become empowered, be

enabled to function in court, and inspired to continue you may need

supportive help:

There is a self-help book - To order your copy of Overcoming the

Devastation of Legal Abuse Syndrome, click here.

PTSD treatment is compensable under most health insurance. To learn more

about PTSD see http://traumacenter.org.

Karin Huffer, MS/MFT, author of Overcoming the Devastation of Legal Abuse

Syndrome, has achieved over twenty years of research and experience in

diagnosing and treating Legal Abuse Syndrome. She has been an ADA Section 504

Consultant worked with schools, businesses, and the judicial system to

provide effective accommodations for those who suffer from disabilities. She

has

put the groundbreaking new out based upone her research that our judicial

system can and does cause traumatic stress in those who seek civilized,

fair due process of law and redress of grievances.

Synopsis of Legal Abuse Syndrome

_LINK_

(http://www.legalabusesyndrome.org/synopsisof-legal-abuse-syndrome.php)

Legal Abuse Syndrome is a 234 page book which discusses the effects of,

and steps to recovery from Legal Abuse Syndrome (LAS), which the author has

defined as a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from abusive and

protracted litigation.

Anyone subjected to the abuses of the American civil justice system will

immediately identify with the cover and quotations appearing on the back

cover of the book.

Ms. Huffer begins in the Preface by defining LAS, and in the Introduction

identifies seven LAS victims whose stories she has woven into a highly

readable self-help book for other victims of LAS. Legal Abuse Syndrome also

doubles as a text book for mental health professionals providing therapy to

LAS victims.

The book is divided into 10 chapters. Beginning in Chapters 1 and 2,

Huffer identifies the symptoms of the LAS victim and the etiology of LAS. These

two introductory chapters are followed by 8 chapters in which the author

breaks down the Eight Steps to Recovery, consisting of Debriefing, Grieving,

Obsession, Blaming, Deshaming, Reframing, Empowerment and Recovery.

Each chapter begins with a relevant quote which sets the stage for the

material presented. The book concludes with Maya Angelou's powerful poem, " I

rise. "

CHAPTER SUMMARIES

Chapter 1 - " Invisible Hostages " reveals the hostage condition that

results from betrayals of trust and the quiet crimes. Symptoms of the

hostage-stage psychological reactions are put forth with a list of the

white-collar

crimes, litigation/judicial atrocities and bureaucratic failings that

cumulatively assault victims. The case of graphically portrays the path

from

the initial affront through the aftermath of the crime. went to law

enforcement agencies, sued through the courts at huge expense, and found his

situation worsened to the point of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Chapter 1 includes one cartoon and two illustrations.

Chapter 2 - " The Epidemic " illustrates the chemical changes that take

place in the brain during prolonged victimization. It becomes clear that a

profound sense of helplessness in the face of jeopardy causes post traumatic

stress disorder. The longer the feeling of helplessness lasts, the more

pronounced are the symptoms. Victims find themselves in the symptoms as they

relate to their own experiences. shares that at the time he needed the

protection of his judicial system, it betrayed him. He was left unable to

obtain justice. Extensive research supports the theory that " psycholegal "

post traumatic stress disorder is a common occurrence in litigants and victims

of the invisible crimes. The reader can look around and see the

" cellophane-wrapped " victims who have moved beyond rage to an implosive,

cyclical

lifestyle. These victims usually remain invisible. The chapter includes one

illustration.

Chapter 3 - " Debriefing " begins the second part of the book, the eight

steps to recovery. Debriefing is an activity that the reader can do. It

centers around a graphic, processing sheet that delineates losses, feelings and

facts. This chapter begins a caring journey. The sense of isolation is

relieved in victims as they see their experience(s) begin to take a manageable

form. The case of P.J., who broke through denial during debriefing helps us

understand how to effectively respond to victims. This chapter also lists

" absolutely what not to say to a victim. " The chapter includes one

illustration and two reader participation graphics.

Chapter 4 - " Grieving " clarifies that loss of trust is the greatest loss

known to a human being. The case of Judy demonstrates the profound effect of

bureaucratic and law enforcement behavior on a victim. Judy had to face

the FBI, the IRS, and court after a betrayal by her husband. Grieving masques

as depression (the common cold of mental illness), exhaustion, varied

illnesses and conditions. Grieving over loss of property is usually discounted

in American culture. " Takings " have become a part of business strategy and

are often done through the use of the system. Bankruptcy court, the Drug

Enforcement Agency, the IRS effect takings of property without due process.

Takings threaten the lifeblood of the nation. The case of depicts the

nebulous nature of grief. It is pushed aside if the loss is not

" respectably " large. breaks down over a tiny tangible issue that, in fact,

reflects huge intangible losses. In this chapter we see that the loss of belief

systems, trust, and ideals are critical to the loss picture. Each case will

show that our protective systems did not function as intended, and

inadvertently or by design, intensified the trauma. Legal Abuse Syndrome , a

journey

Beyond Rage... and Back, articulates that the right to redress in order to

prevent losses and to exact recompense is key to a sense of safety and

security necessary for mental health.

Chapter 5 - " Obsession " leads us toward a sense of control over our lives

again. Readers become aware that obsession is a natural response to

victimization. Randomization is a difficult concept to grasp in life. When good

people are assaulted and left unaffirmed by their culture's systems, life

proceeds on a path with no moral compass - no guide to safety. A list of

obsessive styles is characterized by descriptive names, i.e. " Lifeguard, "

obsesses around health; where as an " Inventorier " counts and accounts for all

belongings, endlessly. What to do about easing obsession is listed with case

examples. A sense of humor interweaves as victims look at their obsessive

selves with acceptance.

Chapter 6 - " Blaming " faces victim-blaming head on. Society discourages

blaming; therefore, victims are praised for taking responsibility for the

awful things that happen to them. Further, victims often see little recourse

once blame is established. Attribution is a necessary step toward justice

because it reinforces the moral code. This chapter gives a victim a graphic

for assessing degrees of blame and then enriches the reader with specific

blaming actions dramatized by and the other cases. Barriers to blaming

are explored, such as guilt and societal pressure. There is a self-blame

checklist followed by the danger of self blame. Revenge and punishment are

contrasted with appropriate, quality blaming actions which drive behavior

toward the moral code. Those ignored, outrageous assaults by attorneys and the

systems, such as slander and character assassination in the courtroom and

denied right to redress, are listed at the end of the chapter. Victims begin

to feel that they are not crazy or at fault. This chapter includes a

reader participation check list.

Chapter 7 - " Deshaming " offers a totally unique approach to understanding

human motivation in terms of power. A continuum is presented which ranks a

person's motivating force as either conscience-based or power-based. Human

interactions can be visualized as on a grid. The conscience-based person is

often victimized even though he may have spiritual power. Power-based

people are motivated by envy and a need for superior posture. Lying is a key

tool of the power motivated person. Lying wins over truth. Here is where

violation of the moral code is " business as usual " for some and an outrage to

others. Shame is known to the conscience-based person,who often absorbs shame

from the violator as well. A tournament of the game, " Prisoner's Dilemma, "

is used as an example of strategies that help conscience-based people

learn to identify and cope with power-based individuals. Specific skills are

taught regarding cooperation, competition, and self-protection. Thus, to free

them from shame, the readers are able to relinquish undeserved shame and

to follow guiding principles for modification of their belief systems. The

case of Manny exemplifies the predicament and the process for deshaming. The

chapter includes two illustrations.

Chapter 8 - " Reframing " is the pivotal procedure that embarks upon

recovery. All five steps leading to reframing are required to effectively

achieve

this phase. The victim shifts from a painful perception of self to a new,

open, morally sound and personally inspired view of himself. There is an LAS

Reframe Exercise which allows the painful issue to come forth. Then the

pain is put to the reframe steps. The victim might say, " I was a fool. "

Reframed, the victim will say, " I was a trustworthy person, I believed that

others were largely trustworthy too. " Then the victim searches for the wisdom

gained from the experience. The chapter includes one reader participation

checklist.

Chapter 9 - " Empowerment " more than anything, brings a fresh approach for

legal and bureaucratic problem solving to the ordinary person. Steps are

blueprints: 1) seek and destroy misinformation, 2) from pragmatic

expectations, 3) avoid the predictable, 4) persevere, 5) use mental toughness,

6)

become a vigilante consumer, 7) call a crime a crime. Misinformation is a

strategic tool used by abusers of the justice systems. It crushes the force of

truth distorting the course towards justice. Oppression thrives on

misinformation. Empowerment requires effective attacks on misinformation through

official channels. The predictable path is owned by the power-centered. They

travel ahead and prepare to take the conscience-centered person out at every

turn. Victims need each other and creative approaches. This chapter ties

into Appendix B which contains a host of resources. Eleven tools and

techniques are presented. Rules and regulations of an institution are usually

broken by those who abuse from within the organization. Finding those

violations

empowers a victim tremendously. Mental toughness is the ability to never

lose focus regardless of attacks or diversions. Vigilante consumers focus on

the real bottom line in America, the consumer. When crimes occur, they

must be treated as crimes and dealt with by consumers who keep the focus on

the real bottom line. The chapter contains one graphic.

Chapter 10 - " Recovery " brings perspective. Victims become veterans who

have an important function in correcting societal wrongs. Readers are brought

up to date by parting words from the victims whose cases were portrayed in

the book. It becomes apparent that recovery is not a destination but a

journey wherein the eight steps are incorporated into a renewed lifestyle.

Forgiveness and restoration are discussed as quite separate issues from

recovery. Veterans are no longer cellophane-wrapped hostages but are back in

the

game of life, risking once more. Trust as a staple, societal issue is

explored in the context of LAS being a totally preventable assault to the

mental

health of our nation.

In the Conclusion , Ms. Huffer thanks her patients who have trusted her

and taught her that there is an invisible fabric woven of American character

found in the ordinary person. It is an invitation for these victims who

refused to be soul-murdered to lead the nation back into a future of hope,

trust and a code of American conduct that they represent to quietly. The

Epilogue contains a snapshot of an LAS victim that has been driven beyond rage.

The book includes a Bibliography which cites referenced and related works

included as well as a Glossary of terms used in the book.

Appendix A defines clinical post traumatic stress disorder.

Appendix B - Resources for the Empowerment of the Ordinary Person. This

appendix provides the LAS victim with a list of organizations dedicated to

legal reform and victim rights.

Appendix C - Victims-Witness Protection Act of 1984.

Appendix D contains worksheets to be used in conjunction with the book.

The following pages contain the Preface and Introduction as they appear in

the actual book.

Preface

* If you are deeply disillusioned and feeling oppressed as an American

Citizen, resulting from experience with our justice system, you may be

suffering from Legal Abuse Syndrome.

* If you've been a litigant in court and justice was not to be obtained at

any price, you may be suffering from Legal Abuse Syndrome.

* If you fantasize an act of vigilante vengeance because it seems like the

only recourse, you may be suffering from Legal Abuse Syndrome.

* If you've reported a crime and found that you were punished instead of

the criminal, you may be suffering from Legal Abuse Syndrome.

* If creativity and dreams have been left in the past because their

development was ripped from you and torn to shreds by your protective systems,

you may be suffering from Legal Abuse Syndrome.

* If you feel numb, disconnected, and vulnerable, you may be suffering

from Legal Abuse Syndrome.

* If you feel that you have been victimized twice, once by a perpetrator

and then by your protective system, you may be suffering from Legal Abuse

Syndrome.

Some will deny that Legal Abuse Syndrome (LAS) exists. They will remind us

that we have an adversarial system of justice. Abuses will be written off

as adversaries battling for their clients. Victims will be nothing more

than casualties of a " fight for justice. " Others will worry that victims of

LAS will want compensation for their psychological injuries. Skeptics will

ask, " Aren't LAS victims just malingerers wanting more from the system? "

I do not indict the legal profession, fine judges and hard working public

servants. I applaud those who serve their clients well in any milieu. We do

not bash any organization or profession in this book. Lawyers, judges, FBI

agents, police officers and investigators have all crossed my private

practice and helped me to delineate the abuse of power that permeates every

profession. Many of these professionals are themselves invisible victims also

and need the support of the public.

Abusers are studied in this book as a method of exposing to LAS victims

the predicament that oppresses them. The systems are explored in the light of

victims' experiences. The psycholegal condition is revealed along with

skills to help the victim cope with abusers of his systems. The scope is a

large one for a marriage and family therapist or or fellow victim to tackle.

It may feel unwieldy and threatening to the reader. However, reading and

rereading has produced results and has motivated me to risk a big project and

perhaps an unpopular one in behalf of those invisible victims who can heal

in spite of systems without a cure.

A firm warning to those who would use the following material to damage or

discredit any citizen in any manner:

LEGAL ABUSE SYNDROME IS A NATURAL AND NORMAL RESPONSE TO AN ABNORMAL,

UNNATURAL, CUMULATIVE TRAUMA, AS WITH ALL POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDERS. ANY

ATTEMPT BY ANY PERSON TO DISCREDIT AN INDIVIDUAL'S TESTIMONY, CHARACTER, OR

ACTIONS DUE TO THEIR SUFFERING FROM LAS IS TO CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THE

ABERRANT NATURE OF OUR SYSTEM OF PROBLEM-SOLVING. ANY ALLY OF CIVILIAZATION

MUST CLEARLY IDENTIFY SUCH BEHAVIOR AS ABUSIVE, PUT A HALT TO DESTRUCTIVE

ACTIONS, AND DEVOTE THEIR ENERGIES TO RESTORATION OF VICTIMS OF THE " SYSTEMS " .

No one likes to think of himself as a victim. Immediately, it conjures an

image of a loser or someone making poor life-choices. Yet, in spite of

resistance to facing our victimization, legal abuses have become common. When

abuses occur, victims are created. We either have to face that we are

victimized or accept an aberration to civilized living as being " just the way

it

is " .

Laws provide for courts, agencies, law enforcement bureaucracies, and

regulatory services. We depend on them to resolve our disputes and to protect

our cherished rights. When they fail, our nation must deal with the victims

and vigilantes left in the wake of officially sanctioned wrongdoing.

In this book, we will explore cases that are shocking and fascinating.

They illustrate abuses perpetrated by our legally instituted protective

systems and the pain and suffering that results. Citizens are driven " Beyond

Rage. " However startling and moving our cases may be, we have only touched a

segment of their lives and experiences. Each case has left unrevealed depth

of trauma and complication that would be prohibitive in space and time to

write about in one book.

This work results from my experiences of the past twenty years as a

marriage and family therapist in private practice. Throughout my career, a

certain discomfort gnawed at me regarding clients who attended my various

groups

and seminars. While the seminars dealt with the subjects of codependency,

substance abuse, parenting, divorce adjustment, assertiveness, stress, or

whatever the current topic dictated, there always remained the walking

wounded. Those were clients, whose true source of pain was not recognized by

family or friends. Worse, it was never clearly defined by helping

professionals. With no diagnosis, their condition could not be targeted for

treatment.

Invisible trauma nebulously danced around the topics, never to be healed in

these hungry participants.

It wasn't until a white-collar crime was perpetrated on my family that I

saw these walking wounded with uncomfortably opened eyes. After nearly a

decade of struggling with the justice system, and working with other such

victims,I have concluded that the enormous betrayals and inefficiencies that

make up bureaucratic post-crime experiences, are literally attacking the

emotional health of this nation. Victims have no satisfying place to turn. Rage

accumulates and its sequelae have reached epidemic proportions.

A therapist must, of course, check such observations against the danger of

inaccurately projecting onto a client personal feelings or attitudes that

go beyond the therapeutic use of self. I have done that. Even more

uncomfortably now, i see the massive validation of my theory by participants in

the

" Beyond Rage " seminars. Still theoretical, but deadly serious, is the

thesis of this book that victims in America are, first, assaulted by crime and,

secondly, by abuses of power and authority administered by the systems

their tax dollars support to provide due process of law. In short, they get a

" double whammy. "

People of principle find their decency, trustworthiness, responsibility,

and use of their courts trounced by systems that perpetrate judicial and

bureaucratic atrocities. Americans, who follow a code of conscience, encounter

a profound imbalance between the abuses of power perpetrated by those

entrusted with the systems and the prohibitive conscience of the ordinary

person to violation of values and laws. At the heart of this book is the

threatened psychic underpinning of the American citizen which is tied into the

Constitutionally protected rights that we depend upon. To imperil the basic

freedoms, which Americans are taught are their birthright, is to jeopardize

conditions of trust and safety necessary for a healthy, productive life.

Victims challenge the finest of counseling techniques. The lack of closure

combines with prolonged, cruel, and unusual punishment exerted by the

court system. Ongoing strain of litigation then interfaces with psychological

issues. Diagnoses are tricky and dynamic. Healing techniques and strategies

are interrupted by the trauma of the proceedings or behaviors of court

personnel. Stress reduction training is of marginal value for a litigant who

will regularly be administered another dose of outrage. The best of family

intervention is defeated if the family court renders a visitation arrangement

that destroys continuity in the raising of the children or if the current

custodial parent is harassed and stalked, unprotected by the law enforcement

system.

Outrage is tough enough. Beyond rage is terribly painful territory. I

caution the reader that to earnestly use this self-help material for healing

purposes will be challenging. On the other hand, if you choose to stay beyond

rage, you exist in a type of living death. So victims of the systems are

caught between a tough place and a really hard place. Go slowly, get

involved in groups, if possible, but don't let your lifeblood be stripped from

you

without a fight. This book will help to get you back on your fighting

feet. You won't change massive systems or reform your country in all

likelihood. However, when all of the trauma has been processed, you will become

an

empowered, effective individual again.

More and more, helping professionals are being confronted by " psycholegal "

issues. Patients are driven beyond rage over an extended period of time

during which victims travel an isolated road. The impact of the invisible

assaults usually are ignored.

Vigilante violence results when the needs of the majority are not being

met by the systems (Tucker). What of the gentle and decent person who values

a law abiding mode of life? Unless the unique needs of these victims are

identified and healing processes made accessible to them, the cost in pain,

suffering, disillusionment, and shutdown of creativity to the individual and

society is immeasurable.

Karin Pearson Huffer

© 2010 http://www.legalabusesyndrome.org/