Written February 28,2007
The life of a victim has three
paths: restoration, self-destruction, and social destruction. Those who
develop mental and emotional strength and apply their abilities will
restore to a healthier life style, managing positive and negative
experiences well. These are what we call "former victims" or "Thriving
Survivors", people who have been rehabilitated or reconditioned back
into healthier living. These individuals are more likely to thrive in
their society, contributing to it's overall good. While in early stages
of recovery, it is easier to be targeted by a victim abuser as they can
discern other people's wavering securities.
Those
who exist in the path of self-destruction, will victimize themselves by
either intentionally or subconsciously placing themselves directly in
the path of abuse or inflicting internal and external abuse upon
themselves such as guilty wallowing, self pitying, self condemnation,
self mutilations, self inner abandonment, self imprisonment and self
degradation. These individuals are prone to make unsafe choices and
respond carelessly in their external environment. They are likely to be
re-victimized reluctantly but willingly to validate their state of
victimization and feelings of self worthlessness. People on this victim
path will indulge in what I call "victimism", the new "ism", in which
victims become addicted to the need to be a victim. They continuously
wait to hop the next train of destruction, existing in fleeting moments
of happiness and become greatly depressed with the absence of painful
infliction in their lives. What's more, they will quickly and anxiously
seek out individuals willing to subject them to emotional, physical or
mental abuse. Such victims will be highly targeted by victim abusers
but believe they can control the level of abuse they will be subjected
to, "Putting up with this" but "Won't put up with that." These
individuals will have a difficult time in healthy environments, boring
easily and will often be instigators of "drama" when they experience
"abuse withdrawal" or the environment is too stable making them feel
unnatural or uncomfortable. It is highly probable that these
individuals will "create realities" which are non existent but sustain
them until a real abusive situation presents it self in their lives. A
recovering victim often finds themselves straddling the fence of both
types of victim behavior while struggling through the initial stages of
recovery.
Finally,
there are those who exist in the path of social destruction, who
respond to life in anger, hostility, resentment, and spite. They feel
the world owes them and is useless, deserving of great punishment
similar or worse than they themselves received, even to the point of
assigning themselves as the punisher. Projecting and extending their
own pains onto others is the trigger finger of victim abusers. These
victims become abusers seeking out prey weaker than themselves to
ensure they can control the individual and their immediate environment.
There is the added element of pleasure in knowing they have
successfully made another feel their pain or better yet feel worse than
their pain. It is my theory, that those who victimize animals can not
find or identify humans weaker than themselves. Victim abusers are the
most threatening type of victim. They are easily identifiable in their
conversations about life and their views of the world. Any type of
victim can cross over to this category, however there are certain
internal and external breakdowns that must be present for that cross
over to occur. (See "Love Thy Self" Recovery Tour for more details.)
What
defines one to be weaker than another? An individual's level of
self-respect, self-worth, vulnerability, isolation, dependency,
resistance, mental development and the strength of one's immediate
support. Victim abusers are keen and calculating with a strong sense of
discernment. The gift of discernment is sharpened with the need to be
hyper aware of one's surroundings. As a person's survival is
threatened, their instincts to survive become mastered. Discernment is
the sensory network of a beings instincts and can be stronger or weaker
depending upon use (like a muscle). Without a heart of recovery, victim
abusers will use their sharpened sense of discernment to identify and
target potential victims. If the victim abuser feels they themselves
were innocent when victimized, they will likely target weak innocent
individuals. If they feel they have always been a vessel for repeated
abuse by others, they will likely target individuals who they feel "are
there for that anyway", people who are frequently re-victimized.
The
vital thing to remember, is that just as easily as you can spot a
victim abuser, they can spot you, your strengths, weaknesses and
vulnerabilities, in fact, they may even spot you more easily. This
gives them the knowledge necessary to morph, temporarily changing into
the person you need to fill your void. If they can provide you that
which you lack, the victim abuser will have successfully primed you for
attack. Other's will not even bother going through the stalking of
their prey and cease the moment of attack, violently and often brutally.
When it comes to victimization there are not two separate types of humans,
victims and abusers, rather there is one humanity with two distinct
internal identities, victim and victim abuser. This becomes a question
of which came first, the victim or the victim abuser? Since abuse is a
result of failed recovery from victimization, the victim comes first.
Then one would ask, how does the victim come first if the victim must
first be abused? There in lies the evidence of its dual identity. Can
one be a victim and an abuser at the same time? Yes, in fact that falls
under the law of give and take which we all naturally abide. All living
creatures roaming earth have the ability and likely hood of being both
victim and abuser to varied extremes. One can abuse themselves and thus
be a victim of self inflictions and then as in many cases of failed
recovery the individual will lash out on others becoming an internal
and external victim abuser.
I will use myself as an example of
lower level victim abuser: When I was a child, I often went without
food, at times, to the point of starvation. I stole food and gambled
for food in school. Stealing is an offense against an owner, however,
had I not stolen the food, would I have survived? Later, as I got older
and even into adulthood, I was still stealing (sneaking) food. I was no
longer hungry but I was abusing rights and access to food. I would baby
sit in another person's house and steal the food. I wasn't hungry, I
just found myself doing it. I have since successfully reconditioned
this behavior with love and understanding for myself, however, this is
an example of my first having been a victim of starvation and then
later abusing my rights to food.
The
heart of recovery is what determines how we respond to victimization.
Will I become a former victim of "this or that?" or will I become a
victim abuser of "this or that?" What is the heart of recovery? The
willingness to have and develop Unconditional Love of Self. The common
denominator for all victim behavior is hatred. The common denominator
for all former victim behavior is love. We need to love ourselves to
death so that no one can hate us to death. Hear more about this and
other recovery issues by registering for a "Love Thy Self" Recovery
Tour.
Copyright 2006-2007, Ms. Rachel E. Milano