When she was actually being raped or sodomized, Amber dissociated, withdrawing into her Black Death/Raven fantasy world. She would be chased by evil creatures and demons, but she would always triumph over them, as in a role-playing video game. The fantasy was elaborate and detailed. In fact, it was so encompassing that she literally no longer felt what was actually happening to her body. She encapsulated the trauma in a way that allowed her to function and cope, although, of course, she still suffered its effects when she was exposed to cues that reminded her of what had gone on, such as Duane’s scent or the smell of certain drinks that he favored. Such cues would prompt a dissociative response that she could not control, in which she retreated to her “safe” world and did not respond to outside stimuli. The most extreme reaction was the one that had put her in the hospital the day after he called.
The abuse had continued for several years. Then, when Amber was around nine, her mother caught Duane in bed with the little girl, and immediately kicked him out. She didn’t blame Amber, as many mothers unfortunately do in such situations, but other than calling the police, she didn’t seek help for her, either. Sadly, the district attorney didn’t pursue the case after the perpetrator moved out of state. And Jill had problems of her own to deal with: as a single mother with few skills, she now had to struggle to support herself and her daughter. She and Amber made many moves from state to state, seeking better employment opportunities. Jill eventually managed to go back to school and get a higher paying job, but the instability and the abuse had done its damage to Amber.
When she was actually being raped or sodomized, Amber dissociated, withdrawing into her Black Death/Raven fantasy world. She would be chased by evil creatures and demons, but she would always triumph over them, as in a role-playing video game. The fantasy was elaborate and detailed. In fact, it was so encompassing that she literally no longer felt what was actually happening to her body. She encapsulated the trauma in a way that allowed her to function and cope, although, of course, she still suffered its effects when she was exposed to cues that reminded her of what had gone on, such as Duane’s scent or the smell of certain drinks that he favored. Such cues would prompt a dissociative response that she could not control, in which she retreated to her “safe” world and did not respond to outside stimuli. The most extreme reaction was the one that had put her in the hospital the day after he called.
The abuse had continued for several years. Then, when Amber was around nine, her mother caught Duane in bed with the little girl, and immediately kicked him out. She didn’t blame Amber, as many mothers unfortunately do in such situations, but other than calling the police, she didn’t seek help for her, either. Sadly, the district attorney didn’t pursue the case after the perpetrator moved out of state. And Jill had problems of her own to deal with: as a single mother with few skills, she now had to struggle to support herself and her daughter. She and Amber made many moves from state to state, seeking better employment opportunities. Jill eventually managed to go back to school and get a higher paying job, but the instability and the abuse had done its damage to Amber.
The Raven
This chapter is about a seventeen year old girl named Amber who collapsed at school one day and was sent to the hospital. The doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong as they tested for everything. That is when Dr. Perry was sent in to talk to her; he found cuts on her wrists and heard a tragic story from her mother. The mother, Jill, had an ex-boyfriend named Duane who sexually abused her for several years. The book goes into detail about how when he drank he would come into her room and abuse her. While she was being abused, mentally she would go to her happy place and become a black raven. She felt that no one could hurt her when she was a raven. It interfered so much with her school work and other things that she started giving him drinks so she could get it over with and not have the fear of not knowing when he would come in. The collapse at school turned out to be the result of a dissociative fugue as her brain responds to potential threat by retreating to the coping mechanisms used when she was sexually abused as a child.
After so long, Amber’s mother received a new job which required them to move. This meant Amber would no longer obtain therapy from Dr. Perry. The last thing Dr. Perry helped Amber with was to let color into her life. Before black represented everything in her life, clothes, tattoos, and more. Amber and Dr. Perry came to conclusion that black also represented Duane. Duane forced the color black onto her by abusing her as a child. Amber’s goal is to now let color into her life. After Amber moved she did not continue her therapy but she is making progress on her own. Dr. Perry received an e-mail from Amber which informed him that she is letting color into her life starting with a flower bouquet tattoo.
· Found unconscious in high school bathroom
· Hung out with a group of teens who were “Goth”
· Cuts and deeply scratches herself
· Mothers ex boyfriend Duane repeatedly raped her
· He called and suggested to visit to see Amber
“While self-mutilation, too, is often seen as an act of rebellion or attention-seeking, in most cases it is probably better understood as an attempt at self-medication as well. Cutting releases brain opioids, which makes it especially attractive to those who have been previously traumatized and found relief in dissociation. Although anyone who cuts will experience some degree of opioid effect, the experience is far more likely to be perceived as pleasurable and attractive to those who have a sensitized dissociative response from previous trauma and are in emotional pain.”
· What do you do if you suspect a student is cutting themselves?
· How do you feel about Amber not receiving any therapy after the incident?
The Coldest Heart
· Page 105-106
· Leon was drinking and followed two girls into an apartment and after a physical confrontation, he stabbed both of them to death. He then raped both bodies and kicked/stomped them.
· This chapter is about a sixteen year old boy named Leon who brutally kills and rapes two young girls. After he killed and raped the girls, he kicked and stomped on the bodies. He shows no signs of remorse for the incident. After Dr. Perry’s interview with Leon, he met with his family and received additional information about Leon’s past. Dr. Perry found out when Leon was a baby his mother would leave him for a whole day alone in a dark apartment. Leon’s mother did not know any better to leave an infant alone all day because she was uneducated. This caused Leon not to have feelings, emotions or relationships with others. Dr. Perry explores into the basis of sociopaths. He also explores how even unintentional early life neglect formed by our developmentally-insensitive education, mental health and juvenile justice systems copy and show the pathological processes that can create monsters.
· Do you think alcohol should be an important factor in this case?
· Frank was leons brother, when she couldn’t handle frank she’d drive him to her mothers/cousins house. They then moved to an apartment in the city away from her family. She then got pregnant and after leon was born, the mother was overwhelmed of his crying so she would leave leon alone in their dark apartment whole days while taking frank for walks to the park.
· How do you think this ties into Leon showing no emotions?
· Page 113 first paragraph
· Have any of you had any experiences with manipulative children?
· What do you think the signs would be in the classroom of neglected children?
· Do you think Leon’s parents blame themselves for his actions?
Trivia:
· What was the childs name in The coldest heart?