In this week’s sermon at my local church, the priest reminded us that the Pharisees disapproved of Jesus for eating with prostitutes and tax collectors. “Those” people were considered unclean and therefore contagious. It was dangerous to be in their … Continue reading →
A friend asked me this: What are the steps toward healing from an encounter with a psychopath? Validate that the abuse really happened. First, and most important is to be validated. An abuser understands that the abuse has more power … Continue reading →
The Shoes. One of my earliest memories is of learning to put on my own shoes. The first time I put on my black Mary Janes by myself, I proudly went to show my big brother. I was three and … Continue reading →
The word psychopath is derived from the Greek words, psyche meaning “mind” or “soul” and path, meaning “sickness”. An encounter with a psychopath certainly leaves one feeling sickened. Scars from psychopathic encounters leave a person and community indelibly traumatized and … Continue reading →
Those who have experienced it, agree that psychopath encounters leave you feeling “slimed”. It’s a sticky, contaminated feeling on your psyche. It’s as if you’ve smelled something foul. I’ve come to understand that the feeling of slime is actually shame. … Continue reading →
The story of Adam and Eve, examined through the lens of Rene Girard’s Mimetic Theory, describes what it’s like to meet a psychopath. It is the experience of knowing evil. In the garden there grew every kind of tree that … Continue reading →
Gray Rock works on the theory that psychopath behavior is fueled by envy. The moment they see something shiny, they have to have it. By using Gray Rock, we remove the shine from anything we truly value. Additionally, we can … Continue reading →
Rene Girard, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, began developing his theories over 40 years ago, while researching the great stories in literature. He wanted to know what made these stories great and he discovered that they had some similarities. He … Continue reading →
Mythological Creatures For those students of Girardian Theory who have never met a psychopath, it might be shocking to see the parallels between the psychopath’s behaviors and the behaviors described in the myths and rituals of primitive cultures. You might have … Continue reading →
