Across the globe at this time, trauma is abundant. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical strife, there are compounding challenges faced by marginalized populations.

This presentation discusses the neurobiology of dissociation as a post-traumatic response and its relationship to autonomic nervous system (ANS) function, including the underlying physiological mechanisms and defense cascade in response to stressors. Animal models including fight, flight, freezing and tonic mobility, including the involvement of endogenous opioid activation in these states are explored.

Victims of organized abuse, in particular mind control and ritual abuse, frequently have deliberately designed personality systems with parts trained to maintain the security of the perpetrator group. Survivors' physical safety is endangered by parts trained to maintain ongoing contact with perpetrators. I shall discuss the different kinds of access training, with suggestions for preventing and avoiding ongoing access. Survivors are also endangered by parts trained to punish the person for forbidden behavior such as disclosures, so that telling secrets results in decompensation. I shall talk about the structure of the organized personality system, internal hierarchies, the role of punisher parts and their bosses, and ways to prevent or stop symptoms such as emotional flooding, pain, and self-harm which result from punisher parts doing their jobs.