In the first two parts of our series, we saw how attachment works in exploitation and human trafficking, how trauma coercive bonding is formed, and how attachment can enable healing. But in some cases, violence, manipulation, and exploitation run so deep that not only trust but also the self is split apart. Organized abuse—such as ritual abuse with systematic exploitation in perpetrator networks—uses bonding, or traumabonding, from early childhood onwards to shape personalities, split them, and make them compliant.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a severe form of post-traumatic stress disorder. Children who are regularly and systematically exposed to extreme traumatic experiences—especially when these are inflicted by attachment figures—internalize what they have experienced. In structures of organized or ritualized abuse, this dissociation is often systematically used to make victims controllable. This results in different “parts” of the self, each with their own memories, emotions, and attachment experiences.
Not all inner parts have the same attachment experiences. Some experience perpetrators as supposed caregivers, others long for affection, and still others protect the perpetrators through loyalty or denial. Attachment becomes a complex inner network of contradictory emotions and survival strategies. This not only complicates therapeutic work, but also makes it difficult to leave the relationship—because while one part seeks freedom, another fears the loss of the “secure” attachment to the perpetrators.
Children who grow up in violent or exploitative contexts often develop insecure or disorganized attachment styles. In a culture of fear, pain, and inconsistent care, closeness can be experienced as both vital and dangerous.
In the context of organized abuse, this dynamic is deliberately reinforced: abusers alternate between care and violence, closeness and withdrawal, in order to create confusion and dependence. This results in an attachment pattern based on survival rather than trust.
Even within dissociative systems, different attachment styles often coexist—some are avoidant, others overly compliant or anxious-ambivalent. For professionals, this means understanding attachment not as a uniform experience, but as a mosaic of different relationship strategies that once saved lives.
Perpetrator structures systematically exploit the victims’ need for attachment. Whether through manipulation of perception or the deliberate use and withdrawal of attachment, various methods are employed to make victims feel safe within the perpetrator group despite all the violence they have experienced and to classify all relationships outside it as dangerous. Attachment thus becomes a weapon—an invisible but highly effective instrument of control.
Trauma-informed and part-oriented therapy, secure attachments to caregivers, long-term stabilization, and safe spaces are crucial. The goal is cooperation between parts, restoration of self-empowerment, and secure, resilient attachments in the present. The experience that attachment is no longer associated with deception, control, and pain becomes a central healing factor.
But healing does not happen solely in the therapy room. Pedagogical professionals, social workers, pastoral caregivers, companions, and volunteers also play a crucial role. They create everyday experiences of reliability, boundaries, endurance, and genuine relationships—experiences that were often lacking in childhood or within the perpetrator structure.
Helping people with complex dissociation and experiences of organized abuse takes time, consistent relationships, and a network that embodies security. It is not just a matter of treating symptoms, but of relearning how to form attachments—through people who stay, who are credible, and who live out freedom in relationships.
Organized abuse uses attachment to control—but healing begins when attachment can once again become a safe place.
Freedom begins when relationships are no longer manipulated but supported.
