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ForwardUnraveling the Tangled Mind: Psychotherapy with Survivors of Mind Control
Abstract
Even among trauma therapists, working with survivors of mind control presents unique and often disorienting clinical challenges. These clients may arrive with profound disruptions in identity, memory, perception, and meaning-making. What distinguishes this population is not only the presence of trauma, but the deliberate and strategic dismantling of the self through prolonged coercive control. This presentation explores the clinical and ethical complexities of providing trauma-informed care to individuals whose ability to trust—both themselves and others—has been systematically undermined.
Survivors often struggle to trust their own thoughts, emotions, or memories. They may not know what they believe, who they are, or whether their internal experience can be relied upon. Many are plagued by unresolved questions about their past actions: *Was I complicit? Did I do harm?* These questions are often shaped by environments where moral frameworks were inverted—where good and evil were manipulated to serve the interests of the abuser, leaving behind shame, confusion, and a fractured sense of self.
A haunting feature of this work is the survivor’s uncertainty about whether their abusers still exert control. Many fear that the influence is ongoing—that they are still being watched, triggered, or manipulated. Others live with the persistent dread that their abusers may return. This ongoing doubt can make it feel impossible to ever feel truly free. The psychological grip of the perpetrator often outlives the physical separation, entangling the client’s inner world in chronic hypervigilance, distrust, and a sense of captivity that exists even in the absence of external threats.
This presentation will address:
- The psychological and relational impacts of mind control tactics such as thought reform, gaslighting, and moral inversion.
- The clinical implications of chronic mistrust and the haunting uncertainty of ongoing control.
- Strategies for supporting autonomy, reducing the risk of reenactment, and helping clients cautiously rebuild a sense of inner authority and freedom.
Potential to Distress: Yes
Target Audience
Advanced
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to
- Identify key psychological and relational impacts of mind control on trauma survivors
- Describe how moral confusion and fear of ongoing control manifest in clinical presentation
- Apply therapeutic strategies that foster autonomy, reduce coercive reenactment, and rebuild trust in the self
Presenter: Faige Flakser, LCSW, MSW
Presenter Bio: Faige Flakser, LCSW, earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from Simmons College in 2007 and is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice in New York, where she specializes in the treatment of complex trauma and dissociation. Faige has extensive clinical experience working with adult survivors of childhood abuse, including individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and former members of cults or high-control groups. She is also known for her work with therapists who have lived experience of trauma, providing consultation and supervision with attunement to the ethical and relational nuances of that work. She completed her postgraduate training at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy (ICP) in the Trauma Studies Program, where she later became a faculty member and supervisor. She now serves as Director of the Trauma Division at ICP.
Faige’s deepening work with increasingly complex trauma populations led her to the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), where she completed the Advanced Studies in Trauma and Dissociation and joined the training faculty. She currently chairs ISSTD’s Professional Training Program and is the former Chair of both the Organized and Extreme Abuse (OEA) Special Interest Group and the Vicarious Trauma and Resiliency SIG. In recognition of her contributions to the field, Faige was honored by *Marquis Who’s Who* in 2023. Across her roles as clinician, teacher, supervisor, and consultant, she brings a deep respect for the survivor’s inner world and a commitment to relationally grounded, ethically attuned trauma care.
Available Credit
- 1.00 APAThe International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
- 1.00 ASWB ACEThe International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.00 continuing education credits.
- 1.00 ISSTD Certificate ProgramThis program is eligible for 1.00 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.
Your Price" above reflects your final price based on your membership status and career level.
- ISSTD defines a student as those enrolled in a program of study leading to a degree or certification in the mental health field and who have an interest in trauma and dissociation.
- ISSTD defines an emerging professional as mental health professionals who have completed an advanced degree and are in the first three years of their career (or first three years after graduation for researchers).
- If you do not fall into one of the above categories please register as Professional/Retired.
These prices are for Tier I countries. For a list of countries by Tier click here. If you are located in a country that falls into Tier II-VI please contact ISSTD at cfas@isst-d.org to receive the appropriate discount code.
Registration Policies
Cancellations prior to the webinar are subject to a $10 cancellation fee. No refunds are provided for no shows. The deadline for cancellations with a refund is September 15, 2025 at 5:00pm US Eastern Time. Requests for cancellation should be sent to cfas@isst-d.org.
For additional webinar policies including completion requirements, filing grievances, requesting a disability accommodation, and awarding of certificates of credits, please visit our Webinar Policies page.