Book On PAS - "The Kidnapped Mind"

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BOOKS-A-MILLION NONFICTION BOOK PREVIEW CLUB
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A KIDNAPPED MIND
by Pamela Richardson (nonfiction)

Published by Dundurn Press
ISBN: 1550026240
Copyright (c) 2006 by Pamela Richardson

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FROM THE BOOK JACKET:

This is both a heart wrenching story by a mother grieving
for her son and the introduction of a new and little known
syndrome, Parental Alienation Syndrome, identified in 1985
by Dr. Richard Gardner. PAS is a childhood disorder seen
primarily in children involved in custody disputes. From
age five Pamela Richardson's son, Dash, suffered from PAS
at the hands of his father. Indoctrinated to believe his
mother had abandoned him, after years of monitored phone
calls and impeded access eight-year-old Dash decided he
didn't want to be "forced" to visit her at all; later he
told her he would never see her again if she took the case
to court. For eight more years Pamela battled Dash's
father, the legal system, their psychologist, the school
system, and Dash himself to try to protect her son--first
from his father, then from himself.

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FOREWORD

Children enter this world completely dependent upon those--usually
their parents--who are entrusted with their care. Parenting styles
and the ability to parent may vary, but most parents manage this
important life task quite successfully. Nevertheless, some children
are failed by parents who are incapable of childrearing.

Mothers and fathers who are limited by physical or mental disabil-
ities, poor health, alcohol or substance abuse, criminality,
poverty, war or otherwise, often show a general lack of desire to
invest in their children's upbringing. Children in these situations
are either left to fend for themselves or are in the care of family
members, friends and neighbours or social agencies.

But another class of parents has also been found to fail at
appropriately protecting, nurturing, educating and guiding their
children. Mothers and fathers in this relatively new and emerging
group do not fit the stereotype of the deficient and ill-equipped
parent. Instead, these parents are generally quite articulate,
resourceful and competent in all other aspects of their lives--
except in the realm of parenting. In fact, these individuals might
easily be mistaken for ideal parents, except to the properly
informed, because they profess love and concern for their children.
What sets these individuals apart from other dysfunctional parents
is their overwhelming commitment to meet their own needs first. In
doing so, they destroy the relationship their children have with the
other parent--at whatever cost.


"A Kidnapped Mind" by Pamela Richardson chronicles her son Dash's
painful emotional descent, which ultimately culminated in his
s uicide. This is an extremely sad but powerful account of the
circumstances involved in Dash's struggle to survive in an environ-
ment in which his father placed his own selfish need to punish his
ex-spouse ahead of the needs of his dependent child. This was an
environment in which Dash was held psychologically hostage for
nearly eleven years of his sixteen-year life.

"A Kidnapped Mind" is more than a story about a mother's plight to
win back custody of her son following an acrimonious divorce and
custody battle. Rather, it is a story of the emotionally damaging
fallout that occurs when a child is wrongfully robbed of his right
to love and be loved by both of his parents. It is also a story of
the court system's ignorance toward children's needs and its
unwillingness to look beyond the legal infrastructure in order to
examine why a once healthy, happy and well-functioning child, who
experienced reciprocally warm and positive relationships with both
of his parents, systematically and without cause rejected one parent
and denied himself the love and nurturing that would sustain him.

While Dash's experience represents the absolute worst possible
outcome of "parental alienation syndrome," an increasingly common
by-product of contested custody cases, it must be understood that
countless numbers of children are suffering on an ongoing basis
while they are in the care of parents who place more value on
getting even with their ex-spouse without regard to how this may
impact their child. More importantly, these same parents are
deliberately and without cause motivated and consumed with des-
troying the bond that exists between their child and their other
parent. Although parental alienation syndrome remains controversial
due to its politicization by special interests groups such as
Justice for Children and the National Alliance for Family Court
Justice, which have a vested interest in its non-existence, it is
nevertheless a phenomenon that professionals have observed with
increasing frequency ever since the 1980s, when the courts con-
sidered joint custody as a more optimal parenting option following
divorce.

I believe that "A Kidnapped Mind" will provide important insights
into the needs of children of divorcing parents in a way that the
theoretical or empirical contributions of academics have not been
able to achieve. For this reason, "A Kidnapped Mind" should be
required reading for all family court judges, family law lawyers and
anyone involved with divorcing families.

I applaud the strength, perseverance and commitment that Pamela
Richardson showed throughout Dash's life, and which endures now in
her efforts to ensure that his death was not in vain. I am truly
honoured by the opportunity to contribute to this excellent book.


"Dash, rest in peace knowing that you were always loved and
cherished by a truly remarkable mother, who is much greater than the
'good parent' the court saw."
--REENA SOMMER, PhD
Divorce and Custody Consultant

(continued on Tuesday)

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