Sex Abuse, Jimmy Hinton, Pedophiles, Illusionists, Magicians, Dr. Larry Nassar
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April is sexual abuse awareness month. It is very important for parents to know that nearly 90% of perpetrators are known by their victims. It is also important to understand that a pedophile can abuse a child while you are in the same room!
An article about sex abuse and the way magicians create illusions is spreading around the internet, and it’s an important one. Jimmy Hinton became a victim’s advocate after his father was convicted of sexual abuse.
Here is a brief summary of Jimmy’s painful journey:
In July of 2011, just two years into my new role as minister, a victim disclosed to me that she had been sexually abused by my father, the former preacher at my congregation. Within seconds, my life began to unravel. My childhood hero was now a villain who had dozens of victims–all of whom were humiliated and violated in the worst possible way. My mother and I reported my father to the police and he is currently serving a 30-60 year prison sentence for sex crimes against children.
Jimmy’s interest in connecting the illusions of magicians with sexual perpetrators is fascinating. Let’s take a closer look:
When Jimmy Hinton, of Somerset, heard about research into how magicians use the brain’s limitations to create illusions, he saw a connection to his own research on how child abusers use deception.
Hinton contacted neuroscience researchers Susana Martinez-Conde and her husband, Stephen Macknik, about collaborating on research into child abusers’ techniques.
The scientists are laboratory directors at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, and authors of “Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions.”
Macknik and Martinez-Conde came to Somerset County to begin working with Hinton and presented a program Tuesday for law enforcement and those working with child abuse victims.
“Much of the abuse is practiced directly in front of us,” Hinton said during the program at Somerset Borough Public Safety Building. “I mean literally in front of us.”
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Abuse can happen while adults are in the same room!
That last sentence grabbed my attention. My father-in-law is a former missionary and Bible translator. He’s also a pedophile with many, many victims, but the Statute of Limitations has expired on the cases, so he walks as a free man. I found out that one of the ways he abused children was by exhibitionism. He exposed his erect penis to his son’s friends, neighbors, and relatives while adults were in the same room by hiding behind a newspaper. Exhibitionism is abuse, and it is illegal. It is shocking to an unsuspecting minor and causes emotional and sexual harm/confusion.
The article mentions convicted sexual predator, Dr. Larry Nassar. One of the most shocking discoveries about this case with hundreds, if not thousands of victims, was that he did most of his abuse while an adult/mother was in the room! He was able to position himself between the mother and the patient on the table and digitally penetrate girls with his ungloved hand, while the other hand was visible and doing appropriate physical therapy. He even carried on conversations with parents as he was sexually violating.
Can you see why some parents would minimize or even dismiss the abuse claims saying, “I was there, I didn’t see anything?” Imagine how crazy-making this was to young girls who were unable to convince trusted adults that sexual abuse was going on right under their noses!
The following, also from the article, explains how our brains work and how we can miss what’s happening in front of us:
Calling some of the techniques “mental jiu-jitsu,” Macknik said the illusionists use the brain’s limited perception to get the audience to see what the performer wants them to see and suppress what the performer doesn’t want the them to notice.
And:
“Brains are naturally limiting,” Martinez-Conde said. “Our brains end up picking and choosing a very small portion of reality.”
The limited perception and abusers’ use of misdirection through visual and cognitive illusion may explain why parents often find it hard to believe the abuse occurred, Macknik said.
As a parent, how do you talk to your children about sex abuse and how to respond?
Here’s what I do:
- I tell my kids if they ever feel uncomfortable around someone for any reason, it’s important that they trust that uncomfortable gut feeling, and try to remove themselves from that situation.
- We use code language: “I don’t feel well.”
“I don’t feel well” doesn’t necessarily mean that my child feels physically sick – – to my child, it means that he/she can tell me in code language that something is wrong. They know that I will not ask any detailed questions, but will come immediately and help remove them from the environment. This gives them a way to let me know there is a problem without having to risk of them letting the abuser know that they are telling me. It is also not lying. Sexual abuse makes a child not feel well, so there will not be any conflict in a child’s mind as they say this phrase.
These are difficult topics to discuss, but I firmly believe that prevention is the best way to protect our children. When we address these issues head-on, we are giving our children tools they can use, so they are not helpless in a situation. They can identify what is happening, label it as abuse in their mind, and then make the choice to do what is necessary to leave the environment and get help.
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photo credit: Bazar del Bizzarro illusionist#nevio martini#56642# via photopin (license)
Spiritual Sounding Board 
I also like his use of the term ‘testing’ as opposed to ‘grooming’. I think we are ‘groomed’ more by the environment we grow up in and people we grow up with than by people we encounter. We are ‘tested’ by people who want to know what they can get out of us, and what they can do to us.
It completely freaks me out, though, that there are people who have spent their entire lives, like magicians, figuring out how to manipulate and fool people into doing what they want, or painting a different view of reality right in front of their faces.
I have noticed, with skilled magicians, that they are very particular about who they pick from the audience.
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It is freaky, Mark. It is commonly known that pedophiles seek out the vulnerable and weak. It makes me sick. Those are the ones who need to be surrounded by those who can help protect them until they are able to protect themselves.
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Jimmy is one of the good guys in my opinion! His persistence is pursuing this idea is truly ground-breaking and will probably impact how we protect children and educate adults for a very long time. I’m happy that you included this information here, Julie Anne!
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This is really interesting, especially since I have heard victims say that their abuser would distort reality. Meaning that victims felt that their abusers would make it as though what was happening was normal.
I have watched David Blaine perform on tv and feel so uncomfortable at what he is presenting. It’s the way he is presents what is happening as real when it doesn’t seem possible. Teaching children and adults to follow their gut instinct when something doesn’t feel right is so critical. However, it is so understandable when someone questions that gut feeling. It’s not easy being placed in the position of questioning yourself and your perceptions.
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very creepy!!
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“Calling some of the techniques “mental jiu-jitsu” … “Brains are naturally limiting,” Martinez-Conde said. “Our brains end up picking and choosing a very small portion of reality.”
My exh (psychopath, sex addict w/ compulsive behavior) called it a “chess game.” His words, not mine. His direct quote to me was, “It’s like a chess game where you are playing against an unknown opponent and have no chance to win.”
Talk about creepy. He played “the game” at an entirely different level.
The fact that my son sees him ~50% of the time is downright scary. We use the same safety code outlined in this post (plus other reinforced value guidelines). Still…. It’s enough to strike fear deep into my heart. All I can do is pray, trust God and stay watchful.
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I think it’s so much worse when the perpetrator is someone you look up to in confidence and trust like a doctor, or, in the case of the author’s father-in-law a missionary and Bible translator.
Sadly, so many in the church almost worship those “serving sacrificially on the mission field,” and “giving their lives for Jesus,” that it can be doubly confusing for the victim. Almost like years ago in the Catholic Church when “celibate” Catholic priests were held in such high esteem and could seemingly do no harm.
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Successful pedos (like successful sociopaths everywhere) are masters of camouflage, misdirection, and manipulation. If not, they would have been exposed and caught long ago.
We only hear about the ones dumb enough to slip up and get caught.
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Because both of these are at root the same thing: The Heresy of Clericalism — establishing a caste system of Godliness. Except then God’s Pet Caste was Priests, Monks, and Nuns; now it’s Pastors, Missionaries, and Full Time Christian Work. In both cases, the Laity warming the pews can all go to Hell.
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I agree, Kathi. I think the gift of fear really helped me trust these things in that regard, although your gut can be faulty at times as well, which makes it complicated. Or maybe you override you gut feelings with other ones? IDK.
Especially a problem in Christian culture when people accuse you of being overly emotional, and try to quote bible verses at you as if that should invalidate your gut.
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Mark, my uncle said it was the same for hypnotists (although this may be only the crowd type?).
That has been a very helpful realization in reading about abuse of all kinds, the abuser has chosen his (or her) victims and they take a lot into account including how likely they are to tell, leave or be believed if they do either. That is scary stuff.
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Yes, JA and Lea! It seems like we need much much more training in the church on dealing with predators than “go to the elders”. We need to be trained how to spot them, how to gather evidence and how to work with the police to make sure we’re heard.
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Great insight on the clerical caste system from Headless Unicorn Guy, above. I had never seen it like that before, but now I realize why such obviously mean and obnoxious “Christian ministers” were so readily tolerated in my surroundings and viewed as “Godly” simply because of their “sacrificial service” for Jesus.
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Nice comment from Lea, above. The fact that abusers choose their victims and take into account how likely they are to tell or be believed is true for lesser forms of abuse, as well.
I have personally observed this in the workplace with verbal abusers. Bully managers did not just randomly pick on people. They knew who they could unfairly accuse and yell at and get away with it (folks who were unpopular with others; shy, meek types; and teenagers.
Lesser crime; same tactics.
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