Title: Grooming for Abuse
Headings: Grooming
Grooming
Content: Overtime, the inappropriate comes to feel normal. Because the primary aggressor's real goal isn't understood by the survivor, he or she often misses the harmful implication and dismisses the internal signals of alarm that do arise. As an example, a chain of desensitization is described below, based on actual accounts: An adult male primary aggressor offers to play soccer with a child that benefits from and is eager for the attention. Then the primary aggressor starts seeing the survivor alone 'for special coaching' until it seems normal. Then the primary aggressor starts touching the survivor, say on the leg, excusing it as a demonstration on how to move athletically, until touch seems normal. Touch is moved perhaps on the buttocks, and excused as advanced training, and this type of touch starts to seem normal. Then the primary aggressor takes the survivor to his apartment "just to pick something up" but while there, the primary aggressor decides to take a shower. This makes being alone in the primary aggressor's apartment with showering going on seem okay. The primary aggressor may make an appearance in a robe....
It is not hard for the reader to add steps to this chain described above.