Dislocation — Dislocation describes a disruption in the person’s sense of place, continuity, and direction in life. The survivor’s circumstances no longer fit the life they believed they were living or the future they expected. Here, the word expresses psychological and social upheaval rather than a physical injury, and it describes an experience rather than a clinical diagnosis. Emotional dislocation concerns the gap between the survivor’s established feelings and the reality revealed by discovery. The person still feels attached to the supposed partner, remembers meaningful conversations, or anticipates familiar messages while recognizing that a criminal manufactured the relationship. The routines and expectations remain emotionally significant after the facts have destroyed their foundation, leaving the survivor struggling to locate those experiences within an accurate account of what happened. Social and practical dislocation concerns the disruption of everyday life through financial losses, damaged relationships, changed living arrangements, or abandoned plans. A survivor who loses savings, moves from a longtime home, or withdraws from familiar activities confronts changes in both circumstances and belonging. Recovery involves establishing dependable routines, addressing practical consequences, and developing a future grounded in present reality, gradually restoring a sense of direction without requiring a return to the exact life that existed before the crime.

Added October 5, 2026