Scam Victims Pain and Suffering – Sailing the 8 Worldly Winds – 2024

Scam Victims’ Pain and Suffering – Sailing the 8 Worldly Winds

A Guide for Scam Victims to Sail the 8 Worldly Winds: Through Pain and Suffering, Trauma and Grief, and Recovery

Primary Category: Philosophy of Scam Victim Recovery

Author:
• Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.

About This Article

Viewing life through the lens of the 8 Worldly Winds—gain and loss, pleasure and pain, praise and blame, fame and disrepute—helps individuals, particularly scam victims, navigate emotional turmoil by recognizing the transient nature of experiences.

By understanding that both positive and negative events are impermanent, victims can cultivate emotional resilience, detach from extremes, and find peace. This perspective encourages mindful acceptance of life’s fluctuations, promoting healing and personal growth.

Scam victims can use this framework to manage suffering, regain self-worth, and rebuild their emotional balance.

The Relationship Between Pain and Pleasure

How the Brain can Confuse them and what this means for Scam Victims

Primary Category: Recovery Psychology

Authors:
• Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Psychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
• Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.

About This Article

Humans have a complex relationship with pain and pleasure, with the brain often linking the two in unexpected ways. Activities like eating hot peppers or intense exercise can be pleasurable due to the release of endorphins and dopamine, which act as natural painkillers and “feel-good” neurotransmitters.

This extends beyond physical pain to psychological experiences, such as those endured by scam victims. During a scam, victims experience emotional highs and lows, manipulated by scammers to create a cycle of hope and despair, engaging the brain’s reward system. After the scam, the realization of being deceived leads to psychological trauma and chronic stress, mirroring the dynamics of physical pain.

Pain