Introduction: More Than a Metaphor

The word "sealed" carries a sense of finality, of being closed off and secured. In Dawn McCarty’s memoir, Sealed to My Abductor, this word is more than a title—it's a diagnosis. Her story reveals that sealing a child away from their truth isn't a single act, but a multi-layered system of legal, religious, and psychological manipulation. Through her unflinching account, we come to understand that these "unconventional sealing practices" are the very architecture of child psychological abuse.

1. The Legal Seal: Adoption as Erasure

The first and most foundational seal in Dawn's story was not spiritual, but legal. A fraudulent adoption is not a rescue; it is an act of identity erasure. For Dawn, the 1976 adoption was the mechanism that legally severed the bond with her biological father, effectively sealing his existence away from her.

In the Memoir: Dawn’s journey exposes how the legal system, meant to protect, can be manipulated. The court order provided a veneer of legitimacy to the abduction. This legal seal was the key that unlocked the door for all subsequent forms of abuse, giving her abductors the authority to control her life, her name, and her spiritual path without question.

2. The Religious Seal: Weaponizing Eternal Doctrine

The most explicit "unconventional" practice explored in the memoir is the weaponization of the Mormon temple sealing. In the LDS faith, a sealing is a sacred ordinance meant to bind families together for eternity. In Dawn’s case, this sacred rite was co-opted and used as a tool of ultimate control. On December 29, 1977, she was sealed to her abductor in the Salt Lake Temple.

In the Memoir: Dawn reveals how this spiritual act served as the ultimate psychological lock. It framed her abduction and rewritten family structure not as a trauma, but as a matter of divine destiny. It told her, "This is forever. There is no escape, not even in the afterlife." This transformed a crime into a holy covenant, making rebellion feel like a spiritual transgression.

3. The Psychological Seal: The "Cult of Two"

The legal and religious seals created the external prison, but the psychological seal locked the door from the inside. Dawn powerfully terms this dynamic a "cult of two"—an insular, high-demand relationship that seals the victim off from outside reality. Within this bubble, the abuser controls all information, defines all emotions, and dictates the narrative.

In the Memoir: Dawn provides a raw, firsthand account of how trauma bonding (or Stockholm Syndrome) functions within this sealed environment. Her loyalty and even protective feelings toward her abuser were not a sign of consent, but a predictable survival mechanism. The "cult of two" is the engine of the abuse, using gaslighting and manipulation to ensure the victim remains sealed within the abuser's version of reality.

Conclusion: A Fortress of Control

These sealing practices are not separate; they are an interlocking system. The legal seal provided the foundation, the religious doctrine built the walls, and the psychological manipulation fortified the fortress from within. Sealed to My Abductor is a deconstruction of this fortress. It serves as a field guide for survivors, therapists, and advocates, teaching us to recognize that abuse is rarely a single lock. More often, it is a combination of unconventional seals designed to isolate and control. By understanding how these seals are forged, we learn how they can be broken.

About the Author

Dawn McCarty is a #1 international best-selling author and award-winning cybersecurity expert who applies the rigorous principles of threat detection and risk management to the complex landscape of childhood trauma. An abduction survivor turned global advocate, her work in promoting systemic reform earned her the Catalyst for Change Award for advancing SDG #10 – Reduced Inequalities.

Dawn’s personal story—marked by abduction, grooming, and the weaponization of the Mormon religion within a dynamic of pathogenic and cult-like parenting, is the driving force behind her life's work. This lived experience, combined with over 25 years in cybersecurity and a background in cyberpsychology, gives her a rare, 360-degree understanding of both technological and human threats. She uniquely compares the breach of a child's safety to a critical security breach in a system, providing innovative strategies for threat detection, risk mitigation, and building resilience.

This synthesis of survivor insight and expert analysis is the foundation of her upcoming Unsealed Trilogy. The series begins with her gripping memoir, Sealed to My Abductor; continues with the analytical framework, Doctrine of One: The Cult of Two; and culminates in the groundbreaking clinical dissection, Anatomy of a Psychological Mind-F*ck. She is also the creator of the Digital Defense series, which equips families against cyber and AI-related threats.

Her multidisciplinary expertise is grounded in extensive academic training, with degrees in Criminal Justice (B.S. in Psychology of Victimology, M.S. in Crime Scene and Evidence Management), B.S. in Computer Science, and an MBA in Cybersecurity. As the founder of the Thrivers Speak® and Securing Everything, and co-founder of the Nothing About Us, Without Us (NAUWOU™) conference, Dawn leads the charge to protect children from online predators and toxic family dynamics—particularly those involving severe Child Psychological Abuse (CPA) linked to undue influence, child predators, pathogenic parenting, alienation, and abduction. 

Through her writing, speaking, and advocacy, Dawn provides a roadmap for deconstructing trauma and creating safe, informed environments for the next generation.

Read more at the Unsealed Press

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