LIMA Syndrome: What is it, Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Lima syndrome is one of the strangest and most complex phenomena of the mind. In this syndrome, people who commit kidnapping develop feelings of sympathy and complicity towards the people they hold against their will, becoming concerned about their well-being. It is one of the syndromes about which much remains to be investigated and known, but if you want to know more about this syndrome, keep reading our Psychology-Online article: Lima syndrome: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment.

Lima syndrome refers to a psychological reaction on the part of the kidnapper, which develops sympathy and an emotional bond towards their victim. It is a paradoxical response whereby the abductor empathizes with the victim and cares both for her needs and for her well-being. This syndrome is basically Stockholm syndrome upside down, since in the latter it is the victims who develop an affective bond and complicity with their kidnappers. On some occasions, the Lima syndrome and the Stockholm syndrome can occur at the same time, when the bond between the captor and the captive person is mutual.

Lima syndrome: origin

The Lima syndrome owes its name to an event that took place in the capital of Peru, Lima, in 1996. The MRTA group (Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru) took hundreds of people hostage in the Japanese embassy in the city of Lima. Many of the captives were of great economic value, since they came from politics, the field military and diplomatic, so it was expected that the MRTA group would ask a large sum of money for their rescue. However, after a few days the kidnappers released the people one by one, solely because of the feelings of sympathy and as a result of the links generated towards them.

There is another version about the origin of this syndrome: a psychiatrist was kidnapped in Lima and, being this Knowledgeable about Stockholm syndrome, he applied his knowledge to the abductor to gain her compassion and sympathy.

There is little data and research on Lima syndrome currently. But, despite not being considered a disorder, a series of symptoms present in kidnappers have been identified that define Lima syndrome:

• They avoid causing harm to the victim.
• They generate feelings of empathy and compassion towards his victim.
• They make different gestures of kindness towards the person they hold against her will.
• They develop concern about the physical and emotional well-being of the victim.
• He grants the victim some liberties, even going so far as to free her on occasion.
• The person who carries out the kidnapping seeks and encourages conversation about various topics as a way of getting closer.
• Sometimes the kidnapper can share with the victim different data and personal experiences, in a process of openness towards her.
• He may even promise the victim that he will not harm him or that he will even protect her, since the abductor may develop the idea that she is a protective figure for the victim.
• In the Lima syndrome, the kidnapper generates an illusion by which he perceives himself as caretaker and protector of the captive person.
• The abductor spends a great deal of effort to improve the victim's conditions while the abduction takes place.
• In Lima syndrome, the abductor can reach being really attracted to your victim.

In the previous sections we have seen what Lima syndrome is and how it manifests itself. but Why does Lima syndrome occur? The Lima syndrome is due to an interaction between the internal characteristics of the abductor and the environmental conditions of the abduction. Among the possible causes or explanations for this psychological response, the following have been identified:

• In the event that the person is part of a gang or group that commits the kidnapping, this person can not agree to carry out a kidnapping and being part of it, and having given in because of group pressure and group membership. You may also disagree with the form or method with which it is being carried out.
• It is possible for the abductor to act out of dire need as a very dire financial situation.
• It may be that the aggressor had premeditated that does not want to harm the victimsThese are simply a means to achieve something, they are an instrument to achieve an end.
• The abductor is likely to develop feelings of guilt and question her own actions. By way of redemption, he can worry about the welfare of the victim.
• The person who carries out the kidnapping may believe that they will not get out of it alive or that they believe that they are not capable of holding the victim for much longer, so they decide to release them.
• It is possible that the abductor has not previously carried out any other criminal act and has a great empathic capacity.
• The person may abduct his victim due to previous feelings of infatuation or attraction. That is why, once in captivity, he takes care of her well-being, since the kidnapper harbors feelings towards her victim and seeks to seduce and please her.

Currently there is no established psychological intervention for Lima syndrome, because is not considered a disorder by itself, as there is a deficit of research on same. However, some of the keys necessary for treatment are:

• It is necessary comprehensively evaluate and individual the motives and underlying causes of the kidnapping action, since these can be very varied and depending on these the profile of the kidnapper is different.
• People with criminal behaviors usually have a mental disorder, such as antisocial personality disorders, or alcohol and / or other substance abuse. It will be necessary to evaluate each case individually to specifically address the problem of people with Lima syndrome and design a treatment adapted to the needs, to achieve effectiveness.
• Reflect on the long-term consequences for the person who is the victim of the kidnapping, despite the fact that the person has treated them correctly, and to achieve an understanding about the victim's experience. Empathy should be encouraged, since the person may believe that he has not acted in a harmful way, since he has acted kindly to his victim. It is important that there is a change in the point of view from the abducted person; encourage her to understand that the other person who was deprived of her freedom and felt fear and anguish at the uncertainty of the kidnapping situation.
• It is important that the abductor generates a reflection on their actions and the consequences of the same, coming to accept their responsibility for them.
• Apply cognitive restructuring techniques, techniques whose objective is the modification of the interpretation and subjective assessment. Through which the person who has perpetrated the kidnapping is encouraged to be aware of reality and stop perceive yourself solely as a caregiver and protector, but accept and assume that you have participated in a kidnapping. In this way, the aim is for the person to create an image of himself that fits reality.

If you found it interesting and want to know more, in this article you will find 10 little-known syndromes.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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Lima syndrome: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment