Soul murder is neither a diagnosis nor a condition. It is a dramatic term for circumstances that eventuate in crime, namely the deliberate attempt to eradicate or compromise the separate identity of another person. The victims of soul murder remain in large part possessed by another, their souls in bondage to someone else. It can result from childhood abuse, whether sexual molestation or physical beating, leading to overstimulation, terror and anger. It can also result from deprivation, especially in childhood, in the form of neglect or lack of emotional sustenance, leading to terrifying neediness, a sense of abandonment and rejection.