A woman from North Carolina who was manipulated into blinding herself has spoken of her regret. Jewel Shuping, now completely blind, says she was coerced by a man claiming to be a psychologist into pouring drain cleaner into her eyes.
Shuping had previously claimed she suffered from Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), a condition where individuals believe they should have a disability. She said she had always wanted to be blind, but now admits those memories were false.
In 2006, she travelled to Chicago to meet the psychologist. He isolated her for two weeks and then dripped drain cleaner into her eyes, delaying hospital treatment for half an hour. The damage took months to destroy her sight completely.
Initially, Shuping said the act was consensual, but she now believes she was manipulated. She wrote on Reddit: 'The memories of wanting to be blind as a child were false ones, reality twisted to suit the narrative.' She added that the psychologist reframed traumatic childhood experiences as proof she wanted blindness.
Shuping has since undergone trauma therapy and lives with complex PTSD and social anxiety. The psychologist has never been named or charged.
