Wow, I am getting overwhelmed with the wealth of info being provided. Thanks all.

BTW, I am extrmely skeptical about the NLP stuff and couldn't find definitive proof of whether it works (infact I was checking out skepdic.com and they raised more doubts.) So please, anyone know of research material I can peruse on NLP and trance induction (I know, 2 are different, but any resource would help.)

Again, thank you all. I am learning a lot.

at the medical school nearest to you. Tell them who you are, what you are doing and ask who you can get advice from on how to research trance induction and NLP. If possible, ask the person to tell you how to distinguish between high quality stuff and shoddy stuff.

Magic words are, look for 'peer-reviewed' journals. These journals have high standards. They dont accept papers unless their editorial committee (composed of research scientists/clinicians) approve. On google look for sites with .edu -- that indicates that its an educational institution. Be intelligently skeptical of anything from a .com site--thats profit driven.

Key thing with high demand groups is they would lose people unless they keep them coming back for additional seminars--booster shots. One reason why cult sociologists are so interested in bin Laden's Al Queda is his group has apparently found a way to recruit carefully chosen people, indoctrinate them, and do it in such a way that they can be sent to live inconspicuously, for many years as 'sleeper terrorists' in nations they will eventually attack. It is very difficult to find a way to accomplish this--perhaps the AL Q types also need periodic 'booster shots' in the form of visits to the right mosques, visits from recruiters to give pep talks, motivational tapes, etc.

THats how some problematic groups--keep people coming back for yet more trainings.

But people still find ways to leave--even people born and raised in high demand set ups like Jehovah's Witnesses. Their courage is amazing--they sometimes lose their entire families and friendship networks in doing so.

Good luck with your research--and tell us how your paper fares! I wish I'd had stuff like [www.culteducation.com] when I was in school, 20 years ago.

As I am burning the midnight oil and trying to come up with the basic outline of my thesis(ok, a paper :) ), I have a few more questions that I seem to have vague answers to. (sorry for the bad grammer, I'm sleepy.)

Anyway, here goes:

1. Is it true that it really takes only a couple(as in 2 to 3) days to "recruit" a person?

2. Regarding trance induction, repeating a "mantra" like in TM would be considered trance induction method?

Again, thanks Corboy, richardmgreen, and ofcourse RickRoss.
I'm am grateful for the help I am receiving.

do you know what smegma is?

[www.trancenet.org] and especially read about the routine they use for the puja ritual.

I think trancenet.org lists some websites that give info on hypnotic induction.

Recruiting can happen quite rapidly, but it is just one step in the process. Its one thing to recruit people. The key thing is, 1) once you've recruited people, finding a way to 2) indoctrinate them and then 3) retain them (keep the indoctrination process going.

First recruit, then retain. You need one kind of structure to recruit people and then another structure to indoctrinate, then another to retain.

Often some form of flattery and affection or bliss is used to pull people in.

But after they've been pulled into the operation, gradually, the good times fade away and are replaced by fear, shaming, and exploitation.

Rick Ross uses the term bait and switch. Bait (recruitment) is usually pleasant. Then, during the 'switch' process (during indoctrinatin) indoctrination is used to mess up critical thinking, and gradually ill treatment replaces the initial bliss. But because critical thinking is interfered with, the person concentrates on the past experience of bliss and ignores that the present is becoming worse and worse.

Occasionally some gurus are nasty right from the start--but often a recruiter has worked on you and convinced you that that the person is enlightened, his or her bullying is reframed as 'crazy wisdom' and that before you meet him in person. (recruitment).

Once you meet the bully, you're already blinded by the myth, you may already be persuaded to believe that he is actually entitled to behave like an asshole and treat you like shit.

It can sometimes be a bit difficult to disentangle 'recruitment' from 'indoctrination' but we usually try to see it as a two step process for the sake of analysis.

Good luck with your paper.

Thanks Corboy.

greenberean,
No, I didn't know what it was until you asked me.:mad:

Thanks for the warning though.

I'm going to try and change my nick.

if you find you're becoming interested in this whole subject, here is someone who may be a good resource person for you. She is a protege of Dr. Margaret Singer and Rick Ross has great respect for her expertise. She is on faculty at Cal State Chico and is due to publish a new book in 2004, through the University of California Press.

[www.csuchico.edu]

One thing you will discover as you go further in school is a varient of Murphy's Law: 'When you publish your paper, defend your thesis or dissertation or have finished your book, always, someone else will publish the very thing you most needed access to when doing your research.'

Scholarship never stands still. Make sure you love climbing just as much as reaching the top of the mountain!

(If your professor really likes your paper, consider sending it to Dr Lalich if you think you want to go further. Tell her your interests and ask her 'Where do I need to fine tune my thinking and do further research?' Who knows, if the two of you make a good connection, she could be first reader on your Ph.D dissertation committee some day!

Did you get an A?

In case you're still interested in 'how they start' I found a book a few weeks ago that darn near answered your question: 'Prophetic Charisma' by Len Oakes. I discuss it on this thread

[forum.culteducation.com]


This is an example of the version of Murphy's Law that plagues all scientists and scholars: as soon as you publish your work, you'll find out someone has come up with a book or paper that would have been a fantastic addition to your bibliography. I would've begged to to run and get Oakes book had I known about it at the time you first contacted our gang on RR.com

There's a huge ruckus right now because Amy Wallace has published a book describing 9 years she spent as a disciple/sexual servant to Carlos Castaneda--the dude who wrote Teachings of Don Juan and other books. He and his inner circle led a ghastly secret existence and totally bamboozled their fans. [www.sustainedaction.org] is a website where this is being discussed, big time. And they've found the Oakes book very useful in coming to terms with how a narcissistic con artist like Castaneda could cast a spell over so many people, and for so long.

Hope you enjoyed summer vacation!