natalone,
just wanted to give you my support and respect.You obviously care deeply for your daughter, and are trying to help her in every way possible. personally, am a great believer in "whatever works" and thinking outside the box, so don't think you need to justify anything to anybody.Good luck and hope you get to see your daughter and grandchildren soon.

Thank you...thank you! Finally a voice of reason. A parent should not have to keep defending trying to help for her child. Like I have been trying to say for so long in here, and few would listen: I have tried other means of trying to get help, and researched thoroughly all these years. I have been around the block with law enforcement as well, and state agencies to see if they could help. Dr.Phil is making more progress with his staff than all of those entities put together.

Again, many thanks for the vote of confidence, I appreciate it. I am sure other parents would thank you as well.

I support you too, notalone. If you feel Dr. Phil has helped you, you are the only one who can judge that. You have to grab help and support where you find it.

I know from other sites that people who have been in a 'Christian' cult are really appreciating Dr. Phil raising their profile.

As to you personally, take care of yourself first and foremost at this difficult time. Don't get wrapped up in making others aware of the cult. This is my experience, I spent 2 years wrangling and having the wound torn open again and again by people not believing and invalidating me.

Try to help your daughter, but protect and nurture yourself by turning to and finding friends and supportive people. Take care of your health and try to take a break from the battle and do stuff to take your mind off it sometimes.

All the best,
Love
Kath

P.S The one caution I would say is don't buy any of his health products if he's still doing them. Theres no evidence they work as far as I know.

Thanks to yasmin and Kath. Sometimes, as I am sure you know, I feel like no one understands, but those are the days of feeling helpless. I have much support of friends and family around me. I have a renewed sense of hope again. Since the show, it's amazing the people rallying around me to want to help too.

I am a very cautious person by nature. I don't go by impulse, but yet I do listen to my gut. And, I feel "good" about what I am doing. I know I shouldn't feel like I have to defend my decision, but it just makes me upset that people can be so hard-headed sometimes. Unless they have been in MY shoes, why should they judge?

Thanks again! I will check out some other boards to see what people have to say there.....

What is happening with your daughter? Has Phil gotten anywhere with her?

We have many freedoms here and the freedom not to be offended is not one of them.

These are message boards and sometimes people come off rough, but from my experience people on here are genuinely here to be helpful and not to hurt. That said of course sometimes the truth does hurt and that is part of life.

As for my life, I was a member of two cults, one benign and one very violent and dangerous and escaped with my wife and daughter and now my soon to be ex has joined up with another cult and taken our child with her.

Talk about that for pain.

But I don't give up. And sure people say things to piss me off, but I wake up every morning knowing that the only path before me is one of relentless struggle and if I can help along the way than that is all good.

Have hope and don't give up posting. People here do understand although we don't always express ourselves in the best ways. Keep struggling...

I have personally criticized Dr. Phil quite a bit over various things, but I have never met the guy in person.

So I certainly think its valid for someone who has actually been on his show, to feel that it helped them. If they feel that the Dr. Phil cult show helped, them, then that makes sense to me. Its very different to be ON a show, than to watch it on TV.

Also, it does seem to me that the Dr. Phil show, and the public pressure, is what put the heat on Warren Jeffs.

I think on balance that various TV shows about cults do raise public awareness. I just thank goodness that Dr. Phil did not have on a bunch of 'cult aplogists' who argue that there "is no such thing as a cult".
There are lots of those type of "experts" out there, and imagine if that message got out?

At least he seems to be sending the message that "cults" do exist, and that they can be dangerous to certain people.
Hopefully, Dr. Phil will have more "cult experts" on each of those shows, and explore all the different options available.

I do recall that one of the girls from one of the cults refused to appear on the Dr. Phil show later on, and was having some problems. But then they got her to go back to treatment, so that's good.
I think its not black or white, but more of a mixed bag, and different experiences for different people.

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and different experiences for different people.

Exactly - which is why I'm very wary of Dr. Phil, as his history of sensationalism, breaking the rules, verbal abuse and public humiliation are very similar to the LF experience\LGAT trained "therapist" I encountered, which is how I ended up on this forum. It si great that he has put these clowns on the air, but he could be doing much, much more, especially with his website, perhaps giving Steve Hassan or other experts more time on the air, which would benefit millions. Also, when I was in a support group for all kinds of cult and cult-like groups, the recovery expert stated the worst thing a therapist or someone trying to help can do is use religious language as a therapeutic tool, which is exactly what Dr. Phil did. For many recovering or still in, this can be a deterrent for getting help as it sounds like eerily similar to the language they heard the first time around.

Its probably a very different experience being on a Dr. Phil show, than watching it. There is a massive staff for that show.
After all, its US TV, and they sensationalize everything, and use sound-bites, and the rest of it, as part of the ratings game.
Also, the religious language is a US thing, where 95% of the people want to hear that type of thing.

I would take it on a case by case basis.
If the person in this thread felt it helped her to be on the show, then I think that's great. Hopefully that will hold up over time, and things will work out for her.

I think as far as cults, its just one of many issues the show covers, so its just handled in a simple way on the air.
But I think on balance its better to get some info out there about these cults.

Since things are ongoing in my daughter's situation, I am not at liberty to discuss it, just know that, but we aren't finished yet. Those of you who do like Dr.Phil stayed tuned!

I agree and appreciate anticult's comments, others too who have an open mind. It is very different watching the show and being on it. Only a small portion gets aired....you don't know how many hours of preparation and footage was really done to condense to the actual minutes for the show. That was over three months of work, by the way for the many staff members and me.

Whatever it takes to get the word out on cults is great.....we all have different experiences, and not every one will agree how to confront the problem. What works for some will not work for others. I just happen to have found one avenue of help, beyond all the others I tried and had no luck with.

thanks!