backtosanity:

All fear is not an illusion.

Unreasonable fears planted by cults in the minds of thier victims is an illusion fostered and nurtured by destructive cults.

For example, the fear of leaving. The fear that leaving will mean death, certain damnation or have some sort of cosmic consequence.

Cults make people feel there is no legitimate reason to leave and implant fears about leaving to retain members.

Reading about how this works and educationg yourself about cults is the key to unlocking these unreasonable fears.

See [culteducation.com]

I am...

Im new here, my first post and im terrified to post it...but the subject line got my attention..

Grew up in a cult that was ran by my step dad and mother and centered around sexual stuff and animal sacrife :(

Im embarrased to say that i left at 18, but cut contact at 19...im now 34 and still fully believe what i was taught.

Ive been with my current therapist for almost 7 yrs, (it was pushed down as far as it would go before then, though i tried 4 free therapists before then, 2 said yes to my come ons though i didnt qant them to :/ and 2 got frustrated at me...) took a year of going every week to tell him why i was really there, and it frustrates me that i cant seem to change these beliefs.

I have MASSIVE anxiety, it seems the more we dig and the more i try to get better the worse it gets. Also have despression/suicidal ideations...

Ive been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and possible but not dignosed Attachment Disorder. Im also a cutter and now self carry out the rituals & punishments minus hurting animals...

I was told i was the "demon child" and 'the one child that was chosen to be used to satisfy the men there' so i dont think theres anything good about me. My first suicide attempt was whdn i was 8.

I dont do well with books, im dyslexic but even auto books about this scares me right now....posting on here scares me right now...

Im not good at correctly socializing with people, only way i know how to 'connect' to people is with sex so if i cause any trouble here (i did on a PTSD forum without meaning to) its not on purpose. :/

“You could jump out of a window”, he said. I did. Fortunate to be alive I followed this Yoga Cult Master for years. Others have died but no one believes my story. The police laugh, therapists don’t get it. Friends and family think it’s my defect. Psychic development is what he is famous for. How to acquire the supernatural abilities through studying the mind. It is what seduced me being a psychology major. An experiment I was told I was involved in to see if I could transcend the physical plane by trusting the mind of the Guru. In studying traditional Yoga a disciple unites his consciousness with the Godhead, the leader of the cult to reach nirvana. Things got a bit traumatic when he wanted me to go to Israel to help people using a Siddhi (supernatural ability) he showed me. I ran and for that I was told I would shoot myself in the head by his wife.

I've always been embarrassed that I was so profoundly and permanently damaged after being in a cult for 3-1/2 weeks. This was over 40 years ago and I still think about it every day. The fact that just a few days in your cult had such a terrible impact makes me feel better. I read somewhere the most of the damage a cult does occurs in the first 30 days. After that, the person somewhat adjusts to their new persona and new reality. So what happened to you and I may be the norm rather than the exception.

Yes, however it's culmination of multiple different problems not unique to my cult experience. I have compound PTSD from a variety of different factors. Though having survived a cult can throw your life out of balance in a lot of other ways.

Residual effects if you will.