I found a couple articles on their methods. I hope they are helpful to some of you trying to break free of groups or belief systems you find detremental, or if you have loved ones involved in such things. and
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Here's a small, easy-to-understand questionaire that I found extremely helpful, as the bologna detection kit does not work for me. I hope your new-age friends and family are assisted by it as well.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Good Enough, This is quite long, but I read your original thread and would like to offer my perspective as someone who left the new-age movement and can tell you why she got involved in the first place. I will also share some stratigies that might help you. Defensive comebacks on your part will not work, but there are things you can say that might shed some light on their beliefs and may help
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

How happy I am to be completely out of the new-age, new-thought, human-potential, pop-psychology, self-hel0/improvement, personal/spiritual growth/development movements now and see them all for what they are! How glad I am to recognize the various psychological methods/techniques for what they are also. Someone asked what other year new-agers will use after 2012 is over. Here is an article I
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Apparently, Jerry Hicks now has Leukemia and is undergoing a 28-day chemotherapy regime.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I did not pick secular humanism because I'm into science or philosophy. It's nice and I like watching Nova and Secrets of the Dead on PBS, but that's about it. Like I said, if the majority of people believe something, I believe it, too, and whenever I've held a different oppinion and tried to express it (such as I don't like Oprah and everyone else does), it makes me feel
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Solea13, Thanks so much for your support. I really appreciate it. I read your response at the other forum and there are electronic books, but I think you have to pay for them. I read a lot of internet articles, referred to me by posters, because the internet is so full of information I don't know what to read. So it helps when they reccomend articles to me, and provide links to them.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

It may look like I'm pointing the finger, but I'm not. I have to see if I can recognize destructive beliefs, or spot psychological techniques, so I know what they are and can avoid them. I wanted to see if I could spot a destructive belief system "life is a game you're just a mind-body complex" but the majority of people see it that way so I guess I couldn't. I can s
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Solea13, Your advice will help me a lot! Thank you. Yeah, right now I dropped all religion and spirituality and decided to be just a regular, normal, secular person. Of course, in the cognitive dissonance I experienced (it's not a cult per se, but thank you for helping me find the words), being a regular, normal, secular person with no focus whatsoever on spirituality is detremental to
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I was only trying to help, as some of the beliefs looked dangerous "Life is a game, I'm not real, just a mind-body complex" thing. I just wanted to help, that's all. And most books are not available in Braille, so please keep that in mind when asking me to read things.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi gang, While researching how to destroy my own cult beliefs, I came across this article and thought you might want to watch out for this guy. Maybe there's another thread about him somewhere, but just in case, I thought I'd post this.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi all, My name is Brynhild Tudor, and I was involved in the new age for 5 years. I'm having trouble getting out of the mindset, and was referred to this thread, as many psychological tactics used in the new age movement are apparently used in SGI. I posted and replied to threads in various topics on the RR board, so if you want to read those to get my background, please feel free. Basic
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi gang, Maybe some New Wagers and/or former JW members can answer this. How did you all begin to leave the cult style of thinking when it comes to "you don't *have* to do this, but if you don't follow these teachings/do these required practices, dire consequences will happen." I'm struggling with that now, because I half believe that something bad's going to happen
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Don't worry Sunshine, let's all be in this together. Then we're not alone! If it makes you feel any better, I thought I'd never fall for this stuff either. We're intelligent, free-thinking adults, at least that's what we thought. This seems like the appropriate thread to discuss this, so out of curiosity: Has anyone here successful at those "new paradigm, shi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Yup, this New Wage stuff sounds more than familiar... But Anticult, you are forgetting one tiny thing. See, the ascension people say you can be like Jesus, but if you challenge them to make loves and fishies appear, they'll come back with: "it takes time for humanity to ascend and achieve that level. It's not easy. We're not there yet." Or: "you're interpr
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Your definitions of psychological tactics and other resources are helping. I recognize what love-bombing is now! Thanks for all your continuing help, it's really assisting me. Especially Anti Cult and Corboy. Anti Cult, you seem to know New Thought so well it's scary, and you could define my own experiences better than I, and articulate the definition of New Thought, which I didn
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Ah, don't get me started on Oprah... Where to begin? I think Splash90 said it beautifully! Over-enthusiasm is right on. She pretends to be all humble dignity but it all sounds so fake, and her audience takes her so seriously. Didn't Rhonda Byrne come out with another book? She'll be promoting that next... just wait...
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Yeah, love-bombing. That'll do it. Hooked me right in. Maybe that's why new agers love it! No pun intended. Excellent definition, by the way. I, and perhaps many others, are extremely prone to it. Doesn't Byron Katie do love-bombing? I've seen youtube videos of her and now I know what it is, it looks a lot like love-bombing to me...
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Sunshine, I think I was primed for these new age cults too. As someone who was never happy with life's offerings (hard work, unpleasant people despite what you can learn from them, gradual improvement), the promise of being able to have/do/be anything you've ever wanted, happily ever after, only hangint out with positive, like-minded people was a great message. Who wouldn't wa
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Not Enlightened, Wow, you're a recovering new ager, too? I thought I was the only one! Nice to meet you. It's nice to meet others out there... then I know I'm not alone!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

To the OP, I've had plenty of experience with alien/ascension/conspiracy theories, more than I want to know. Thanks to the good people on this board, I can now laugh at the utter ridiculousness of these things, half of which I actually used to believe! I often frequented the site www.salrachele.com There's a ten-part Earth History series in the channelings section. Think X-files meet
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Stoic, I grew up in Christianity but found holes in that, so tried Paganism and was told, upon questioning it, that my beliefs were too fluffy and to go join the new age movement, which I did, but obviously found flaws in that. So I come here and am honest enough to ask for help, and when I am given information, I tell you what works for me and what doesn't. When I get information that do
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Stoic, I do appreciate the bologna detection kit, but I can't understand it. The antecdotes and articles other posters here are giving me are much more helpful, and written in a way I can understand. I do not know what ad hoc, ad/post hominum, phallacies, etc. mean so I generally avoid articles with too much of that terminology. I'm just telling you what is the most easy-to-under
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Sunshine, Thanks for your posts. They are extremely helpful, especially when you ask "imagine if the LOA or the Silva method worked 100 percent of the time." The new age movement says it does and puts an all-positive spin on it, backing it up with their own selective evidence to support their claims and their own justification for why things are the way they are. That is part of
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Wow, this is scary stuff! There seems to be a huge corrolation between these Silva/LGAT methods and mental illness. Maybe if you mess with people's minds enough, they become mentally ill... Would you all take a look at this site and give me your thoughts? This person was involved in Silva mind control and claims to have been a scientist so writes metaphysical articles and tried to use sci
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Calm, I understood every word of that article and know exactly what you are saying. That's *exactly* what the new age movement wants. You'd be the poster child. Things happen but they don't affect you emotionally, right??? The new agers would congratulate you. That state is exactly what they want. They call it peace, but I see nothing peaceful about it at all. The moderator&#
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi all, In researching the backgrounds of new-age authors in order to not take their channeled messages at face value, I sometimes have a lot of trouble finding information on their past or the organizations they trained under (unless of course it is to sing the authors, praises with glowing testimonials." One of these organizations is something called Silva Mind Control, and a particular n
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Margarets, Thank you so much for posting your quiz results and looking at them with such a critical eye. Upon first reading them, I believed them because they sounded so positive, but the way you analyzed them pointed out certain things, and I have never looked at anything that way before. Sometimes it's true I do think too much, and have been told that, but that's only when I'
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

As a friend said, you know, this new age crap would all be hysterically, hilariously funny if it weren't so painful. The marketing stratigies and psychological tactics these people use... sheer brilliance. Shame they had to use them to manipulate people without their knowledge or consent, instead of using them for the betterment of society. You gotta hand it to them, in a sick way. Don'
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Calm, Wow, you feel that way too? How happy I am to know I'm not alone either! I was involved with the new age for 5 years with various authors (Caroline Myss, Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie, Wayne Dyer, The Secret and the Abraham Hicks teachings, lightworkers, ascension, Karen Bishop, Sal Rachele, tons of channelings, Sonia Choquette) for varying periods of time each. I can spout the lingo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"