QuoteScottperryI would speculate that probably the more elevated a cult leader generally views himself as being above common humanity, the more destructive and psychopathic his or her cult will probably be. According to this theory, cults where the leader has come to believe that he or she is in fact God, or somehow greater than God Interesting... Please share more. I voted NO it's t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteScottperryDear Ataloss, In my day, I have been involved to one extent or another in three different cults, and I have been attacked by a fourth cult even though I was never a member, as fate has had it. Scott P. I really feel you on this one. The offshoot version of the primary cult I studied while in their midst on internet was a racial hate group that promoted racial hatred and s
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoteatalossI just left a cult two months ago and I am doing so much better as far as getting away from the mind control, but I am at a loss as far as interacting with the world around me. I was with the Move Organization for eight years and they go so much further then religous ideology, which they have a mountain of. They also prey upon political activists who tend to be VERY open to new expe
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

Thank you! :D Great books to help the process of healing... What are some of your unsettled issues about what was right and wrong in your former group? May I ask? QuoteLady PleiadesI am reading Michael Langone's Recovery from Cults Margaret Singer's Cults in our Midst and Crazy Therapies and Steven Hassan's Combating Cult Mind Control. I am finding these extre
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoteProfessingI think many of the children reared in a professing home feel that at some point in their life, they must profess and take part in the meetings. Challenges to critical & independent thinking are made early on. In my case, I believed according to the adults in charge of my care. As an adult I no longer hold this belief or acceptance. I see clearly through adult eyes. In
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

Lady Pleiades, I agree completely. QuoteLady PleiadesWhen someone tells me to love my enemies and when my enemies smite me, not to smite them back but to offer my other cheek, that's my definition of a pacifist. And it's bloody hard to do, I might add. Or when people persecute me when I haven't done anything wrong, to ask God to forgive them? What Jesus raises his swor
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoterrmoderatorSee the following links for a start and then you might check my Links and Books pages, which have additional resources. Yes, I've experienced these tactics and reversed these tactics back on to the violaters by causing them to react in a negative manner exposing themselves even more due too public exposure of their personal laundry. In other words, I hit'em
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

Quotegr82run26I was a cult member for 9 years and have been out for 5 years. I attended Wellspring Retreat Center in Albany, OH. There are trained psychologists and therapists in cult recovery that are just fabulous. They really help you understand everything you have been through, explain the cult leaders personality and how he did everything he did, and most importantly, a clear path of heal
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuotedysfunctionInteresting material you provided. Yes I'm deeply interested in the Muslim tradition of how they view women. Yet now we as Americans are instilling women over there with a new kind of liberation their Koran despises with our clothing stores we are building in Iraq. This should be one interesting contrast to their usual ways of thinking. I bet it blows up in our faces. dysfu
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoteScottperry Regarding this one cult that caused me to feel poorly for four years, I now no longer feel these things towards them, but I believe that it took me this long to get over it because I believe that I needed to figure out how deeply I had invested in them, even on subconscious levels, and to finally be able to let go of all of these investments. In my case, I felt that I finally f
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoteLady PleiadesAs far as grief and loss, one can grieve the loss of time, I feel. Insightful and honest outlook. Every journey taken in life was pre-written for you and in that there is no such thing as wasted time. I'm in the process of learning how to be selfish and self-centered for the first time in my life in order to unlearn my sub-conscious need to help others so much. Qualit
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoterrmoderatorSee Also see These resources may be meaningful. Mr. Ross, Very much so. Thank you :D
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoteWordgirlNeither of us has ever had any kind of therapy. We've been too busy with work and family! And a lot of time has gone by. We are older and wiser (I hope!) These days I'm no longer ashamed of my involvement in a cult. Internet access has been a real eye-opener regarding the number of cults out there! I had no idea so much of this sort of thing went on. I used to thin
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoterrmoderatorPlease explain your direct involvement with the cult through personal face-to-face physical contact. I've shared this in another thread. The first traumatic experience with my former cultic environment ended 3 years ago. I have recieved thus far no harassment or stalking from this group. Most of my experiences shared on this website is about a cult group online from a
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

Lady Pleiades, Thank you for clarifying your post. I am very happy you have recovered from your experiences. I agree that society in general is an institution, I also agree good people exist within these institutions. I believe continued participation is an individual choice and I will not sway people with my own personal opinions one way or another on his/her decision to participate in rel
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoterrmoderatorVery unusual story. I have never heard of a any on-line group pursuing someone only as a result of Internet discussion without any personal physical contact through meetings and actual direct involvement as a participating active member. Frankly, your account is rather difficult to believe. It is a rather unusal story, I agree. I was not dealing with normal people. Quo
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoterrmoderatorWhat direct contact have you had with the cult in question? Hi, I had no direct physical contact with the cult members I met online. Quoterrmoderator Did you only meet them on-line through the Internet, or did you physically attend meetings and participate first-hand in person? No, I've only met online. I exchanged cellphone numebers with a few and spoke by telephon
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoterrmoderatorIf you suspect anything criminal you should contact the police. Stalking is against the law. You might also contact a lawyer to advise you. Groups that harass people typically give up and/or quickly lose interest when dealt with in this way. For recovery resources see I suggest you move on with your life and cut off any contact no matter how remote with the group,
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

(IMO) I agree that deception is at the root of the majority of recruting methods. Cults use any and all circumstances of the potential victim (convert) and if you don't have any issues of immediate concern the cult will create issues for you and tie those issues into scripture to justify why you need to be a member (believer) in their doctrine and group. QuoterrmoderatorA desire to belong
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteSarahLI've learned through experience that unsafe groups and abusive relationships can be found most everywhere, including online. I've also been reminded that it isn't necessarily the philosophy or theme or focus of a group that will indicate possible trouble, it is the behavior. Even chat rooms, online gaming, and other endeavors can be problematic. People online can be man
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

Quotejewels36305Hi everyone, I am doing a research paper on the after effects of cults, and whether or not a shelter would help. I have some questions for those of you that have been involved in a cult or fundamentalist group if you don't mind answering them. I would appreciate anything you have to say. If you can think of anything else to add please do. This is something I am al
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoteLady PleiadesI also relate to your situation and, luckily, was able to move to another state, but knowing that some of my old friends probably believed the slander. To recover, I found several things that helped: filing legal complaints, having professionals tell me again and again that what the cult did was crazy and harmful, and finally the good feelings I get from knowing that I KNEW it
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

Hello! In my former cultic environment and interactions via the internet websites I took a controversial stand and posed the very same questions and debated the issue over the violent language cults use depicting women in their theology as inferior and how dangerous sexism and Misogyny is for women, which was met with a barrage of vicious slanderous attacks, threats and character assasination
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

Excellent Post! I just recently left 2 intenet website recruiting online cults that hide its true leader who uses the website to recruit new members and maintain contact with those who share the same ideology around the world. I was terribly harassed by several men on the website who resented that their ideology in the black man being "GOD" didn't work on me. This cult has se
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

QuoteTimmerMost people join organizations of all kinds because someone asked them to. Exactly, or an appeal was made tied to the victims life circumstances or emotional needs.
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

Can you give advice on how you handled the harassment after leaving the cult you were in? Thank you QuoterandomfactorDear Ataloss: You wrote: "Now there is an internet campaign against me and my husband branding us as being racist and evil government agents out to destroy the revolution." I was very shocked after I left a religious (and intensly political) cult to find my
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuotedysfunctionI would like to know what any of you might know about groups that subject women to sexual abuse. Groups that work on a massive scale to reduce women's self esteems, and make women feel inferior. Written in their texts, written in their holy books, written in their deeds and masses what not...basically dangling the wisdom they have over the woman's head, and then laughing
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoteHopeIt's a myth that coercive persuasion only works on the vulnerable. The predators actually look for a person's strengths as well as vulnerabilities, which we all have. My doctor was heavily involved in an LGAT, and he was very analytical, very well read, but also a major con artist. The LGAT used his charm and access to a huge pool of potential new customers - his patients.
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence