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healing and recovery

Use of Words, Loaded Language, and “Thought Control” of Believers

2018-12-16T21:05:22-04:00July 29th, 2016|Blog, Resources and Support|

I recently read former Scientologist official Mike Rinder’s blog piece on “Word Clearing.” I suspect that most people who read his blog are ex-Scientologists, but I think it might be interesting for former members of other destructive groups to give it a read. I thought it could be a useful introduction to a blog I have been wanting to write for a few weeks on “Loaded Language. When it comes to freeing one's mind from cult influence, one of the hardest things for many to overcome is the involuntary use of “loaded language.” Loaded language is something I first [...]

Reaching Out: Communicating After Cult Exit

2018-12-16T19:52:42-04:00April 22nd, 2016|Blog, Resources and Support|

I am often approached by concerned family members of adult cult members who need help. I work with the family by coaching them to use my Strategic Interactive Approach. This involves teaching them how to employ an ethical influence campaign based on compassion, and designed to help the cult member question the group’s leader, doctrine, and policies. If all goes well, the approach works and the cult member “wakes up.” As that happens, they are surrounded by loving people who are educated about all the key issues and ready to help them move on with their life. Family and [...]

Vulnerable Times: We All Need to Protect Ourselves and Each Other!

2018-12-16T19:53:08-04:00April 9th, 2016|Blog, Current Events, Resources and Support|

This morning’s Boston Globe reads, “An avalanche of worry” and I can’t help but think that there are countless numbers of people whose lives will be negatively and psychologically impacted by these grim economic developments. First of all, former members of totalistic religious groups (who have indoctrinated their members into a fear of Armageddon; Apocalypse; end of the world; end of the Mayan calendar or a zillion more scenarios) typically get “triggered” a bit, and start to wonder, “what if my former group or leader was right?” Perhaps they get out the old Bibles they used in the group, [...]

Heal Yourself First, Then Help Others

2018-12-16T19:52:52-04:00March 31st, 2016|Blog, Resources and Support|

May 11, 2016 marks the 40th anniversary of my waking up from cult mind control: day five of a deprogramming initiated by my family after I nearly died in van crash. You see, at age 19, I was deceptively recruited into a front group of the Moon cult. I was transformed into a different person for two and a half years: I was a leader, fanatically convinced that God was using me to help set up a “theocracy” to rule the world, and that those who would not join and comply would be eliminated. My mind had been manipulated, [...]

Freedom of Mind is the True Basis of Religious Freedom

2018-12-16T19:52:59-04:00September 5th, 2013|Blog, Resources and Support|

Freedom of mind is the true basis of religious freedom. The death of Sun Myung Moon (2012) presented a rare—and largely missed—opportunity to open a real public conversation about the way that high-demand groups, such as cults, exert their influence over people’s minds and behaviors. Moon was the epitome of a cult leader during the 1970s—his followers were even known as ‘Moonies.’ I was one of them. I was a college sophomore when I was deceptively lured into the group: three attractive young women invited me to join them for ‘philosophical discussions.’ I would use the same deceptions and [...]