Counseling Cult Survivors

Counseling Cult Survivors: A Literature Review

November 09, 2023

Overview

Cult membership can encapsulate a myriad of intersections in identity. Oftentimes religious in nature, cults are characterized by good things gone very wrong. There is bias around cult membership, such that one must be foolish to join. The truth is, “people of all ages and backgrounds are vulnerable to the abuse of cults, and those who believe otherwise have succumbed to the illusion that ‘It will never happen to me!’” (Berger, 2023). I feel passionate about this topic because it did happen to me. This paper intends to outline the general structure, group psychology, trauma of cult survivors, and therapeutic approaches to use when counseling cult survivors.

Literature Review

General Structure of a Cult

Although the specifics are subjective, the general principles and structure of cultic organizations remain consistent among groups. Typically, there are four categories that may hold a cultic organization: commercial, political, religious, and psychotherapeutic (Berger, 2023). Religious cults specifically refer to groups with unusual religious or spiritual beliefs (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). A cult can be defined as a group or organization that uses manipulative psychological techniques that encourage subservience while fostering isolation from the outside world (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). Despite the recent media coverage of dangerous cults, the existence of cultic groups is not a modern phenomenon. According to Wells-Derbigny, “The timeline of religious cult activity goes back to the 1500s. Some of the first generational cult followers were young people searching for meaning in their lives” (2023). To this day, there are countless numbers of people born into cults. According to The National Center for Education Statistics, an estimated, “two million students in America are affiliated with religious cults and enrolled in schools of various levels” (Wells-Derbigny, 2023).

Cults often follow an indoctrination process, which involves the recruitment and maintenance of group members. One model created by Singer in 2003 denotes six stages to cult membership: creating isolation, fostering an us versus them mentality, inducing dependency, creating a sense of powerlessness,  manipulating fears and vulnerabilities, and keeping the victims unaware and uniformed (Berger, 2023). This environment becomes detrimental as manipulation and coercive control begin to impact the cult members. Once this happens, “cult members become so deeply trapped in cult worldviews that they struggle to leave, and when they do, struggle to establish and maintain new relationships, hold jobs, and engage in fundamental human activities including identifying their own realities and needs over imposed cultic values” (Feliciano, 2023). While a part of the group, further isolation and dependency are fostered by creating the belief among group members that the outside world is hostile, or that they will not understand the teachings of the group (Berger). Cult leaders often claim an all-knowing, Godlike, or spiritually enlightened personas that lead to authority and power. This can lead to exploitation of the members. 

Cult Psychology

It is important to check personal biases and recognize the very real psychological tactics used to manipulate and entrap cult members into a group. As stated by Berger, “Cults tend to assault and strip away a person’s independence, critical-thinking abilities, and personal relationships, and may have a less-than-positive positive effect on the person’s physical, spiritual, and psychological state of being” (2022). Cults tend to attract members through an adaptable presentation, with vulnerability being a primary component of being recruited. Additionally, people who have suffered from trauma, loneliness, homelessness, or domestic violence may be at an increased risk for recruitment (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). The cult may meet people in their struggles and promise a place of comfort, peace, and understanding while ultimately verifying commitment of the individual. Once this happens, the cult leader may have a switch in intention and personality, resulting in a breakdown of self concept and a repurpose of individual identity (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). As stated by Feliciano, “Cults effectively exploit their members’ desire for belonging by providing a community which paradoxically becomes a main source of comfort and simultaneously an abusive network” (2023).

Several tactics have been developed in order to maintain group membership. Once membership has been confirmed, unethical and manipulative techniques are employed, including: isolation from former friends and family, group pressure, information management, suspension of individuality, dissuasion or forbidding of critical judgment, promotion of dependency on the group, and instillation of fear in leaving the cult (Berger, 2022). These elements can be summarized as coercive control, which is defined as, “an abusive power dynamic maintained by the ongoing implementation of multiple interlocking tactics—some of which are invisible to outside perception—used to exert power over victims, eliminating autonomy, liberty, and sense of self” (Feliciano, 2023). The subtactics of coercive control may present as exploitation, manipulation, or sexual coercion or abuse. Cults may use specific phobias to generate control. For example, a religious cult may use the fear of God to generate further dependence on the group leadership or sacred texts. Additionally, the group’s time and environment is often controlled and manipulated, resulting in a lack of sleep, powerlessness, fear, and clouded logic (Berger, 2022). 

The coercive control and abuse would not be perpetuated without a cult leader. Cult leaders often exhibit abusive and sociopathic characteristics (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). They may even be referred to as a ‘traumatic narcissist,’ meaning, “a cunning manipulator of others, grandiose, envious, aggressive, exploiting and controlling, who presents as charismatic, seductive, and intensely attentive, and enjoys their grandiosity by proxy” (Feliciano, 2023). This person will intentionally convince others to become dependent on them, projecting the idea that they have a special gift, talent, knowledge, or ability to communicate with God directly (Berger, 2022). When working with religious texts, cult leaders will misinterpret scripture in order to provide a confirmation bias towards their teaching. This may result in further compliance of followers and justification of the cult leader, even though the teachings are not factual or empirical (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). The cult leader may implement daily mantras or tasks to keep the members busy and their minds focused on the cult and its teachings, as “repeating key phrases is a form of psychological mind conformity” (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). One of the most powerful tactics used by cult leaders to generate control and compliance is micro-regulation. This involves control over all media and materials, activities, diet, and sexual expression. This is combined with isolation and segregation within the group, and degradation through demotion, manual labor, and public humiliation (Feliciano, 2023).

Specific Trauma

Cult survivors face a very specific set of obstacles, especially when attempting to break free of the group and assimilate back into the outside world. According to a study done by Feliciano, “the prevalence of PTSD in American former cult members was 61.4% for males and 71.3% for females” (2023). Cult members are subjected to the various abuse and manipulation tactics used by the cult leader. This is correlated with depression, anxiety, and social disorders for adults no longer involved in cultic organizations. Cult survivors may lack trust, have hypervigilance, assume that others are trying to manipulate their thinking, or meet stressful situations with a passive emotional response (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). The long-term subservience of cult members causes survivors to struggle with patriarchy and gender roles, decision making, authority, group and relationship dynamics, religiosity and spirituality, abuse, identity, fear, and change (Feliciano, 2023). Because dependence is necessary for group submission, exploitation, and coercive control, members lose the ability for autonomy and decision making. In fact, most cults punish all small mistakes in an attempt to further destroy this autonomy and sense of self resulting in a prevalence of fear, confusion, pain, grief, shame, anger, loneliness, guilt, and suicidal thoughts and actions among cult survivors (Berger, 2022).

Children who have grown up in cultic groups face a very unique form of trauma. When born into a cult, the group is all that a child knows. This can result in academic and social limitations in children, as some groups only allow children to interact within the group. Additionally, children have an intense fear of disappointing their parents and group leaders and being accepted within the group, which can result in psychological scarring (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). Children are often brainwashed and taught obedience and complicity through abuse from primary and secondary abusers (Feliciano, 2023). 

Counseling Approach

Cult survivors have been conditioned to live in a highly controlled environment without autonomy. When working with cult survivors, the counseling approach should be adapted to meet the unique needs of the individual. A clinician may focus on maintaining a safe and judgment free space that promotes choice and autonomy that combats the rigid thought process learned in the cult (Berger, 2022). There is a risk involved, as survivors who are not open to talking about their experiences may feel compelled to return to the cult, or to find another group to fill that need. Cult survivors have become distant from or unfamiliar with their authentic selves. They may not even know themselves at all. Therefore, the goal of treatment may be to uncover their own core values and beliefs without the influence of the cult (Berger, 2022).

There are several counseling approaches that may be utilized in working with cult survivors. The BITE (behavior, information, thought, emotion) model is specifically designed to help cult survivors understand and interact with the complex trauma involved in mind control and cultic abuse (Berger, 2022). The BITE model provides context to how cults recruit and maintain members, and therefore can help survivors understand that they have been victimized. Understanding attachment theory can also be helpful for cult survivors in their healing journey. Within the cult setting, complex attachments arise between members, leadership, religious figures, elders, parents, etc. When a child’s primary caregiver is in a cult, the parent-child relationship becomes insecure causing difficulty in navigating relationships as well as, “special health and medical problems caused by neglect and abuse,” and, “psychological effects of physical, emotional, and sexual trauma” (Berger, 2022). Building secure attachments, beginning with the therapeutic relationship, can be instrumental in the recovery journey. Similarly, Albert Bandura’s Social Development Theory states that social interactions increase learning, and that an individual’s maximum potential is met through social interaction and can be utilized in cultivating social support and growth outside of the cult (Wells-Derbigny, 2023). Another approach that may be utilized in this population is somatic experiencing. When working with trauma survivors, it is important to understand that somatic experiencing may not be safe and therefore it should be used on a case to case basis. When a cult survivor is dysregulated, they may be unable to differentiate signals from their body and signals from the external world (Berger, 2022). Somatic experiencing can assist in unpacking the trauma being held in the body, as well as cultivating safety within the body.

Counselors are responsible for understanding the nuances of complex trauma in cult survivors prior to engaging in the therapeutic relationship with them. Therapists should seek information through books, training, and nonprofit agencies such as the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) to prevent harm being done to clients (Glasscock, 2019). Aside from educating themselves, counselors should take special care in assessing each survivors individual cult experience, help clients realize the nature of cults and power dynamics, allow clients to explore the ramifications of growing up in a cult, teach clients new skills and encourage autonomy, and empower individuals (Matthews & Salazar, 2013). This can be done through asking specific questions, using a narrative or re-authoring approach, utilizing psychoeducation, offering support groups, coping with grief, and creating a sense of identity through a humanistic or person centered lens. It is important to realize that there is a tendency of the legal system to disregard testimonies of cult survivors, and label them as “disgruntled apostates,” however cult survivors should be supported and respected as survivors of abuse (Glasscock, 2019). Additionally, cult survivors may have experienced “soul rape” from their spiritual leaders, and may have a difficult time being re-intigrated into a spiritual community. Counselors may advocate for their clients by assisting in conversations with clergy, and providing support and affirmation if they decide to join a spiritual community (Glasscock, 2019).

Conclusion

Working with cult survivors is an intense and unique clinical experience. Although there are several clinical pearls to keep in mind, the most important may be honoring the process. Longstanding abuse is extremely difficult to face, and takes intense bravery and work for the client. This work will not happen overnight, so it is important to honor the time that it may take (Matthews & Salazar, 2013). Like any other population, individual experiences are unique and should be approached on a case by case basis. Cult survivors should be believed and respected, just like any other abuse survivor. Cults do not discriminate, so it is important to check personal biases as a counselor. When judgment arises, honor it and remember that it could be you.

Berger, K. H. (2022). Similarities between Chemical or Psychological Addiction and Cult Membership: Treatment for Cult Exit. Pacifica Graduate Institute ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Feliciano, S. E. (2023). An Application of the Coercive Control Framework to Cults . CUNY Academic Works: John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Glasscock, D. S. (2019). Spiritual Abuse Among Cult Ex-members: A Descriptive Phenomenological Psychological Inquiry. Grand Canyon University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Matthews, C. H., & Salazar, C. F. (2013). Second-generation adult former cult group members’ recovery experiences: Implications for counseling. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 36(2), 188–203. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-013-9201-0

Wells-Derbigny, T. C. (2023). Psychological After-Effects of Ex-Cult Members Socially and Academically Limited While in School: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study. Northcentral University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.