46 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 8, 2017
Cult members are taught to distrust individuals
outside their cult. Thus, it can be terrifying for
SGAs to interact with people they have been
taught to distrust all their lives (Goldberg 2006
McCabe et al., 2007). Counselors can assess for,
explore, and help explain to these clients their
feelings of guilt, shame, anger, and depression,
and help them work through these emotions.
Counselors can also assist clients in becoming
more self-accepting and less self-critical of these
emotions. Processing and deconstructing cult
techniques and ramifications of growing up in a
cult can be advantageous for clients (Boeri,
2002). Working through and validating grief and
loss is essential when one is working with SGAs
because they experience loneliness after leaving
their cult. Even though the individuals in this
study were from different cults, they were
relieved to know that their emotional
experiences were similar to other SGAs.
Validating feelings of anger, loneliness, and
guilt can help SGAs feel less abnormal and
strange.
Theme 11: Fear and Courage
Cult leaders manipulated and controlled the
group’s members by inducing fear in them
through threats, shunning, humiliation, and
abuse. “I was afraid that I could lose my
salvation at any time,” one SGA stated. Fear is
often the “backbone of cultic control: fear of
those outside the group fear of failure, ridicule,
and violence in the group or fear of spiritual
failure or the disintegration of your belief
system” (Lalich &Tobias, 2006, p. 141). These
feelings of fear led to dread, hopelessness, and
helplessness that continued to reappear for
participants during and after leaving. In spite of
their fear, all participants found the courage to
leave by relating to and discussing leaving with
someone else in the cult. “It was so scary,”
stated one participant, “but I had a friend who
left with me we moved to a new city together.”
One participant described,
It takes a lot of courage to leave and
make something of your life. You have
to have the courage to fight against your
family and to face a world you have
been taught is scary and evil. I had the
fear of being judged by the cult
members and also by the people in the
world. I was afraid of shunning, like
when they shunned Simba in The Lion
King. He was disgraced—and it did
happen to me.
Today the SGAs continue to face their demons
as a result of unresolved issues from their
respective cults. As one stated, “I still have to
face demons in my closet that arise today. It’s
scary to stand up to people. I have to face
people.” Many have found healing through the
courage to speak out for others as a way of
healing.
Exploring fear tactics used in cults when
individuals leave may be necessary for
counselors and their clients. Discussing fears
and phobias client has, and figuring out whether
or not the fears are valid may also be paramount.
Reminding SGAs of the courage they had to
actually leave their cult may be helpful to them
in facing new challenges. One participant stated,
“I never realized I had courage until I saw the
results of this study. It made me realize that it
took a lot of courage for me to leave and change
my life.”
Theme 12: Long Process of Change
For all participants, leaving took a lot of thought
and reflection. As one woman stated, “It was
really hard leaving. I felt like I was falling for
about 8 months, like Alice in Wonderland.”
They all continue to face issues today, and all
mentioned that they felt forever affected and
damaged because of their cult experiences:
“There’s lots of hard drive in there. And
sometimes I have to isolate that. And then I have
to evaluate it based on what is really the deal.”
Counselors can help normalize the long process
of change and help SGAs continue to explore
triggers and coding hardwired in their brains by
the cult. Moyers (1994) found that the effects of
living in a cult last long beyond when one
leaves. Participants in this study reiterated that
change and healing were a lifetime process.
Counselors can help empower their clients by
reinforcing client resilience and skill
development, and helping them process the
years of damage and mind control unloaded on
them in the cult. Counselors can help remind
Cult members are taught to distrust individuals
outside their cult. Thus, it can be terrifying for
SGAs to interact with people they have been
taught to distrust all their lives (Goldberg 2006
McCabe et al., 2007). Counselors can assess for,
explore, and help explain to these clients their
feelings of guilt, shame, anger, and depression,
and help them work through these emotions.
Counselors can also assist clients in becoming
more self-accepting and less self-critical of these
emotions. Processing and deconstructing cult
techniques and ramifications of growing up in a
cult can be advantageous for clients (Boeri,
2002). Working through and validating grief and
loss is essential when one is working with SGAs
because they experience loneliness after leaving
their cult. Even though the individuals in this
study were from different cults, they were
relieved to know that their emotional
experiences were similar to other SGAs.
Validating feelings of anger, loneliness, and
guilt can help SGAs feel less abnormal and
strange.
Theme 11: Fear and Courage
Cult leaders manipulated and controlled the
group’s members by inducing fear in them
through threats, shunning, humiliation, and
abuse. “I was afraid that I could lose my
salvation at any time,” one SGA stated. Fear is
often the “backbone of cultic control: fear of
those outside the group fear of failure, ridicule,
and violence in the group or fear of spiritual
failure or the disintegration of your belief
system” (Lalich &Tobias, 2006, p. 141). These
feelings of fear led to dread, hopelessness, and
helplessness that continued to reappear for
participants during and after leaving. In spite of
their fear, all participants found the courage to
leave by relating to and discussing leaving with
someone else in the cult. “It was so scary,”
stated one participant, “but I had a friend who
left with me we moved to a new city together.”
One participant described,
It takes a lot of courage to leave and
make something of your life. You have
to have the courage to fight against your
family and to face a world you have
been taught is scary and evil. I had the
fear of being judged by the cult
members and also by the people in the
world. I was afraid of shunning, like
when they shunned Simba in The Lion
King. He was disgraced—and it did
happen to me.
Today the SGAs continue to face their demons
as a result of unresolved issues from their
respective cults. As one stated, “I still have to
face demons in my closet that arise today. It’s
scary to stand up to people. I have to face
people.” Many have found healing through the
courage to speak out for others as a way of
healing.
Exploring fear tactics used in cults when
individuals leave may be necessary for
counselors and their clients. Discussing fears
and phobias client has, and figuring out whether
or not the fears are valid may also be paramount.
Reminding SGAs of the courage they had to
actually leave their cult may be helpful to them
in facing new challenges. One participant stated,
“I never realized I had courage until I saw the
results of this study. It made me realize that it
took a lot of courage for me to leave and change
my life.”
Theme 12: Long Process of Change
For all participants, leaving took a lot of thought
and reflection. As one woman stated, “It was
really hard leaving. I felt like I was falling for
about 8 months, like Alice in Wonderland.”
They all continue to face issues today, and all
mentioned that they felt forever affected and
damaged because of their cult experiences:
“There’s lots of hard drive in there. And
sometimes I have to isolate that. And then I have
to evaluate it based on what is really the deal.”
Counselors can help normalize the long process
of change and help SGAs continue to explore
triggers and coding hardwired in their brains by
the cult. Moyers (1994) found that the effects of
living in a cult last long beyond when one
leaves. Participants in this study reiterated that
change and healing were a lifetime process.
Counselors can help empower their clients by
reinforcing client resilience and skill
development, and helping them process the
years of damage and mind control unloaded on
them in the cult. Counselors can help remind
