International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 8, 2017 63
subjective detachment or calm, enhanced
perception of imagery, altered sensation,
including numbness and analgesia, and
distortion of reality including depersonalization
[a sense of separation or detachment from your
body], derealization [“the world seems unreal”],
and change in the sense of time. (1997, p. 43)
Postcult PTSD constriction. Cardena &Spiegel
(1993, p. 477) suggested that people who go into
a dissociative state at the time of the traumatic
incident are among those most likely to develop
long-lasting PTSD and, as mentioned above,
cult members, as a result of extensive periods of
hypoarousal (meditation, chanting, hypnotic
guided sessions, fatigue accompanied by
insufficient food and sleep), have a much greater
predisposition to dissociation. In other words,
they have an increased likelihood of developing
long-lasting PTSD (Lalich &Tobias, 2006, p.
108).
Former cult members also experience a
particular type of constriction. Once again,
various authors use different terms to describe
the phenomenon of the former member
frequently floating between their precult, in-cult,
and postcult identities/ personalities: doubling
(Lifton, 2000, as cited in Jenkinson, 2008, p.
199) false self (Winnicott, 1965, as cited in
Jenkinson, 2008, p. 199) pseudopersonality
(West, 1992, as cited in Martin et al., 1992, p.
66) altered persona (Goldberg, 2006, p. 5)
double self (Herman, 1997, p. 103) new identity
(Singer, 2003, pp. 77–79), to “surrender their
identity” (Curtis &Curtis, 1993, p. 458) and
cult pseudopersonality (Jenkinson, 2008, pp.
199–224).
Traumatized people suffered damage to the
basic structures of the self. They lose their trust
in themselves, in other people, and in God
[italics mine]. Their self-esteem is assaulted by
experiences of humiliation, guilt, and
helplessness. Their capacity for intimacy is
compromised by intense and contradictory
feelings of need and fear. The identity they have
formed prior to the trauma is irrevocably
destroyed. (Herman, 1997, p. 56)
God and the Truth
Many cult leaders claim to be God or to have
unique connection with God, or to be the sole
source of spiritual knowledge. For example,
Applewhite of Heaven’s Gate claimed, “I am in
the same position to today’s society as was the
One that was in Jesus then” (Lalich, 2004, p.
55). As Lalich and Tobias (2006) noted, “in
cults, the love of God or higher ideals, the desire
for self-improvement or the wish to help
mankind and society are twisted and used to
influence, control or exploit devoted believers”
(p. 13). And earlier, Hassan (1990) observed,
“There is a cult pattern now in which a particular
‘chosen’ human being is seen as a savior or
source of salvation… The leaders become
mediators for God” (p. 202).
Cult leaders use a variety of techniques to
establish this God connection/unique truth,
including the following:
• Mystical manipulation is the use of
preplanned, supposedly spontaneous
mystical experiences to demonstrate the
enigmatic skills of the cult leader. Singer
(2003) explains one example of this when
she discusses hyperventilation
(overbreathing and repetitive sighing) (128–
131). Cult leaders will conduct group
sessions in which members, in unison and
frequently accompanied by chanting, will
exhale rapidly, forcefully, and sharply. The
effects of hyperventilation are light-
headedness and a feeling of being on a high,
accompanied by loss of judgment and an
inability to think critically. In its extreme,
the action can lead to a range of physical
symptoms such as tingling in the
extremities, ringing in the ears, racing of the
heart, even fainting. Cult leaders exploit this
experience and describe it as “bliss”—the
experience of taking in the spirit, of “being
on the path.”
• Sacred science is reflected when the group
leader positions himself as close to God, as
God’s spokesperson, with the highest
possible level of enlightenment and
knowledge, accompanied by “unique
insights into the science of the world and
universe” (Dubrow-Marshall, 2010, p. 5).
subjective detachment or calm, enhanced
perception of imagery, altered sensation,
including numbness and analgesia, and
distortion of reality including depersonalization
[a sense of separation or detachment from your
body], derealization [“the world seems unreal”],
and change in the sense of time. (1997, p. 43)
Postcult PTSD constriction. Cardena &Spiegel
(1993, p. 477) suggested that people who go into
a dissociative state at the time of the traumatic
incident are among those most likely to develop
long-lasting PTSD and, as mentioned above,
cult members, as a result of extensive periods of
hypoarousal (meditation, chanting, hypnotic
guided sessions, fatigue accompanied by
insufficient food and sleep), have a much greater
predisposition to dissociation. In other words,
they have an increased likelihood of developing
long-lasting PTSD (Lalich &Tobias, 2006, p.
108).
Former cult members also experience a
particular type of constriction. Once again,
various authors use different terms to describe
the phenomenon of the former member
frequently floating between their precult, in-cult,
and postcult identities/ personalities: doubling
(Lifton, 2000, as cited in Jenkinson, 2008, p.
199) false self (Winnicott, 1965, as cited in
Jenkinson, 2008, p. 199) pseudopersonality
(West, 1992, as cited in Martin et al., 1992, p.
66) altered persona (Goldberg, 2006, p. 5)
double self (Herman, 1997, p. 103) new identity
(Singer, 2003, pp. 77–79), to “surrender their
identity” (Curtis &Curtis, 1993, p. 458) and
cult pseudopersonality (Jenkinson, 2008, pp.
199–224).
Traumatized people suffered damage to the
basic structures of the self. They lose their trust
in themselves, in other people, and in God
[italics mine]. Their self-esteem is assaulted by
experiences of humiliation, guilt, and
helplessness. Their capacity for intimacy is
compromised by intense and contradictory
feelings of need and fear. The identity they have
formed prior to the trauma is irrevocably
destroyed. (Herman, 1997, p. 56)
God and the Truth
Many cult leaders claim to be God or to have
unique connection with God, or to be the sole
source of spiritual knowledge. For example,
Applewhite of Heaven’s Gate claimed, “I am in
the same position to today’s society as was the
One that was in Jesus then” (Lalich, 2004, p.
55). As Lalich and Tobias (2006) noted, “in
cults, the love of God or higher ideals, the desire
for self-improvement or the wish to help
mankind and society are twisted and used to
influence, control or exploit devoted believers”
(p. 13). And earlier, Hassan (1990) observed,
“There is a cult pattern now in which a particular
‘chosen’ human being is seen as a savior or
source of salvation… The leaders become
mediators for God” (p. 202).
Cult leaders use a variety of techniques to
establish this God connection/unique truth,
including the following:
• Mystical manipulation is the use of
preplanned, supposedly spontaneous
mystical experiences to demonstrate the
enigmatic skills of the cult leader. Singer
(2003) explains one example of this when
she discusses hyperventilation
(overbreathing and repetitive sighing) (128–
131). Cult leaders will conduct group
sessions in which members, in unison and
frequently accompanied by chanting, will
exhale rapidly, forcefully, and sharply. The
effects of hyperventilation are light-
headedness and a feeling of being on a high,
accompanied by loss of judgment and an
inability to think critically. In its extreme,
the action can lead to a range of physical
symptoms such as tingling in the
extremities, ringing in the ears, racing of the
heart, even fainting. Cult leaders exploit this
experience and describe it as “bliss”—the
experience of taking in the spirit, of “being
on the path.”
• Sacred science is reflected when the group
leader positions himself as close to God, as
God’s spokesperson, with the highest
possible level of enlightenment and
knowledge, accompanied by “unique
insights into the science of the world and
universe” (Dubrow-Marshall, 2010, p. 5).
