creates abandonment fear and stunts the process
of sharing one’s particular proclivities with a
variety of others, both of which greatly hinder
development. A nuclear family with a
narcissistic, isolating parent can be as
problematic as a nonkin group with a narcissistic
leader. The narcissism and the resulting lack of
support, as well as the isolation from the greater
human world, create the problem.
Trauma is perpetrated by the way the leader uses
the group process and group ideology to
manipulate and dominate the members. The
unfamiliar or possibly “weird” ideology of the
group is not necessarily a problem and may in
fact be integrated into the belief system of the
former member during recovery. Keep in mind
that many American Christians think that
Mormon beliefs are strange, and many atheists
think the Christian belief in the resurrection of
Christ is absurd. It is likely that if we inquire
carefully, all humans have some beliefs in
relation to helplessness and the unknowable.
Weirdness is in the eye of the beholder.
During the assessment phase, it’s useful to
identify clients’ secrets—experiences and ideas
that were at odds with the cult group’s ideology
and practices. These are the seeds of the self
seeking resonance in the outside world. That
resonance is the nourishment for the growth of
the individual’s identity, which can be expanded
in the therapeutic interaction (Fosha, in press)
and with one’s friends. Michael, the client who
left the political group, continued to go to
Yankee games in the summer, an activity that he
hid from other group members. Although he felt
guilty and frightened when he went to the
games, it was the one activity he continued with
old friends and it connected him to his precult
self and community. Even in an isolated and
severely controlling setting, a member may have
hidden objects or ideas. In Mary’s West
Virginia group, pets were banned because
animals were considered “low creatures.” Even
so, Mary would often sneak scraps from the cult
dining hall and spend hours in the nearby woods
feeding and petting stray dogs and cats. After
she left the group, and with the help of her
therapist and the support of her new friends, she
pursued a career as a veterinary technician.
First-generation members have had a childhood
outside a group and are impacted by the group
sometime during adulthood. Here again,
someone who joined at 19 and stayed for 25
years will have a vastly different experience
from someone who joined at 19 and left a year
later. The earlier and the longer the
involvement, the more impact there is on the
developing self and the possibility of one having
C-PTSD symptoms. The degree of group
isolation will invariably have more impact on a
member’s development, as well. If a therapist is
working with someone born and raised in an
isolated group, I strongly recommend that the
therapist read the many books and articles about
C-PTSD (e.g., Courtois &Ford, 2009 Herman,
1992b Van der Hart et al., 2006). The
dilemmas in living for those with C-PTSD can
be complicated and painful, and they should be
met with informed care.
Assessment should include clarifying
dissociative and avoidant aspects of the clients’
lives: the flashbacks, fear responses, and
nervous-system dysregulation that we often label
anger, anxiety, and depression. Because of the
severity of the interpersonal abuse in cults,
former members’ dissociation can be profound.
Former members will often experience
derealization, depersonalization, and fugue
states. A cult self may exist along with a
noncult self. Former members’ shame and guilt
about pleasure, self-promotion, and self-
expression can be persistent, particularly for
those raised in high-demand groups, despite the
therapist’s reassurances. We can view all these
responses as normal, protective defenses against
overwhelming internal conflict, or as remnants
of the cultic group process that lead to PTSD or
C-PTSD. These separate selves, parts, or self-
states can integrate, and the dissociative
experiences can melt away during the
stabilization and trauma-processing phases of
therapy.
Therapists can explore dissociative experiences
by interview or with the aid of a structured scale.
Many trauma therapists use the long and short
forms of the Dissociative Experiences Scale
(DES or DES-T Bernstein &Putnam, 1986).
They should administer these assessments
routinely to clients being prepared for EMDR,
20 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 5, 2014
of sharing one’s particular proclivities with a
variety of others, both of which greatly hinder
development. A nuclear family with a
narcissistic, isolating parent can be as
problematic as a nonkin group with a narcissistic
leader. The narcissism and the resulting lack of
support, as well as the isolation from the greater
human world, create the problem.
Trauma is perpetrated by the way the leader uses
the group process and group ideology to
manipulate and dominate the members. The
unfamiliar or possibly “weird” ideology of the
group is not necessarily a problem and may in
fact be integrated into the belief system of the
former member during recovery. Keep in mind
that many American Christians think that
Mormon beliefs are strange, and many atheists
think the Christian belief in the resurrection of
Christ is absurd. It is likely that if we inquire
carefully, all humans have some beliefs in
relation to helplessness and the unknowable.
Weirdness is in the eye of the beholder.
During the assessment phase, it’s useful to
identify clients’ secrets—experiences and ideas
that were at odds with the cult group’s ideology
and practices. These are the seeds of the self
seeking resonance in the outside world. That
resonance is the nourishment for the growth of
the individual’s identity, which can be expanded
in the therapeutic interaction (Fosha, in press)
and with one’s friends. Michael, the client who
left the political group, continued to go to
Yankee games in the summer, an activity that he
hid from other group members. Although he felt
guilty and frightened when he went to the
games, it was the one activity he continued with
old friends and it connected him to his precult
self and community. Even in an isolated and
severely controlling setting, a member may have
hidden objects or ideas. In Mary’s West
Virginia group, pets were banned because
animals were considered “low creatures.” Even
so, Mary would often sneak scraps from the cult
dining hall and spend hours in the nearby woods
feeding and petting stray dogs and cats. After
she left the group, and with the help of her
therapist and the support of her new friends, she
pursued a career as a veterinary technician.
First-generation members have had a childhood
outside a group and are impacted by the group
sometime during adulthood. Here again,
someone who joined at 19 and stayed for 25
years will have a vastly different experience
from someone who joined at 19 and left a year
later. The earlier and the longer the
involvement, the more impact there is on the
developing self and the possibility of one having
C-PTSD symptoms. The degree of group
isolation will invariably have more impact on a
member’s development, as well. If a therapist is
working with someone born and raised in an
isolated group, I strongly recommend that the
therapist read the many books and articles about
C-PTSD (e.g., Courtois &Ford, 2009 Herman,
1992b Van der Hart et al., 2006). The
dilemmas in living for those with C-PTSD can
be complicated and painful, and they should be
met with informed care.
Assessment should include clarifying
dissociative and avoidant aspects of the clients’
lives: the flashbacks, fear responses, and
nervous-system dysregulation that we often label
anger, anxiety, and depression. Because of the
severity of the interpersonal abuse in cults,
former members’ dissociation can be profound.
Former members will often experience
derealization, depersonalization, and fugue
states. A cult self may exist along with a
noncult self. Former members’ shame and guilt
about pleasure, self-promotion, and self-
expression can be persistent, particularly for
those raised in high-demand groups, despite the
therapist’s reassurances. We can view all these
responses as normal, protective defenses against
overwhelming internal conflict, or as remnants
of the cultic group process that lead to PTSD or
C-PTSD. These separate selves, parts, or self-
states can integrate, and the dissociative
experiences can melt away during the
stabilization and trauma-processing phases of
therapy.
Therapists can explore dissociative experiences
by interview or with the aid of a structured scale.
Many trauma therapists use the long and short
forms of the Dissociative Experiences Scale
(DES or DES-T Bernstein &Putnam, 1986).
They should administer these assessments
routinely to clients being prepared for EMDR,
20 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 5, 2014
