Introduction to the Conference
Chris Carlson
The title of this conference is Making Sense of
Post-Cult Trauma and the Relational System of
the Traumatizing Narcissist. Today, October
13, 2012, is the first collaboration of the
International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA)
and the National Institute for the
Psychotherapies (NIP), which generously
provided the meeting space for this conference
at its Manhattan facility in New York City.
Founded in 1979, ICSA’s mission is to apply
research and professional perspectives on cultic
groups to educate the public and help those who
have been harmed (see www.icsahome.com/).
NIP offers affordable, high-quality and in-depth
psychoanalysis, couples therapy, psychological
testing, and other services by more than 70
skilled therapists who are available to provide a
variety of treatment orientations (see
http://www.nipinst.org/nip/).
Having been involved with a group that I refer to
as a cult, and then having left it, I have done
extensive educational outreach on this issue. I
currently practice as a hospital-based licensed
clinical social worker (LCSW). Regarding this
topic, I cofacilitate with Dan Shaw, one of
today’s presenters, a monthly meeting sponsored
by ICSA that is open to the public in New York
City.
The term cult may conjure strong images of
extremism, including perhaps mass suicide or
weddings. It may also elicit judgmental
attitudes toward those involved—in particular,
the members. After all, how could we not
wonder why people would allow themselves to
get caught up in something like that? There
must be something wrong with them. One of the
comments shared among the many who have
gone through such an experience and come
through it is that nobody goes looking to sign up
for a cult to interfere with one’s free will. This
principle is key to our understanding the cultic
phenomenon. The groups or individuals
involved in such organizations don’t explain the
truth of the situation to newcomers, who enter an
unfamiliar, multidimensional experience that is
orchestrated to lead to subjugation by undue
influence. There also are those who are raised in
such an environment and go through childhood
under extreme circumstances that require a
careful recovery process once they are no longer
in the situation.
A common theme reported by people who have
left such groups and have sought help from
mental-health professionals is that they face a
striking lack of understanding from those in
these professions about the dynamic process
under discussion here today. The mental-health
profession overall has not yet been oriented to
address the complex relational dynamics we find
in cults or high-demand groups, and the
potential for one to experience trauma within
such groups. We hope that this conference will
increase awareness of the unique features to be
found in these environments, which have
affected many thousands of participants, and
their families, friends, and the communities in
which the members live.
International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 5, 2014 3
Chris Carlson
The title of this conference is Making Sense of
Post-Cult Trauma and the Relational System of
the Traumatizing Narcissist. Today, October
13, 2012, is the first collaboration of the
International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA)
and the National Institute for the
Psychotherapies (NIP), which generously
provided the meeting space for this conference
at its Manhattan facility in New York City.
Founded in 1979, ICSA’s mission is to apply
research and professional perspectives on cultic
groups to educate the public and help those who
have been harmed (see www.icsahome.com/).
NIP offers affordable, high-quality and in-depth
psychoanalysis, couples therapy, psychological
testing, and other services by more than 70
skilled therapists who are available to provide a
variety of treatment orientations (see
http://www.nipinst.org/nip/).
Having been involved with a group that I refer to
as a cult, and then having left it, I have done
extensive educational outreach on this issue. I
currently practice as a hospital-based licensed
clinical social worker (LCSW). Regarding this
topic, I cofacilitate with Dan Shaw, one of
today’s presenters, a monthly meeting sponsored
by ICSA that is open to the public in New York
City.
The term cult may conjure strong images of
extremism, including perhaps mass suicide or
weddings. It may also elicit judgmental
attitudes toward those involved—in particular,
the members. After all, how could we not
wonder why people would allow themselves to
get caught up in something like that? There
must be something wrong with them. One of the
comments shared among the many who have
gone through such an experience and come
through it is that nobody goes looking to sign up
for a cult to interfere with one’s free will. This
principle is key to our understanding the cultic
phenomenon. The groups or individuals
involved in such organizations don’t explain the
truth of the situation to newcomers, who enter an
unfamiliar, multidimensional experience that is
orchestrated to lead to subjugation by undue
influence. There also are those who are raised in
such an environment and go through childhood
under extreme circumstances that require a
careful recovery process once they are no longer
in the situation.
A common theme reported by people who have
left such groups and have sought help from
mental-health professionals is that they face a
striking lack of understanding from those in
these professions about the dynamic process
under discussion here today. The mental-health
profession overall has not yet been oriented to
address the complex relational dynamics we find
in cults or high-demand groups, and the
potential for one to experience trauma within
such groups. We hope that this conference will
increase awareness of the unique features to be
found in these environments, which have
affected many thousands of participants, and
their families, friends, and the communities in
which the members live.
International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 5, 2014 3
