Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, Page 54
Dr. P. sought psychiatric consultation because of his concern about his former
wife‟s planning to take their 17-year-old son with her to attend an
“educational seminar” conducted by her guru in India. She anticipated staying
at the retreat for about two months but would not give a precise date for her
return. Dr. P. was concerned that his son would be subject to „brainwashing‟
and that his ex-wife might choose to continue the retreat indefinitely.
During the course of brief psychotherapy, Dr. P. was encouraged to deal with
the reality that although his wife was a devoted follower of the guru she had
always acted in a responsible manner in allowing contact between Dr. P. and
his son. He was encouraged to fully discuss her traveling plan with her. As a
result of this classification, he was able to obtain a firm commitment from his
ex-wife to return with their child. She returned as specified. However, at the
termination of the summer, the son was quite angry at his father for having
allowed him to waste his summer in an un-air-conditioned cottage in India far
from other teenagers! The son reported that the trip had reconfirmed his lack
of interest in meditation and vegetarianism.
Fear of Child’s Becoming Affiliated with Cult
Children are not passive clay which will inevitably be molded by the cult to serve its needs.
Nevertheless, a parent‟s fantasy that cult exposure will inevitably serve to entrap a
vulnerable child does have a realistic basis. Cult members often do use personal
relationships in the service of recruitment. However, neither the message offered by these
groups nor the character of the members is such that affiliation is an inevitable result.
These issues are presented in a more therapeutic context in the following:
Mrs. N. sought psychiatric consultation because she was concerned about the
amount of contact she should allow her daughter to have with her father. Five
years before, Mrs. N. had divorced her husband after he had joined a group
headed by a prominent Asian preacher. The ex-husband had remarried within
the group, and now had a second family with three young children. He had
been away on missionary work for the past four years. However, he had now
returned to Mrs. N.‟s city as an official within the group and sought contact
with his daughter.
Both mother and daughter were seen in ongoing psychotherapy. Mrs. N. was
concerned that her ex-husband planned to use his contacts with their
daughter to lure her into his group. She harbored doubts that he merely
intended to re-establish a relationship with his daughter. Thus, the work with
Mrs. N. consisted primarily of supporting her in establishing negotiations as a
framework for the father‟s visitation with the child. Issues for negotiation
included restricting discussion of controversial religious matters, having the
visits conducted on neutral territory (his parents‟ home), and emphasizing
individual contact between father and daughter. Ongoing psychotherapy with
the daughter presented more complex problems. The daughter was quite
fearful of the father‟s intentions and extremely angry at his having deserted
her. During the course of treatment, she verbalized her anger and could see
that her father‟s action did not constitute a rejection of her but reflected his
own needs and that he was now attempting to act as a concerned parent.
The case of Mrs. N. illustrates that visitation may provide an arena for conflict in which both
parents act out their anger and contempt for each other. Mrs. N. was appropriately
concerned about the possibility that her former husband would utilize visitation in the
service of a cultic agenda. Her interactions with him were tinged with the contempt she felt
towards him as an official in a cultic organization. Similarly, while their daughter was
Dr. P. sought psychiatric consultation because of his concern about his former
wife‟s planning to take their 17-year-old son with her to attend an
“educational seminar” conducted by her guru in India. She anticipated staying
at the retreat for about two months but would not give a precise date for her
return. Dr. P. was concerned that his son would be subject to „brainwashing‟
and that his ex-wife might choose to continue the retreat indefinitely.
During the course of brief psychotherapy, Dr. P. was encouraged to deal with
the reality that although his wife was a devoted follower of the guru she had
always acted in a responsible manner in allowing contact between Dr. P. and
his son. He was encouraged to fully discuss her traveling plan with her. As a
result of this classification, he was able to obtain a firm commitment from his
ex-wife to return with their child. She returned as specified. However, at the
termination of the summer, the son was quite angry at his father for having
allowed him to waste his summer in an un-air-conditioned cottage in India far
from other teenagers! The son reported that the trip had reconfirmed his lack
of interest in meditation and vegetarianism.
Fear of Child’s Becoming Affiliated with Cult
Children are not passive clay which will inevitably be molded by the cult to serve its needs.
Nevertheless, a parent‟s fantasy that cult exposure will inevitably serve to entrap a
vulnerable child does have a realistic basis. Cult members often do use personal
relationships in the service of recruitment. However, neither the message offered by these
groups nor the character of the members is such that affiliation is an inevitable result.
These issues are presented in a more therapeutic context in the following:
Mrs. N. sought psychiatric consultation because she was concerned about the
amount of contact she should allow her daughter to have with her father. Five
years before, Mrs. N. had divorced her husband after he had joined a group
headed by a prominent Asian preacher. The ex-husband had remarried within
the group, and now had a second family with three young children. He had
been away on missionary work for the past four years. However, he had now
returned to Mrs. N.‟s city as an official within the group and sought contact
with his daughter.
Both mother and daughter were seen in ongoing psychotherapy. Mrs. N. was
concerned that her ex-husband planned to use his contacts with their
daughter to lure her into his group. She harbored doubts that he merely
intended to re-establish a relationship with his daughter. Thus, the work with
Mrs. N. consisted primarily of supporting her in establishing negotiations as a
framework for the father‟s visitation with the child. Issues for negotiation
included restricting discussion of controversial religious matters, having the
visits conducted on neutral territory (his parents‟ home), and emphasizing
individual contact between father and daughter. Ongoing psychotherapy with
the daughter presented more complex problems. The daughter was quite
fearful of the father‟s intentions and extremely angry at his having deserted
her. During the course of treatment, she verbalized her anger and could see
that her father‟s action did not constitute a rejection of her but reflected his
own needs and that he was now attempting to act as a concerned parent.
The case of Mrs. N. illustrates that visitation may provide an arena for conflict in which both
parents act out their anger and contempt for each other. Mrs. N. was appropriately
concerned about the possibility that her former husband would utilize visitation in the
service of a cultic agenda. Her interactions with him were tinged with the contempt she felt
towards him as an official in a cultic organization. Similarly, while their daughter was
