Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 6, No. 2, 1989, Page 29
completed one year of college prior to joining ISKCON as a full-time member (he was
initially approached by an ISKCON recruiter while he was still at college). Ken was open to
the recruiter in part because he had an interest in Eastern religions and philosophies, and
had read about Hinduism while he was in high school.
Prior to becoming involved with ISKCON, Ken experimented on a limited basis with
marijuana and LSD. He did not habitually use any legal or illegal drugs or narcotics. Ken
was involved in several relatively short-lived heterosexual relationships, and one significant
relationship, but intimacy had been a source of internal conflict for several years. Prior to
his deprogramming, Ken had been a full-Ono Krishna devotee for three years.
Deprogrammer (team leader): Curt Miller. Curt the leader of the deprogramming team
was one of only a handful of remaining full-time deprogrammers. At the time of the
deprogramming, all the deprogrammers were in their early thirties, and were white, from
middle-class backgrounds Curt was from a Midwest Protestant background, and was a high
school graduate. He was considered to be extremely handsome with a charismatic
personality. In 1984, Curt was married with no children (he later divorced).
As a teenager, Curt was rebellious and a risk-taker. He experimented with and abused
narcotics. His personal experience with cults consisted of full time attendance in what he
described as a totalistic, cult-like drug rehabilitation program.
Deprogrammer: Sandy. Sandy, also a high school graduate from a Midwest Protestant
background, had, along with his wife, belonged to a small Bible-e-entered Christian cult. In
1984, he was living in Arizona with his wife and two sons.
Deprogrammer: Greg Stern. Greg was a native Philadelphian, from a middle-class Jewish
background. At the time of the deprogramming, Greg had completed three years of
undergraduate education at a private liberal arts college. He was formerly an ISKCON
devotee. Prior to his involvement with ISKCON, Greg was a full-time member of a band that
performed both original music and the works of other popular “light” rock-and-roll
composers. The band had some limited success with an original single, and were on a
national tour at the time of Greg's conversion to Hare Krishna.
Deprogrammer: Dara. Dara was also from the Philadelphia area, from Catholic
background, with some college education at a private liberal art college. She was also
formerly an ISKCON devotee.
Deprogrammer: Brian. Brian came from the East Coast, with an unknown religious
background. He was a college graduate and was at the time of the deprogramming working
on his Ph.D. in communications from a large urban university.
Participant-observer: Steve Dubrow-Eichel. At the time of the study, I was a licensed
and practicing psychologist with a M.S. degree in psychological services from the University
of Pennsylvania. I come from a New York City, Jewish background. I attended Columbia
University as an undergraduate. My parents, both of whom survived the Nazi Holocaust, are
from German, working-class backgrounds. My mother completed the equivalent of high
school my father the equivalent of junior high school For the past twenty-three years they
have owned and operated a large retail bakery business located in Somerville, New Jersey.
Their background a survivors of one of the most heinous totalitarian regimes in history had
deeply affected me, and no doubt influenced my strong feelings toward totalistic systems.
As explained in the first chapter, I have had consider-able experience as researcher and
counselor in the field of destructive cults. Part of this experience involved participating in a
Unification Church indoctrination course in 1975.
completed one year of college prior to joining ISKCON as a full-time member (he was
initially approached by an ISKCON recruiter while he was still at college). Ken was open to
the recruiter in part because he had an interest in Eastern religions and philosophies, and
had read about Hinduism while he was in high school.
Prior to becoming involved with ISKCON, Ken experimented on a limited basis with
marijuana and LSD. He did not habitually use any legal or illegal drugs or narcotics. Ken
was involved in several relatively short-lived heterosexual relationships, and one significant
relationship, but intimacy had been a source of internal conflict for several years. Prior to
his deprogramming, Ken had been a full-Ono Krishna devotee for three years.
Deprogrammer (team leader): Curt Miller. Curt the leader of the deprogramming team
was one of only a handful of remaining full-time deprogrammers. At the time of the
deprogramming, all the deprogrammers were in their early thirties, and were white, from
middle-class backgrounds Curt was from a Midwest Protestant background, and was a high
school graduate. He was considered to be extremely handsome with a charismatic
personality. In 1984, Curt was married with no children (he later divorced).
As a teenager, Curt was rebellious and a risk-taker. He experimented with and abused
narcotics. His personal experience with cults consisted of full time attendance in what he
described as a totalistic, cult-like drug rehabilitation program.
Deprogrammer: Sandy. Sandy, also a high school graduate from a Midwest Protestant
background, had, along with his wife, belonged to a small Bible-e-entered Christian cult. In
1984, he was living in Arizona with his wife and two sons.
Deprogrammer: Greg Stern. Greg was a native Philadelphian, from a middle-class Jewish
background. At the time of the deprogramming, Greg had completed three years of
undergraduate education at a private liberal arts college. He was formerly an ISKCON
devotee. Prior to his involvement with ISKCON, Greg was a full-time member of a band that
performed both original music and the works of other popular “light” rock-and-roll
composers. The band had some limited success with an original single, and were on a
national tour at the time of Greg's conversion to Hare Krishna.
Deprogrammer: Dara. Dara was also from the Philadelphia area, from Catholic
background, with some college education at a private liberal art college. She was also
formerly an ISKCON devotee.
Deprogrammer: Brian. Brian came from the East Coast, with an unknown religious
background. He was a college graduate and was at the time of the deprogramming working
on his Ph.D. in communications from a large urban university.
Participant-observer: Steve Dubrow-Eichel. At the time of the study, I was a licensed
and practicing psychologist with a M.S. degree in psychological services from the University
of Pennsylvania. I come from a New York City, Jewish background. I attended Columbia
University as an undergraduate. My parents, both of whom survived the Nazi Holocaust, are
from German, working-class backgrounds. My mother completed the equivalent of high
school my father the equivalent of junior high school For the past twenty-three years they
have owned and operated a large retail bakery business located in Somerville, New Jersey.
Their background a survivors of one of the most heinous totalitarian regimes in history had
deeply affected me, and no doubt influenced my strong feelings toward totalistic systems.
As explained in the first chapter, I have had consider-able experience as researcher and
counselor in the field of destructive cults. Part of this experience involved participating in a
Unification Church indoctrination course in 1975.
