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from me to feel safe in here?” These types of questions empower clients by having them
participate in the creation of a safe environment.
Power Analysis
Once a safe environment has been established, the counselor can, together with the client,
engage in a power analysis. McWhirter (1994) suggested that a power analysis helps clients
see how their life context kept them in a powerless position. Conducting a power analysis
will help women see how they were kept oppressed by a dominant force (Worell &Remer,
1992). Survivors of cultic relationships can benefit from acknowledging how they were
powerless in the cultic environment. This sort of analysis will help clients move from self-
blame to putting responsibility for the abuse onto the cultic leader. Once they have accepted
the powerlessness of having been in the cultic environment, clients can be encouraged for
now taking responsibility for their healing.
An example of an effective power analysis is provided in the dialogue below. The client,
“Joanne,” was involved with a religious cult for 7 years. At the time she joined, she had
been experiencing a lengthy divorce she was lonely, vulnerable, and trying to put her life
together. She doesn‟t remember exactly how she got so involved in the cult. The leader was
charismatic and made her promises of love, family, and financial security. Joanne described
the relationship as one in which she was terrified if she did not obey everything the leader
told her. Demands ranged from sexual favors for the leader (and no one else), praying to
him, and giving him all her possessions. Eventually, Joanne was able to leave the cult, and
had had some exit counseling prior to therapy. In the following dialogue the counselor is
conducting a power analysis:
Counselor: “When you were in the cult who had the power?”
Joanne: “Well, I never told him to leave me alone.”
Counselor: “Who was the powerful one?”
Joanne: “I guess the leader.”
Counselor: “It seems like you are reluctant to blame him for the
harm he has caused you. It must be difficult for you to accept that what he did
hurt you so badly and manipulated you.”
Joanne: “I should have been able to do something when this was happening.”
Counselor: “I can‟t imagine myself being able to tell a leader such
as the one you were with to stop. I can imagine you were very frightened. He
hurt you and took away so much. I can tell how tough this has been on you and
admire your courage. I wonder who has the responsibility for your healing now?”
Joanne: “I don‟t know.”
Counselor: “Even though this has been very painful, it seems to me
you are taking a lot of responsibility for your healing --like being here today.”
Joanne: “Yeah.” (starts to cry)
Counselor: “It is so painful.” (silence) “I can imagine how painful
and frightening it must be to realize that you do have your own power now.”
This sample dialogue provides possible words that can be empowering. However, words
alone do not give essence to the spirit of empowerment and conducting a power analysis in
session. Empowerment is also a nonverbal way of being which indicates to clients that the
counselor believes in their unique way of healing.
An empowerment model needs to incorporate both a personal, interpersonal, and social
component, dealing not only with the intrapsychic functions but also the female client
herself within the context of her relationships and social environment (Worell &Remer,
1992). Rosedale (1995) discusses special issues related to women when they emerge from
groups. He states:

Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997, page 93
Sexual issues and sexual abuse have different implications and different
aftereffects from some of the other experiences typically found in cults. If a man
becomes involved in a group whose sexual mores are very liberal and
unstructured, he might come out and say, “I slept with 12 women.” The woman
who comes out of the same group and says “I slept with 12 men” will experience a
tremendous difference in her social adjustment afterwards. Consequently, we must
draw a distinction between men‟s and women‟s experiences as they try to resume
conventional roles in society. (p. 191)
Eventually the former cult member will need to develop new relationships and a social
network, and integrate back into mainstream society. For a time, the therapist may be the
only relationship the survivor has, and it is important to empower the client to develop new
relationships outside of therapy when she is ready. When a client begins to develop new
social interests, encouraging her to conduct her own power analysis might be useful in
preventing her from getting involved in other types of domineering and controlling
relationships.
Control and Empowerment
The damage done to women in the cultic relationship is similar to that found in survivors of
abuse by authority figures. In fact, in certain cultic relationships, the leader exercises sexual
domination and control over the female members, implying that they have a “special”
relationship with the leader and this relationship must be kept secret (Rosedale, 1995
Tobias &Lalich, 1994). Because of their client‟s previous experience with domination and
control, counselors are recommended to give clients control with regard to pace and
direction of the counseling process (Brier, 1989 O‟Hare &Taylor, 1983 Siegel &Romig,
1988 Westerlund, 1984). Giving the client control requires counselors to take themselves
out of expert roles and allow the client to be the authority in session. Thus, the context of
the therapy sessions needs to be egalitarian. McWhirter (1994) suggested that in order to
empower others, counselors must give up aspects of power, such as control and immunity
from criticism. Counselors must be willing to accept that clients may not always like
something the counselor says in therapy. Counselors must be willing to process
disagreements with the client. Sometimes clients will indicate their disagreement in
nonverbal ways, such as breaking eye contact or manifesting anxious body language.
Counselors must be intuitive enough to recognize when clients are disagreeing on nonverbal
levels and address this with clients in such a way that they will feel safe to express their
disagreement. Thus, clients will feel empowered to own their opinions and judgments.
Having clients take control in the session can be done through the use of the creative arts.
Writing and drawing can be empowering modalities. Of utmost importance is that clients
have the authority to decide which modality will be most helpful for expressing themselves.
For example, it can be very helpful for the counselor to ask the client how she expresses
herself most effectively. If the client enjoys drawing, encourage her to draw something that
symbolizes or portrays her strength or courage, which she can hang in her room. One
survivor drew a picture of herself and the cult leader, and then cut the cult leader out and
tore him up while she told him that he couldn‟t control her any longer. This process seemed
to give the client a sense of taking back her personal power. By having clients take control
during therapy, a parallel process can occur in which they will feel more in control of their
lives outside the therapy sessions.
Working with the client to assist her in ridding herself of her cult pseudopersonality and
regaining her sense of self can be done through a variety of methods. Encouraging the
client to remember who she was prior to cult involvement can be done by having her
daydream about the past (precult life): what she enjoyed, which activities she engaged in,