10 ICSA TODAY
Before our eyes, George quickly became a
millionaire while we descended into poverty.
His “law of reciprocity” justified the “investment”
in our future salvation. The money would come
back to us ten-fold. Topics related to George’s
double standard were blacklisted. (His family had
health insurance, furnished an ample suburban
home, and pursued higher education.) George
claimed that the Energy immersed him in bliss.
Therefore, any other state was evidence of failure,
inspiring feelings of guilt and shame. Doubts
and challenges equaled ingratitude and risked
expulsion. (Burchard, 2020)
Self-Preservation
Lacking opportunities for interpersonal dialogue driven by
independent and creative thinking, the victim’s capacity
for rational and analytical cognition atrophies, weakening
her inborn, biological, survival responses to stress and
threat, maintaining her disempowerment, and further
advantaging the abuser. Cult-induced mental-health issues
such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis take center
stage, monopolizing her inner world. Stress hormones
released from fight/flight survival reactions exhaust the
body and compromise the immune system, resulting in
somatic symptoms and illness. Dissociation from severe
abuse interferes with proper memory storage, keeping
her in a fog. Chronically numb, seeking to change her
circumstances isn’t even a concept. Struggling to cope takes
up all of her resources. Fear also keeps her from exiting: fear
of losing everything for which she has worked and hoped,
fear of retaliation, and existential fear of annihilation should
she challenge her infantile attachment to the abuser.
I was in for seventeen years when George went
over the edge. One day, while strolling on a
Long Island beach, he “discovered” the soul of
his recently deceased, black Labrador retriever
in a white palm-sized rock. Thus, the “Black Dog
Religion” and a new mission were born—the
resurrection of the family pet who would lead
us to the next spiritual level. George’s evidence?
Dog is god spelled backward. “Not in French,”
I challenged, and paid dearly for that remark.
Nauseated by the stench of rotting flesh and
horrified as I watched the other devotees follow,
sheep-like, it was the first time that I disagreed—
privately. Years of chronic stress had taken their
toll. Wracked with severe asthma, relentless
anxiety, overwhelming depression, and chronic
dissociation, my coping skills were fading fast.
Also, I was out of money and at age 35, I cashed
in my IRA. George blamed my financial ruin on
my lack of devotion. Beaten down, I was ready to
consider a new perspective, but I did not know it
yet. (Burchard, 2020)
Stage 4: Emancipative Emigration
Eventually, with opportune timing and mobilized resources,
the victim may leave. Perhaps, having been pushed too far,
she bolts from intolerable circumstances. Conversely, if her
commitment has weakened, the leader may view her as no
longer useful and eject her. Or outsiders may help to break the
spell by offering knowledge, friendship, and other support. If
the victim does manage to leave, rejoining the world brings
new challenges as she copes with culture shock while seeking
healing from trauma and reconstructing a new life.
Getting Out
An outsider reaching in and forming an “escape hatch
attachment” (Stein, 2017) is one way that a victim may exit a
cultic relationship. She may also be expelled if she is no longer
productive or her assets have been depleted.
In 1992, the Group joined United We Stand America
supporting Ross Perot. I met there a new friend who
would open the door to my escape. Judy was one
of the local members who observed our strange,
robotic behavior, and our glassy-eyed stares. Sensing
that I was in trouble, she befriended me. To confirm
her suspicions, that this was indeed a “cult next
door,” she went undercover, attending a few of
George’s weekly group meetings. Over three years
and numerous Dunkin’ Donuts cups of coffee, Judy
opened my eyes to George’s hypocrisy and self-
serving agenda. Yet, leaving was not a thought, and
I continued to pay (on credit cards) to attend daily
resurrection sessions. One pivotal day, while George
stared in awe at his dog’s ghost floating above the
coffee table, I finally recognized insanity in his eyes.
How could I have not seen it before? At that moment,
George lost all credibility. Beyond broke, I pulled
back on my attendance. With that, George threw me
out for insubordination. Frozen in shock, I knew he
had done me a favor, and I never looked back. Judy
congratulated me on my graduation. God bless her,
she never once told me to leave, but she had always
known where I was headed. (Burchard, 2020)
My hope in writing this paper
is to help elucidate the nature
of the abuse common to cultic
groups and interpersonal
violence, so that we may be
more effective protecting
potential victims and holding
perpetrators to account.
Before our eyes, George quickly became a
millionaire while we descended into poverty.
His “law of reciprocity” justified the “investment”
in our future salvation. The money would come
back to us ten-fold. Topics related to George’s
double standard were blacklisted. (His family had
health insurance, furnished an ample suburban
home, and pursued higher education.) George
claimed that the Energy immersed him in bliss.
Therefore, any other state was evidence of failure,
inspiring feelings of guilt and shame. Doubts
and challenges equaled ingratitude and risked
expulsion. (Burchard, 2020)
Self-Preservation
Lacking opportunities for interpersonal dialogue driven by
independent and creative thinking, the victim’s capacity
for rational and analytical cognition atrophies, weakening
her inborn, biological, survival responses to stress and
threat, maintaining her disempowerment, and further
advantaging the abuser. Cult-induced mental-health issues
such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis take center
stage, monopolizing her inner world. Stress hormones
released from fight/flight survival reactions exhaust the
body and compromise the immune system, resulting in
somatic symptoms and illness. Dissociation from severe
abuse interferes with proper memory storage, keeping
her in a fog. Chronically numb, seeking to change her
circumstances isn’t even a concept. Struggling to cope takes
up all of her resources. Fear also keeps her from exiting: fear
of losing everything for which she has worked and hoped,
fear of retaliation, and existential fear of annihilation should
she challenge her infantile attachment to the abuser.
I was in for seventeen years when George went
over the edge. One day, while strolling on a
Long Island beach, he “discovered” the soul of
his recently deceased, black Labrador retriever
in a white palm-sized rock. Thus, the “Black Dog
Religion” and a new mission were born—the
resurrection of the family pet who would lead
us to the next spiritual level. George’s evidence?
Dog is god spelled backward. “Not in French,”
I challenged, and paid dearly for that remark.
Nauseated by the stench of rotting flesh and
horrified as I watched the other devotees follow,
sheep-like, it was the first time that I disagreed—
privately. Years of chronic stress had taken their
toll. Wracked with severe asthma, relentless
anxiety, overwhelming depression, and chronic
dissociation, my coping skills were fading fast.
Also, I was out of money and at age 35, I cashed
in my IRA. George blamed my financial ruin on
my lack of devotion. Beaten down, I was ready to
consider a new perspective, but I did not know it
yet. (Burchard, 2020)
Stage 4: Emancipative Emigration
Eventually, with opportune timing and mobilized resources,
the victim may leave. Perhaps, having been pushed too far,
she bolts from intolerable circumstances. Conversely, if her
commitment has weakened, the leader may view her as no
longer useful and eject her. Or outsiders may help to break the
spell by offering knowledge, friendship, and other support. If
the victim does manage to leave, rejoining the world brings
new challenges as she copes with culture shock while seeking
healing from trauma and reconstructing a new life.
Getting Out
An outsider reaching in and forming an “escape hatch
attachment” (Stein, 2017) is one way that a victim may exit a
cultic relationship. She may also be expelled if she is no longer
productive or her assets have been depleted.
In 1992, the Group joined United We Stand America
supporting Ross Perot. I met there a new friend who
would open the door to my escape. Judy was one
of the local members who observed our strange,
robotic behavior, and our glassy-eyed stares. Sensing
that I was in trouble, she befriended me. To confirm
her suspicions, that this was indeed a “cult next
door,” she went undercover, attending a few of
George’s weekly group meetings. Over three years
and numerous Dunkin’ Donuts cups of coffee, Judy
opened my eyes to George’s hypocrisy and self-
serving agenda. Yet, leaving was not a thought, and
I continued to pay (on credit cards) to attend daily
resurrection sessions. One pivotal day, while George
stared in awe at his dog’s ghost floating above the
coffee table, I finally recognized insanity in his eyes.
How could I have not seen it before? At that moment,
George lost all credibility. Beyond broke, I pulled
back on my attendance. With that, George threw me
out for insubordination. Frozen in shock, I knew he
had done me a favor, and I never looked back. Judy
congratulated me on my graduation. God bless her,
she never once told me to leave, but she had always
known where I was headed. (Burchard, 2020)
My hope in writing this paper
is to help elucidate the nature
of the abuse common to cultic
groups and interpersonal
violence, so that we may be
more effective protecting
potential victims and holding
perpetrators to account.
