28 ICSA TODAY
Barbara Martin, wife of the late Dr. Paul Martin, has shared
some sad news with us. The Wellspring lodge, a beautiful
A-frame building that housed hundreds of former cultic
group members helped by Dr. Martin and his staff, burned
to the ground in the middle of the night, November 7–8,
2019. After Paul’s death, Wellspring struggled financially
and closed the overnight lodge program several years ago.
The cause of the fire appears to be a veteran in poor health
who was living in the lodge and fell asleep smoking.
Barb wrote:
It broke my heart to see the final end of the
calling that Paul and I (and Martin family)
had to serve those in spiritual deception and
psychological bondage and sometimes abuse.
Tim [Barb’s son and current Wellspring board
member] and others tried to remind me that
we will all still have the memories of all the lives
touched by this venture, which I know is true. I
have reviewed, since the fire, all the countries
that sent film crews there to do documentaries
on this work all the foreign interns we trained in
cult counseling from places like Spain, England,
and Denmark and all the interviews for print
and radio media that were done in that lodge.
Professional counselors from all over the US,
some housed at the lodge, came there for a big
research get-together that laid the foundation for
expanded research in the field of thought-reform
analysis and established a victim database.
Dr. Paul Martin was one of the leading figures in the cultic-
studies field. He contributed immeasurably to the recovery
of more than one thousand former cult members who
were treated at Wellspring, provided counsel to families,
trained professionals, and was a pioneer of clinical research
in this field. He was exceptional among mental health
professionals in this field because of his insistence on doing
pre- and post assessment using a battery of established
psychological instruments.
Dr. Martin was a former member and leader of Great
Commission International (currently called Great
Commission Association of Churches). He was author of
Cult-Proofing Your Kids, wrote numerous articles, and was
interviewed by many newspapers and radio and TV stations
concerning cults. He served as an expert witness in cult
cases around the world and was the lead expert witness for
the Lee Boyd Malvo trial (the Virginia sniper case).
The Wellspring fire is a sorrowful reminder of how much the
field lost when Paul passed away on August 14, 2009. n
Wellspring :End of an Era
Barbara Martin, wife of the late Dr. Paul Martin, has shared
some sad news with us. The Wellspring lodge, a beautiful
A-frame building that housed hundreds of former cultic
group members helped by Dr. Martin and his staff, burned
to the ground in the middle of the night, November 7–8,
2019. After Paul’s death, Wellspring struggled financially
and closed the overnight lodge program several years ago.
The cause of the fire appears to be a veteran in poor health
who was living in the lodge and fell asleep smoking.
Barb wrote:
It broke my heart to see the final end of the
calling that Paul and I (and Martin family)
had to serve those in spiritual deception and
psychological bondage and sometimes abuse.
Tim [Barb’s son and current Wellspring board
member] and others tried to remind me that
we will all still have the memories of all the lives
touched by this venture, which I know is true. I
have reviewed, since the fire, all the countries
that sent film crews there to do documentaries
on this work all the foreign interns we trained in
cult counseling from places like Spain, England,
and Denmark and all the interviews for print
and radio media that were done in that lodge.
Professional counselors from all over the US,
some housed at the lodge, came there for a big
research get-together that laid the foundation for
expanded research in the field of thought-reform
analysis and established a victim database.
Dr. Paul Martin was one of the leading figures in the cultic-
studies field. He contributed immeasurably to the recovery
of more than one thousand former cult members who
were treated at Wellspring, provided counsel to families,
trained professionals, and was a pioneer of clinical research
in this field. He was exceptional among mental health
professionals in this field because of his insistence on doing
pre- and post assessment using a battery of established
psychological instruments.
Dr. Martin was a former member and leader of Great
Commission International (currently called Great
Commission Association of Churches). He was author of
Cult-Proofing Your Kids, wrote numerous articles, and was
interviewed by many newspapers and radio and TV stations
concerning cults. He served as an expert witness in cult
cases around the world and was the lead expert witness for
the Lee Boyd Malvo trial (the Virginia sniper case).
The Wellspring fire is a sorrowful reminder of how much the
field lost when Paul passed away on August 14, 2009. n
Wellspring :End of an Era
