New to ICSA’s YouTube Channel
Recovery NOT Cancelled (more at youtube.com/c/
internationalculticstudiesassociationicsa).
• Coping With Domestic Violence in COVID-19—Elizabeth
Burchard and Florence Remes
• Spiritual Practices During Uncertain Times: Spiritual Abuse
and Transgender Individuals—Mark Wingfield and Cyndi
Matthews
• Impact of COVID-19 on Former Cult Members—Lorna
Goldberg and Bill Goldberg
• How the Current Crisis May Be Triggering Spiritual Abuse
Survivors—Dylesia Barner
• Former LDS Response to COVID-19—Julienna Viegas and
Cyndi Matthews
• The Challenge of Cult Recovery During a Time of Crisis—
Rachel Bernstein
Cults, Coercive Control, and Community—Nashville
Conference 2020, Cosponsored by the University of
Tennessee School of Social Work.
• Coercive Control &Cults: An Overview—Steve Eichel
• Stage 5: Escaping Exploitation—Dylesia Barner
• A Way to Healing With Creative Arts—Alsandria R.
• Therapy With Former Cult Members—Lorna Goldberg
• Widening the Frame: What Understanding Coercive Control
Can Mean for the Larger Discussion—Ragan Schriver
Former Jehovah’s Witness Interviews: These interviews
help former members identify psychological challenges
that may arise when they leave the faith, and provide
relevant background information for therapists working
with former Jehovah’s Witnesses.
• Ashlen Hilliard Interviews Michael Shemwell
• Post Interview Q&A With Michael Shemwell
• Ashlen Hilliard Interviews Gillie Jenkinson
New for ICSA Members
Cult Stories: ICSA interviews former members of cultic
groups or relationships about how they became involved in a
group, what their life was like in the group, why they left, and
how they dealt with departure (more at icsahome.com).
• Charlene Edge (Undertow: My Escape From the
Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International) is
interviewed with her daughter Rachel Chase. After leaving
The Way, Charlene earned a BA in English, became a poet and
prose writer, and enjoyed a successful career for more than
a decade as a technical and proposal writer in the software
industry. She is a published poet, a sought-after guest
speaker, and a monthly contributor to the Florida Writers
Association blog.
• J. Paul Lennon (Our Father who art in bed, A Naive and
Sentimental Dubliner in the Legion of Christ), was a Legionary
of Christ brother and priest. He later served as a Diocesan
priest, received an MA in Counseling and
a Post Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, and
since the 1990s has worked with ReGAIN (Religious
Groups Awareness International Network) to inform and
support former members and families of The Legion of
Christ and other similar mainstream Christian groups.
• Daniel Shaw (Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems
of Subjugation), spent 13 years as a staff member in
Siddha Yoga Foundation. After exiting he published an
Open Letter about Siddha Yoga on the Internet and
helped create the Leaving Siddha Yoga website, one of the
first Internet websites for former cult members. He is a
psychoanalyst and widely published author on cultic issues.
Recovery Issues and Families (more at icsahome.com).
• Building Bridges Leaving and Recovering From Cultic
Groups and Relationships: An 8-Week Webinar for
Families and Former Members—Rachel Bernstein,
Joseph Kelly, and Patrick Ryan
• Paradoxes and Dilemmas—Doni Whitsett
• The Challenges of Parenting As an Adult Former Cult
Member—Eva Mackey
• Saved by Our Son—Russel and Gunilla Bradshaw
Spiritual Abuse (more at icsahome.com).
• Christian Cults and the Concept of Hell—Robert Pardon
• Understanding the Experience of African-American Families
in Religiously Abusive Organizations—Alisha Powell
• Spiritual Manipulation in Pseudo Christian Cults: A Panel
Discussion—Former Cult Members with Wendy Duncan,
Doug Duncan, Cyndi Matthews
ICSA History Series: Robert E. Schecter interviews notable
figures in the cultic-studies field, including their views on
ICSA and its future (more at icsahome.com).
• Michael Langone, long-time Executive Director of ICSA,
discusses his work in the early 1980s with John Clark and
the American Family Foundation (ICSA’s original name), and
the changes he has observed in the organization and the
cultic-studies field.
• Michael Kropveld discusses how he first got interested in
this field, the founding of the organization he now heads
(Info-Cult/Info-Secte), and changes he has observed in the
field over the years.
• Alan W. Scheflin, an expert in the legal area of cultic
studies, discusses how he became interested in cults and
his research and writings.
• Eileen Barker describes her early work in this area,
including the founding of the British organization INFORM,
and how the procult–anticult polarization diminished as a
result of ongoing dialogue that began in the late 1990s.
• Rod Dubrow-Marshall describes his initial contact with
ICSA, early work in this area, and his development of
totalistic identity theory.
For more and newly added programs, see YouTube
and icsahome.com
During this difficult time, ICSA is continuing to build its online services and
resources for former cult members, families, and friends. Following are some
samples. For additional listings, see ICSA’s YouTube channel and icsahome.com ONLINE
Recovery NOT Cancelled (more at youtube.com/c/
internationalculticstudiesassociationicsa).
• Coping With Domestic Violence in COVID-19—Elizabeth
Burchard and Florence Remes
• Spiritual Practices During Uncertain Times: Spiritual Abuse
and Transgender Individuals—Mark Wingfield and Cyndi
Matthews
• Impact of COVID-19 on Former Cult Members—Lorna
Goldberg and Bill Goldberg
• How the Current Crisis May Be Triggering Spiritual Abuse
Survivors—Dylesia Barner
• Former LDS Response to COVID-19—Julienna Viegas and
Cyndi Matthews
• The Challenge of Cult Recovery During a Time of Crisis—
Rachel Bernstein
Cults, Coercive Control, and Community—Nashville
Conference 2020, Cosponsored by the University of
Tennessee School of Social Work.
• Coercive Control &Cults: An Overview—Steve Eichel
• Stage 5: Escaping Exploitation—Dylesia Barner
• A Way to Healing With Creative Arts—Alsandria R.
• Therapy With Former Cult Members—Lorna Goldberg
• Widening the Frame: What Understanding Coercive Control
Can Mean for the Larger Discussion—Ragan Schriver
Former Jehovah’s Witness Interviews: These interviews
help former members identify psychological challenges
that may arise when they leave the faith, and provide
relevant background information for therapists working
with former Jehovah’s Witnesses.
• Ashlen Hilliard Interviews Michael Shemwell
• Post Interview Q&A With Michael Shemwell
• Ashlen Hilliard Interviews Gillie Jenkinson
New for ICSA Members
Cult Stories: ICSA interviews former members of cultic
groups or relationships about how they became involved in a
group, what their life was like in the group, why they left, and
how they dealt with departure (more at icsahome.com).
• Charlene Edge (Undertow: My Escape From the
Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International) is
interviewed with her daughter Rachel Chase. After leaving
The Way, Charlene earned a BA in English, became a poet and
prose writer, and enjoyed a successful career for more than
a decade as a technical and proposal writer in the software
industry. She is a published poet, a sought-after guest
speaker, and a monthly contributor to the Florida Writers
Association blog.
• J. Paul Lennon (Our Father who art in bed, A Naive and
Sentimental Dubliner in the Legion of Christ), was a Legionary
of Christ brother and priest. He later served as a Diocesan
priest, received an MA in Counseling and
a Post Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, and
since the 1990s has worked with ReGAIN (Religious
Groups Awareness International Network) to inform and
support former members and families of The Legion of
Christ and other similar mainstream Christian groups.
• Daniel Shaw (Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems
of Subjugation), spent 13 years as a staff member in
Siddha Yoga Foundation. After exiting he published an
Open Letter about Siddha Yoga on the Internet and
helped create the Leaving Siddha Yoga website, one of the
first Internet websites for former cult members. He is a
psychoanalyst and widely published author on cultic issues.
Recovery Issues and Families (more at icsahome.com).
• Building Bridges Leaving and Recovering From Cultic
Groups and Relationships: An 8-Week Webinar for
Families and Former Members—Rachel Bernstein,
Joseph Kelly, and Patrick Ryan
• Paradoxes and Dilemmas—Doni Whitsett
• The Challenges of Parenting As an Adult Former Cult
Member—Eva Mackey
• Saved by Our Son—Russel and Gunilla Bradshaw
Spiritual Abuse (more at icsahome.com).
• Christian Cults and the Concept of Hell—Robert Pardon
• Understanding the Experience of African-American Families
in Religiously Abusive Organizations—Alisha Powell
• Spiritual Manipulation in Pseudo Christian Cults: A Panel
Discussion—Former Cult Members with Wendy Duncan,
Doug Duncan, Cyndi Matthews
ICSA History Series: Robert E. Schecter interviews notable
figures in the cultic-studies field, including their views on
ICSA and its future (more at icsahome.com).
• Michael Langone, long-time Executive Director of ICSA,
discusses his work in the early 1980s with John Clark and
the American Family Foundation (ICSA’s original name), and
the changes he has observed in the organization and the
cultic-studies field.
• Michael Kropveld discusses how he first got interested in
this field, the founding of the organization he now heads
(Info-Cult/Info-Secte), and changes he has observed in the
field over the years.
• Alan W. Scheflin, an expert in the legal area of cultic
studies, discusses how he became interested in cults and
his research and writings.
• Eileen Barker describes her early work in this area,
including the founding of the British organization INFORM,
and how the procult–anticult polarization diminished as a
result of ongoing dialogue that began in the late 1990s.
• Rod Dubrow-Marshall describes his initial contact with
ICSA, early work in this area, and his development of
totalistic identity theory.
For more and newly added programs, see YouTube
and icsahome.com
During this difficult time, ICSA is continuing to build its online services and
resources for former cult members, families, and friends. Following are some
samples. For additional listings, see ICSA’s YouTube channel and icsahome.com ONLINE
