6 ICSA TODAY
one with the flames, they grew concerned. One man had to
physically stop her from jumping into the flames, she recalled.
She began talking excitedly, making little sense, and alarming
the friends she met there, the same ones who urged her to go
home and get help.
I met with Connie and her mother for 6 hours that first day. We
took things slowly because Connie was clearly struggling to
stay focused. She retired to her bedroom early in the evening. I
discussed her situation with her mother and brother.
The second day, Connie said she slept well. She was more
attentive, and the flat affect had diminished. At her mother’s
request, I gave a brief rundown of what a cult is. Connie was
curious. We watched two short videos on the topic.
Connie remained protective of her New Age authors and what
they taught. I needed something to challenge her, and she
gave me an opening. When we discussed her alter personality
that she described as a “walk-in” named Lily, Connie kept
referring to Lily as a female. Connie said it was the same guide
who Ruth Montgomery (1912–2001) used. Montgomery was
an established political columnist and journalist in Washington
before she turned to her incredibly successful psychic career.
Many considered her the “First Lady of the Psychic World.”
I came prepared with two of Montgomery’s books. Herald of
the New Age, an autobiographical book (1986), mentions the
author’s encounter with the Lily spirit. Following the advice of
psychic Arthur Ford in 1955, Montgomery had experimented
with automatic writing, a form of free association with marks
and words on paper until coherent messages appear during a
trance.2,3 Lily, another guide called Art, and a third called The
Group first appeared to Ruth during her experiments with
automatic writing. With Connie’s permission, I read on page
104 (Fawcett edition, 1986):
The following morning the pencil began, haltingly at
first and then with vigor, to write messages from Ruth’s
father. Next came funny little drawings of children that
were signed with a flourish by a long-dead aunt, and
finally the introduction of an entity calling himself
“Lily,” who announced that he would now take over the
regular sessions as her spirit mentor. (bold added)
“Lily,” I pointed out, “is male.”
Connie looked confused, so I pressed my point forcefully.
I stood up, showed her the passage, and raised my voice.
“Connie, do you realize that what you so strongly believed in is
not true? How could you mistake a male for a female?”
Connie got the message that after all these years either her
Lily was lying to her or there was no Lily. The realization
disturbed her enough to wonder if she had been deceiving
herself. What about the rest of what she believed? Now she
was open to expand the discussion.
I pulled out Aliens Among Us, another one of Montgomery’s
books from 1986. In that book, Montgomery writes an entire
chapter heartily endorsing Frederick Von Meiers, a former
male model and social climber from Brooklyn, as a legitimate
New Age guru and a true “walk-in.” I showed Connie a tape of a
television talk show that featured Von Meiers and members of
his cult Eternal Values. Von Meiers, who was HIV positive and
promiscuous, had infected many male and female students
with the virus. He also charged enormous amounts of money
for magically powered gemstones in rings that he sold to
wealthy but naïve members. This video discredited Von Meiers
and therefore Montgomery totally in Connie’s eyes. She
listened more intently as I methodically discredited most of
the authors she had so ardently believed. By the end of that
day, her Lily identity had left her completely.
Connie was still not agreeable to see a psychiatrist, and we
suspected she might not need one, although she yet seemed
fragile. She opted to go to Wellspring in Ohio, a retreat and
rehabilitation center that had recently expanded its services to
non-Christian cult victims. The three or four other clients there
at the time were former members of Bible-based cults. Connie
liked the place and people at first, but she had a dramatic
relapse when a number of former members and perhaps
an evangelical staff member got permission from Connie to
pray over her in a group to remove demonic influences. This
magical Christian behavior sent her over the edge into a near
psychotic break again. When she got home, she called me and
agreed with me and her mother to see a psychiatrist.
Connie was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and placed on
lithium. She responded well.
I heard from Connie again a year later. She sounded
wonderful, like a new person. She had completed her courses
for a master’s degree to be a speech therapist. She remained
on medication, indicating that her struggle with bipolar
disorder was not over.
How the Psychotherapist Approach
Differs From Intervention
By William Goldberg
The major difference between my approach to the cult issue
and that of intervention specialists, or exit counselors, is
the type of help we each offer. Exit counselors’ expertise is
in helping the cult members recognize the techniques that
were used to get them to join and maintain membership in
the cult. My expertise is more likely to come into play after
cult members have left the cult, when they’re struggling with
understanding how they were manipulated, or how to resolve
the issues that they may have been struggling with before
they joined the cult.
She listened more intently as I
methodically discredited most
of the authors she had so
ardently believed.
one with the flames, they grew concerned. One man had to
physically stop her from jumping into the flames, she recalled.
She began talking excitedly, making little sense, and alarming
the friends she met there, the same ones who urged her to go
home and get help.
I met with Connie and her mother for 6 hours that first day. We
took things slowly because Connie was clearly struggling to
stay focused. She retired to her bedroom early in the evening. I
discussed her situation with her mother and brother.
The second day, Connie said she slept well. She was more
attentive, and the flat affect had diminished. At her mother’s
request, I gave a brief rundown of what a cult is. Connie was
curious. We watched two short videos on the topic.
Connie remained protective of her New Age authors and what
they taught. I needed something to challenge her, and she
gave me an opening. When we discussed her alter personality
that she described as a “walk-in” named Lily, Connie kept
referring to Lily as a female. Connie said it was the same guide
who Ruth Montgomery (1912–2001) used. Montgomery was
an established political columnist and journalist in Washington
before she turned to her incredibly successful psychic career.
Many considered her the “First Lady of the Psychic World.”
I came prepared with two of Montgomery’s books. Herald of
the New Age, an autobiographical book (1986), mentions the
author’s encounter with the Lily spirit. Following the advice of
psychic Arthur Ford in 1955, Montgomery had experimented
with automatic writing, a form of free association with marks
and words on paper until coherent messages appear during a
trance.2,3 Lily, another guide called Art, and a third called The
Group first appeared to Ruth during her experiments with
automatic writing. With Connie’s permission, I read on page
104 (Fawcett edition, 1986):
The following morning the pencil began, haltingly at
first and then with vigor, to write messages from Ruth’s
father. Next came funny little drawings of children that
were signed with a flourish by a long-dead aunt, and
finally the introduction of an entity calling himself
“Lily,” who announced that he would now take over the
regular sessions as her spirit mentor. (bold added)
“Lily,” I pointed out, “is male.”
Connie looked confused, so I pressed my point forcefully.
I stood up, showed her the passage, and raised my voice.
“Connie, do you realize that what you so strongly believed in is
not true? How could you mistake a male for a female?”
Connie got the message that after all these years either her
Lily was lying to her or there was no Lily. The realization
disturbed her enough to wonder if she had been deceiving
herself. What about the rest of what she believed? Now she
was open to expand the discussion.
I pulled out Aliens Among Us, another one of Montgomery’s
books from 1986. In that book, Montgomery writes an entire
chapter heartily endorsing Frederick Von Meiers, a former
male model and social climber from Brooklyn, as a legitimate
New Age guru and a true “walk-in.” I showed Connie a tape of a
television talk show that featured Von Meiers and members of
his cult Eternal Values. Von Meiers, who was HIV positive and
promiscuous, had infected many male and female students
with the virus. He also charged enormous amounts of money
for magically powered gemstones in rings that he sold to
wealthy but naïve members. This video discredited Von Meiers
and therefore Montgomery totally in Connie’s eyes. She
listened more intently as I methodically discredited most of
the authors she had so ardently believed. By the end of that
day, her Lily identity had left her completely.
Connie was still not agreeable to see a psychiatrist, and we
suspected she might not need one, although she yet seemed
fragile. She opted to go to Wellspring in Ohio, a retreat and
rehabilitation center that had recently expanded its services to
non-Christian cult victims. The three or four other clients there
at the time were former members of Bible-based cults. Connie
liked the place and people at first, but she had a dramatic
relapse when a number of former members and perhaps
an evangelical staff member got permission from Connie to
pray over her in a group to remove demonic influences. This
magical Christian behavior sent her over the edge into a near
psychotic break again. When she got home, she called me and
agreed with me and her mother to see a psychiatrist.
Connie was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and placed on
lithium. She responded well.
I heard from Connie again a year later. She sounded
wonderful, like a new person. She had completed her courses
for a master’s degree to be a speech therapist. She remained
on medication, indicating that her struggle with bipolar
disorder was not over.
How the Psychotherapist Approach
Differs From Intervention
By William Goldberg
The major difference between my approach to the cult issue
and that of intervention specialists, or exit counselors, is
the type of help we each offer. Exit counselors’ expertise is
in helping the cult members recognize the techniques that
were used to get them to join and maintain membership in
the cult. My expertise is more likely to come into play after
cult members have left the cult, when they’re struggling with
understanding how they were manipulated, or how to resolve
the issues that they may have been struggling with before
they joined the cult.
She listened more intently as I
methodically discredited most
of the authors she had so
ardently believed.
