Dear Friends,
It is with great pleasure that I introduce this issue of ICSA Today. Previewing these articles for publication brought back some very old
memories of my time in various cultic movements (1973 to 1987), and issues that arose after I left. I am deeply grateful for the assistance
I received from ICSA, then known as the American Family Foundation, and the people who made this organization a very special place
for former members, their families, and the professionals who helped them to heal and who do research on cult-related issues.
In 1987, when I was emerging from cultic experience, Margaret Singer, Jolly West, and Herb Rosedale, just to name a few, were the
leaders in the field. I looked up to them for their wisdom and guidance. I know they are greatly missed. However, the good news is that
there are so many new leaders, too many to name, who have built on their predecessors’ wisdom and experience! It gives me so much
pleasure to see them at conferences and listen to them share what they have learned over the years. Best of all, are the new (to me)
friends I make and greet, and who now contribute to these pages.
In this issue are two articles about identity and cults. In “Rebuilding the Jigsaw,” Gillie Jenkinson tells us about her personal journey from
member to helping professional, and about the therapeutic method she has developed to help former members rediscover and rebuild
their identities. Like many others, she found that by helping others heal from abuse she could foster her own healing. Having had much
difficulty finding a therapist familiar with the particular trauma of cultic experience herself, she now works predominantly with survivors
of abusive movements.
In “Reclaiming Life Stories After Cult Immersion,” Greg Jemsek addresses the role of stories and storytelling in the healing from cultic
experiences. He correctly, I believe, connects our changing identity, before, during, and after cultic abuse, through the stories we tell
ourselves. That identity is not static but ever changing, and therefore there is great hope for healing from the damages these
experiences cause us.
In this issue are two articles on Transcendental Meditation. Gina Catena writes, in “Peace at Last,” about a dear friend’s poignant
experience growing up in the movement, a child of TM-involved parents. Dan bravely struggled with the damage he experienced:
psychotic episodes and repeated psychiatric hospitalizations. Yet he was able to contribute lovingly to his family until his death.
In “A Personal Experience of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the TM Movement,” Stephen Coleman tells about his hopes and
excitement upon initiation into TM and his struggles at then-Maharishi International University. He says it all in the phrase, “In some
ways, MIU was a paradise but underneath it all was a stealth hell clutching at the souls of innocent and good people.”
In an article that gives us hope for legal recognition of the harm cults can do, Masaki Kito, Esq., and Takashi Yamaguchi, Esq., report on
the successful prosecution of a cult in Japan in “When the Cult Leader Hoists a White Flag: The Shinsekai Case.” The group was
convicted of fraud and the leaders were given prison sentences (with labor!) and fined. Interesting to me was the prosecution of a
“religious” group that charged for “healings.” Hmmmmmm…
Sincerely,
Madeleine Tobias, MS, PMHCNS-BC
About ICSA Today
ICSA Today (IT) serves ICSA members by providing information
that enhances understanding of all aspects of the cult
phenomenon, including how groups function, how they affect
members, techniques of influence, dealing with harmful effects,
educational and legal implications, and other subjects.
ICSA Today issues may include
• practical articles for former members, families,
helping professionals, researchers, and others
• opinion essays
• theoretical articles
• reports on research
• summaries of news reports on groups
• information on books, articles, links
• information on ICSA members
• biographical profiles on selected members
• personal accounts
• art work
• poetry
• short stories and other literary articles
• special reports from correspondents around the world
ICSA Today is published three times a year.
Regular ICSA members receive the print edition of ICSA
Today and have access to its Web edition. Students and
other special members gain access to the online edition
only. Nonmember print subscriptions are available.
Submissions to the magazine should be sent
to the Editor-in-Chief, Michael Langone, PhD:
mail@icsamail.com We prefer Microsoft Word
or a program compatible with Word. Articles
should be no more than 2,500 words. Please
include a jpeg photo (less than 150 KB) and biographical
sketch (less than 150 words) with your submission.
Appropriate submissions are reviewed by the relevant
section editor and, when appropriate, editorial review
advisors.
International Cultic Studies Association
P.O. Box 2265 • Bonita Springs, FL 34133
239.514.3081 mail@icsamail.com
icsahome.com
It is with great pleasure that I introduce this issue of ICSA Today. Previewing these articles for publication brought back some very old
memories of my time in various cultic movements (1973 to 1987), and issues that arose after I left. I am deeply grateful for the assistance
I received from ICSA, then known as the American Family Foundation, and the people who made this organization a very special place
for former members, their families, and the professionals who helped them to heal and who do research on cult-related issues.
In 1987, when I was emerging from cultic experience, Margaret Singer, Jolly West, and Herb Rosedale, just to name a few, were the
leaders in the field. I looked up to them for their wisdom and guidance. I know they are greatly missed. However, the good news is that
there are so many new leaders, too many to name, who have built on their predecessors’ wisdom and experience! It gives me so much
pleasure to see them at conferences and listen to them share what they have learned over the years. Best of all, are the new (to me)
friends I make and greet, and who now contribute to these pages.
In this issue are two articles about identity and cults. In “Rebuilding the Jigsaw,” Gillie Jenkinson tells us about her personal journey from
member to helping professional, and about the therapeutic method she has developed to help former members rediscover and rebuild
their identities. Like many others, she found that by helping others heal from abuse she could foster her own healing. Having had much
difficulty finding a therapist familiar with the particular trauma of cultic experience herself, she now works predominantly with survivors
of abusive movements.
In “Reclaiming Life Stories After Cult Immersion,” Greg Jemsek addresses the role of stories and storytelling in the healing from cultic
experiences. He correctly, I believe, connects our changing identity, before, during, and after cultic abuse, through the stories we tell
ourselves. That identity is not static but ever changing, and therefore there is great hope for healing from the damages these
experiences cause us.
In this issue are two articles on Transcendental Meditation. Gina Catena writes, in “Peace at Last,” about a dear friend’s poignant
experience growing up in the movement, a child of TM-involved parents. Dan bravely struggled with the damage he experienced:
psychotic episodes and repeated psychiatric hospitalizations. Yet he was able to contribute lovingly to his family until his death.
In “A Personal Experience of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the TM Movement,” Stephen Coleman tells about his hopes and
excitement upon initiation into TM and his struggles at then-Maharishi International University. He says it all in the phrase, “In some
ways, MIU was a paradise but underneath it all was a stealth hell clutching at the souls of innocent and good people.”
In an article that gives us hope for legal recognition of the harm cults can do, Masaki Kito, Esq., and Takashi Yamaguchi, Esq., report on
the successful prosecution of a cult in Japan in “When the Cult Leader Hoists a White Flag: The Shinsekai Case.” The group was
convicted of fraud and the leaders were given prison sentences (with labor!) and fined. Interesting to me was the prosecution of a
“religious” group that charged for “healings.” Hmmmmmm…
Sincerely,
Madeleine Tobias, MS, PMHCNS-BC
About ICSA Today
ICSA Today (IT) serves ICSA members by providing information
that enhances understanding of all aspects of the cult
phenomenon, including how groups function, how they affect
members, techniques of influence, dealing with harmful effects,
educational and legal implications, and other subjects.
ICSA Today issues may include
• practical articles for former members, families,
helping professionals, researchers, and others
• opinion essays
• theoretical articles
• reports on research
• summaries of news reports on groups
• information on books, articles, links
• information on ICSA members
• biographical profiles on selected members
• personal accounts
• art work
• poetry
• short stories and other literary articles
• special reports from correspondents around the world
ICSA Today is published three times a year.
Regular ICSA members receive the print edition of ICSA
Today and have access to its Web edition. Students and
other special members gain access to the online edition
only. Nonmember print subscriptions are available.
Submissions to the magazine should be sent
to the Editor-in-Chief, Michael Langone, PhD:
mail@icsamail.com We prefer Microsoft Word
or a program compatible with Word. Articles
should be no more than 2,500 words. Please
include a jpeg photo (less than 150 KB) and biographical
sketch (less than 150 words) with your submission.
Appropriate submissions are reviewed by the relevant
section editor and, when appropriate, editorial review
advisors.
International Cultic Studies Association
P.O. Box 2265 • Bonita Springs, FL 34133
239.514.3081 mail@icsamail.com
icsahome.com
