Recovery from Abusive Groups Page xi
Preface
Until recently, the area of cultic study which has received the least amount of
attention has been that of the post-cult period. Focus has been placed upon
defining modem day destructive cults, delineating the ways they approach
people, and describing the manipulation and techniques used by cults to achieve
an altered state of consciousness. Most autobiographical accounts of cult life
have emphasized the pre-cult period, the recruitment phase, cult life,'
intervention, and reassessment of commitment to the cult. Usually, only a' short
epilogue addresses the recovery process. Recognizing the need for more
emphasis on the recovery phase, the American Family Foundation in 1989
launched Project Recovery which brought together groups of experts to study
specific aspects of the cult phenomenon. Their findings will appear in a book
entitled Recovery from Cults, edited by Dr. Michael Langone and scheduled to
be published in September 1993.
Researchers have also begun to conduct ongoing studies of the recovery process
of former cultists. Most notably, Dr. Paul Martin, in collaboration with Dr.
Langone and others, has been studying post-cult distress and treatment
modalities which have been adopted to help ameliorate this distress.
Another example of the response to the need for literature on the recovery
process is the book which you now hold. Wendy Ford has written an honest,
revealing, highly comprehensive and practical guide for former cultists and their
families. We have had the pleasure of knowing Wendy for the last twelve years,
since she exited from her cult. At American Family Foundation and Cult
Awareness Network conferences, she has informally and generously been
available to help others, serving as a guide to recently exited members and
their families. Over the years, we have found her observations to be valuable
and her warm engaging personality to be delightful. Fortunately for the reader,
Wendy's intelligent and thoughtful approach to helping others is captured on the
pages of this book.
Instead of simply listing issues which confront former cultists and their families,
Wendy offers the reader practical suggestions for dealing with each of these
issues. In this second edition, she extends this resourceful book into a workbook
by asking thought-provoking questions entitled "Exercises" at the end of each
section. This approach can be particularly helpful to former cultists who have
been induced to be passive recipients of information through destructive cult,
techniques. Wendy encourages the reader to actively participate in the recovery
process. She also is candid about her personal struggles in leaving her cult. We
are confident that the reader will see herself or himself in Wendy's struggles.
Each of the issues discussed in this book has been faced by former cultists
whom we have seen in therapy. In fact, seventeen years ago we decided to
begin a support group for former cultists for the purpose of helping them realize
that they are not alone in their post-cult struggles. By dealing with these
Preface
Until recently, the area of cultic study which has received the least amount of
attention has been that of the post-cult period. Focus has been placed upon
defining modem day destructive cults, delineating the ways they approach
people, and describing the manipulation and techniques used by cults to achieve
an altered state of consciousness. Most autobiographical accounts of cult life
have emphasized the pre-cult period, the recruitment phase, cult life,'
intervention, and reassessment of commitment to the cult. Usually, only a' short
epilogue addresses the recovery process. Recognizing the need for more
emphasis on the recovery phase, the American Family Foundation in 1989
launched Project Recovery which brought together groups of experts to study
specific aspects of the cult phenomenon. Their findings will appear in a book
entitled Recovery from Cults, edited by Dr. Michael Langone and scheduled to
be published in September 1993.
Researchers have also begun to conduct ongoing studies of the recovery process
of former cultists. Most notably, Dr. Paul Martin, in collaboration with Dr.
Langone and others, has been studying post-cult distress and treatment
modalities which have been adopted to help ameliorate this distress.
Another example of the response to the need for literature on the recovery
process is the book which you now hold. Wendy Ford has written an honest,
revealing, highly comprehensive and practical guide for former cultists and their
families. We have had the pleasure of knowing Wendy for the last twelve years,
since she exited from her cult. At American Family Foundation and Cult
Awareness Network conferences, she has informally and generously been
available to help others, serving as a guide to recently exited members and
their families. Over the years, we have found her observations to be valuable
and her warm engaging personality to be delightful. Fortunately for the reader,
Wendy's intelligent and thoughtful approach to helping others is captured on the
pages of this book.
Instead of simply listing issues which confront former cultists and their families,
Wendy offers the reader practical suggestions for dealing with each of these
issues. In this second edition, she extends this resourceful book into a workbook
by asking thought-provoking questions entitled "Exercises" at the end of each
section. This approach can be particularly helpful to former cultists who have
been induced to be passive recipients of information through destructive cult,
techniques. Wendy encourages the reader to actively participate in the recovery
process. She also is candid about her personal struggles in leaving her cult. We
are confident that the reader will see herself or himself in Wendy's struggles.
Each of the issues discussed in this book has been faced by former cultists
whom we have seen in therapy. In fact, seventeen years ago we decided to
begin a support group for former cultists for the purpose of helping them realize
that they are not alone in their post-cult struggles. By dealing with these
