International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation Volume 9 2026 96
the group were associated with the development of
health problems that occurred during and after their
departure from the group. Deprived of food for several
years, one participant said she developed stomach
problems. Another one, whose sexuality was constantly
controlled, had her uterus removed without her
consent when a fibroid developed. Another woman,
fearful throughout her involvement in the group, has
wounds that she links to the stress she experienced and
has difficulty calming down now that she has left. She
described ongoing physical pain, such as stress-related
injuries and dental problems, explaining that her teeth
have even broke from clenching her jaw so tightly at
night. She also shared that her hands cramp and stiffen
during sleep, to the point where she must wear braces
to prevent further harm. She directly attributes these
problems to years of being constantly overstimulated
and exhausted by the pressure of the group. These
examples suggest that survivors can sometimes feel that
their bodies reacted to the traumas they experienced
(Rosen, 2014).
Control
As argued in the scientific literature and as confirmed
by the testimonies gathered for this research, control is
an important element of the dynamics present within
cultic groups (Hassan, 1988, 2020). This control is
exercised by leaders, who are generally male, towards
women but also by members among themselves
(Lamboley et al., 2022).
Psychological control is the aspect of control that
comes up most often in the women’s accounts. All the
women interviewed for our study mentioned having
been subjected to psychological control in various
forms to keep them captive. In fact, the leaders, above
all, control the women emotionally, not only to recruit
them but also to keep them involved in the daily life of
the group for as long as possible. The control described
by the women took various forms, such as emotional
manipulation, guilt, suppression of intimacy,
humiliation, and isolation. As a participant said:
All the burden of the world and society, all the
pain, is on my shoulders, mine, as a woman.
Not the man next to me, it’s me there. Because
I was told that women have lost the world, so
they must win it back. (Anna)
Echoing Rudin (1984), this extra burden can only be
placed on women’s shoulders, who thus feel they must
be even more diligent and submissive than men if they
are to satisfy the group’s demands.
Another participant argues that the leader’s
omnipresence drove members to confess, since he
would come to know everything:
I remember we used to say that “They know
everything.” You know, because we weren’t
indoctrinated yet. Nowadays, nobody
complains about that, but everything was
reported [to the leader]. We also constantly
had the feeling that he knew everything, so
you confessed everything. (Jessica)
Control is a gradual process, often beginning with a
honeymoon phase during which women are worshipped
and love-bombed. Then, little by little, forms of control
emerge that regulate all spheres of women’s lives. In
that context, women can also experience episodes
of humiliation in front of the whole group to set an
example. For example, one of the women was punished
for an entire year to read the Bible because she had eaten
something prohibited (food was strictly controlled for
women in her group). The leader would ask her to read
in the middle of the kitchen so everyone could see what
the punishment would be if they disobeyed. Women
seem to be particularly affected by the consequences
that such humiliation can have on their lives, their self-
esteem, and their bodies, over which they no longer
have any power or autonomy. These consequences
point to a naturalizing function of the female body, in
which it belongs to the leader and must serve to meet
his demands. Stark (2007) explains that humiliation
allows men to show their dominance by valorizing
behavior that is purely humiliating or contrary to the
woman’s moral values. This valorizing dominance
can affect a woman’s body or sexuality, forcing her to
adopt behaviors with which she is not comfortable.
Humiliation not only subjects women to male control
but also makes them vulnerable to exploitation by
others (Stark, 2007), in this case, other members of the
group.
All participants’ accounts reveal that involvement in
a cultic group is frequently accompanied by a rupture
with the outside world, alongside a reinforcement of
the group were associated with the development of
health problems that occurred during and after their
departure from the group. Deprived of food for several
years, one participant said she developed stomach
problems. Another one, whose sexuality was constantly
controlled, had her uterus removed without her
consent when a fibroid developed. Another woman,
fearful throughout her involvement in the group, has
wounds that she links to the stress she experienced and
has difficulty calming down now that she has left. She
described ongoing physical pain, such as stress-related
injuries and dental problems, explaining that her teeth
have even broke from clenching her jaw so tightly at
night. She also shared that her hands cramp and stiffen
during sleep, to the point where she must wear braces
to prevent further harm. She directly attributes these
problems to years of being constantly overstimulated
and exhausted by the pressure of the group. These
examples suggest that survivors can sometimes feel that
their bodies reacted to the traumas they experienced
(Rosen, 2014).
Control
As argued in the scientific literature and as confirmed
by the testimonies gathered for this research, control is
an important element of the dynamics present within
cultic groups (Hassan, 1988, 2020). This control is
exercised by leaders, who are generally male, towards
women but also by members among themselves
(Lamboley et al., 2022).
Psychological control is the aspect of control that
comes up most often in the women’s accounts. All the
women interviewed for our study mentioned having
been subjected to psychological control in various
forms to keep them captive. In fact, the leaders, above
all, control the women emotionally, not only to recruit
them but also to keep them involved in the daily life of
the group for as long as possible. The control described
by the women took various forms, such as emotional
manipulation, guilt, suppression of intimacy,
humiliation, and isolation. As a participant said:
All the burden of the world and society, all the
pain, is on my shoulders, mine, as a woman.
Not the man next to me, it’s me there. Because
I was told that women have lost the world, so
they must win it back. (Anna)
Echoing Rudin (1984), this extra burden can only be
placed on women’s shoulders, who thus feel they must
be even more diligent and submissive than men if they
are to satisfy the group’s demands.
Another participant argues that the leader’s
omnipresence drove members to confess, since he
would come to know everything:
I remember we used to say that “They know
everything.” You know, because we weren’t
indoctrinated yet. Nowadays, nobody
complains about that, but everything was
reported [to the leader]. We also constantly
had the feeling that he knew everything, so
you confessed everything. (Jessica)
Control is a gradual process, often beginning with a
honeymoon phase during which women are worshipped
and love-bombed. Then, little by little, forms of control
emerge that regulate all spheres of women’s lives. In
that context, women can also experience episodes
of humiliation in front of the whole group to set an
example. For example, one of the women was punished
for an entire year to read the Bible because she had eaten
something prohibited (food was strictly controlled for
women in her group). The leader would ask her to read
in the middle of the kitchen so everyone could see what
the punishment would be if they disobeyed. Women
seem to be particularly affected by the consequences
that such humiliation can have on their lives, their self-
esteem, and their bodies, over which they no longer
have any power or autonomy. These consequences
point to a naturalizing function of the female body, in
which it belongs to the leader and must serve to meet
his demands. Stark (2007) explains that humiliation
allows men to show their dominance by valorizing
behavior that is purely humiliating or contrary to the
woman’s moral values. This valorizing dominance
can affect a woman’s body or sexuality, forcing her to
adopt behaviors with which she is not comfortable.
Humiliation not only subjects women to male control
but also makes them vulnerable to exploitation by
others (Stark, 2007), in this case, other members of the
group.
All participants’ accounts reveal that involvement in
a cultic group is frequently accompanied by a rupture
with the outside world, alongside a reinforcement of
