International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation Volume 9 2026 120
connected” (Howell, 2005, p. 18). Thus, dissociation
fails to integrate ideas, information, and affects with
experience (Putnam, 1997). Dissociation can be viewed
as “the isolation of elements of experience from each
other that decreases coherence, increases a sense of
fragmentation, and precludes the possibility of making
accurate sense out of perception of self and world”
(Chefetz, 2017, p. 87). Dissociation can also become
psychologically defensive, protecting against painful
affects and memories (Howell, 2005). Additionally,
dissociation renders parts of the self inaccessible to
others in the individual’s relational world. Dissociated
memories and affects connected with trauma influence
and disrupt the conscious life of the person who has
been traumatized. These dissociative states enter that
person’s relationships with others (Bromberg, 2003).
Anika entered a dissociative state because of:
• Cult Trauma from Parental Loss: After her mother’s
affiliation, seven-year-old Anika felt abandoned
and anxious when her mother traveled to India for
several months each time. Anika now recognizes
her dissociative response as protection from
extreme sadness and anxiety.
• Long periods of chanting to achieve enlightenment,
a state in which members would become one with
God by destroying the self-limiting ego, bad karma,
and any sense of separation from God (see page 8)
(Sroufe et al., 1997, in Ogawa et al., p. 875).
Anika’s Life
Anika has warm and carefree memories of her childhood
before the cult. Both of her parents were artists who
worked from home. Although her mother was always
busy with various activities outside the home, she still
took care of the children, taking her younger brother
and her to the park in the afternoons and preparing
family meals. Anika’s father, a warmer and more loving
presence, enjoyed taking the children to museums. For
three months each summer, the family would spend
time at the seashore, renting a cottage near her uncle,
aunt, and cousins. Anika loved that time with her
family. There were also happy memories of time spent
with her grandparents, who lived nearby.
In the 1970s, many were attracted to the Indian gurus
and their Eastern Meditation groups proliferating
in the U.S. Anika’s mother was searching for life’s
meaning. She explored various Eastern meditation
groups, finally joining the group of an Indian guru.
Anika’s parents joined the cult in 1970 when Anika was
seven. Anika’s mother devoted herself to working full-
time for the cult and the cult leader.
Anika experienced that her mother’s priority became
working for and spending time in the cult facility. Taking
care of her children was secondary. Anika’s mother
believed that by giving her time and energy to the cult,
Anika would be taken care of by the cult leader’s grace
and thereby be blessed. She believed everything that
happened to her daughter was meant to be. This led
her to abdicate personal responsibility, reinforcing her
dissociation, denial, and alienation from Anika. Anika’s
mother thus became more concerned with her spiritual
journey and position in the cult than with taking care
of her family. Anika’s father, initially a warm and caring
presence in her life, grew emotionally distant as he
aged, hiding behind a wall of jokes and sarcasm.
Although Anika still saw her relatives occasionally, the
time they spent together was considerably reduced.
Long summers at the seashore with extended family
came to an end, and the family spent summers traveling
and living in India (her mother traveled there for weeks
at a time), or at an upstate location with the cult leaders.
Anika’s parents remained devoted cult members for the
rest of their lives, hosting weekly cult meetings in their
apartment in a large American city. Many nights, Anika
had to share her room with other cult members.
Anika’s Fear of Abandonment
Anika experienced fear of abandonment when her
mother became increasingly focused on proselytizing
the cult message and managing cult affairs, becoming
a senior figure, and when her mother travelled to India
for months at a time. Anika’s fear of abandonment
was displaced and, thus, became a repeated fear of
abandonment by others throughout her life.
Anika grew up in the cult, married a cult member, and
had two children while living in the cult facility. In her
mid-forties, with the birth of her second child, Anika,
her husband, and her children left the upstate cult
location, although they continued to be members. Her
parents remained. She believes that it has taken her
another twenty years to fully comprehend the impact
connected” (Howell, 2005, p. 18). Thus, dissociation
fails to integrate ideas, information, and affects with
experience (Putnam, 1997). Dissociation can be viewed
as “the isolation of elements of experience from each
other that decreases coherence, increases a sense of
fragmentation, and precludes the possibility of making
accurate sense out of perception of self and world”
(Chefetz, 2017, p. 87). Dissociation can also become
psychologically defensive, protecting against painful
affects and memories (Howell, 2005). Additionally,
dissociation renders parts of the self inaccessible to
others in the individual’s relational world. Dissociated
memories and affects connected with trauma influence
and disrupt the conscious life of the person who has
been traumatized. These dissociative states enter that
person’s relationships with others (Bromberg, 2003).
Anika entered a dissociative state because of:
• Cult Trauma from Parental Loss: After her mother’s
affiliation, seven-year-old Anika felt abandoned
and anxious when her mother traveled to India for
several months each time. Anika now recognizes
her dissociative response as protection from
extreme sadness and anxiety.
• Long periods of chanting to achieve enlightenment,
a state in which members would become one with
God by destroying the self-limiting ego, bad karma,
and any sense of separation from God (see page 8)
(Sroufe et al., 1997, in Ogawa et al., p. 875).
Anika’s Life
Anika has warm and carefree memories of her childhood
before the cult. Both of her parents were artists who
worked from home. Although her mother was always
busy with various activities outside the home, she still
took care of the children, taking her younger brother
and her to the park in the afternoons and preparing
family meals. Anika’s father, a warmer and more loving
presence, enjoyed taking the children to museums. For
three months each summer, the family would spend
time at the seashore, renting a cottage near her uncle,
aunt, and cousins. Anika loved that time with her
family. There were also happy memories of time spent
with her grandparents, who lived nearby.
In the 1970s, many were attracted to the Indian gurus
and their Eastern Meditation groups proliferating
in the U.S. Anika’s mother was searching for life’s
meaning. She explored various Eastern meditation
groups, finally joining the group of an Indian guru.
Anika’s parents joined the cult in 1970 when Anika was
seven. Anika’s mother devoted herself to working full-
time for the cult and the cult leader.
Anika experienced that her mother’s priority became
working for and spending time in the cult facility. Taking
care of her children was secondary. Anika’s mother
believed that by giving her time and energy to the cult,
Anika would be taken care of by the cult leader’s grace
and thereby be blessed. She believed everything that
happened to her daughter was meant to be. This led
her to abdicate personal responsibility, reinforcing her
dissociation, denial, and alienation from Anika. Anika’s
mother thus became more concerned with her spiritual
journey and position in the cult than with taking care
of her family. Anika’s father, initially a warm and caring
presence in her life, grew emotionally distant as he
aged, hiding behind a wall of jokes and sarcasm.
Although Anika still saw her relatives occasionally, the
time they spent together was considerably reduced.
Long summers at the seashore with extended family
came to an end, and the family spent summers traveling
and living in India (her mother traveled there for weeks
at a time), or at an upstate location with the cult leaders.
Anika’s parents remained devoted cult members for the
rest of their lives, hosting weekly cult meetings in their
apartment in a large American city. Many nights, Anika
had to share her room with other cult members.
Anika’s Fear of Abandonment
Anika experienced fear of abandonment when her
mother became increasingly focused on proselytizing
the cult message and managing cult affairs, becoming
a senior figure, and when her mother travelled to India
for months at a time. Anika’s fear of abandonment
was displaced and, thus, became a repeated fear of
abandonment by others throughout her life.
Anika grew up in the cult, married a cult member, and
had two children while living in the cult facility. In her
mid-forties, with the birth of her second child, Anika,
her husband, and her children left the upstate cult
location, although they continued to be members. Her
parents remained. She believes that it has taken her
another twenty years to fully comprehend the impact
