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Connie A. Mitchell |Abuses Produce Similar Psychological Effects in Survivors
Abuses Produce Similar Psychological Effects in Survivors
of High Control Groups and Survivors of Sex Trafficking:
A Comparative Study
Connie A. Mitchell1 and William Douglas Woody2
Abstract: This article is the first of two related projects. It examines the characteristics of high control groups (HCGs)
and sex trafficking (ST), with emphasis on definitions, alignment with Lifton’s criteria of thought reform, typical identity
progression of members, and trauma bonds. The manuscript then compares HCGs and ST and examines similarities
related to Lifton’s criteria, identity progression, trauma bonds, and the financial, social, and psychological factors involved
in recruitment into HCGs or ST. These similarities in experiences, tactics, bonds, and neurological and hormonal factors
justify the forthcoming second part of this project, which will recommend similar therapeutic approaches to survivors of
both abusive contexts.
Keywords: sex trafficking, high control group(s), coercive control, trauma bond(s), trauma-coerced bond(s), cult
1 Freedom’s Hope Counseling, LLC
2 University of Northern Colorado
Untold millions of lives have been hijacked around
the world by sex trafficking (ST) and high-control
groups (HCGs) (Bert, 2018 Hassan &Shah, 2019
Polaris, 2026). Many parallels exist between these
forms of abuse in both environments, individuals
typically experience sexual, financial, emotional, and
psychological exploitation (Hassan, 2016 Hassan &
Shah, 2019 Lundstrom, 2019 Thomas, 2023) and
often violence (Bandow, 2016 Dubrow-Marshall,
2010 Farley, 2003). This article specifically highlights
similarities in definitions and alignment with Lifton’s
(1961/2014) criteria for thought reform, identity
progression, and trauma bonds.
This article plays a central role in a larger research
program. It compares the characteristics of HCGs
and ST and evaluates how these contexts share similar
characteristics. Based on the similarities demonstrated
in this manuscript, a subsequent manuscript seeks
to assist mental health professionals and others in
developing more effective treatment plans and other
supports for survivors from both abusive contexts. The
subsequent article will promote empathy and urgency,
as well as the development of multidisciplinary teams
in governmental, professional, and public communities
to support survivors of HCGs and ST.
doi: 10.54208/1000/00092/04
In the following materials, we compare HCGs and ST.
In particular, we first define HCGs and then consider
HCGs’ alignment with Lifton’s (1961/2014) criteria
for thought reform. Next, we describe HCG identity
progression, followed by an evaluation of first-,
second-, and multi-generation survivors, as well as the
trauma bonds that form in these contexts. Following
this review of HCGs, the authors evaluate ST using
the same strategies. The article then directly compares
HCGs and ST, concluding with an evaluation of the
many similarities in financial, social, and psychological
factors related to recruitment and retention in both
contexts. This review justifies the subsequent article,
which recommends similar treatments for survivors of
HCGs and ST.
High Control Groups
The definition and identification of groups that may
employ coercion, abuse, and manipulation can present
substantial challenges (see Bromley &Shupe, 1981
Dillon &Richardson, 1994 Lemov, 2025 Ogloff &
Pfeifer, 1992 Rosedale &Langone, 2005 Woody,
2009 Zablocki &Robbins, 2001). Rather than define
groups categorically (i.e., to consider which groups
are or are not HCGs), we recommend consideration
of degrees of influence, vulnerability, and coercion as