Free translation of an article published in the "Daily Medicine" a weekly swedish magazine targeting health professionals and the public:

It is a myth that those ending up in the claws of unhealthy cults are searching people with psychiatric problems. The majority of people ending up in cults are healthy people with an idealistic trait, stable economy and family backgrounds. They have been activily recruited and not searched and signed up with the cult because of any personal interest and as a choice of their own free will. That is to say - they have been "persuaded" to join.

Cults and unhealthy groups use the same techniques to achieve alterations of the members identity. This alteration is imperceptible to the victim and frightening, terrifying to those close to the victim, eg the family . The cult want to perceive the changes in personality of their members, as a conversion to a better life. A follow up over time however, shows that the victims lives are wrinkled intellectually, emotionally, socially and their cognitive skills are eventually extinguised in different areas of life such as academic carriers, workcarriers, love and other personal relations, familylife and friendship.

Health care and its workers need to develop competence, knowledge and skills to help these victims and as is the case working with drugaddicts, we can cooperate with "sober" , rehabilitated cult defectors. Doctors and therapeuts without special knowledge in cultpracticies and teachings can be detrimental to those they try to help.

Some role of the thumb is essential to doctors and psychotherapeuts:

When the pseudoidentity snaps and a person leaves a manipulative cult , s/he is extremely vurnable, often confused,anxious and depressed and it helps them if they are informed that this painful state of mind is normal considering the circumstances. Former cult victims needs to realize how and in what sense they have been influenced or hurt through manipulation. The therapysessions should therefore not be generally supportive in nature but directed and focused to three major areas:

1=2EDiscuss manipulative techniques. If necessary use specific checklists with items such as: Have you experienced love bombing? Did you notice contradictions in the cult "teachings"? Have you made "confessions" Did you have to reject your personal values? Have you commited yourself to pay money? It is important not to discard all of the victims specific experiences in the cult eg emotions of ecstasy and other possibly positive experiences to the individual.

2=2EGo through the ideology specific to the cult in question. Point to contradictions and indistinctions in the cults ideology. This helps the victims to regain their ability of critical thinking. If it is a religuios cult the therapist need to have a good knowledge of the religious "teachings" and doctrines because the theology is twisted in cults. The "God" in the religion (L Ron Hubbard in scientology) are described as an unquestionable authority that shall be loved and obeyed by the members (victims). This makes the members similar to other coaddictives eg drugaddictives abused familymembers in dysfunctional families showing a normal fa=E7ade , covering the chaos at home.

3=2EThe therapeut needs such deep level of knowledge in the cult in question that s/he can point out the unethical and doublestandard way of living in the cult leadership: economical irregularities, luxury lives at the members expenses, sexual abuse and that the ends justifies the means eg the cult shall work for peace,harmony and love, but leaders threatens those wanting to leave the cult, hates critique, lies to new members and outsiders. Questions like " how could you join a cult!" must be avoided. Unfortunately it is not that uncommon that theurapists and helpful fellow creatures blames the victim.

It is a shockful experience to leave a cult and to be socially alienated by friends you maybe hugged just the other day and to whom you made your intimate confessions. To manipulative cult leaders the defector poses a dangerous witness and the contents in the private intimate confessions are used to blackmail the former member into silence. If not helped , the defector tends to glide back to cultbehaviour, eg "floating".

Therapies and help to cult victims should be built on scientific and knowledgebased grounds in order to counteract the common allegations of religious bigotry and allegations of cultactivities of their own made against de-programmers vital help to cult victims and their families.

Original author. Rigmor Rob=E8rt , MD, Authorized Psychotherapeut and Psychoanalyst ( Jungian).

Ulf Brettstam
Senior Psychiatrist, Sweden

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