Ron Burks, PhD
Sunday, June 26th
1:00 PM-1:50 PM
Sunday, June 26th
1:00 PM-1:50 PM
Fervent, earnest, participation in a cult or other high demand social experience can result in loss of a sense of personal identity as we become more identified with the group. This loss can be characterized by many things but personality function alterations, changes in basic values, and adoption of new and consistent behavior patterns that mirror those of the leader or of other participants in the experience, are at the top. Those who grow up in these conditions, SGA/MGA’s, may have never experienced reality any other way. This can be difficult for the emerging survivor to articulate, especially since the concept of a sense of personal identity itself is controversial. It has been argued that the concept is a fantasy and does not exist, just a construct of a Western worldview that must be recognized as such and left behind. It can also be difficult for the emerging survivor to identify exactly what is wrong now that they have left. They can, with certainty, identify with not fitting in where and with whom they used to feel at home. SGA’s say they have never felt they fit in and cannot imagine ever feeling that way. This feeling can be present whether the emerging survivor identifies with having been “brainwashed” or not. This session will enable participants to recognize the three above aspects of personal identity and to know how to address each as they enable themselves or others to function freely in society outside the group.
Speaker: Ron Burks, PhD, holds an MDiv and an MA in counseling from Asbury Theological Seminary and a PhD in Counselor Education from Ohio University. He worked for many years at Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center in Albany, Ohio. He and his wife Vicki wrote Damaged Disciples: Casualties of Authoritarian Churches and the Shepherding Movement, published by Zondervan. His other publications include a chapter on a connection between cults and addiction in the medical reference, Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, published by Williams and Wilkins. He and Vicki now live near Tallahassee, Florida. Ron is a former president of the Wellspring Retreat Board of Directors.
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