What Now?: A Practical Guide to Life After a Cult

What Now?: A Practical Guide to Life After a Cult is a compassionate, evidence-based book by Chris Shelton. It guides survivors of high-control groups through undoing indoctrination, overcoming trauma triggers, and rebuilding independent identities. Shelton's framework helps transition individuals from surviving to thriving.

For those navigating recovery, the book explores several core phases of leaving a high-control group:

• Deconstructing Coercive Control: Understanding the loaded language, manipulation, and phobia induction used to bypass independent thinking.
• Managing the Nervous System: Learning how to identify emotional and physical trauma triggers after prolonged periods of high-stress or abuse.
• The REM Model: Shelton introduces the Reason, Emotion, and Morality model as a unique way to understand and process how these traits are exploited within a cultic environment. 
• Rebuilding Identity: Step-by-step guidance on establishing healthy boundaries, relearning critical thinking, and finding your path forward.

Where to Find It

The book is available in trade paperback, e-book, and audiobook formats. You can pick up a copy or read a sample through the following platforms:

• Amazon
• Powell's Books