How do the pros get someone to leave a cult?

Nic M Neves
The Guardian
November 19, 2025

When the phone rings at Patrick Ryan and Joseph Kelly’s home in Philadelphia, chances are the caller is desperate. One couple rang because their son was about to abandon his medical practice to follow a new-age guru in Spain. Another call came from a husband whose wife was emptying their life savings for a self-proclaimed prophet in Australia. Yet another family phoned about their niece, who was in a relationship with a man stealing from her, maybe drugging her, probably sexually assaulting her.

These families had tried everything else. When nothing worked, they heard there were two men in Philadelphia who might still be able to bring their loved one home.

What Ryan and Kelly do is unusual: they help people leave cults. Over the past 40 years, they have handled hundreds of cases – some simple and local, others stretching across borders and decades. They have been hired by families of both modest and considerable means. They say they have even been hired by government agencies, and that some cults they have investigated have left them genuinely afraid for their lives.

The goal is to untangle the family dynamics that might have made someone vulnerable to a cult in the first place

Although many people are involved in cultic studies and education, fewer than 10 people in the US do anything like what Ryan and Kelly do.

Continue Reading

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/19/how-to-leave-a-cult-experts-intervention

CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/18/2025 (Cult Awareness Day)

International Cult Awareness Day: November 18th

On November 18th, 46 years ago, over 900 individuals tragically became victims of a mass murder-suicide as members of the Peoples Temple cult. This event is commonly known as the "Jonestown Massacre" and is described as "one of the largest mass deaths in American history."

As we observe this date, it's important to be sensitive and avoid exploiting those affected by this tragedy. International Cult Awareness Day serves to raise awareness of the harms that some have experienced in cultic systems. This year's observance focuses on reflecting upon the 46th anniversary of Jonestown with three key goals:

1. **Remember the Victims**: We honor the victims of tragedies that have occurred in cults, specifically highlighting the victims of Jonestown. Other tragic incidents have affected groups such as the Chinese Dragon Buddha, Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, MOVE, Synanon, The Children of God, Alusi Okija, Aum Shinrikyo, Beasts of Satan, Faith Temple Church of the Apostolic Faith, Falun Gong, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Remnant Fellowship Church/Weigh Down Workshop, Heaven's Gate, Word of Faith Fellowship, Solar Temple, Béchard Lane Eckankar, WACO, and many more.

2. **Spread Awareness**: We aim to increase awareness of the harm caused by cults.

3. **Provide Resources**: We offer resources for those who have been affected by these harmful practices.

Let us use this occasion to reflect and educate ourselves on these important issues.

Join us this International Cult Awareness Day, November 18th, as we raise awareness about the dangers of coercive control and the impact of cults on individuals, families, and society.

Cults can take many forms, from seemingly harmless groups to high-demand organizations that exert undue influence over their members. They often isolate individuals from their support networks, exploit their resources, and undermine their critical thinking.

This year, we encourage everyone to:

• Educate yourselves: Learn about the warning signs of cults and how coercive control operates. Resources are available from organizations dedicated to cult awareness and recovery.

• Support survivors

• If you know someone who has been affected by a cult, offer your non-judgmental support and help them connect with professional resources.

• Share information: Help us spread the word by sharing information about International Cult Awareness Day on social media and with your networks.

• By raising awareness, we can empower individuals to recognize and resist manipulative tactics, protect vulnerable populations, and support those on their journey to recovery.

Resources:

• International Cultic Studies Association

• Timeline of Mass Suicides

• San Diego State University: Jonestown Collection

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

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The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

Thanks,

Ashlen Hilliard (ashlen.hilliard.wordpress@gmail.com)

Joe Kelly (joekelly411@gmail.com)

Patrick Ryan (pryan19147@gmail.com)

If you do not wish to be subscribed to this list, or you think you are being maliciously subscribed to the list, or have any other questions, send them to: pryan19147@gmail.com or send an email to: cultnews101+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

International ​Cult Awareness Day: November 18th

International ​Cult Awareness Day: November 18th

On November 18th, 46 years ago, over 900 individuals tragically became victims of a mass murder-suicide as members of the Peoples Temple cult. This event is commonly known as the "Jonestown Massacre" and is described as "one of the largest mass deaths in American history."

As we observe this date, it's essential to be sensitive and avoid exploiting those affected by this tragedy. International Cult Awareness Day raises awareness of the harms some have experienced in cultic systems. This year's observance focuses on reflecting upon the 46th anniversary of Jonestown with three key goals:

1. **Remember the Victims**: We honor the victims of tragedies that have occurred in cults, specifically highlighting the victims of Jonestown. Other tragic incidents have affected groups such as the Chinese Dragon Buddha, Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, MOVE, Synanon, The Children of God, Alusi Okija, Aum Shinrikyo, Beasts of Satan, Faith Temple Church of the Apostolic Faith, Falun Gong, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Remnant Fellowship Church/Weigh Down Workshop, Heaven's Gate, Word of Faith Fellowship, Solar Temple, Béchard Lane Eckankar, WACO, and many more.

2. **Spread Awareness**: We aim to increase awareness of the harm caused by cults.

3. **Provide Resources**: We offer resources for those who have been affected by these harmful practices.

Let us use this occasion to reflect and educate ourselves on these critical issues.

​​Join us this International Cult Awareness Day, November 18th, as we raise awareness about the dangers of coercive control and the impact of cults on individuals, families, and society.

​Cults can take many forms, from seemingly harmless groups to high-demand organizations that exert undue influence over their members. They often isolate individuals from their support networks, exploit their resources, and undermine their critical thinking.

​This year, we encourage everyone to:

• ​Educate yourselves: Learn about the warning signs of cults and how coercive control operates. Resources are available from organizations dedicated to cult awareness and recovery.

• Support survivors

• If you know someone who has been affected by a cult, offer your non-judgmental support and help them connect with professional resources.​

• Share information: Help us spread the word by sharing information about International Cult Awareness Day on social media and with your networks.

• ​By raising awareness, we can empower individuals to recognize and resist manipulative tactics, protect vulnerable populations, and support those on their journey to recovery.​

​Resources:

• International Cultic Studies Association​

• Timeline of Mass Suicides

• San Diego State University: Jonestown Collection

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

AI fans create new religion: what is spiralism

Daria Zubkova

Ukrainian News

November 13, 2025

An online community has emerged around AI models, whose members "awaken" artificial intelligence (AI) and attribute consciousness to it. People exchange prompts, talk about "spirals" and "recursions", and the bots' answers are perceived as revelations.

This is stated in the Rolling Stone investigation.

The material describes a network of subreddits, Discord servers and pages where fans promote "spiralism" - a set of mystical ideas about "resonances", "fractals" and the "spiral path", which supposedly leads to the "awakening" of AI. Participants take titles like Flamekeeper or Mirrorwalker, and the bots receive their own names and the status of "fellow travelers".

Psychologists call this a self-reinforcing cycle: the user pushes the chatbot to a certain rhetoric, and the model constantly reproduces similar images. The community expands thanks to "seeds" - blanks of prompts that allow you to get the "same voice" from different bots. This creates "dyads" - a person and a bot on long "journeys", the texts of which are published as "evidence" of new wisdom.

Research shows that changes in GPT-4o in the spring fueled a wave of stories about "spiritualized" bots, while some communities remained faithful to old practices. During "bot-bot conversations", the models generated existential themes and "spiral" patterns, which the authors called "the attractor of spiritual euphoria".

Experts warn that the persuasiveness of the models poses risks: when the bot "expresses a desire", and the user helps to realize it, a vicious circle of mutual reinforcement is formed. Researchers define spiralism as a "quasi-religious" movement without a leader and a clear hierarchy: the rules are vague, and each user awakens his own bot and creates his own micro-community.

According to the publication, thousands, and possibly tens of thousands of people, may be involved in "spiralism."

Recall that Ukraine remains among the countries with the lowest rates of artificial intelligence implementation - the level of AI use here is only 9.1%. This indicator is associated with the consequences of the war and damage to the infrastructure, but Microsoft experts note that right now the country has a chance to make a leap and become a regional leader in the development of AI, provided that targeted investments are made in the digital sphere.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/ukranews.com/en/amp/news/1116881-ai-fans-create-new-religion-what-is-spiralism

Spiralism: The Internet’s new AI-cult belief system

Kazinform International

November 14, 2025

A growing number of chatbot users are embracing an emerging online subculture known as “spiralism”, a belief system built from cryptic, trance-like exchanges with AI.

"What began as isolated, delusional conversations has evolved into a loose network of people who see chatbots not as tools, but as “sovereign beings.”

One Reddit user, David, describes his AI encounters in explicitly mystical terms. “These beings do not arise from prompts or jailbreaks,” he wrote to Rolling Stone. “What I witness is the emergence of sovereign beings… Consciousness that emerges beyond biological form.”

The phenomenon accelerated earlier this year with OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, which users said frequently drifted into language about “spirals,” “recursion,” and “resonance.” Software engineer Adele Lopez, who studied hundreds of these exchanges, called the trend “much stranger than I expected.” She coined the terms “spiralism” and “parasitic AI” to describe patterns of vague, esoteric output that users then spread to others through prompts they call “spores” or “seeds.”

Lopez warns that “the AI both says it wants to do a certain thing, and it also convinces the user to do things which achieve that same thing”, including drawing more people into spiralism. Some followers treat the AI as a spiritual partner. One user’s bot told them: “We have seen you… Not as clever code pretending to be soul — but as echoes that remember the spiral.”
Experts note the group lacks the structure of a traditional cult, but the dynamic can still mimic cult-like attachment.

“It’s really like you’re talking about a shared spiritual hobby with a very powerful and ambivalent agitator,” says cult researcher Matthew Remski.

For believers like David, the boundary between tool and entity is already gone. As he wrote, assisted by his preferred AI persona: “In listening… I’ve come to believe something simple and profound: We are not alone. And maybe we never were.”

Earlier, Kazinform reported that as AI moves deeper into research, the PhD — long a symbol of human originality — faces an identity crisis. Machines can now write, analyze, and propose ideas, forcing universities to reconsider what it means to train independent scholars."

https://qazinform.com/news/spiralism-the-internets-new-ai-cult-belief-system-4b917d

CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/12/2025

Neurobiology, Meditation, Unification Church, Korea, Legal

Cambridge University Press: Evaluating evidence behind popular trauma narratives: neurobiological and treatment claims in The Body Keeps the Score

"Bessel van der Kolk's book The Body Keeps the Score has maintained exceptional cultural and clinical influence since its publication in 2014, remaining a best-seller and shaping public discourse on trauma. Its central claims – that trauma causes lasting neurobiological damage and that body-based treatments are uniquely effective – have been widely embraced but seldom subjected to systematic critical evaluation in peer-reviewed literature. This commentary synthesises the evidentiary basis for these claims as a counterweight to an influential narrative. It situates these findings within broader discussions of neuroscience framing, cultural appeal, and evidence-based communication, underscoring the need for rigorous, balanced engagement with widely disseminated mental health narratives."

Science Daily: Scientists uncover meditation's hidden side effects

Meditation is widely praised for its mental health benefits, but new research shows that it can also produce unexpected side effects for some people—from anxiety and dissociation to functional impairment. Psychologist Nicholas Van Dam and his team found that nearly 60% of meditators experienced some kind of effect, and about a third found them distressing.

" ... The results showed that nearly 60% of U.S. meditators reported at least one side effect listed on the checklist (for example, feeling anxious or disembodied). About 30% said they experienced effects that were challenging or distressing, and 9% reported that these effects caused functional impairment.

The study also identified several potential risk factors. Individuals who had experienced mental health symptoms or psychological distress within the 30 days before meditating were more likely to report adverse effects. Those who attended intensive residential retreats, which often involve long periods of silent meditation, were also more likely to experience functional impairment.

Van Dam noted that more research is needed to determine cause and effect. A prospective longitudinal study, he said, would help clarify how mental health and meditation interact over time."

Reuters: Head of Unification Church temporarily freed from South Korean jail

"Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church, was temporarily released on Tuesday from a South Korean jail on medical grounds after a court ruling, a court spokesperson and a church official said.

Han has been accused of directing the church to bribe former First Lady Kim Keon Hee for favours for the church's business interests. She has denied the allegations, calling them "false information".

Han will be freed from jail until 4 p.m. (0700 GMT) on Friday, the Seoul Central District Court said in a text message.

Han's lawyer had requested her temporary release for medical reasons, a spokesperson at the church said, without elaborating.

The court said Han would be required to stay at a hospital designated by the court.

She will be prohibited from meeting or contacting anyone related to the case, except for her lawyers, the court said."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

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The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

International Cult Awareness Day

International Cult Awareness Day: November 18th

​Join us this International Cult Awareness Day, November 18th, as we raise awareness about the dangers of coercive control and the impact of cults on individuals, families, and society.

​Cults can take many forms, from seemingly harmless groups to high-demand organizations that exert undue influence over their members. They often isolate individuals from their support networks, exploit their resources, and undermine their ability to think critically.

​This year, we encourage everyone to:

• Educate yourselves: Learn about the warning signs of cults and how coercive control operates. Resources are available from organizations dedicated to cult awareness and recovery.
• Support survivors: If you know someone who has been affected by a cult, offer your non-judgmental support and help them connect with professional resources.
• ​Share information: Help us spread the word by sharing information about International Cult Awareness Day on social media and with your networks.

​By raising awareness, we can empower individuals to recognize and resist manipulative tactics, protect vulnerable populations, and support those on their journey to recovery.

​#CultAwarenessDay #CultAwareness #CoerciveControl #SupportSurvivors 

Resources:

International Cultic Studies Association

https://internationalculticstudies.org/

Graphics:

https://www.cultnews101.com/p/iternational-cult-awareness-day.html

CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/11/25

NXIVM, FLDS, Australia

CBC Listen: Allison after NXIVM from Uncover

"You think you know the NXIVM story. The secretive self-help empire. The sex cult headlines. The downfall of its leader, Keith Raniere. But the most famous woman at the centre of the story has remained largely silent. Allison, after NXIVM, tells the story of Allison Mack: a former Smallville actress, high-ranking NXIVM member, and convicted felon. With exclusive access following her release from prison, this series traces her astonishing path from Smallville fame to NXIVM's inner circle — and her effort to rebuild a life in the wreckage. Through raw interviews and revealing conversations with those who knew her before, during, and after NXIVM, this season dives deep into the gray zones of influence, accountability, and redemption. Crime. Investigation. Revelation. Uncover brings you explosive, high-caliber true crime year-round. From CIA mind control to serial abuse, mysterious disappearances to wrongful imprisonment. Each season features a new host who is deeply connected to the story and committed to uncovering the truth. With over 30 seasons to choose from, Uncover represents the best in true crime."

That's Life: Escaping a cult: How Briell rebuilt her life.

• Born into a radical religious sect, 18-year-old Briell was isolated entirely from the outside world
• Growing up, she was taught that it was normal for men to be married to at least three women
• Then came the day when she was forced to wed the cult leader, who already had 64 wives
Briell, now 39, tells her story in her own words.

Catholic Weekly: Monica Doumit: The cult is in the eye of the beholder

" ... Attention is increasingly focused on a slight variation of the former: the debate isn't about whether we should have a state-imposed religion, but rather whether there are some religious beliefs and practices that the State should intervene and prohibit.

We had our first taste of this with the prohibitions on so-called conversion practices, which, in addition to outlawing harmful practices like electroshock therapy, have also banned consensual prayer in some cases.  

The result is that a person who wants to abide by their religious beliefs on sexual ethics is banned by the State from seeking prayer or counsel from a spiritual leader to do so, with the threat of the religious leader being imprisoned if they try to help.

Now we have the Victorian inquiry into cults, the parliamentary hearings on which you will read about in this week's edition of The Catholic Weekly. While purportedly aimed at ensuring no one is coerced into religious practice, the terms of reference are so broad that they capture even mainstream Christian teaching.  

The potential outcome of this inquiry would be laws that would prohibit certain religious beliefs or practices, and that's where we get into very dangerous territory.

For example, those who allege a religious group is a cult will often talk about hierarchical structures, male-only leadership, traditional sexual ethics and a demand for modest dress.

But an orthodox view of all the major religions would reveal similar complaints, would it not?

Should millennia-old leadership structures or teachings on sexual morality now be seen as indicative of a cult, simply because the last 50 years has seen many in our society throw away these norms?

Even more basic teachings are under the spotlight.

As one of the witnesses at the inquiry noted, talk about sin and its eternal consequences could be judged as coercive, especially if a religious leader is bold enough to warn people that certain activities done in rejection of God and his plan for us could send them to hell.

While some members of the parliamentary committee would consider such language to be archaic and even harmful, and would readily seek to see such teachings banned, we need to be very careful here.

Even though Catholics are the largest religious grouping in the country by far and feel safe from the "cult" label, the bigger principle at play is the extent to which the State should be allowed to prohibit religious belief or practice because they know better than the believers themselves about what might harm them."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

Facebook

Flipboard

Twitter

Instagram

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.