CultNEWS101 Articles: 8/19/2025

Unification Church, Legal, Japan, SGA, Gabriel of Urantia

Mainichi: 'Second-gen' of Unification Church members in Japan sue for 320 million yen in damages

"Eight individuals who are the children of followers of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly the Unification Church, filed a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on July 24 seeking a total of about 320 million yen (roughly $2.19 million) in damages from the religious organization.

These "second-generation" members claim that their parents prevented them from making free decisions and caused them severe psychological harm. The plaintiffs hold the church responsible rather than their parents, arguing that the parents' actions were strongly influenced by the church's teachings.

According to the plaintiffs' attorney, this is believed to be the first class action by second-generation members. The plaintiffs argue, "The church instructed parents to prioritize religious practice over the human rights of their children, severely distorting the environment in which the second generation grew up. These children suffered abusive acts that violated their rights to freedom of religion and marriage, among others."

The issue of second-generation members suffering due to their parents' religious beliefs gained national attention after the July 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara. Tetsuya Yamagami, who was charged with murder and other offences in the shooting, reportedly claimed his family was destroyed by his mother's deep involvement with the Unification Church."

AsahiShimbun: Unification Church land seized for donation refunds

"A Tokyo court has approved the provisional seizing of land housing the former Unification Church's Japanese headquarters, a key step toward allowing former followers to reclaim large donations made to the religious group.

A legal team that supports victims of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification's fund-raising tactics announced the development at a news conference on July 30.

The Tokyo District Court issued the ruling on July 18 in response to a request by 10 women in their 50s to 80s who are former members of the religious organization.

The women claim to have collectively lost 227 million yen ($1.52 million) to the former Unification Church, through what they describe as exploitative donation extraction practices.

The court order prevents the organization from selling its property in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, effectively freezing the asset while legal proceedings are ongoing.

However, activities at the headquarters may continue as usual."

Obituary: Gabriel of Urantia: 1946-2025, Death of the Cosmic Gatsby

"Many words have been used to describe Gabriel of Urantia over the years — preacher, prophet, father, grifter, cult leader, con artist, "CosmoPop." On Friday, August 8th at 2:10 a.m., Gabriel of Urantia passed away at the age of 79. He was not doing well — there were difficulties related to diabetes and a 2010 kidney transplant, so in some ways this wasn't a shock. Then again, he was a cult leader, and cult leaders don't necessarily make it easy to know what's going on with them health-wise, so we were all taken a little off-guard."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

ICSA Topic Collections: Children

ICSA Topic Collections: Children
https://www.icsahome.com/elibrary/topics/children

Articles

A Workshop for People Born or Raised in Cultic Groups. Kelley McCabe; Lorna Goldberg, MSW; Michael Langone, PhD; Kristen DeVoe, MSW . ICSA E-Newsletter. 6(1), 2007.

Authoritarian Culture and Child Abuse in ISKCON. Nori J. Muster CSR, 3.1, 2004 (4-18) 

Born and Raised in Aesthetic Realism – Ann Stamler, MA, MPhil IT, 2.3, 2011 (20-23) 

Born into a Doomsday Cult – Andie Redwine, IT , 4.1, 2013 (2-5) 

Born or Raised in Closed, High-Demand Groups: Developmental Considerations. Leona Furnari. ICSA E-Newsletter, 4(3), 2005.

Brainwashing and Re-Indoctrination Programs in the Children of God/The Family. Stephen A. Kent, Ph.D. & Deana Hall. CSJ, 17.0, 2000 (56-78)

Child Fatalities from Religion-Motivated Neglect. Seth M. Asser, M.D. & Rita Swan, Ph.D. Cultic Studies Journal, 17, 2000, 1-14.

Child Protection in an Authoritarian Community: Culture Clash and Systemic Weakness. Livia Bardin, MSW. Cultic Studies Review, 4(3), 2005, 233-267. 

Childhood Adversity and Neural Development: Deprivation and Threat as Distinct Dimensions of Early Experience - Katie A. McLaughlin, Ph.D.,,  Margaret A. Sheridan, Ph.D.,, and Hilary K. Lambert, B.S.

Children and Cults.  Michael D. Langone & Gary Eisenberg.  In Michael D. Langone (Ed). Recovery From Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse.  Norton, 1993.

Children and Cults: A Practical Guide.Susan Landa.  Journal of Family Law, 25(3), 1990-1991.

Cults and Children: The Abuse of the Young. A. Markowitz, C.S.W. & D. Halperin, M.D. CSJ, 1.2, 1984 (143-155) 

Cults and Children: The Role of the Psychotherapist. David Halperin, M.D. CSJ, 6.1, 1989 (76-85) 

Current Status of Federal Law Concerning Violent Crimes Against Women and Children. Robin Boyle, J.D. Cultic Studies Review, 1(1), 2000, 65-89.

Diana, Leaving the Cult: Play Therapy in Childhood and Talk Therapy in Adolescence. Lorna Goldberg IJCS, 2.0, 2011 (33-43) 

Education and Reeducation in Ideological Organizations and Their Implications for Children. Stephen A. Kent, Ph.D. CSR, 4.2, 2005 (119-145) 

Generational Revolt by the Adult Children of First-Generation Members of the Children of God/The Family. Stephen A. Kent, Ph.D. CSR, 3.1, 2004 (56-72) 

Growing up in the Culture of a Cult. Lorna Goldberg. ICSA Today, 10(3), 2019, 18-21. 

House of Judah, the Northeast Kingdom Community, and the Jonestown Problem: Downplaying Child Physical Abuses and Ignoring Serious Evidence - Stephen A. Kent. International Journal of Cultic Studies, 1, 2010, 27-48.

How Children in Cults May Use Emancipation Laws to Free Themselves. Robin A. Boyle. Cultic Studies Journal, 16(1), 1999, 1-32.

Innocent Murderers? Abducted Children in the Lord’s Resistance Army. Terra Manca CSR, 7.2, 2008 (129-166) 

Lessons Learned from SGAs About Recovery and Resiliency – Leona Furnari, MSW, LCSW & Rosanne Henry, MA. ICSA Today, 2(3), 2011, 2-9.

Litigating Child Custody with Religious Cults. Ford Greene, Esq. Cultic Studies Journal, 61), 1987, 69-75.

Litigating the Cult-Related Child Custody Case. Randy Francis Kandel, Esq. Cultic Studies Journal, 4(2)/5(1), 1987/88, 122-131.

Mothers In Cults: The Influence of Cults on the Relationship of Mothers to Their Children. Alexandra Stein. CSJ, 14.1, 1997 (40-57) 

New Hope for Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse Seeking Justice - Carla DiMare. ICSA Today, 11(2), 2020, 16. 

Physical Child Abuse in Sects – Lois Kendall, PhD. ICSA Today, 2(2), 2011.

Prayer-Fee Mandates Removed from Federal Health Care Bills – Rita Swan IT, 1.2, 2010 (18-21) 

Psychosocial Evaluation of Suspected Psychological Maltreatment in Children and Adolescents. American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. CSJ, 13.2, 1996 (153-170) 

Questions and Answers About Memories of Childhood Abuse.  American Psychological Association.

Raised in Cultic Groups: The Impact on the Development of Certain Aspects of Character. Lorna Goldberg, MSW. Cultic Studies Review , 5(1), 2006, 1-28.

Recovery for My Children and Myself - Gretchen Ward. ICSA Today, 11(3), 2020, 11-15.

Religious Justifications for Child Sexual Abuse in Cults and Alternative Religions. Stephen A. Kent IJCS, 3.0, 2012 (49-74) 

Ritual Child Abuse: Understanding the Controversies. David Lloyd, Esq. CSJ, 8.2, 1991 (122-133) 

Ritualistic Abuse of Children: Dynamics and Impact. Susan J. Kelley, R.N., Ph.D. CSJ, 5.2, 1988 (228-236)  

Stairway to Heaven: Treating Children in the Crosshairs of Trauma.  Bruce Perry, MD, PhD; Maia Szalavitz.  

Starting Out in Mainstream America.  Livia Bardin.

Task Force Study of Ritual Crime. Michael Maddox, Esq. & the Virginia State Crime Commission. CSJ, 8.2, 1991 (191-250) 

The Psychobiology of Trauma and Child Maltreatment. Doni Whitsett, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. CSR, 5.3, 2006 (351-373) 

Women, Elderly, and Children in Religious Cults. Marcia Rudin. CSJ, 1.1, 1984 (8-26)

https://www.icsahome.com/elibrary/topics/children

Meetup for Second and Multigenerational Adult Former Cult Members

Meetup for Second and Multigenerational Adult Former Cult Members (SGAs/MGAs) on July 5th at 2pm Eastern Time. 

Meetup Information:Th is upcoming meetup is for Second and Multigenerational Adult Former Cult Members (SGAs/MGAs).

The meetup will begin with a fun “Ask us Anything” (AMA) session with Author Lisa Kohn and Cult Intervention Specialist Ashlen Hilliard. 

To learn more about Lisa: https://www.lisakohnwrites.com/

To learn more about Ashlen: https://www.peopleleavecults.com/

We look forward to answering any questions you have!

A chance for general discussion will also be available. We would love to connect and hear about your conference experience, and what other topics you are seeking to hear more about at future meetups.

Date and Zoom Link:

Our first meetup will be on July 5th at 2pm Eastern Time. 

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/93430115007?pwd=Sm9zOHlBbU1CNUMzZ0ZPYWRyQ2JXUT09

Meeting ID: 934 3011 5007; Passcode: 1jzGrS

ICSA Annual Conference Workshops: Working with Born and Raised-in Former Cult Members (for mental health professionals)

ICSA Annual Conference Workshops: Working with Born and Raised-in Former Cult Members (for mental health professionals)

Jackie Johnson, DSW, LCSW-R
Sunday, June 26, 2022

Working with born and raised-in former cult members presents significant and unique issues in terms of recovery work when compared to former members who joined cults as independent and autonomous adults. This talk goes into depth about the numerous and specific challenges that former cult members who were either born into or raised in the group face when doing recovery work. The talk addresses and supports mental health professionals who specialize in recovery work or those who want to learn more about working with born and raised-in former cult members.

Jackie Johnson, DSW, LCSW-R, is a licensed clinical social worker with a certification in forensic social work. She obtained her master’s degree from Columbia University and her doctoral degree from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Johnson is a SGA survivor, having spent 43 years with Jehovah’s Witnesses. In her private practice, Dr. Johnson focuses on assisting indoctrinated individuals find freedom from cultic and other high-demand groups and process the trauma they experienced while being involved in systems of control or coercive groups and relationships. Her research interests include the epistemology of women and how cultic, coercive, and misogynistic experiences influence the cognitive development of women. Dr. Johnson can be reached at drjackie@drjacquelinejohnson.com. You can learn more about Dr. Johnson at her website, www.drjacquelinejohnson.com.

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CultNEWS101 Articles: 4/27/2022 (Greek Life, Podcast, Radicalization, Events, SGA, Larry Ray, Legal, Rajneesh )

Greek Life, Podcast, Radicalization, Events, SGA, Larry Ray, Legal, Rajneesh 

A Little Bit Culty: SEASON 4 EPISODE 2: My So-Called Greek Life: Lucy Taylor Exposes a Culty Collegiate Shitshow

As a first year student at the University of Maryland, Lucy Taylor welcomed the sisterhood and built-in community that Greek life promised. But after accepting a bid into a 'top-tier' sorority, she left after seven months inside a toxic stew of rampant sexual assault, slut-shaming, misgogny, and racism. Lucy shared her experience in season one of her podcast, SNAPPED, and after an outpouring of responses she's continuing to use the series to help other former sorority and fraternity members share their all-too similar and all-too-horrific stories. On the cusp of spring, when Greek Week events and semi-formals are about to pop off on college campuses far and wide, Lucy joins Sarah and Nippy for an important conversation about the dangers of a beloved campus tradition. She shares why her experience in the panhellenic scene was hellish,  and how the bait-and-switch recruitment tactics and gross coercive control methods that are rife throughout the Greek system are a whole bunch of culty. Before you ship your kids off to college, make sure you listen to this one.

ICSA Annual Conference: Visioning the Invisible: The Traumatized Bodies of Racialized Cult Members and Survivors.

Evvie Ormon; Sunday, June 26, 2022; 12:00 PM-12:50 PM

In the cult survivor and cult expert space there is a noticeable lack of visibility of racialized bodies. So little mention about racialization of bodies within cults, how racialized experience impacts the risk of cult recruitment, and the racialized identities of survivors of color who exit cults into a world that is often nearly as hostile and authoritarian towards their ethnically identifies bodies as the coercive groups they left behind. This talk is an opening, a crack to let light into considerations of racialized survivor experience with hopes to expand this conversation, and invitations to research the lives, challenges, healing journeys, and to visibilize the living bodies of cult survivors of color. Brought by a 2nd Generation cult survivor of color, this talk is at once an invitation to depth, reflection, and looking forward into what is possible.

NY Post: Harvard grad says 'sex cult' leader forced her to wear diapers, use pacifier

"A Harvard grad testified in Manhattan court Monday that she was forced to wear diapers and suck on a pacifier thanks to accused Sarah Lawrence sex-cult leader Larry Ray.

Felicia Rosario, 39, told a federal jury that Ray's abuse of her also included him binding her with zip ties and duct-taping her mouth — in addition to urging her to have sex with strangers and record the encounters for his pleasure.

"I felt completely humiliated, degraded, debased – like I was nothing. Like I was dumb-looking, worthless," Rosario told jurors about her relationship with Ray, under questioning by federal prosecutor Mollie Bracewell.

Rosario — whose brother testified earlier this month that Ray forced him to wear diapers, too — said she was drawn under the older man's influence after being introduced to him by her brother in the fall of 2011 while she was working to finish her medical degree at Columbia University. She had already graduated from Harvard University."

The Guardian: Sins of My Father by Lily Dunn review – surviving a cult

"Lily Dunn was six years old when her father left his wife and two young children, walking out of the family home in London, without any mention of when he would be back. He bought a one-way ticket to India, travelling to an ashram in Pune with a woman he met in a strip club, who wanted to introduce him to her guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, also known as Osho. Sins of My Father has its roots in a memorable 2016 Granta essay, and has become a memoir of two lives: her father's, rippled with grandiose drama, and her own attempts to harness the pain that he left in his restless wake. Dunn describes the severing of family ties as "this operatic rupture of flight". This is a desperately sad story, but there is beauty in its crisp, cold clarity.

Dunn's father – named by initial, but then referred to as "Dad" or "my father", which has a steadying effect, both intimate and distant – took to life in the Rajneesh cult, and much of this story is about his time as a devotee of the Bhagwan. He joined a great number of white, wealthy westerners whose search for enlightenment found a home in the Bhagwan's teachings and communes. In 2018, the Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country told the story of the cult's move to Oregon in the United States, introducing its orange-clad sannyasins to a new generation. Dunn is not dismissive of the cult's appeal, and is surprisingly empathetic towards its followers, considering the havoc it wrought upon her own life."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultEducationEvents.com

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.

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Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.

Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.

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

ICSA Annual Conference: Visioning the Invisible: The Traumatized Bodies of Racialized Cult Members and Survivors.

ICSA Annual Conference: Visioning the Invisible: The Traumatized Bodies of Racialized Cult Members and Survivors.
Evvie Ormon; Sunday, June 26, 2022; 12:00 PM-12:50 PM

In the cult survivor and cult expert space there is a noticeable lack of visibility of racialized bodies. So little mention about racialization of bodies within cults, how racialized experience impacts the risk of cult recruitment, and the racialized identities of survivors of color who exit cults into a world that is often nearly as hostile and authoritarian towards their ethnically identifies bodies as the coercive groups they left behind. This talk is an opening, a crack to let light into considerations of racialized survivor experience with hopes to expand this conversation, and invitations to research the lives, challenges, healing journeys, and to visibilize the living bodies of cult survivors of color. Brought by a 2nd Generation cult survivor of color, this talk is at once an invitation to depth, reflection, and looking forward into what is possible.

Evvie Ormon

Founder Emergent Phoenix
Evvie Ormon is a practitioner of Somatic Abolition (under the teacher Resmaa Menakem), a somatic coach, healthcare education consultant, trauma doula, and facilitator and whose life practice focuses on the healing of racialized trauma in the bodies of multi-generation religious trauma survivors. Evvie practices under the umbrella of Emergent Phoenix, an organization Evvie started to tend to healing trauma in the bodies of people of color. Evvie is a second generation survivor of a Bible-Based fundamentalist cult, and is the only one in their family of six to leave, ten years ago. Evvie’s career has spanned inpatient mental health, social services, higher education and now includes a varied practice of somatic coaching, healthcare education and facilitation. Evvie lives a nomadic life since leaving the cult born and raised in, and is not physically based in any one place for long.

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ICSA Online Event: Second and Multi-Generational Adult Former Cult Member Series - Open to all; Free

ICSA Online Event: Second and Multi-Generational Adult Former Cult Member Series (FREE! - Open to All)

Sunday, March 27th, 2022, 1:00 - 2:15 pm EST: Destigmatizing Medical Care Post-Cult, Presented by Eva Mackey and Ck Rardin

Those who have exited cults are likely to have many psychological barriers to accessing the medical care they need. Individuals raised in cults may have never received appropriate medical care and may have many misconceptions about illness, doctors and medicine. This talk will explore how two second generation adult (SGA) former cult members overcame those barriers. You will hear from one SGA who become his own medical advocate and was able to form healing, therapeutic relationships with his medical team and doctors. The other speaker is an SGA who went to medical school after exiting the cult and has been a practicing family physician for 20 years. She will explore the issue from both perspectives and will specifically address stigmas attached to mental illness and psychiatric medicines.

Eva Mackey Meyrat, MD, is a second-generation adult former cult member and a facilitator of the ICSA CT Workshop for Those Born or Raised in Cultic Groups. Her mother became a devotee of an Indian guru in 1975 when she was one year old. He taught a branch of Hinduism called Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic philosophy which teaches that the self is one with the ultimate truth or reality. Half of Eva’s childhood was spent in the ashram in India, where she and the other children were unsupervised much of the time. Despite the upheavals and instability that characterized her childhood, Eva managed to get out of the cult at the age of 16 and eventually earned her MD degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. Mackey has a busy family practice, and she lives near Dallas with her husband and four children.

Ck Rardin, facilitator, ICSA CT Workshop for Those Born or Raised in Cultic Groups, was born in California. His parents raised him in a cultic Catholic group and when he reached adolescence, they signed over their parental rights to the group. Ck was then sent to the cult’s headquarters in Itaquera, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He stayed in the group till age 26 when he gathered the courage and strength to leave the organization on his own. After leaving he became a certified EMT, then was certified and joined the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP ), with which he maintains his certification. He now runs his own IT consulting firm in upstate New York and spends much of his time involved in recovery from his experience, working to expose these groups (for example, assisting in research for MTV’s production of The Cult Question) as well as helping others in their recovery.

https://icsahome.networkforgood.com/events/34419-second-and-multigenerational-adult-former-cult-member-recovery-series

CultNEWS101 Articles: 3/22/2022 (SGA Event, Opus Dei, Cathars, Breatharianism, Video, Supreme Master Ching Hai, Clergy Abuse, Legal, Event, Coercive Control, Sexual Exploitation, Psychological Abuse)

SGA Event, Opus Dei, Cathars, Breatharianism, Video, Supreme Master Ching Hai, Clergy Abuse, Legal, Event,  Coercive Control, Sexual Exploitation, Psychological Abuse

ICSA Online Event: Second and Multi-Generational Adult Former Cult Member Series (FREE!)

Sunday, March 27th, 2022, 1:00 - 2:15 pm EST: Destigmatizing Medical Care Post-Cult, Presented by Eva Mackey and Ck Rardin

Opus Dei Awareness Network, Inc.

ODAN challenges many of Opus Dei's Questionable Practices because of the way they affect an individual's personal freedom, choices and family life.

InfoCatholic: The sect of the Cathars spreads throughout Spain and attracts young people

"With the title "Neither sex, nor meat, nor social life: this is how the Cathars of the 21st century are", a Spanish digital media published on June 20 a report on the so-called Association for the Study of Cathar Culture , present in Spain . A group that, according to its own website, "studies, recovers and promotes the universal values of Catharism'."

SFGATE: The strange, sad Bay Area 'diet cult' that fell apart over a chicken pot pie

" ... [Wiley Brooks] was the founder of the spiritual and pseudoscientific movement known as Breatharianism, famous for spreading the gospel that humans could live on air alone. He claimed he hadn't eaten in 19 years. To his followers, the binge was an unforgivable sin — as if God himself had taken a bite out of the forbidden apple."

" ... 'Breatharianism is a philosophy that believes that the human body, when it's in perfect harmony with itself and nature, is a perfect Breatharian — you know, all the constituents that we need is taken from the air we breathe,' Brooks told Snyder, in front of a studio audience that seemed both amused and entranced by his words."

San Francisco Examiner: More than just a vegan eatery—some call it a cult

"Many go vegan and skip the cult bit.

If you have ever ventured into the Bay Area vegan restaurant scene, you'd be familiar with the Asian fusion restaurant chain Loving Hut. Lien Hoang opened San Francisco's version Hut on Irving St. in December 2010 largely because of her concern about killing animals and the meat industry's harmful impact on climate change.

The storefront's bright yellow appearance and the aroma of food could capture the attention of any hungry pedestrian. Plant-based meat replacements are aplenty – chicken, pork, fish. Right now, the San Francisco restaurant is still taking COVID precautions by only offering take-out.

It seems innocuous; it's just vegan food. But underneath it all lies an international chain with over 200 locations across 42 countries run by a multi-millionairess named Supreme Master Ching Hai who claims god-like status, reputedly has 2 million followers and hawks expensive merchandise over the internet.``

Daily Beast: 'Cult-Like' Ohio Church is Secret Hotbed of Incestuous Abuse, Minister's Niece Says

"An Ohio woman who escaped her family's home after years of what she described as horrific, religiously-motivated abuse has filed a lawsuit accusing her mother, father, uncle, brothers, and a local cop of not only causing the abuse, but allowing it to continue, then covering it up once authorities became suspicious.

In the 22-page civil suit, filed Feb. 21 in Cincinnati federal court, Serah Bellar says her parents "mandated" that all of their 18 biological children and one adopted child attend their uncle's Dove Outreach Church in Waverly, Ohio."

ICSA Annual Conference: Coercive Control & Sexual Exploitation - Carrie McManus, Andrea Silverstone, Rod Dubrow-Marshall, Linda Dubrow-Marshall

"The language and understanding of coercive control has begun to shift how we view and understand experiences of domestic abuse, deepening our capacity to understand the long term impacts of this crime often perpetrated against women and girls. Little research however, has been done into the intersections of coercive control and sexual exploitation/trafficking. This presentation will provide an overview of a research project completed by Sagesse in partnership with the University of Salford exploring how coercive control and experiences of sexual exploitation link together to impact victims of crime. This project explored the impacts of sexual exploitation within practice, policy and legislation in multiple jurisdictions including Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands. This presentation will provide an overview of the linkages between practice, policy, legislation and personal lived experience of sexual exploitation and coercive control. Pulling from experiences of Sagesse participants, the presentation will review the push and pull factors related to individuals engagement in sex work/exploitation. We will discuss the themes from participants connecting their experiences to coercive control and the experience of the loss of personal agency and the implications of that loss on their emotional and physical liberty. Superordinate themes that were also identified and will be discussed in this presentation included the journey of sex work, wellbeing, coercive control, interventions and services, protection, and enforcement, and lastly, the intersections of COVID 19 and sex work. Recommendations for practice and policy with a lens for understanding coercive control and its impact on sex work and sexual exploitation. This presentation will include a discussion to understand how to implement suggested adjustments, practice necessities and create more space for survivor voices within prevention, prosecution and protection components of this complex issue."

ICSA Annual Conference: Assessment of perceptions and experiences of family members or individuals concerned about a loved one who is or was in a controlling or abusive group or relationship

Carmen Almendros, Michael Langone
Friday, June 24th

"Psychological abuse within cultic groups is a worldwide social problem that has negative impacts on the health of victims-survivors, families and communities. A growing body of research has evidenced the manipulative and abusive practices endured by many followers of these groups and their deleterious effects on members and former members' well being. Despite progress here, little is known about how the involvement and/or ongoing membership of a loved person to such groups affects their family members or friends. In fact, the lack of study of the experiences and problems faced by families and relatives of victims-survivors seems to be a common research gap within other areas in which coercive controlling relationships occur (e.g., intimate partner violence). To address these gaps we conducted a study to examine the concerns, responses and experiences of family members, relatives and friends of members and former members of controlling and/or abusive groups or relationships. The initial sample of the study consisted of 230 participants who were/had been concerned over a current or past involvement of a loved one in one of such groups/relationships. Some of the participants were themselves survivors of the same groups/relationships (around 30% had been born and/or raised in such). Results showed that responses seemed very comparable with those obtained when studying family members of people with other problems (generally a diagnosis of a mental health problem) in terms of family distress and emotional experiences of caring. Understanding the difficulties and problems faced by family members and their coping responses may not only give visibility to the suffering of these close relatives of victims/survivors of abusive relationships, as well as evidence the scarcity of useful helping resources, but may contribute to inform prevention and intervention efforts on this crucial societal problem."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultEducationEvents.com

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.

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Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.

Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.

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

Thanks,

Joe Kelly (joekelly411@gmail.com)

Patrick Ryan (pryan19147@gmail.com)

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ICSA Annual Conference: Cults and Media Stereotypes: Does Media Coverage of Current and Former Cult Members Hinder Victims’ Recovery?

ICSA Annual Conference: Cults and Media Stereotypes: Does Media Coverage of Current and Former Cult Members Hinder Victims’ Recovery?

Dhyana Levey

Saturday, June 25, 2022

2:00 PM-2:50 PM

Cults are a topic that is particularly misunderstood by the public, and sociologists have complained that the people who join them are unfairly stigmatized in newspapers, television shows, books and films as bizarre, potentially violent individuals. However, previous studies have shown that former cult members are actually vulnerable people who need help, as they leave their groups suffering from such problems as shame, disassociation, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and self-destructive tendencies. The study being presented examined whether former cult members frequently accessed media about cults, and if that exposure related significantly to their symptoms of distress and wellbeing. It was conducted by a journalist and second generation adult (SGA) as part of a dissertation for an MSc in the Psychology of Coercive Control. It was the first of its kind to research whether biased or unfair media coverage about cults is a factor involved in survivors’ wellbeing and included a newly developed scale to gauge former members’ exposure to media. Findings suggested that the more exposure former cult members have to media about cults, the more negative feelings they develop about themselves and their senses of wellbeing regarding personal growth, self-acceptance and their relationships with other people. This research suggests that education campaigns by psychologists to media professionals about ethical ways to portray cults could be helpful. The presentation will be about the research and the presenter will also discuss her interest and experience with the topic.

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Dhyana Levey

Dhyana Levey grew up on a commune connected to the United Lodge of Theosophists and now hosts the podcast Generation Cult, an interview show about people who grew up in high-demand groups and how they acclimated to mainstream society after they left. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism and worked as a newspaper reporter in California and overseas for about 15 years before becoming a freelance writer for magazines and websites in the San Francisco Bay Area. She recently received her MSc in the Psychology of Coercive Control from the University of Salford.

ICSA Annual Conference: Decolonizing the cult survivor

ICSA Annual Conference: Decolonizing the cult survivor

Grahame Gee

Saturday, June 25, 2022

11:00 AM-11:50 AM 

This presentation will outline my reflections of my experience as someone who was born into the Worldwide Church of God, a Bible based doomsday cult. It will focus on the effects of psychological colonization by the cult leader and his enablers and provide an outline of a model for assisting second generation survivors (SGS) of a cult, whom I define as individuals either born into a cult or brought into a cult at a young age who subsequently leave the cult. This will be achieved by firstly, providing a brief overview of the cult’s teachings and organizational characteristics. This will include a brief autobiographical summary of the cult leader. Secondly, the colonizing effect of the cult’s practices will be outlined. This will include a brief discussion of the cult’s effect on the psychological and emotional development of its SGS, noting that the cult’s controlling influence led to a level of moral development that stuck at the level of obedience and punishment. While the primary source of this truncated development is the colonizing effect of the cult leaders traumatizing narcissism, mid and low-level enablers were required to both mediate and reinforce his colonizing influence. Finally, I will present a model for psychological decolonization of SGS. The model encompasses for parts, involving listening without judgment (Receiving the Story), Acknowledging without Blaming (Validating the Story), Identifying Strengths (Reinterpreting the story) and Identifying Authentic Values and Goals (Rewriting the story).

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Grahame Gee

Grahame was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand and he is a survivor of the Worldwide Church of God, a Bible based doomsday cult. He was around 18 months old when his parents were recruited into the cult which proclaimed a heady mixture of end time judgment with the promise of escape for the elect. For his first three decades, his life revolved around the teachings and restrictions of the cult. Following the death of its founder, Herbert W Armstrong, the cult was riven by power struggles and splits within its leadership. It was during this time that Grahame began the long and painful process of decolonizing himself from the cult and its leader. From his recent work with survivors of intimate partner violence and physical and sexual violence while growing up, he was able to see parallels between the systems of coercive control his clients faced and that of the cult he grew up in. He currently works as a mental health nurse in a community setting supporting clients with complex mental health needs in the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. He is married to Helen.