Stop Mandated Shunning was honored with the Herbert L. Rosedale Humanitarian Award

July 4, 2026 in San Diego: A Milestone for Stop Mandated Shunning at the ICSA Annual Conference, by Monica Velin Rodriquez

The 2026 Annual Conference of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) was held in San Diego, CA.

"During the conference, Stop Mandated Shunning was honored with the Herbert L. Rosedale Humanitarian Award, presented in recognition of leadership in protecting individual freedom, supporting those harmed by high-control groups, and raising public awareness of the ethical and legal dimensions of coercive practices.

SMS team member, Patrick Haeck, accepted the award and dedicated it to all the people who have suffered from organized ostracism and hope to be reunited with their loved ones.

This award tells thousands of individuals around the world who have experienced mandated shunning that their suffering is no longer invisible! Their experiences are being acknowledged by respected researchers, clinicians, legal professionals, and human rights advocates.

We are especially grateful to ICSA for its longstanding commitment to rigorous research, respectful dialogue, and compassionate support for those affected by coercive control.

By recognizing mandated shunning through one of its highest humanitarian awards, ICSA has also affirmed that this issue deserves continued scholarly, legal, and public attention.

"Freedom of religion" must never be used as an excuse to harm others!!"

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DG3hcdr8M/

Mike Kropveld Receives the Lifetime Achievement Award

Mike Kropveld Receives the Lifetime Achievement Award

On July 4th, during the closing ceremony of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) annual conference in San Diego (United States), Mike Kropveld, founder and executive director of Info-Cult, received the Lifetime Achievement Award, an award of excellence presented by the ICSA in recognition of his entire career.

This award is presented in recognition of sustained, long-term contributions to the field

of cultic studies and to ICSA’s mission. It honors individuals whose careers reflect enduring commitment, scholarly or professional excellence, and meaningful impact on research, education, practice, or public understanding of coercive control and high-control groups.

Thank you, ICSA, for recognizing Mike Kropveld and Info-Cult's mission and its work over the past 45 years!

— 

Mike Kropveld reçoit le Lifetime Achievement Award

Le 4 juillet dernier, lors de la cérémonie de clôture du congrès annuel de l’International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) à San Diego (États-Unis), Mike Kropveld, fondateur et directeur général d’Info-Secte, a reçu le Lifetime Achievement Award, un prix d’excellence décerné par l’ICSA en reconnaissance de l’ensemble de sa carrière.

Ce prix vise à souligner des contributions soutenues et durables dans le champ d’études à propos des phénomènes sectaires, ainsi qu’à la mission de l’ICSA. Il honore les personnes dont le parcours témoigne d’un engagement indéfectible, d’une excellence académique ou professionnelle, et d’un impact significatif au niveau de la recherche, de l’éducation, de la pratique professionnelle ou de la vulgarisation du contrôle coercitif et des groupes à haut niveau de contrôle.

Merci à l'ICSA, d'avoir reconnu le travail de Mike Kropveld ainsi que la mission d'Info-Secte au cours des 45 dernières années !

CultNEWS101 Newsletter: 7/13/2026

Updates

Domestic & True Crime

Independent: Polygamous sect leader convicted of child abuse after girls found in unventilated trailer

"A polygamous sect leader, already serving a lengthy federal prison sentence for orchestrating child sex acts, has been convicted on state child abuse charges after three girls were found confined in an unventilated trailer he was hauling through Arizona.

Authorities were alerted in August 2022 by someone who spotted small fingers reaching through gaps in the trailer doors. Police subsequently stopped Samuel Bateman's vehicle in Flagstaff, discovering three girls, aged 11 to 14, inside. The enclosed trailer was equipped with a makeshift toilet, a sofa, and camping chairs.

This latest conviction adds to Bateman's existing 50-year federal sentence. In that case, he was found guilty of coercing girls as young as nine into sex acts with himself and other young adults, and for plotting to kidnap girls from protective custody.

His federal crimes are the subject of the Netflix series Trust Me: The False Prophet."

Research & Academic

Self-Help Recovery from Coercive Control

Many survivors of coercive control struggle to access support in the aftermath of their experiences. An absence of professionals with appropriate training, financial limitations, isolation, and lack of trust are just a few reasons many survivors find themselves alone in their recovery journey. 

This study aims to better understand self-help recovery processes.

Interview Participants needed:

Survivors of any type of coercive control whose recovery process has included some element of self-help; they may have also had professional support, but not necessarily. Candidates will have been out of the controlled environment for 12 months or more.

Researcher: Anami Shucart, A.T.Shucart@edu.salford.ac.uk

Supervisor: Rod Dubrow-Marshall, R.Dubrow-Marshall@salford.ac.uk

For more information, please visit: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/salford/self-help-recovery-from-coercive-control-an-interview-based-exp

Science

Brooklyn Balance: What No One Told Me About the Medicine I Was Taking

In this blog post, Josh Jupiter recounts a distressing experience with an underground "plant medicine" group, highlighting the critical importance of informed consent.

The author describes being invited to a group led by a facilitator who projected professionalism and safety while maintaining an air of exclusivity and mystery. Participants were encouraged to "Trust, Let Go, Be Open" (TLO)—a mantra the author later realized discouraged critical thinking and masked a lack of transparency. Despite an initial screening process that appeared thorough, participants were never informed about the actual substances they were being given, which were vaguely labeled as "heart openers" or "plant medicine."

Through his own research and piecing together information over time, Jupiter discovered that the substances included MDA, MDMA, Syrian Rue, and barbiturates. He emphasizes the danger of this lack of disclosure, noting that Syrian Rue—an MAO inhibitor—can create life-threatening pharmacological interactions when combined with other substances like MDMA, particularly for individuals with specific health conditions or those taking other medications.

The piece serves as a cautionary tale about the risks of high-demand or unregulated groups that prioritize secrecy over safety. Jupiter concludes that without clear, honest communication about what is being consumed, true informed consent is impossible, leaving participants vulnerable to significant physical and psychological harm. This experience was a foundational moment in his shift toward his current professional work in advocacy and education.

International News

ICSA: Mike Kropveld Receives the Lifetime Achievement Award

On July 4th, during the closing ceremony of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) annual conference in San Diego (United States), Mike Kropveld, founder and executive director of Info-Cult, received the Lifetime Achievement Award, an award of excellence presented by the ICSA in recognition of his entire career.

This award is presented in recognition of sustained, long-term contributions to the field of cultic studies and to ICSA’s mission. It honors individuals whose careers reflect enduring commitment, scholarly or professional excellence, and meaningful impact on research, education, practice, or public understanding of coercive control and high-control groups.

Thanks to ICSA for recognizing Info-Cult’s mission for the past 45 years!

AI Research Disclosure: To bring you the most relevant stories, parts of this newsletter utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools to search the web, source articles, and assist with content curation. This content is for informational purposes only; we recommend verifying critical facts independently.

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

CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/5/2025

Sword and the Arm of the Lord, ICSA, Castlewood Treatment Center, IFS

Journalist Research Request: Sword and the Arm of the Lord

"[Jonathan Green is] an award-winning journalist working on a book under contract to Hachette about a 1980s white supremacist cult called the Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord. They were active in Arkansas in the 1970s and 1980s, led by an apocalyptic preacher. They joined with the KKK and the Aryan Nations to pledge sedition against the US government. They killed ethnic minorities and ultimately played a role in the Oklahoma City bombing. The story is told through the women in the group. They joined the off-the-grid commune, wanting to be good Christians, only to succumb to indoctrination and, later, after the FBI took the group down, PTSD and deep trauma. I'm looking to understand why groups like CSA have a need to villainize outsiders, and in this case, ethnic minorities. How does it swell the leader's control to create enemies? And I'd like to know more about coercion and buried trauma, feelings of moral injury, guilt, shame, and how cult survivors overcome PTSD. It would be useful to understand this in terms of Christian cults. I would be extremely grateful for any help. mail@jonathangreenonline. www.jonathangreenonline.com"

ICSA: New Board of Directors Members

ICSA is pleased to welcome four new members to its Board of Directors. Their combined expertise in psychotherapy, law, creative recovery, and research reflects ICSA's renewed commitment to transparency, survivor-centered leadership, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Please join us in welcoming Carol Merchasin, a renowned attorney who investigates and litigates misconduct within spiritual communities worldwide; Omar Saldaña, a social psychologist whose research advances understanding of psychological abuse in groups; Zoe Lambert, a writer, lecturer, and cult survivor who explores recovery through creative writing and wellbeing practices; and Adam Arnold, a psychotherapist and trainer whose trauma-responsive, consent-based practice supports survivors of coercive systems.

The Cut: The Therapy That Can Break You, Internal Family Systems, is a widely popular trauma treatment. Some patients say it's destroyed their lives.

"Bobby Lerz put his 16-year-old daughter on a plane in New York so she could check into an eating-disorder clinic in Missouri. As a little girl, Elizabeth was "vivacious, gregarious, everybody's best friend," he tells me. But she struggled as a teenager. She was cutting classes, and Bobby observed her engaging in what seemed to be restrictive behaviors around food, sometimes using meals as bargaining chips: I'll eat this if I get that.

One day, Elizabeth brought home a brochure from the Castlewood Treatment Center. It looked like a luxury retreat: a modernist residential facility perched in the bluffs overlooking the Meramec River outside St. Louis. She begged to go, Bobby says, and, in 2011, he and her mother agreed. "When your daughter tells you she might have an eating disorder, your heart stops and you say, 'Okay, anything it takes to get you fixed,'" he says.

Several weeks in, strange things started happening. Elizabeth called to tell him that she had enjoyed bartending at his tavern. Bobby, who once worked as a chef for Howard Stern and owned a bar upstate, told her that it had never happened. He wouldn't let a teenager bartend, nor would his clientele. "It was a cop bar," he says.

"I could tell that I was on speakerphone, and I felt like I was in a therapeutic session," he says. "I heard snickering and girls in the background."

Not long after that, Bobby says, Elizabeth sent her stepsister — the daughter of Irene, whom Bobby had married in 2002  — an unsettling text, asking if Bobby had ever touched her inappropriately. When Bobby heard about it, he confronted Elizabeth: Why was she asking these awful questions? She'd just had a bad dream, he recalls her telling him. That, he adds, was "the last thing she ever said to me."

The next time Bobby saw his daughter was at a New York State Child Protective Services office. Four months after she'd gone into treatment in 2011, the agency, along with the Schenectady County Department of Social Services, launched an investigation into allegations Elizabeth had made against her father while at Castlewood. She claimed he had been raping her since she was 4 and alleged, in explicit detail, that numerous other men — including his friends, his bar's patrons, and local police officers — had joined in the abuse.

At the hearing, Bobby had trouble recognizing her. Once an accomplished cross-country runner, she was now chain-smoking. And when she took the stand, Bobby watched in horror as she seemed to play different characters. One was called "manager" and another one "firefighter," he says. She'd clench her fists and puff out her chest — that was "'protec-tor!'" Irene recalls, imitating the persona's low, booming voice. "It rings in my head how she would say that."

"After she testified — and it was the most glaringly sexual, disgusting, deviant testimony you ever heard — she gets up and she pirouettes like a ballerina out of the courtroom," Bobby says. "It was heartbreaking." Bobby denied the allegations then and still does. "I was investigated by everybody — state troopers, Child Protective Services, my local police," he adds. They probed Irene, too, who was at risk of losing custody of her own daughter, who is about the same age as Elizabeth. In the end, Bobby says he was told by investigators, "'there is nothing here.'"

In 2012, a judge ruled Elizabeth's account "incredible." Bobby was told that her claims were inconsistent and that her evidence contradicted itself. "The timelines weren't there. There was no corroboration. She had made up names," he says. After $45,000 in legal fees, there was at least a measure of vindication when the allegations were expunged from his record. But his relationship with his daughter was irreparably damaged. Despite the judge's finding, Elizabeth, whose real name is not Elizabeth, maintains her allegations against her father; her mother supports her account. Bobby, now a 61-year-old security guard, remains baffled at how his daughter, in just four months, turned into a stranger.

"We have spent 14 years just theorizing," Bobby says.

"Why Choose Castlewood Treatment Center?" read the brochure Elizabeth brought home. Besides its intimate ten-bed residential facility and the beautiful landscape, Castlewood, the pamphlet emphasized, had expertise in Internal Family Systems, a therapy centered on "the idea that each individual has multiple selves," known as parts. In IFS, a part isn't a metaphor. It's a literal personality with its own identity, age, feelings, and even body. Traditionally, "a person with separate autonomous personalities is viewed as sick or damaged" and might be diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, according to Richard C. Schwartz, who conceived of the therapy in the 1980s and brought it to Castlewood in the early aughts. "What are called alters in those people are the same as what I call parts in IFS, and they exist in all of us." To him, that's a good thing: By singling out parts, locating them in our bodies, and engaging them in conversation, IFS is said to relieve even the most severely traumatized people of their emotional burdens.

In recent years, the practice has exploded on social media. TikTok is flooded with millions of videos mentioning IFS, including those of people role-playing and analyzing their parts, and more than 45,000 mental-health practitioners in the Psychology Today database offer it as a treatment. Schwartz's educational center, the IFS Institute, will have trained 15,000 therapists in the method by the end of this year, and another 5,000 are on a waiting list.

Celebrities have helped spread the word: Gwyneth Paltrow has praised IFS on her Goop podcast, and the writer Elizabeth Gilbert credited it with healing a toxic friendship. IFS "offers each of us nothing less than the cultivation of kindness, wisdom, and empowerment," writes Alanis Morissette in the introduction to Schwartz's 2021 book, No Bad Parts.

The scientific community takes a much less enthusiastic view of the practice. A growing number of psychiatrists and psychologists — who, at the doctoral level, study the brain and mind, unlike counselors and family therapists — are emerging with urgent warnings about the therapy, casting IFS as a simplistic allegory at best and, at the worst, a dangerous pseudoscience. While some patients find relief through IFS, critics argue that it's likely owing to the way it shifts responsibility for one's actions onto another persona or the fact that it recycles aspects of traditional talk therapy that are, in fact, helpful. "I'm aware of how trendy it has become," says Lynn Bufka, the head of practice at the American Psychological Association. There may be "elements of this intervention that are pretty standard and cut across what might be good psychotherapy, but the way it's packaged or described? Those ideas don't have a scientific basis."

For patients with vulnerabilities like complex PTSD, disordered eating, or psychosis — many of the very people IFS practitioners are taught to treat — the therapy could destabilize already fragile mental states. An "unstable sense of self," for example, is a defining feature of borderline personality disorder, a condition that commonly occurs alongside anorexia and bulimia. Last year, Lisa Brownstone, a University of Denver psychologist and eating-disorder specialist, co-wrote a report that raised questions about the risks of IFS. Brownstone had become alarmed after multiple patients appeared "disorganized and confused by treatments they had received from other providers that were IFS or IFS-informed," she says. "The process of splitting apart and having them speak from different perspectives within themselves can start to make it even less clear what their reality is."

Former Castlewood patients told me they had witnessed women crawling around like babies or lying in fetal positions. "It wasn't uncommon to see people shaking on the floor," says Kimberly MacDonald. Another used to run in circles, screaming. In the span of a second, someone could switch ages, genders, or even species. Another ex-patient described how a transformation might come on: A person would "start to twist their body, like some weird exorcism thing, scrunch their face," and say in a girlish voice, "Hi, I'm willow tree."

Over time, traumas that patients would divulge early in their stays snowballed to gruesome extremes. Some say they gathered in group sessions to listen to stories of parents pimping out their daughters to entire neighborhoods, a grandmother molesting a child in a bathtub, a child forced into a meat locker with dead animals, and someone who claimed to recover memories of sexual abuse as an infant. "It was almost like people wanted to one-up each other," says Maria Frisch, who was the research director of the center in 2011. "Really horrific things absolutely do happen. But do they only happen to people who went to Castlewood?"

In 2011, Lisa Nasseff was the first of four former Castlewood patients to sue the center and its co-founder and co-director, the psychologist Mark Schwartz. (No relation to Richard Schwartz.) She claimed that he took advantage of her malnourished, medicated, and emotionally distressed state to make her believe that she'd been repeatedly raped and was once part of a satanic cult and that he convinced her "to become increasingly isolated from her family and friends" by implicating them in the crimes she alleged. Then came lawsuits from Leslie Thompson, who said she recovered false memories of rape and participating in a cult that ate babies; Colette Travers, who claimed that therapists conjured memories of sexual abuse at the hands of family members and classmates; and Brooke Taylor, who said that she, too, was led to falsely accuse relatives of sexual abuse.

By then, Mark Schwartz had sold a stake in Castlewood to the private-equity firm Trinity Hunt Partners. In 2017, another private-equity firm, Riverside Co., took it over and renamed it Alsana. Last year, Alsana shut down its Missouri center for good but continues to operate four facilities in California and one in Alabama that have faced complaints similar to those at Castlewood.

The State of Missouri censured Mark Schwartz's license, and he agreed not to seek its renewal. After the lawsuits were settled, he moved to California, where he continues to treat patients with IFS at a facility in Monterey called Harmony Place. Richard Schwartz has never publicly addressed the scandal at Castlewood. Earlier this year, he spoke at an Alsana-sponsored conference on "the power of Internal Family Systems in treating eating disorders."

"That just breaks my heart that he's a celebrity," says one former patient, referring to Richard Schwartz. "There is no evidence IFS works. It's a sham, and it's dangerous."

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 in making 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.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/30/2025

IFS, Call for Papers

Amber's Substack: IFS and The Spirits

" But why now?

Because IFS founder Richard Schwartz is now publicly saying that IFS "parts" are actually spirits and ancestors, and selling courses on this, which are all over my feed.

If you haven't seen this, look here at this advert:  https://fbwatch/CrgTPMuzX6/

Where he describes himself as admitting skepticism and attachment to credibility, all the while he was teaching IFS, now being convinced by evidence at this late date that spirit stuff was afoot.

I have long told clients that I don't believe in "parts," "archetypes," "protectors," or "attachment figures" as projections of the psyche, but that we will meet Spirit beings with their own lives.

And that is why I have not gone in for IFS, Jungian Dreamwork, and such things.

Because I have my own frameworks for what is happening here, which are not subject to the respectability politics of mainstream psychology.

I'm not a psychologist, I'm not trying to sell a mainstream psychology modality on the most significant number of people possible, I'm already considered "mentally ill" with a longg record, more likely to be seen as a patient than a practitioner (despite being one), meaning I don't have much respectability anyway, so really I don't give a rats ass about being "credible" to mainstream sciences.

I explain to people that this is Spirit Work and I'm here for who's here for it."

2026 ICSA CONFERENCE: Call for proposals now open

" ... The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) invites submissions for presentations, panels, and workshops for the 2026 International Conference, to be held 1–4 July 2026 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, California.

Each year, ICSA's International Conference brings together researchers, clinicians, service providers, survivors, and family members from around the world to engage in open dialogue on the most pressing issues in cultic studies and coercive influence. The event fosters collaboration between academic, clinical, and lived-experience perspectives to deepen understanding, strengthen recovery and prevention practices, and promote ethical and trauma-informed dialogue. 

Conference theme and submission process. The theme for the 2026 conference is: Expanding the Scope of Coercive Control: Understanding abusive dynamics and their impacts across interpersonal, institutional, and cultic contexts.

In an era marked by increasing polarization, disinformation, and organized manipulation, understanding and protecting against coercion is more relevant than ever. Coercive control refers to a sustained pattern of manipulative and abusive practices designed to subjugate individuals, often resulting in serious consequences for their well-being. While the mechanisms of abuse and resulting harm differ in form and context, there are striking parallels across abusive intimate relationships, gangs, sexual exploitation and trafficking networks, ideological radicalization, and cultic environments. Despite their prevalence, research and evidence-based knowledge of these phenomena remain relatively underdeveloped.

Researchers, practitioners, and individuals with lived experience are warmly invited to submit proposals and join this collaborative effort to advance understanding and strengthen responses to coercive control in all its forms.

ICSA is committed to a transparent and inclusive proposal review process. Follow the link below to learn more about how to submit, our 2026 review process, and other important information.

Deadline for submissions: December 20, 2025 https://simplyk-bucket-production.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/deliveries/4ba58adf-ea53-4f85-a5c5-3b6ec5174d05/emails/1cf87221-eb93-44ec-a5cf-fe6c6c01c62b.html

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.

International Cultic Studies Association

International Cultic Studies Association 

Empowering Minds. Advancing Research. Supporting Recovery. 

Advancing education, research, and understanding of cultic influence since 1979. 

ICSA advances knowledge and fosters open dialogue on cultic influence through research and education with the aim of supporting survivor recovery and deepening public understanding.

Our mission

ICSA fosters open dialogue and rigorous research on psychological manipulation and cultic influence. We provide education, support resources, and a safe space for survivors, families and professionals to advance understanding and challenge harmful ideologies. 


Our vision

ICSA envisions a world where knowledge and critical discourse empower individuals and communities to recognize and respond to coercive influence, creating safer societies and stronger protections for those affected by cultic involvement. 


OUR PILLARS

Knowledge, dialogue, and support

ICSA is not an activist or advocacy group but a unique non-profit organization grounded in three pillars: advancing knowledge, fostering open dialogue, and supporting recovery from cultic and coercive influence. Since 1979, it has contributed extensively to academic and recovery fields through its global network of contributors, numerous articles, books, and journals. ICSA connects survivors and families with educational resources, peer support groups, and counseling information, while facilitating collaboration across professional and lived-experience communities. 


At its core, ICSA believes that no understanding of cultic influence is complete without engaging with all perspectives, even those that may be controversial or challenging. ICSA’s mission is to create a space where all information, research and viewpoints can be examined, questioned, and debated openly—rather than censored or suppressed. This commitment to intellectual rigor ensures that harmful ideologies can be exposed and countered through critical discussion rather than thriving in obscurity.

Each year, ICSA brings together researchers, mental health professionals, service providers, survivors, and families at its annual conference—an inclusive space for learning, connection, and community-building. Additional regional events, webinars, and virtual gatherings further expand access to vital resources and shared knowledge, particularly for those affected by cultic dynamics.
With a global reputation, diverse board, and relationships with major organizations across multiple countries, ICSA serves as a leading hub for knowledge, dialogue, and support in the field.

https://internationalculticstudies.org/

Cult Trip: Coming Too Close - Anke Richter

Cult Trip: Coming Too Close - Anke Richter

ICSA International Conference 2024
Barcelona, Spain

CultNEWS101 Articles: 7/21/2025

Social Contagion,  Elitism, Cult Recovery, Conference Video, Workbook

The Conversation: Misinformation lends itself to social contagion – here's how to recognize and combat it

" ... Research shows that both misinformation and disinformation spread faster and farther than truth online. This means that before people can muster the resources to debunk the false information that has seeped into their social networks, they may have already lost the race. Complex contagion may have taken hold, in a malicious way, and begun spreading falsehood throughout the network at a rapid pace.

People spread false information for various reasons, such as to advance their personal agenda or narrative, which can lead to echo chambers that filter out accurate information contrary to one's own views. Even when people do not intend to spread false information online, doing so tends to happen because of a lack of attention paid to accuracy or lower levels of digital media literacy.

Inoculation against social contagion

So how much can people do about this? One way to combat harmful contagion is to draw on an idea first used in the 1960s called pre-bunking. The idea is to train people to practice skills to spot and resist misinformation and disinformation on a smaller scale before they're exposed to the real thing.

The idea is akin to vaccines that build immunity through exposure to a weakened form of the disease-causing germ. The idea is for someone to be exposed to a limited amount of false information, say through the pre-bunking with Google quiz. They then learn to spot common manipulation tactics used in false information and learn how to resist their influence with evidence-based strategies to counter the falsehoods. This could also be done using a trained facilitator within classrooms, workplaces or other groups, including virtual communities.

Then, the idea is to gradually repeat the process with larger doses of false information and further counterarguments. By role-playing and practicing the counterarguments, this resistance skills training provides a sort of psychological inoculation against misinformation and disinformation, at least temporarily.

Importantly, this approach is intended for someone who has not yet been exposed to false information – hence, pre-bunking rather than debunking. If we want to engage with someone who firmly believes in their stance, particularly when it runs contrary to our own, behavioral scientists recommend leading with empathy and nonjudgmentally exchanging narratives.

Debunking is difficult work, however, and even strong debunking messages can result in the persistence of misinformation. You may not change the other person's mind, but you may be able to engage in a civil discussion and avoid pushing them further away from your position."

Damian Adkisson: Elitism

Cults are often known to use 'Elitism' to create a sense of exclusivity and superiority among their followers. Here are some ways that cults may weaponize Elitism:

1. Creating an "in-group" mentality: Cults often emphasize that their members are part of a select group, often using phrases like "we're the awakened ones" or "we're the chosen few."

2. Demonizing outsiders: Cults may use language that portrays outsiders as inferior, ignorant, or even evil, reinforcing the idea that their group is superior.

3. Emphasizing exclusivity: Phrases like "they don't understand us" or "we move differently" can create a sense of separation and exclusivity, making followers feel like they're part of a special group.

4. Fostering a sense of privilege: Cults may claim that their members have access to exclusive knowledge, spiritual truths, or experiences that others don't have.

5. Encouraging dependency: By creating this sense of superiority, cults can make followers dependent on the group for validation and self-worth.

This elitist mentality can lead to:

1. Us vs. them mentality: Followers may become wary of outsiders and outside influences and may view them as threats or simply inferior.

2. Loss of critical thinking: Followers may become less critical of the group's teachings and more likely to conform.

3. Increased loyalty: Followers may feel a strong sense of loyalty to the group and its leader.

By using elitist language and ideologies, cults can effectively manipulate their followers and maintain control. It's important to be aware of tactics such as these and approach groups that use them with caution.

ICSA International Conference 2024: Recovery and Self-Help: Finding a Way to Recovery and Growth After Abuse in a Cultic Setting, and the Role of a Workbook - Gillie Jenkinson (video)

Memory Warp: How the Myth of Repressed Memory Arose and Refuses to Die

ICSA Reviews: "Memory Warp: How the Myth of Repressed Memory Arose and Refuses to Die", reviewed by Joe Szimhart

Upper Access Books. 2017. Ebook 758 pages.

Review by Joe Szimhart and Copilot A

" ... Memory Warp is structured in a way that guides readers through the history, development, and impact of the recovered memory movement. Pendergrast begins by revisiting cases from the 1980s and 1990s, a period when the belief in repressed and recovered memories gained significant traction. He provides detailed accounts of individuals and families affected by these memories, highlighting the often-devastating consequences.

The book also explores the role of therapists and the methods they use to uncover supposedly repressed memories. Pendergrast critically examines techniques such as hypnosis, guided imagery, and other suggestive practices, questioning their validity and the scientific basis behind them. He presents compelling evidence that these methods can create false memories, leading to a phenomenon known as False Memory Syndrome (FMS)."

[complete review]

https://icsahome-my.sharepoint.com/personal/admin_icsahome_com/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fadmin%5Ficsahome%5Fcom%2FDocuments%2FDropbox%2FProgramming%2FICSA%20REVIEWS%2FBook%20Reviews%2FMemory%20Warp%2FICSA%20Reviews%20Memory%20Warp%2Epdf&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fadmin%5Ficsahome%5Fcom%2FDocuments%2FDropbox%2FProgramming%2FICSA%20REVIEWS%2FBook%20Reviews%2FMemory%20Warp&ga=1

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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

CultNEWS101 Articles: 7/17/2024 (Awards, Universal Knowledge, Australia, Legal, Neuroscience Research)

Awards, Universal Knowledge, Australia, Legal, Neuroscience Research 

Info-Cult: Centre for Assistance and for the Study of Cultic Phenomena: Winners of the Dianne Casoni International Award 2024

The International Dianne Casoni Award aims to promote and reward a written work that addresses one or more aspects of cultic phenomena.

Scientific Category: This year the award winners were Omar Saldaña, Emma Antelo et Álvaro Rodríguez-Carballeira for the outstanding quality and relevance of their article: "Group Psychological Abuse Perpetration: Development and Validation of a Measure Using Classical and Modern Test Theory"

Popular Category:This year the award winner was Gillie Jenkinson for the outstanding quality and relevance. of her book "Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse. A Workbook for Recovery and Growth"

ICSA: Lifetime Achievement Award 

Ann Stamler: "Though I am profoundly grateful to be considered for this award, I actually think it is we, who have benefited so deeply, who should be giving this award to ICSA.

According to its website:  "ICSA's Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have, to an exceptional degree, embodied in their work ICSA's values of openness, courtesy, and dialogue, and who have made academic and/or other exceptional contributions to the field of cultic studies."  I remember when I attended my first full ICSA annual conference, in 2010 in Fort Lee, New Jersey, what thrilled me was that every aspect of the conference exemplified exactly the values this award names: openness, courtesy, and dialogue.

Like an increasing number of people today, I grew up in an environment that was the polar opposite of those values—it was closed, abusive, and unwilling to hear to any but one person's philosophy. At that 2010 conference's closing ceremony (I believe I was sitting next to Bill Goldberg, who had just received the first Lifetime Achievement Award), I remember saying, out loud, I want to retire so I can volunteer with ICSA. Not long afterwards, I was able to do exactly that, and in the years since have had the honor of enjoying the most meaningful work of my life."

Previous award recipients: 

2022: Joseph Kelly

2018: Carol and Noel Giambalvo
2016: David Clark
2016: Joseph Szimhart
2013: Eileen Barker, PhD; Friedrich Griess
2011: Patrick L. Ryan
2010: William Goldberg, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., Psy. A.

The Examiner: Former cult leader Natasha Lakaev loses libel case appeal

"Accused former cult leader Natasha Lakaev has failed in her bid to overturn the findings of her marathon libel trial against one of her former members, Carli McConkey.

Ms Lakaev, who headed the Universal Knowledge organisation throughout the 2000s, launched libel proceedings against Ms McConkey following the publication of her book, 'The Cult Effect', in 2017.

In it, Ms McConkey detailed her experience of living as a Universal Knowledge member over a [13]-year period, and described the organisation as a "doomsday cult" that abused its members and prophesied the end of the world in 2011 or 2012.

During the trial, Ms Lakaev's lawyer Daniel Zeeman claimed that the book and other articles Ms McConkey published online improperly impugned her as a criminal, a bully, a fraudster and as someone that indoctrinated people into a cult.

Ms Lakaev denied the allegations in the book and articles, but in March this year, Justice Stephen Estcourt found that all 16 of Ms McConkey's imputations were either true or substantially true.

Ms Lakaev later appealed the decision, claiming that Justice Estcourt erred in his decision by finding that four of the imputations in Ms McConkey's book were truthful.

Former Universal Knowledge member Carli McConkey defended herself during the libel trial.

In his reasons for decision released on Friday, July 12, Supreme Court Chief Justice Alan Blow ruled there was little chance of Ms Lakaev's appeal grounds succeeding."

The Mercury: No 'significant prospects of success': Former 'cult' leader appeal hopes dashed

" ... Dr Lakaev previously launched a defamation battle against former follower Carli McConkey over claims she made about Dr Lakaev in her self-published book, The Cult Effect.

The claims include that Lakaev labelled herself a reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Ms McConkey was forced to parade naked in front of Lakaev.

Dr Lakaev wished to challenge all sixteen findings found in the dismissal of her defamation claim.

She alleged the presiding judge made findings based "solely on character" and "improper handling" of Ms McConkey's expert witness and that her former legal counsel represented her "so badly" an appeal should be allowed.

Lakaev ran into issues when filing her appeal to the Supreme Court however, with a change of legal representation three times before finally representing herself, a process which took two months.

Court documents revealed that Lakaev's original legal representation Hobart firm Butler McIntyre & Butler was unwilling to act for her in the appeal due to an outstanding trial bill over $100,000.

In handing down his decision, Chief Justice Alan Blow said Dr Lakaev was "unlikely to succeed" in an appeal to the Full Court – a court consisting of three or more Supreme Court Judges.

"If the appeal is not dismissed, the respondent will suffer significant prejudice in bearing the burden of defending the proceedings," Chief Justice Blow said."

PsyPost: Brain neurons key to learning from negative experiences identified in new study

"Negative experiences often drive us to avoid repeating them. This fundamental aspect of learning is crucial not only for humans but also for animals.

A recent study conducted by neuroscientists at the HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine in Budapest, Hungary, and published in Nature Communications, has identified a specific group of neurons in the brain that play a key role in this process. The study found that neurons located in a deep brain region known as the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca (HDB) are essential for learning from negative experiences.

The ability to learn from negative experiences is a critical survival mechanism. When faced with adverse outcomes, our brain processes the event, learns from it, and adjusts our behavior to avoid similar situations in the future. This type of learning is often driven by increased attention and arousal triggered by negative stimuli. The researchers aimed to understand which specific neurons and brain regions are responsible for this enhanced attention and learning from negative events, a concept they refer to as 'attention for aversive learning.'"

" ... The study, "Parvalbumin-expressing basal forebrain neurons mediate learning from negative experience," was authored by Panna Hegedüs, Bálint Király, Dániel Schlingloff, Victoria Lyakhova, Anna Velencei, Írisz Szabó, Márton I. Mayer, Zsofia Zelenak, Gábor Nyiri, and Balázs Hangya."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

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The 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 to promote 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)

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