"How Cults Work" In the Siberian mountains an ex-traffic cop known as Vissarion Christ has thousands of followers. Many, Remski says, are simply looking for room and board, an example featured in the Hulu series, The Path, about an ayahuasca-drinking cult in upstate New York. There are many self-proclaimed Christs around the world. Cf. Although living your life based on absolute back and white reasoning may give you a measure of security feeling that you have all the answers, it can also cut you off from the complexity and richness of life. A person who joins a cult thinks he can leave whenever he wants, but in reality, his commitment to the group is supposed to be indefinite. For Steven Hassan, a former Moonie turned cult expert and author of The Cult of Trump, the answer is decidedly yes. . Follow. Physical abuse. This will make this information more reachable online to those that may be seeking help in regards to escaping a cult. Special Knowledge. 760-580-5758. . Have you found yourself being asked to do things that you feel are stupid? In the Jehovahs Witness religion, there is an absolutely unrelenting control of every single piece of information that the followers have access to. Or do they disagree with what they read in your favorite news source? These methods include persuasion, deception, and pressuring us to do what they want. He is loved again when he acknowledges that his devotion to the cult is the only thing that will bring him salvation. Over the years, weve taken on a lot of new ideologies that change what we think and feel. Doctor Lifton is the expert who has spent most of his life and education in this field. Nato is a writer and a researcher with an academic background in psychology. It is the action that a group of leaders takes when they have knowledge of a situation where a child has been molested that matter. While ticker tape synesthesia was first identified in the 1880s, new research looks at this unique phenomenon and what it means for language comprehension. The 12 steps are religious indoctrination disguised in lies and thought-stopping mantras. The most basic feature of the thought reform environmentis the control of human communication. Some adjust well to it after a period of time, embracing their new role as "group member" and casting aside their old sense of independence. The inevitable next step Cults and controversial religious groups gain followers and . They teach ideology that goes against commonly accepted notions while dehumanizing people outside of their group. Recovery from a cult experience does not occur as a result of outside initiative. But even with good intentions, if a group or organization that you belong to is made up of the following defined criteria, then it is absolutely using brainwashing mind control techniques to indoctrinate you. Finding the answer could help professionals and patients. ownership of each individual self within it [T]he cult of confession Military indoctrination in U.S. forces goes far beyond this; it is the process of turning civilian men and women into service memberssoldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. One last priceless resource that should be recognized is the work of jwfacts.com. He couldnt understand the everyday was nutritiousthe mundane and banal provide all that we need. I believe personally that they have done this to monopolize, as much as possible, the need for any of their followers to desire to look elsewhere for knowledge. is apt to be relegated to the bad and the impure. Was it a reward for helping somebody out? It is not magic and it is not fake. Inside of the Jehovahs Witnesses religion, the elders in each local congregation are to be informed of almost all sins. Indoctrination or "brainwashing" is the process through which a . Then, lets get a clearer idea of what indoctrination truly is. Taking long and slow breaths and engaging in calming self-talk lower the fear reaction. In 1961, Lifton published his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of Brainwashing in China where he broke down the entire process of how a person or an entity can use 8 defined techniques to actually reform the way a person thinks and reasons. Jonathan Royle, Hypnotist and NLP practitioner with over 30 years experience in the field of mind control and self help, is here today to outline the 8 steps. Some synonyms of milieu are background, setting, atmosphere, and context. {notificationOpen=false}, 2000);" x-data="{notificationOpen: false, notificationTimeout: undefined, notificationText: ''}">. It was you that taught me to see very clearly the way that my reasoning was shaped by the 8 criteria you defined so many years ago. The expression 'drinking the Kool-Aid' is a grim reference to this tragedy. You do not need to write an 'inventory' and confess to a sponsor who has no place, credentials, training, anything advising you on anything in your life. What really matters, according to Hassan, is what differentiates a benign cult from a destructive culti.e., the one you really need to watch out for. desires. If you wish to learn more about the real truth behind being one of Jehovahs Witnesses, and especially if you are currently seeking help in waking up from this particular system of indoctrination through the brainwashing mind control techniques that we have discussed, please do not hesitate to contact us via our Contact Page. Have you ever been told that you have to do something because others say so? Now you know that some people might try to convince you that what theyre saying is true for your own good. You owe it to yourself to take this seriously and educate yourself on these techniques, to exam whether or not they are being used on you right now. We have not. selfish, and petty in the face of the great overriding mission This requires At the same time, rewards are offered - rest, love, comfort: the carrot and the stick. Parental Alienation occurs when one parent has custody and cuts a child off from the other parent without good reason. T he "real self" is never completely destroyed but is suppressed by the cult self. A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power. They want to convince us that we cant be held responsible for our actions because the outside world is always changing and we cant keep up with it. A cult answers to no one. How is this connected with indoctrination? The truth is youre the one whos in charge of your actions. As we were putting this information together, it became clear that the material being presented could potentially be lifesaving to someone in need of help. I chose The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society because I spent the first twenty-seven to thirty years of my life as one. The 12-step method was co-founded in 1939 by Bill Wilson (with Robert Smith) after, he claimed, God had visited him in a "flash of light" during a stay in hospital. We sometimes include products we think are useful for our readers. Some are drawn in by the leader; others for social support. Evolve From Within Never Stop Learning. The members of the cult become the person's only social contact and feedback mechanism. strength and confidence in your own personal faith, ask yourself honestlydoes Copyright 2007-2023 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved. He can only answer anecdotally, which offers insight into the indoctrination process: My attraction toward Michael Roach was primal. IndoctriNation. Step five is tougher. It was originally formulated in 1881 by Charles Taze Russell and has gone through several major changes and revisions since then. becoming a cult in itself. Groups can form around almost anything. Theres a riot of motivations. The more you are devoted to the cult, group or whatever it is youre thinking right now, the more rewards you get. But is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? There were so many scars to heal, too many insecurities to face. A belief that the leader is right at all times. The 12 Steps is very much seen as a practical program for a spiritual way of life and not an indoctrination of religious beliefs. No question has been uttered more often in regards to cults. Have you been told that if it wasnt for them, youd be lost? This is usually done through peer pressure or subtle manipulation. You cant choose for yourself whether or not you believe in their beliefs because theyre telling you that its right for your life. Lets take an example from one of my favorite movies, Fight Club. actions which are consistent with the totalist ideology and policy; anything else 1. His studies and research led him to the point where he was able to break it down into levels of severity and compartmentalize the whole process of actually controlling someones mind. 15 The internet serves as a 24/7 indoctrination tool for mind controllers to keep members fully committed. 209 Episodes. If Will Allen's documentary, Holy Hell, teaches us one thing, it's that there's no easy answer. The member is loved again when he renounces those doubts and submits to the will of the leader. Patty Hearst, heiress to the Hearst publishing fortune, became famous in the 1970s after she was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (the SLA, which some deem a "political cult") and allegedly brainwashed into joining the group. He went on to study various people from many situations of either imprisonment or indoctrination of some sort. There's even one in Australia. Any special talents the member has are immediately devalued and criticized in order to confuse the member's sense of self-worth. Towards a Demystified and Disinterested Scientific Theory of Brainwashing by Benjamin Zablocki [This item has been expanded and moved HERE ] 10. This is a central doctrine of their belief system. Groups like ISIS don't use just violence to get their messages across, they use psychological techniques to recruit and keep members. Cults often try to make their members feel guilty if they decide to leave the cult. Once all ties to the outside world have been cut, the member feels like his only family is the group, and he has nowhere else to go. A cult leader may use members' altered consciousness, induced by activities like meditation, chanting or drug use, to increase vulnerability to suggestion. I was in 4th grade. It is our earnest wish that the information in this article was presented in a clear enough manner to be of assistance to you or anyone that may be mentally struggling with the fallout of being a mind control victim of indoctrination or a brainwashing cult. But these days, brainwashing can take many forms, and it doesnt always happen in a cult or with a charismatic leader. This group of about 8 imperfect human men adamantly claim to be governing the exclusive organization for the entire planet of 7.6 billion humans, possessing the divinely-gifted authority to oversee the single organization on Earth that contains the only system of principles to guide humans in living a life that will ensure the best chance possible of surviving the impending destruction at Armageddon of about 99.887% of the entire population of the planet. Project MKUltra secretly experimented with "mind control" techniques, dosing people with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) without their consent. This is done by taking money from them without their consent or knowledge, or by blackmailing them. This is a common feature of small groups or cults. Are you really willing to give your money to people you dont even know? Remski admits to his intense drive for crisis-type experiences of love that left him feeling manic. For an example of this, look no further than feminism. Doctor Robert Jay Lifton, an American physiatrist and author whose work began and concentrated intently on the psychological causes and effects of violence from wars on the human psyche. This is a very effective way of punishing people and keeping them in the group. You do this by keeping your members away from outsiders. Words and experiences can be so powerful and so helpful. Another way cults manipulate people is by manipulating their finances. Only after leaving Roach and, later, Andersons group, could he understand that he had been starving even though food was right in front of him. Do you understand why you do what you do? Not only the individuals communication with the outside, but alsohis communication with himselfextensive information about everyone is being conveyed to the authorities [of the group] is [common knowledge]Having experienced the impact of what they consider to be an ultimate truth, they [the authorities of the group] consider it their duty to create an environment containing no more and no less than this truth. [The group member] is deprived of the combination of external information and inner reflection which anyone requires to test the realities of his environment and to maintain a measure of identity separate from it. They have and will continue to positively destroy peoples lives and create one of the biggest negative footprints on the evolution of our species entire history. You'd expect the focus to be on troubled youngsters, but many groups target people with useful skills or access to money. I began to start freaking out a bit. 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