Historically, when someone has experienced trauma that has a lasting impact, they have been diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In recent years those who work with trauma victims have advocated for an additional category: Complex Trauma. Therapeutic work with those who have experienced either multiple traumas or repetitive and chronic trauma from a caregiver manifest differently than PTSD and seem to demand a different diagnosis. See more at http://www.FOCLonline.org
Cult Stories recordings and other resources for ICSA members International
Cultic Studies Association Mar 24, 2020, 3:37 PM
We write in the hope
that you are coping well with the stress of the corona virus pandemic.
Because many of us are
hunkering down at home, we thought that this is a good time to remind ICSA
members about the interesting resources available to them on icsahome.com.
There you will find,
among other resources, links to the following:
Recordings of events, such as the recent
series of cult stories in which the following persons were interviewed about
their personal stories: Joe Szimhart; Paul Lennon; Pat Ryan; Dan Shaw; Nori
Muster: Charlene Edge and her daughter Rachel Chase. You’ll also find
recordings on JW recovery and interviews of key people discussing ICSA’s
history.
Topic collections, including collections on
academic disputes and dialogue, Catholic aberrations, children, cults and sex
trafficking, exit counseling, governments and public policy, hypnosis, new age
movement, second-generation adults (born-or raised), spiritual abuse, trauma.
An annotated book list
Free E-books
Back issues of all ICSA periodicals from 1979
to the present.
ICSA held a free two-week virtual events series streamed over Zoom. Many sessions had an expert available for Q&A at the end.
We especially hope
that some of these videos can provide comfort for those who may be dealing with
a reexperiencing of their cult trauma and a resulting reactivation of cult
memories and ideas.
You will not run out
of interesting readings and recordings!
Ashley Allen, MSW, LMSW, completed her Master’s in Social Work at Monmouth
University where she was also selected to coordinate and present the School of
Social Work’s Annual Clinical Lecture Series. Her lecture series focused on
children born and/or raised in cultic groups with a special focus on issues of
human rights. She has presented on cults, with a particular focus on
second-generation adults (SGAs) at various mental-health agencies,
universities, and at the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) annual conference
in New Jersey. Ms. Allen gained a breadth of experience volunteering at the
Cult Clinic of JBFCS in NYC for three years and has gone on to work as a
therapist with former cult members in community mental health.
Dylesia
Barner,
LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and a second-generation adult
survivor. She received a Master of Social Work from Norfolk State University in
2013 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from Old Dominion
University in 2011. From ages 15-18, Dylesia was a member of a cult of
Christianity in Virginia. Having the perspectives of a survivor and a mental
health provider, she is passionate about raising awareness about spiritual
abuse and how to counsel those who are experiencing or have experienced it. Dylesia
owns Existence, Consciousness, Bliss Counseling, Psychotherapy & Wellness
Center in Nashville, TN and is a Doctorate of Social Work student at
Millersville University. Existence, Consciousness, Bliss Counseling,
Psychotherapy & Wellness Center, 1033 Demonbreun St., Suite 300, Nashville,
TN 37203. dylesia@ecb-nashville.org. www.ecb-nashville.org. 615-212-8955
Rachel
Bernstein, MS, LMFT
16255
Ventura Blvd., Suite 806 Encino, CA 91436 818-907-0036 rbpsychology@gmail.com RachelBernsteinTherapy.com
IndoctriNation: A weekly podcast covering
cults, manipulators, and protecting yourself from systems of control.
Ron Burks, PhD, holds an MDiv and an
MA in counseling from Asbury Theological Seminary and a PhD in Counselor
Education from Ohio University. He worked for many years at Wellspring Retreat
and Resource Center in Albany, Ohio. He and his wife Vicki wrote Damaged
Disciples: Casualties of Authoritarian Churches and the Shepherding Movement,
published by Zondervan. His other publications include a chapter on a
connection between cults and addiction in the medical reference, Substance
Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, published by Williams and Wilkins. He and
Vicki now live near Tallahassee, Florida where both are licensed mental health
counselors and operate an intensive outpatient substance abuse program at
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Ron is a former president of the Wellspring
board and is a clinical advisor to both Wellspring and Meadowhaven, a treatment
center near Boston. Email: ron@ronburksphd.com Phone: 850-273-6678. Florida
Phone/Electronic Consultation Possible
Linda
Dubrow-Marshall, PhD, Reg. MBACP (Accred.), is Chair of the Mental Health Network
for ICSA, is Research Co-editor of ICSA Today, and a member of the Research
Network for ICSA. She is a co-founder of RETIRN (please also see www.retirn.com), a private practice that provides services to individuals and
families who have been affected by cultic influence and abusive relationships.
Linda has developed a new MSc Psychology of Coercive Control program at the
University of Salford and is leading the program with Dr. Rod Dubrow-Marshall.
She is also the Programme Leader of the MSc Applied Psychology (Therapies)
Program at the University of Salford. She is registered with the Health and
Care Professions Council, United Kingdom, as both a clinical and a counselling
psychologist, and she is a registered counsellor/psychotherapist with the
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. She is a licensed
psychologist in Pennsylvania, USA, and a registered psychologist with the
National Register of Health Service Psychologists, USA. She attends as
co-representative of RETIRN/UK as correspondent to the General Assembly of
FECRIS (European Federation of Centres of Research and Education on Sects). Dr.
Dubrow-Marshall is a Consultant in Clinical Hypnosis (advanced certification)
with the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and is certified by the Eye
Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Institute. She is certified as a
Master Addiction Counselor with the National Certification Commission for Addiction
Professionals. Website:
http://www.retirn.com/Dr._Linda.htm Email: LJDMarshall@aol.com Phone: +44 7973 310599/ United Kingdom
Phone/Electronic Consultation Possible
Rod
Dubrow-Marshall, PhD, MBPsS, is Professor of Psychology and Visiting Fellow,
Criminal Justice Hub, University of Salford, United Kingdom. Rod is a Social
Psychologist who has been researching the psychology and aetiology of undue
influence and cults or extremist groups for over twenty years, and he has
developed the Totalistic Identity Theory as an evidence-based theory to explain
and tackle ideological extremism and ideologically driven violence. He is also
an active researcher in a variety of other areas including organizational behaviour
and healthiness, the social psychology of identity and prejudice, and public
policy and education. A graduate member of the British Psychological Society,
Rod is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Cultic Studies
Association and is also Chair of the ICSA Research Committee and Network and he
is co-Editor of the International Journal of Cultic Studies (since its
inception in 2010). In 2006, he was awarded The Herbert L. Rosedale Award,
jointly with Dr. Paul Martin, for their psychological research on undue
influence. Rod co-founded the Re-Entry Therapy Information and Referral Network
(RETIRN) UK in 2004 with Dr Linda Dubrow-Marshall, where he serves as a
consultant in helping individuals and families who have been adversely affected
by destructive or damaging cults and other extremist and high
demand/manipulative groups or relationships. He operates out of offices in
Pontypridd, Wales and Buxton, Derbyshire, UK (please also see www.retirn.com). Rod has also served on more than a dozen Governing Boards of
Schools, Colleges and Universities over the last two decades and he is
currently a governor and director of the Akaal Primary School in Derby and is
also a longstanding member of the Board of the homelessness charity the Wallich
(headquartered in Cardiff, Wales). In addition, he is a member of the Board of
Directors of the Buxton International Festival and is Chair of the Board of the
Preston Guild Link charity (in Lancashire, UK) which is fundraising for the
next Preston Guild cultural festival in 2032! Rod is also an experienced senior
leader and manager in higher education having served for 15 years in the roles
of Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Derby, Pro Vice-Chancellor at
the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and as Dean of Humanities and
Social Sciences at the University of South Wales and Dean of Applied Social
Sciences and Humanities at Buckinghamshire New University. United Kingdom
Steve K.
D. Eichel, PhD, ICSA President, is Past-President of the American Academy of
Counseling Psychology and the Greater Philadelphia Society of Clinical
Hypnosis. He is a licensed and Board-certified counseling psychologist whose
involvement in cultic studies began with a participant-observation study of
Unification Church training in their Eastern seminary (in Barrytown, NY) in the
spring of 1975. His doctoral dissertation to date remains the only intensive,
quantified observation of a deprogramming. He was honored with AFF’s 1990 John
G. Clark Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Cultic Studies for this study,
which was published as a special issue of the Cultic Studies Journal and
has been translated into several foreign languages. In 1983, along with Dr.
Linda Dubrow-Marshall and clinical social worker Roberta Eisenberg, Dr. Eichel
founded the Re-Entry Therapy, Information & Referral Network (RETIRN), one
of the field’s oldest continuing private providers of psychological services to
families and individuals harmed by cultic practices. RETIRN currently has
offices in Newark, DE, Lansdowne, PA and Pontypridd, Wales and Buxton, England
(U.K.). In addition to his psychology practice and his involvement with ICSA,
Dr. Eichel is active in a range of professional associations. He has co-authored
several articles and book reviews on cult-related topics for the CSJ/CSR. In
2016 he received ICSA’s Herbert L. Rosedale Award at the Annual Conference in
Dallas, Texas. [Directors]
Lorna
Goldberg, LCSW, PsyA, Board member and past president of ICSA, is a psychoanalyst in
private practice and Dean of Faculty at the Institute of Psychoanalytic
Studies. In 1976, she and her husband, William Goldberg, began facilitating a
support group for former cult members that continues to meet on a monthly basis
in their home in Englewood, New Jersey. In1989, Lorna and Bill received the
Hall of Fame Award from the authentic Cult Awareness Network and, in 1999; they
received the Leo J. Ryan Award from the Leo J. Ryan Foundation. In 2009, she
received the Margaret T. Singer Award from ICSA. Lorna joined ICSA’s Board of
Directors in November 2003. Along with Rosanne Henry, she co-chaired ICSA’s
Mental Health Committee until her term as President of ICSA from 2008 to 2012.
Lorna has published numerous articles about her therapeutic work with former
cult members in professional journals, most recently: Goldberg, L. (2012).
Influence of a Charismatic Antisocial Cult Leader: Psychotherapy with an
Ex-Cultist Prosecuted for Criminal Behavior. International Journal of Cultic
Studies, Vol. 2, 15-24. Goldberg, L. (2011). Diana, Leaving the Cult: Play
Therapy in Childhood and Talk Therapy in Adolescence. International Journal of
Cultic Studies, (Vol.2), 33-43. She also wrote a chapter on guidelines for
therapists in the book, Recovery from Cults, edited by Michael Langone. Lorna
has co-written with Bill Goldberg, a chapter on psychotherapy with targeted
parents in the book, Working with Alienated Children and Families (2012),
edited by Amy J.L. Baker & S. Richard Sauber. She is also co-editor of
ICSA’s Cult Recovery: A Clinician’s Guide to Working With Former Members and
Their Families, which is due to be published in 2017. Website: blgoldberg.com
Email: Lorna@BLGoldberg.com Phone: (201) 894-8515. New Jersey (Englewood)
Phone/Electronic Consultation Possible
William
Goldberg, LCSW, PsyA, is a clinical social worker and psychoanalyst with over forty
years’ experience working with former cult members. He and his wife, Lorna,
co-lead a support group for former cult members, which has been meeting for
over forty years. It is the oldest group of its kind in the world. In 2007,
Bill retired from the Rockland County, NY Department of Mental Health, where he
directed several programs and clinics. He is presently an adjunct professor in
the social work and social science departments of Dominican College and he is
on the faculty of the Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies. Bill has published
numerous articles in books and professional journals, and he is one of the
editors of a soon to be published book, sponsored by ICSA, which will focus on
clinical work with former cult members. Bill is a frequent speaker at ICSA
conferences, and he and Lorna have been the recipients of the Authentic CAN
Hall of Fame Award and the Leo J. Ryan Award. In 2010, Bill was the recipient
of ICSA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also co-editor of ICSA’s Cult
Recovery: A Clinician’s Guide to Working With Former Members and Their
Families, which is due to be published in 2017. (201) 894-8515 Website: blgoldberg.com
Email:bill@blgoldberg.com New Jersey
(Englewood) Phone/Electronic Consultation Possible
Ashlen
Hilliard is the
Assistant to the Executive Director for the International Cultic Studies
Association (ICSA). Before ICSA, she worked in Salt Lake City, Utah as a case
manager that helped individuals leaving polygamy out west. ICSA has provided
her with a greater appreciation of the spectrum of coercive control and its
international dimension, her current focuses are event organization and former
member outreach. She was also born and raised in the fundamentalist churches of
Christ, and attended the sect’s choice of higher education at Florida College,
where she received her BA in Communication with a minor in Biblical Studies.
Ashlen relocated to
Portland, Oregon in March of this year, where she looking forward to connecting
with fellow survivors at the SAFE Meetups (Spiritual Abuse Forum for
Education), and focuses on building a network of survivors and helping
professionals in the Pacific Northwest. This is her second year helping to
implement a local Portland conference that will provide resources for those who
have experienced spiritual abuse and high-control groups.
Gillie
Jenkinson, PhD, is an accredited counsellor and psychotherapist in UK and is
experienced in delivering counselling face-to-face as well as on the telephone
and Skype. She served two internships at Wellspring Retreat Center, Ohio, and
has many years’ experience working with trauma victims, including survivors of
spiritual and cult abuse, and sexual abuse. She has developed an approach to
counselling former members – “Time Away for Post-Cult Counselling.”
Gillie was a member of an abusive Bible-based cult in the 1970’s. She is a
regular presenter at conferences and a published author, including a
co-authoring a chapter entitled “Pathological Spirituality” for a
medical text book entitled Spirituality and Psychiatry, published by
RCPsych Publications in UK – 2009. She is the Mental Health Editor for ICSA
Today. Gillie’s doctoral research dissertation is entitled: ‘Freeing the
authentic-self: Phases of Recovery and Growth from an Abusive Cult Experience’.
Hopevalleycounselling.com. info@hopevalleycounselling.com. +44 1433 639032
Kathryn
Keller,
Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Professional Counselor –
Supervisor in Dallas, TX. She co-owns a group counseling practice, Dallas
Therapy Collective, where she sees clients for individual therapy. She
graduated from Texas Woman’s University with her doctorate in counseling
psychology. She conducted her doctoral dissertation on the topic of spiritual
abuse, resulting in the first known measure of spiritual abuse. Kathryn’s
practice is focused on clients who have experienced traumatic stress, including
spiritual and religious trauma. She works particularly well with people who
have experienced high levels of control in fundamentalist and evangelical
Christian traditions. In addition to therapy, she enjoys training, consulting,
supervising, and running many of the behind the scenes business aspects of her
group practice.
Joseph
Kelly
1300 S.
13th Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 267-679-5493 joekelly411@gmail.com
Intervention101.com, Cultmediation.com: These sites offer
resources designed to help thoughtful families and friends understand and
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.
Dr.
Colleen Logan’s career spans decades of activism, advocacy, and diversity
training. She is known in particular for her expertise in providing diversity
training related to the unique needs of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) communities.
Dr. Logan
has been a Licensed Professional Counselor since 1994. She has maintained a
private practice for over twenty years. She holds a License as a Supervisor in
Texas. She has been recognized and commended by the American Counseling
Association (ACA) and The Association of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender
Issues in Counseling, a division of ACA for her contributions to the field of
counseling and affirmative therapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
individuals and their significant others. She is co-founder of the Texas
Association of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues in Counseling, a division of
Texas Counseling Association. She is a Fellow and former past president of the
American Counseling Association (ACA). She remains active in the organization
and currently serves as a trustee on the American Counseling Association Foundation
(ACAF). She is also active in the Texas Counseling Association (TCA) and serves
on the Board of Directors.
Dr. Logan
has authored or co-authored a number of articles and chapters as well as a book
regarding how to work effectively with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
clients and their significant other. In 2016, Dr. Logan authored a document
entitled Inclusion and Wellbeing of LGBTQ Youth, an award-winning document
created for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America staff and volunteers. Moreover,
in 2017, Dr. Logan co-authored a seminal guide to counseling the LGBTQ+
community across the lifespan.
Dr. Cyndi
Matthews is an
Assistant Clinical Professor from Southern Methodist University and graduated
with a PhD and Masters in Counseling and Counselor Education from Texas A&M
University-Commerce. Dr. Matthews previously worked at the University of
Louisiana Monroe and the University of North Texas at Dallas before coming to
SMU. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) and a
Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) with over 17 years’ experience working
with individuals, couples, and families. She is also a Cult Consultant who
works with former cult members and their families from around the world.
Dr.
Matthews’ research interests include religious/spiritual abuse along with its
long-term effects and counseling best practices; counseling with LGBTQ+
individuals; and counseling individuals born and raised in religious cults. Her
dissertation examined the long term effects of those born and raised in
religious cults. She has published in the International Journal for the
Advancement of Counselling, The Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, and the
International Journal of Cultic Studies.
She is a
member of ACA, ASERVIC, ALGBTIC, CSJ, TCA, TxCSJ, TALGBTIC, TAMFC, and ICSA and
currently serves on the ICSA, ASERVIC, and ALGBTIC boards.
Dr.
Matthews’ private practice specializes in Depression/Anxiety/Stress, LGBTQ+
Issues/Gender Identity, Addiction, Religious Abuse & Cult Recovery,
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sexual, Emotional, & and Physical Abuse,
Anger Management, Domestic Violence, Sex Therapy, Premarital Counseling,
Communication Skills, Crisis Management, and Relationship Effectiveness.
Dr.
Matthews is trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT),
EMDR, Couples’ Gottman (Levels I and II) and Couples’ Imago therapy, Sandtray
Therapy, Online Counseling, and Psychodrama.
1300 S.
13th Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 215-467-4939 pryan19147@gmail.com
Intervention101.com, Cultmediation.com: These sites offer
resources designed to help thoughtful families and friends understand and
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: Daily news, links,
resources.
Robert E.
Schecter, PhD
Daniel
Shaw, LCSW, is the
author of Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of Subjugation, published by
Routledge. He is a Psychoanalyst in Private Practice in New York City and
Nyack, NY; and he is Faculty and Clinical Supervisor at The National Institute
for the Psychotherapies (NIP), in New York City. Shaw spent thirteen years as a
staff member in Siddha Yoga (SYDA Foundation). There he wore many hats,
including: manager of the residential Manhattan facility, educator,
spokesperson, public relations coordinator, community organizer, and
writer/director of public programs. Shaw exited Siddha Yoga in 1994, published
an Open Letter about Siddha Yoga on the internet in 1995, and helped create the
Leaving Siddha Yoga website, one of the first internet websites for ex cult
members. Shaw is the author of Traumatic Abuse in Cults: A Psychoanalytic
Perspective, published in the Cultic Studies Journal, numerous psychoanalytic
papers, and the editor of a special issue on the traumatizing narcissist in
ICSA’sInternational Journal of Cultic Studies. In 2018 Mr. Shaw received ICSA’s
Margaret T. Singer Award for for advancing the understanding of coercive
persuasion and undue influence. Website: www.danielshawlcsw.com Email: danielshawlcsw@gmail.com Phone: (845) 548-2561.
Michael
Shemwell is a
life coach, and started the podcast “Shunned” in which he now helps
others tell their stories. The 40 episodes to date cover people shunned from
not only Jehovah’s Witnesses but other high control groups as well. For more
information on Michael: https://michaelshemwell.com/
Joseph
Szimhart began
research into cultic influence in 1980, after ending his two-year devotion to a
New Age sect. He began to work professionally as an intervention specialist and
exit counselor in 1986 on an international scale. From 1985 through 1992, he
was chairman of an interdenominational, cult information organization in New
Mexico. Since 1998 he has worked in the crisis department of a psychiatric
emergency hospital in Pennsylvania. He continues to assist families with
interventions and former members in recovery, including consultations via phone
and Internet. He maintains a cult informational website, lectures, consults for
the media, and has published articles, book reviews, and papers related to the
cult problem. His first novel, Mushroom Satori: The Cult Diary, was released in
2013 through Aperture Press. He has an art studio at Goggleworks Center for the
Arts in Reading, PA. In 2016 he received an ICSA Lifetime Achievement Award at
the Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas. Website: http://jszimhart.com/ Email:
jszimhart@gmail.com Phone: (484) 529-1936. Pennsylvania
Julienna
Viegas was born
and raised in Belgium. She grew up as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
latter-day saints. She left the mainstream Mormon Church in 2015 after going
through a faith crisis which led her to question the foundation of her
childhood beliefs. Since then she has published several articles in the Salt
Lake Tribune questioning practices in the Mormon Church, she was interviewed on
Mormon Stories by John Dehlin, she participated in multiple podcasts and hosts
her own Faith Transition Podcast. Julienna studied International Politics at
Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She currently works as a business
developer in a FinTech company and also volunteers to lead a faith transition
support group in North Dallas. Julienna is the mother of three children. She is
currently finishing a book about faith transition. She enjoys traveling and
staying physically active.
Doni
Whitsett, PhD, LCSW, is a Clinical Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck
School of Social Work where she teaches various courses in practice, behavior,
mental health, and human sexuality. She has been working with cult-involved
clients and their families for over 20 years and gives lectures to students and
professionals on this topic. She has presented at national and international
conferences in Madrid, Poland, Canada, and in Australia, where she helped
organize two conferences in Brisbane. Her talks have included The Psychobiology
of Trauma and Child Maltreatment (2005, Madrid) and Why Cults Are Harmful: A
Neurobiological View of Interpersonal Trauma (2012, Montreal). Her publications
include The Psychobiology of Trauma and Child Maltreatment (Cultic Studies
Review, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2006), A Self Psychological Approach to the Cult
Phenomenon (Journal of Social Work, 1992), Cults and Families (Families in
Society, Vol. 84, No. 4, 2003), which she coauthored with Dr. Stephen Kent, and
Why cults are harmful: Neurobiological speculations on inter-personal trauma.
ICSA Today, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2014. Dr. Whitsett also has a specialty in Sexuality
and was awarded a Fulbright Specialist Scholarship in 2016 to study, teach, and
do research on this topic in China. Email: whitsett@usc.edu Phone: (323)
907-2400
Mark
Wingfield is
associate pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas and author of the new
book Why Churches Need to Talk About Sexuality. He is a regular columnist for
the Dallas Morning News and Baptist News Global and presented a 2016 TEDx Talk,
“The Baptist Pastor And His Transgender Friends.” He is a former print
journalist who combines his passion for social justice with his role as a
pastor to serve as an advocate for those estranged from organized religion.
ICSA History Collection
Interview with Steve Eichel (Current President of ICSA)
Robert E. Schecter, PhD,
interviewed Steve K. D. Eichel, PhD, on July 7, 2018 as part of a series of
interviews designed to illuminate ICSA’s history. Dr. Eichel, who has served as
ICSA’s president, discusses his early work in this field, including co-founding
the counseling organization RETIRN. He also discusses changes he has observed
in the field and his views on ICSA and its future.Building Bridges; Leaving
and Recovering from Cultic Groups and Relationships: A Webinar for Families and
Former Members
Why people join groups, leave groups and stay?
Why people join groups?
Why people stay in groups?
Rachel Bernstein, MS, LMFT
Joseph Kelly, Patrick Ryan
Panel – Inside the
Therapeutic Space w/ Ashley Allen and Doni Whitsett
Ashley Allen; Doni
Whitsett In the Mental Health Cult field little, if anything, has been written
about the therapeutic process from both the perspective of the therapist and
the client. In contrast, much has been written by therapists and clients
individually about the symptomology of former members, application of
theoretical frameworks, case examples, and personal accounts. However, to our
knowledge there has not been anything written or presented on the simultaneous
experience of both the therapist and the client. This presentation is a unique
opportunity to hear perspectives from “both sides of the couch.” It will open
the door and give participants a chance to explore the therapeutic space from
the point of view of a therapist, Dr. Doni Whitsett, and an SGA, Ashley Allen,
MSW. We will share pertinent themes in the recovery process from our respective
positions, highlight what worked and what didn’t, and explore the rationale
behind those interventions. While each therapeutic experience is different and
“one size doesn’t fit all,” this presentation will provide a fuller picture of
the therapeutic process and jump start this important conversation.
Building Bridges; Leaving and Recovering from Cultic Groups and Relationships: A Webinar for Families and Former Members
Why do families become
concerned?
a. Notice disturbing
behavioral changes.
b. Lack of contact.
c. Major changes of
goals.
d. Disapprove of the
group’s beliefs or practices.
e. Don’t know anything
about the group, so fear it.
f. React against terms:
“cult” “brainwashing”.
Rachel Bernstein, MS, LMFT
Joseph Kelly, Patrick Ryan
A Prison of Shame and Fear:
Understanding the Role of Shame in Cult Indoctrination and Recovery – Dan Shaw
Fear and shame are what
bedevil all traumatized people, as they struggle to feel safe in a world where
they have felt the trapped, helpless, powerlessness of traumatic experience. I
explore in this talk how shame plays a part in successful cult recruitment; the
role of shame in the cult leader’s psychology; the use of shame in cults as a
means of control and domination; and the ways that shame haunts those who leave
cults.
Building Bridges; Leaving
and Recovering from Cultic Groups and Relationships: A Webinar for Families and
Former Members
What approaches have
families used to address their concerns? What has worked?
a. What has not
worked?
b. Sharing Ideas About What
Works Best?
c. What can families do
when these approaches are not feasible or appropriate.
d. Why many groups don’t
fit the “cult” stereotype?
Rachel Bernstein, MS, LMFT
Joseph Kelly, Patrick Ryan
Building Bridges; Leaving
and Recovering from Cultic Groups and Relationships: A Webinar for Families and
Former Members
Intervention101 (an alternative)
Approach, and how to assess your unique situation.
a. Do no harm.
b. Who wins? The group,
family or Member?
c. How to Assess your
unique situation?
d. Ethical issues.
Rachel Bernstein, MS, LMFT
Joseph Kelly, Patrick Ryan
Building Bridges; Leaving
and Recovering from Cultic Groups and Relationships: A Webinar for Families and
Former Members
World views.
a. How do people adopt a
worldview? How can families effectively communicate across
worldviews?
b. In our next session we
will discuss why relationships are so important, and how to communicate with
your loved one.
Rachel Bernstein, MS, LMFT
Joseph Kelly, Patrick Ryan
Building Bridges; Leaving
and Recovering from Cultic Groups and Relationships: A Webinar for Families and
Former Members
Why are Relationships so
important? How to improve communication?
a. Developing
problem-solving skills.
b. Formulating a helping strategy.
Rachel Bernstein, MS, LMFT Joseph Kelly, Patrick Ryan
Thank you for the tremendous honour of awarding my work GOLD WRITER and for publishing it in ArtAscent. I am truly privileged for this opportunity.
I think the scariest thing I’ve ever done is to see my name, at the top of an article that tells my true story, on your pages. ArtAscent has helped me to charge through a terrifying hurdle. Publishing my thoughts has greatly impacted my perspective and my writing journey, by breaking down a barrier of silence.
I am especially grateful for the generous introduction written by Alexis Culotta, Ph D. I truly appreciate her understanding of how difficult it is to share such a personal experience. I am grateful for her ability to read between the lines and translate the weight and extent of the immense situation I attempt to convey.
I feel guilty, terrified, ashamed and relieved, to see it published. I couldn’t have raised the courage to push myself past the invisible limits established for me, without the validating and healing insights of those who have come before, such as Nori Muster, Carol Giambalvo, Ron Burks, and the researchers, Michael D. Langone, Ph D, Janja Lalich, Ph D, Lois Kendall, Ph D, and many others. I appreciate their generous work with those of us attempting to navigate our lives within this difficult framework.
There is an invisible yet growing faction of the population who struggle alone in these uncanny circumstances. It’s crucial we let them know, they are not alone in their aloneness.
The Arts are an imperative medium, in that sometimes only a poem or a sketch or a painting will convey the confusion and grief with which others can make self-affirming connections.
Thank you, ArtAscent, for the encouragement you’ve afforded me by recognizing my work. Together we will get our messages out there.
Thank you for what you do.
By Maria Peregolise, MSc Ed ArtAscent Art & Literature “Portraits” Issue (February 2020) Gold Writer https://www.cultedchild.com
Replies
Guest L. B.
Very well said. There is no shame in opening up and telling the truth about events that impacted your life. I pray this process will lead to healing for you while you educate others in the lifestyle of a cult. When one is involved, they do not recognize the signs; especially children. It is cruel to draw a child into such teachings. You are a smart lady, and were an intelligent young girl. You probably didn’t know it was a “cult,” but were wise enough to be uncomfortable. You were so young, and this has been going on over 50 years! Thankful for your supportive husband and family!
My love to you! Reply February 27, 2020 9:21 am
Guest Sabrina
It takes a lot of courage to tell your truth. As Anne Lamott wrote: “You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.” Reply February 25, 2020 9:46 am
MP says:February 11, 2020 at 12:28 am Maria’s writing is a guiding light in the dark for people who are struggling with or who have struggled and suffered the abuse doled out by a narcissistic parent or cult leader. Maria illustrates how growing up in such an environment molded her to mute herself, doubt herself and caused her perpetual inner turmoil. And though victims of narcists may have been caged in the convoluted realities of their abusers for years or in her case, a lifetime, Maria writes empowering words of hope, in which one can recognize the actual reality of their situation, come to terms with it and decide to define reality for themselves; “Deciding what reality you are willing to live within is vital. Just as crucial, is the turmoil you give yourself permission to live without.”Reply
SDT says:February 5, 2020 at 1:56 pm Very excited to receive my February edition specifically for Mrs. Peregolise’s piece. Her website and the upcoming book explores a childhood of narcissism and neglect. Maria has the emotional intelligence to help others realize their own trauma and discover that the “sky is not green and the grass is not blue”.Reply
LR says:February 2, 2020 at 11:12 am I’m so proud of Maria and her willingness to share about her childhood. Much of who we are and who we become is shaped during our childhood. We can all learn from each other’s experiences. Thank you, Maria, for sharing your story.Reply
DP says:February 1, 2020 at 7:17 pm Can’t wait! If there’s anything I have learned from Maria’s writing, it’s that the concepts of faith and family can be just as damaging and terrifying as they can be uplifting and inspiring- and furthermore, that the amount of trust you put into someone is directly proportionate to the amount of control they have over you. Maria’s writing is emotional and informative, and demonstrates that the damage done to a child in a cult setting can go unnoticed and almost inconsequential until years later, when the threads of faith begin to unravel- and the former culted child’s self-image and worldview along with it.Reply
