Five Elements of Cult Counseling
by
Allen Tate Wood
Introduction
Establishing Rapport
Describing Points of Reference Outside the
Polarized Image of Reality of the Cult
Remembering, Reflecting and Mourning
Ethical Implications of Cult Counseling
A General Misreading of the Facts
Introduction
Cult counseling attempts to address the whole range of problems
manifest in the victims of thought reform. The specific goal of
the therapy is to assist the cult victim in establishing points
of reference outside the closed polarized image of reality offered
by his or her totalist system. Cult counseling, in my experience,
consists of three basic elements: establishing rapport, describing
points of reference outside the closed polarized image of reality
of the cult, mourning/ reflecting and remembering the experience.
For the purposes of this paper I shall treat the three elements
as though they are distinct. In fact they do overlap. In the first
two stages the counselor or deprogrammer, who is often an ex-cult
member, is involved as a full partner in what may be an extremely
intense interaction. The third stage may or may not involve the
counselors and is one that will stretch out over weeks, months
and years and may include parents, siblings, friends and ex-cult
members.
Establishing Rapport
An essential skill for the cult counselor in his or her therapeutic
repertoire is a command of the cult idiom, its doctrine, special
language and buzzwords. Few cult members will entertain conversation
with someone who is unversed in their doctrine. Faced with a counselor
who can not move freely in the cult idiom and doctrine, cult members
are likely to assume a posture characterized by remarks such as:
"how can you presume to judge my group and its beliefs when
you don't even know what we believe?" or "if you were
really interested in me you would examine my beliefs thoroughly
enough to make intelligent conversation, rather than hurling accusations
on the basis of hearsay."
It is important for the counselor to be explicit about who she
or he is; about what he conceives his role to be; and to make
clear exactly what the cult member can and can not expect from
him. In assisting the cult member to step outside the siege mentality
of the cult, the counselor may want to begin by indicating that
the encounter is not a battle situation. It is not an occasion
for attack or retreat, threats or retaliation. The meeting will
not produce a victor and a vanquished. It can or it may result
in a dialogue. Many cult members expect the non-cult world to
strike them or attack them or in some manner invade them.
This often creates a barrier to free discussion. In order to
circumvent this barrier the counselor should maintain a posture
and inner attitude of defenselessness, non-retaliation and openness.
When and if rapport is established the main phase of the counseling
may proceed rapidly. This phase is characterized by the four points
described below. However, members of groups which practice mind
control often do not wish to be freed from the moral and psychological
bondage in which they are entrapped. The serious ethical implications
arising from this problem are discussed in part two of this essay.
Describing Points of Reference Outside
the Polarized Image of Reality of the Cult
This main phase of the counseling can generally be divided into
four components:
A.) First, a thorough going examination of the teaching of the
group, it's doctrine, language and claims. Often cult members
are inducted into a cult without really studying or learning the
cult doctrine, since the method of presentation rarely allows
for real reflection. It is important for the cult member to grasp
the cult doctrines in their entirety, so that later the doctrine
may be used as a standard of judgment with which to examine the
behavior of the leader of the group and the members of the group
as a whole. If the authors of the cult's doctrine claim that the
doctrine is logical and scientific ( as do the authors of the
"Divine Principle"- doctrine of the Unification Church-
for example) it should be scanned for errors in logic, changes
in the central hypotheses and lack of consistency with which definitions
are maintained. Further if the cult's teaching is based on some
preexisting scripture, all quotes from said scripture used as
ballast should be checked against the original texts for distortions,
omissions etc. As a coherent picture of the teaching emerges,
the counselor and client enter into an examination of the social,
political and psychological ramifications of these ideas. What
are the likely results of the practice of this teaching, both
to the individuals who try to put it into practice, and to the
passive recipients of such practices? What is the likely social
response to such a teaching?
B.) Next, a detailed exposition of the principles and practices
of thought reform (as outlined by Lifton, 1963, and Milgram, 1969
and 1974. This should be coupled with an analysis of the cult
member's initial contact with the cult group, its members and
leaders, and an in depth reconstruction of the behavior of the
cult members and leaders during training programs, workshops,
retreats or encounter groups. Often this aspect of the counseling
session sees the most dramatic response from the cult member.
Here the mystery behind the cult's power is laid bare. The cult
member may begin to get glimpses of the way in which psychological
techniques, behavior modification, environmental control and an
iron clad reinforcement schedule, together with the prospective
cult member's psychological profile- high ideals and essential
desire for goodness- were used to capture him or her. The net
effect of the cult indoctrination is to produce a shift in consciousness,
a shift in affect. Often this shift is accompanied by a "snapping
moment"; a moment in which the cult's manipulative techniques
bear fruit in the production of a "spiritual experience".
This experience (the outcome of a tried and proven system) becomes,
for the unwary initiate, existential proof of the existence of
God, the supernatural confirmation of the truth of the teachings
and an affidavit guaranteeing the character and motives of the
leaders of the group.
A KIND OF ILLUMINATION IN ITSELF
It is vital that the cult member be given the opportunity and
the tools with which to distinguish between the cult doctrines
and the behavior modification techniques used in the production
of the snapping moment or peak experience. For many cult members
these behaviorally and environmentally induced "spiritual
experiences" are the bridge between a healthy, open and questioning
attitude and a kind of regression into dependence , embeddedness
and infantilism. These experiences, occurring often as they do
within the highly charged, tightly controlled atmosphere of the
cult indoctrination center, are not subjected to critical scrutiny.
They are metabolized and socialized within the language and doctrine
of the cult. They are the occasion for increased approval from
the group. Phenomenologically speaking, they initiate the "divine
history" of the individual, and they recapitulate and reinforce
the history and mythology of the group. What is perceived as a
flash of illumination and liberation becomes, in fact, the first
step in a frog march toward moral slavery and psychological bondage.
During this phase of the conversation the counselor wants to do
everything in his or her power to help the cult member critically
evaluate the variables at play in the cult training environment.
To see through the cult psycho-technology is a kind of illumination
in itself.
C.) The presentation of testimonies of ex-members, court records,
depositions, audio and video tapes dealing with the activities
of the group. These may include evidence of illegal and corrupt
activities, suspect training methods, ill treatment of members
and the experiences of ex-members and their families.
D.) In conjunction with a review of characteristics of the particular
cult involved, the counselor should lead the discussion towards
an examination of other totalitarian groups. A rudimentary perusal
of the philosophy, activities, training methods, world view and
psychology of other cult groups may allow the cult member to see
that his own group is but one of the fish in the sea. Common characteristics
often include: rigid orthodoxy, adversary worldview, exclusive
claim to truth, sacrificial members, hierarchical social structure
and divinely ordained leader.
Perception of the universality of components between cults may
go a long way toward putting to rest, in the minds of the cult
members, previously held convictions that their group, and that
group alone, is privy to the absolute truth.
By this time, if dialogue has been established, the monolithic
picture of reality promulgated by the cult may be breaking down
in the mind of the cult member. Here it is often helpful for the
counselor to encourage the cult member to review the main points
of their discussion so far, with an eye to abstracting from the
conversation some general statements about cult life versus his
or her life in their family, school or community.
Once the cult member begins to volunteer information and contribute
spontaneously to the discussion, this may signal a significant
turning point in the session.
Remembering, Reflecting and Mourning
No attempt should be made to suppress or extinguish the cult
member's memories or experiences in the cult. In fact these are
their legacy. No matter that the cult recruiters and trainers
may have lied, tricked and conspired to produce the "conversion"
of the cult member, the fact remains that the cult member's perceptions
and experiences are real. The attachments which were formed, the
expectations that were awakened, the love that was shared, the
suffering together for a common goal: these experiences form the
psychological landscape of the cult member's world. It is in the
framework of these "positive" experiences and feelings
that the irrational, illegal and dangerous activities of the cult
group are carried out. Reflecting on the cult experience is natural
and healthy. This remembering can be likened to mourning the loss
or death of a loved one. To put pressure on ex-members not to
talk about or reflect on their experience is to inhibit their
rehabilitation and to deprive them of their most powerful tools
for digesting the cult experience. Family members can supply invaluable
aid by assuming a receptive supportive, non-judgmental attitude
and simply listening to cult members' accounts of their cult days.
Conversations about their own cult are often pivotal points in
the recent ex-cult member's recovery of balance and perspective.
Some ex-members find it helpful to write down their experiences.
Writing about, thinking about and discussing cult experiences
are powerful strategies for metabolizing the cult experience and
resuming the autonomous conduct of one's life.
Ethical Implications of Cult Counseling
Delgado (1977) discusses in depth the legal and moral issues
which surround the question of bringing aid to members of groups
which employ deception, social coercion and mind control in their
recruitment and indoctrination procedures. Among the avenues of
relief available to families who have lost a child to such a group
are: " a variety of remedies, ranging from simple preventative
requirements to procedures aimed at returning a victim to his
former condition" (p.98)
Once a family has recognized that their son or daughter is involved
with a totalist group, it is faced with a bewildering array of
decisions, issues and moral questions.
A family with a child in a destructive cult needs help. It needs
help from other families who have already experienced the trials
and tribulations which cult involvement inevitably brings. They
need the counsel of former members of that particular cult in
order to help them formulate strategies for freeing, or for merely
communicating with their child.
Cult involvement is a problem. It is a problem for the child
in the cult and it is a problem for child's parents and siblings.
But it need not become a tragedy. After proper counsel, thoroughgoing
education and exhaustive examination of the resources available,
a family may choose to intervene in the life of their child in
the cult in order to give their child the opportunity to regain
control of his mind and critical faculties. This intervention
may take one of several forms: a series of counseling sessions
with an informed member of the helping professions (psychiatrist,
psychologist, social worker or cleric); an interview or series
of interviews with articulate ex-members of the cult.
These first two forms of intervention presuppose the free assent
of the cult member. However, in the case of many members of destructive
cults, the cult member is not capable of making the decision to
critically evaluate either his involvement in the group or the
group's activities and aims.
In many destructive cults the goal of training and indoctrination
is to destroy the individual's capacity for independent thought
and moral judgment, since the active exercise of these faculties
would be likely to prevent the initiate from making a complete
commitment to the cult.
The family is faced with a moral problem. Remaining in the cult,
the child is often living in a condition of de facto involuntary
servitude. The child is the virtual tool of the cult leaders.
An extremely important consideration is the fact the child's life
and activities in the cult are not carried out in a moral vacuum.
While remaining in the cult, the child usually participates in
recruiting other innocent, unwary young people and in other activities
such as charities fraud (illegal fund raising). These facts often
weigh heavily in the thinking of those parents who have employed
either of the first two forms of intervention without apparent
success. A third path remains open, counseling with restraint
or "deprogramming". This generally consists of the components
described earlier in this article, with the significant difference
that the cult member is not allowed to leave the counseling environment
until the parents and counselors are satisfied that the cult member
has seriously considered the information presented by the counselors.
In the end, of course, there is no foolproof method of delivering
someone from a destructive cult. Any of the three avenues described
here may work. On the other hand, none of them may have much apparent
success. The critical factor is the assent of the cult member,
whether it is an open counseling session or one in which the cult
member is restricted for a time. If the cult member absolutely
and categorically refuses dialogue, and can maintain this position
throughout the session, he will in all likelihood remain in the
cult. In all of the three remedies proposed the cult member is
invited into a dialogue to examine information which he or she
has not been allowed to see in the cult. If the cult member can
for a short while suspend disbelief in his or her parents and
the counselor(s) and re-entertain an open, questioning posture
with respect to the cult, it is possible if not probable that
he will see through what has been done to him and come all the
way out of the cult.
A General Misreading of the Facts
To interpret cult involvement as a developmental phase, an aspect
of growing up or an intra-psychic strategy for dealing with the
problems of adjustment which surround the passage from adolescence
to adulthood represents, in general, a misreading of the facts.
It fails to take into account the tactics, strategies and overall
goals of the cult. Specifically it represents a failure to confront
the indisputable fact that deliberate deception, social coercion
and psychological manipulation form the backbone of the cult's
recruiting and indoctrinating procedures. The successfully socialized
cult member has entered a world in which submission to authority,
blind obedience and conformity have supplanted such "outmoded"
notions of character development as the development of self-reliance,
the capacity for critical thinking and the need for openness and
compassion in human relationships. Any character development that
takes place inside cult groups employing mind control techniques
in their indoctrination procedures and in the maintenance of cult
normative behaviors , is fortuitous. It occurs in spite of, not
as a result of, cult practice.
For those families who have a child in a destructive cult there
are a host of perspectives, attitudes, postures and strategies
which may variously be assumed or employed in an attempt to come
to terms with the painful facts. I can not help but formulate
the problem in its general terms as a question of love. The family
can see that something is wrong. The cult group says the family
is evil. The cult accuses the family and anyone with authority
outside the cult. It says: " your love is no good, it does
not serve. You do not have the right to love your children".
Emotional tension is heightened when children join with their
cult mentors to echo the accusation of parents and families. I
believe that to act to save their children from the thralldom
of destructive cults is the right of parents. It is an expression
of their love. It can represent, in the deepest sense, a reaffirmation
of a husband's and a wife's commitment to each other and to their
children. It is a test of their love. To fight for the life of
one's child in the face of the systematic accusation of a destructive
cult is one of the tasks of this age.
1. Lifton, R.J.(1963) " Thought Reform and the Psychology
of Totalism."
2. Milgram, S. (1969, 1974) "Obedience to Authority."
3. Richard Delgado, assistant professor of law at the University
of Washington; Delgado, R.(1977) " Religious Totalism: gentle
and ungentle persuasion under the first amendment" in S.
California Law Review, Nov. 1977(pp.1-98)
