Join me and #iGotOut for an unforgettable night of spoken word, songs, poetry, & more from across the “cultiverse” at Story Jam, 10/21, at the Improv Shop Comedy Club in St. Louis. If you represent a business, please consider #sponsoring the event! This is your chance to grow your audience & increase education about what it’s REALLY like to combat coercive control. The deadline for sponsor sign-ups is 9/15 so ACT NOW! Check out our website for all the details. https://www.igotout.org/story-jam

Heads-up on some AMAZING #volunteer and #intern opportunities with #IGotOut! You’ll gain #communications, #writing, #editing, and/or #graphicdesign skills while supporting the #cult recovery community. I’ve joined their Board of Directors — assisting them in their journey to become a #nonprofit — so I know how vitally important their work is and how much thought has gone into these opportunities. If you’d like to learn more, message them through www.igotout.org/contact (and mention me!)

Heads-up on some AMAZING #volunteer and #intern opportunities with #IGotOut! You’ll gain #communications, #writing, #editing, and/or #graphicdesign skills while supporting the #cult recovery community. I’ve joined their Board of Directors — assisting them in their journey to become a #nonprofit — so I know how vitally important their work is and how much thought has gone into these opportunities. If you’d like to learn more, message them through www.igotout.org/contact (and mention me!)

Have you seen the #shinyhappypeople docuseries exposing the #Duggars & the #IBLP #Gothard #cult? It is important because it exposes #conservative #evangelical #christianity in the #USA and how long plans have been in motion to basically take over all levels of government - but especially the #scotus . Here’s my B4 & after fundie, Gothardesque pic. #iGotOut

Sacred Science: Trust, Suppression, Silencing Doubts, Isolation, Influence, Reinforcement

•Establishes authority
•Establishes goodness
•Establishes the one true way, which…
•…blocks a desire to seek answers outside the system
•Suppresses the ability to ask questions or express doubts about core principles
•Suppresses ability to criticize leadership

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #HealYourTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #MindControl #CultCounterconditioning

Mind Control Technique #4:

Sacred Science (Closed System of Logic) - The ideology and leader have the one and only truth. Members should only seek answers in group teachings. Doctrinal logic is airtight. The leaders are above criticism and those who question or criticize are immoral.

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #HealYourTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl #CultCounterconditioning

Deception: Suppression, Trust, Silence Doubts

•Hides negative effects
•Hides challenging "doctrines" which are actually just tighter control methods
•Hides negative history
•Hides atrocities committed by leader & members
•Obfuscates control; makes the member feel in control of her own choices
•Builds trust by not causing reasons for mistrust

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #HealYourTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl #CultCounterconditioning

Deception: Suppression, Trust, Silence Doubts

●Hides negative effects
●Hides challenging "doctrines" which are actually just tighter control methods
●Hides negative history
●Hides atrocities committed by leader & members
●Obfuscates control; makes the member feel in control of her own choices
●Builds trust by not causing reasons for mistrust

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #HealYourTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl #CultCounterconditioning

Mind Control Technique #3:

Deception - Lies, omissions, and "front" activities cover up flaws or unusual aspects of the group, doctrine, leadership, and history. Some truths will be revealed later when a member is "ready." Many persuasion techniques are only unethical if they're also deceptive.

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #HealYourTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl #CultCounterconditioning

RT @ArielAnderssen@twitter.com

Reading from my memoir... #kinky #exjw #igotout #bdsm #submissive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS4FSP_jUdA

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/ArielAnderssen/status/1613243991621005312

Reading from my memoir... #kinky #exjw #igotout #bdsm #submissive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS4FSP_jUdA

Destabilization: Suppression, Trust, Isolation, Perpetuation

•Establishes influence through emotion
•Suppresses the self, lowers defenses
•A reward is offered—"We will restabilize you"
•Builds trust
•Fills an ongoing need
•Isolates or targets those who are already isolated
•Creates dependency
•Preys on children
•Puts adults in a regressed, childlike mindset

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl #CultCounterconditioning

Mind Control Technique #2:

Destabilizing the Self - Barriers are torn down that would otherwise prevent acceptance of new beliefs. Includes those who have already been destabilized by life situations and the indoctrination of children, who have not yet formed a sense of self.

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl #HealYourTrauma #CultCounterconditioning

Destabilization: Suppression, Trust, Isolation, Perpetuation

•Establishes influence through emotion
•Suppresses the self, lowers defenses
•A reward is offered—"We will restabilize you"
•Builds trust
•Fills an ongoing need
•Isolates or targets those who are already isolated
•Creates dependency
•Preys on children
•Puts adults in a regressed, childlike mindset

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl #CultCounterconditioning

Mind Control Technique #2:

Destabilizing the Self - Barriers are torn down that would otherwise prevent acceptance of new beliefs. Includes those who have already been destabilized by life situations and the indoctrination of children, who have not yet formed a sense of self.

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl #HealYourTrauma #CultCounterconditioning

Love Bombing:

• Attracts new members
• Builds trust
• Lowers defenses
• Makes the group seem morally good
• Overcomes resistances to strange ideas, steep learning curve, and doubts
• Establishes that member must seek approval from the group
• Establishes a reward: positive social feedback
• Pulls people back into the fold when they stray

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl

Mind Control Technique:

Love Bombing - Insincere friendliness, flattery, praise, and affection are used to entice participation and attendance for potential recruits, and to retain members who may be showing less enthusiasm or are thinking of leaving.

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #AbuseCulture #MindControl

Cult News 101 is a blog and daily email newsletter which aggregates news about cults, totalism, authoritarianism, and related topics. It is run by two established cult researches who themselves are former cult members.

https://www.cultnews101.com/

#Cults #Cult #IGotOut #Exmo #Exvangelical #ExJW #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuse

@Melody Janice Selbie @JaniceSelbie is on here. She’s done a lot of work in this space. Hashtag #IGotOut. All the ex- hashtags of the various groups (#exmo, #exJW, #exvangelical). I had a bigger community over on Twitter and I haven’t adjusted my scope on who made it over. Chrissy Stroop, a writer in the exvangelical space, hasn’t made it from Twitter, but she has a Discord server I’m active on if you want an invite.

Written resources are also available for cult survivors, or anyone suffering from Religious Trauma, though some may be limited to ICSA members only (and anyone can join!)

https://www.icsahome.com/memberelibrary

#cults #ICSA #IGotOut #Exmo #ExJW #Exvangelical #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuse