This book explores the possibilities that exist for navigating out of and away from multiple levels of oppression through memoir-based research. It considers how those raised in oppressive, high-demand communities, colloquially referred to as “cults,” can emancipate themselves from controls and expectations inculcated from early childhood and examines processes surrounding the psychological reclamation of self. Exploring and metaphorically tending to an orienting psychological dynamic that the ancient Greeks related to as “the daimon” and using the perspectives of Jungian and post-Jungian depth psychology, the author investigates how subjects can reclaim agency and avoid excessive control over their thoughts, attention, and life’s intentions. They suggest that depth psychologically oriented modes can be used to this attunement and explore this notion through a study of memoirs of individuals who were raised in “cults.” Suggesting a more aligned approach to working with varying levels of psychological constraint and utilizing a phenomenological hermeneutic study, it will appeal to scholars and professionals in depth psychology and other psychological orientations, as well as individuals who are interested in more deeply understanding the psychological mechanisms involved in leaving a high-demand group or other oppressive situations.

Powerful skills to help you make peace with your body and nurture a deeper, more meaningful sense of self. Do you hate your body? Are you deeply dissatisfied with your appearance, shape, or weight—so much so that you avoid looking at yourself in the mirror, avoid certain social situations, or dread having your photo taken? If so, you are not alone. Body dissatisfaction and even body hatred have reached epidemic levels in our culture—particularly for women and girls. But you don’t have to live your life consumed by feelings of shame and self-hatred. This workbook offers a way out of the darkness. Grounded in evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and depth psychology, this workbook offers a two-pronged approach for healing from negative body image, so you can literally feel more comfortable in your own skin. You’ll find powerful skills to help you cope with the stress and intense emotions caused by body hatred, as well as strategies to help you nurture a deeper sense of self-worth. With this workbook, you’ll learn to move past your physical body to focus on: Identifying your values and your life’s purpose Finding your voice and using it to set boundaries—with yourself and others Managing life stress in healthy ways Changing how you respond to toxic cultural messages about appearance Cultivating an embodied presence in the moment The psychological and emotional toll of body hatred is immense. If you’re ready to heal the stress and pain of feeling “not okay” in your body, this workbook can help you make peace with your physical appearance and feel whole as a person.

This volume critiques and challenges the use and promotion of the disease model in psychiatry, arguing that its misconceived approach prevents the preferred disablement model from becoming the default method to understand mental health conditions, including schizophrenia. Featuring first-hand experiences as well as qualitative and quantitative findings, the book posits that mental illnesses are an expression of disablement, not disease, and that the alternative disablement approach (already being applied in the psychiatry of neurodevelopmental disorders but applicable to mental illness, too) allows for greater dignity and autonomy for the patient, collaboration between medical professionals, a replacement of categorical approaches with more appropriate dimensional ones, and a liberation from the restrictive idea of a ‘cure’. The initial chapters of the book summarize the now overwhelming evidence that the disease model is flawed, as is the simplistic materialism that psychiatry has built around the concept of the brain as a kind of standalone biological computer. The later chapters consider the currently existent alternatives to the disease model and put forward the evidence for a psychiatry based on the person, as described by the philosopher Heidegger among others. This volume will appeal to researchers, scholars, and postgraduate students in clinical psychiatry, mental health research, and psychotherapy. Psychologists and clinicians active in research or teaching in mental health will also benefit from this volume.

This is a handbook for people leaving toxic groups that presents seven paths to recovery: Family Therapy - systems theory in groups. The Twelve Steps - recovery from the addictive organization. Abuse Recovery - learn about abuse and child abuse in cults. Depth Psychology - Jungian therapy to heal spiritual abuse. Art Therapy and Gestalt - alternative therapies for cult survivors. Mind-Body Healing for Post-Cult Blues - overcome depression after the cult. Post-Cult Spirituality - notes on keeping the good parts of an experience.

This dissertation is a research project looking for a path of discovery and healing for Second Generation Cult Survivors (SGAs) who suffer the debilitating symptoms of complex trauma and or complex PTSD. This study is heuristic in nature because of my role as a participant-observer in the research process. I use my own life and healing process as an accurate measure of authenticity by comparing it to the healing experiences of other SGAs (Moustakas, 1990). It is a qualitative inquiry, using a phenomenological approach, as I use the information I have been gathering for the last 4 years from the lived experiences of SGAs and the methods they have found helpful in their recovery processes (Creswell, 1998). In addition, I have conducted an online survey of SGAs, asking them directly what has helped them heal. This study examines how destructive cults cultivate complex trauma in the children living within the confines of their walls. It then looks at treatment modalities for helping this population recover. This dissertation applies a depth psychology perspective to add new levels of trauma treatment that address the needs of second generation cult survivors. In order to develop a way to help SGAs, first you have to find out where they are, where they want to go, and what kind of help they want and are willing to accept. It does no good to build a bridge to an island that no one wants to leave; for the cult survivor, this truth is elemental.

Written by a cult survivor and renowned expert on cults and totalitarianism, Terror, Love and Brainwashing draws on the author’s 25 years of study and research to explain how almost anyone, given the right set of circumstances, can be radically manipulated to engage in otherwise incomprehensible and often dangerous acts. Illustrated with compelling stories from a range of cults and totalitarian systems, from religious to political to commercial, the book defines and analyses the common and identifiable traits that underlie almost all these groups. It focuses on how charismatic, authoritarian leaders control their followers’ attachment relationships via manipulative social structures and ideologies so that, emotionally and cognitively isolated, they become unable to act in their own survival interests. Using the evolutionary theory of attachment to demonstrate the psychological impact of these environments, and incorporating the latest neuroscientific findings, Stein illustrates how the combined dynamic of terror and ‘love’ works to break down people’s ability to think and behave rationally. From small local cults to global players like ISIS and North Korea, the impact of these movements is widespread and growing. This important book offers clarity and a unique perspective on the dynamics of these systems of control, and concludes with guidance to foster greater awareness and prevention. It will be essential reading for mental health professionals in the field, as well as policy makers, legal professionals, cult survivors, and their families, as well as anyone with an interest in these disturbing groups. Students of social and developmental psychology will also find it fascinating.

Cults today are bigger than ever, with broad ramifications for national and international terrorism. In this newly revised edition of her definitive work on cults, Singer reveals what cults really are and how they work, focusing specifically on the coercive persuasion techniques of charismatic leaders seeking money and power. The book contains fascinating updates on Heaven's Gate, Falun Gong, Aum Shinrikyo, Hare Krishna, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, and the connection between cults and terrorism in Al Queda and the PLO.