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. It was everything to me and I was extremely indoctrinated into its culture. And for those who stay on, the recruiting process culminates in the submission of their own personalities to the "will of the group." In the next section, we'll see what cult indoctrination entails. Since then it has taken on a negative meaning, essentially reserved for any ideology I dont subscribe to.. This problem is not new to Jehovahs Witnesses. Members are continually subjected to these techniques -- it's part of daily life in a cult. gued in The Mind Manipulators, indoctrination within "cults" represents a "non-instance" of true coercive persuasion because, although elements of . Having Doctor Lifton is the expert who has spent most of his life and education in this field. In a classic deprogramming scenario, a cult member is physically abducted and held at a secret location or forcibly detained while visiting home. Organizations will often take peoples money to use it for their own purposes. The ensuing information is not for the faint at heart to consider. Have you been told that if it wasnt for them, youd be lost? This suppression is supported by the rituals and practices of the . Induced Dependency - Cults demand absolute, unquestioning devotion, loyalty and submission. Are you really in charge of your actions? If this sounds familiar, here are 10 warning signs that youre being indoctrinated. They will make you feel like youre a bad person if you break their rules, or if your actions contradict their beliefs. Then, lets get a clearer idea of what indoctrination truly is. At the same time, rewards are offered - rest, love, comfort: the carrot and the stick. Theres a riot of motivations. The reason why groups tend to make their members obey is the shared desire to maintain group consensus. Questions and doubts are systematically "turned around" so that the doubter feels wrong, worthless, "evil" for questioning. The member may believe that only group members are "saved," so if he leaves, he will face eternal damnation. There were so many scars to heal, too many insecurities to face. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Julia Layton Picture the coolest kid in your high school. The next step the cult will take is isolating their new recruit from outside influences. All religions begin as cults. desires. 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. He's welcomed into the cult family and invited to commit himself to the group. 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. 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. If you truly have empathetic love for yourself and for our future then PLEASE have a completely open mind in regards to what you are about to take in. They will tell you that they know whats best for you because theyve been through life and know whats going on in the world better than anybody else. So many people have had their lives completely destroyed from Watchtower covering up these crimes. Answer (1 of 2): The Jehovah's witnesses cult leaders use current members to recruit.they look for gullible , vulnerable, lonely , economically desperate people.. they start with a smile and feigned interest in you . Cults not only provide firm answers to every question, but also make promises that appeal to those needing reassurance, confidence and affirmation. His steps are quoted in italics with my comments included below each step. Within two months of her kidnapping, Patty had changed her name, issued a statement in which she referred to her family as the "pig-Hearsts" and appeared on a security tape robbing a bank with her kidnappers. This leader then informs the members. The truth is youre the one whos in charge of your actions. its ordinary religious, legal, and therapeutic expressions to the point of I once spoke to the mother of a young man who had joined a destructive community in England. If youre a massless particle, you must always move at light speed. The member must "behave" or he may not get food, water, social interaction or protection from the outside world. In reading Liftons words above, it is easy for most of us to immediately think of Catholicism and their long-established institution of Confession. And you should take that responsibility. 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. Darwin missed an amazing example of evolution. At the time of this writing, Doctor Lifton is still alive and well. Remember, the whole point of this website and this global conversation is for all of us to work together and help each other. Doctor Lifton decoded the tactics that were used by the Chinese to completely reform a persons thoughts, practically changing who the person was so drastically that they became unrecognizable to who they used to be. Born to a mom who . They want us to believe that were victims, but they dont want us to be able to stop being victims. Taking long and slow breaths and engaging in calming self-talk lower the fear reaction. "Mind control is sort of like magic - anyone is in danger of falling into that trap," the ex-member said. I felt his body in my body, the same gangly awkwardness, the same hiked-up shoulder, the same thoracic kyphosis when he sat in meditation. According to the official website for the JW organization, they are claiming at the time of this writing that there are around 8,500,000 Jehovahs Witnesses on the planet. Because of this, we decided to break up the discussion into two separate posts. . 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. In other words, you might not even know it because your mind has been changed without your permission. Reduce autonomy, induce dependency. He is based in Los Angeles. They will do anything they can to make you feel guilty and make you feel like youre a bad person if you dont follow the cults rules and values. Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Agnostics all practice it as a means of recovery. This is the whole point of a cult. Some even work on the principle that 'two heads are better . For one thing, military recruits know from day one that being in the military means giving up some of their autonomy -- that's how the military hierarchy works. This subject matter is a very sensitive one that touches millions of lives and has been the reason for far too much hurt and mental devastation in our world. They may even be used on you. Special Knowledge. Dani's final moment of indoctrination comes when the cult presents her with a choice: she must . way that these will appear to have arisen spontaneously from within the My awakening process happened prior to stumbling across Steven Hassan, Americas leading cult expert, and his beautifully written works that wouldve been of great value to me. Lloyds video library is vast and extremely valuable to anyone that is mentally trapped inside of the Watchtower. In the Jehovahs Witness religion, there is an absolutely unrelenting control of every single piece of information that the followers have access to. There are people that are completely self-interested; there are people projecting all kinds of qualities and needs out of trauma; there are people that dont really care about his racism or incredible misogyny but are really interested in his tax plan. The method provided a. Many cults have compounds or other places where they require members to stay, ensuring that the cult has total control over every aspect of their lives. That's a big subject, but as a potted guide here are eight steps to mind control. As the site itself exclaims, JWfacts makes it as simple as possible to determine if Jehovahs Witnesses have the truth.. For example, do you have to go to their meetings every week? Intensive Outpatient Alcohol Treatment Effective Non 12 Step Alternatives to AA. Cults mislead new recruits/members as to the true expectations and activities of the group. In 1995, The Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult carried out a deadly sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway. Access to necessities depends on the leader's favor. **Full disclosure: We're discussing cults so the content may not be. Rigid rules and rituals may be introduced. TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: Michelle Queen, a 46-year-old from Texas, is one of a quarter of Americans, according to a recent Ipsos . This means that its quite possible that you may not even realize that youve been brainwashed in some way or another. But you know what? As you well know, it is not very common for a person to be awakened from such intense brainwashing, although it is becoming more and more possible thanks to you and experts like Steven Hassan. Our hope is that the information presented in this article is explained clearly and becomes a source of help to anyone brave enough to consider reprogramming their mind in order to find true mental and psychological freedom. And this is an effective way of controlling people. Stay tuned for Part Two coming in a few days. He did, however, relate this process to the current American electoral cycle. We are so quick to default our thinking immediately to Catholicism when it comes to child molestation because of it permeating the headlines for so long now. It is their unwavering belief that Armageddon will destroy every single person on this planet that is not devoted to Jehovah God and living as an active Jehovahs Witness. There is nothing to distinguish a religion from a cult. A parishioner regularly goes to the confession booth to confess their sins to the Father behind the cold metal divider, gets the assignment of how many Hail Marys to utter that will atone their sins, and the person goes on with their day. Seeking a sense of purpose or a substitute family factor in. coverage. You can only accept or reject the thoughts of others. makes it virtually impossible to attain a reasonable balance between worth and A woman born into David Berg's Children of God recalled this technique as a "wave of peace and love". Brainwashing:: Cult leaders are known to repeat various lies and distortions until members find it difficult to distinguish between reality and cult life. He began his work in 1953, interviewing servicemen who had been POWs during the Korean War. Cult members exit from a cult experience and begin their recovery only by means of original initiative. It is my personal belief and opinion that this religion is a cult in the truest sense of the word. Remski does not like the question as it focuses on the potential psychological flaws or moral failures of the initiate. Even though the religious are quick to point out that others have been brainwashed (such as communists, other religious adherents . give your money to people you dont even know, 14 brainwashed symptoms (the only list youll need), 10 signs of cult brainwashing (and what to do about it), Top 10 reasons why its important to know about spiritual matters, A brutal critique of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, A brutal critique of L. Ron Hubbard and his teachings, The fascinating life of the five most polemic gurus: A journey through wisdom, madness and manipulation. This is a central doctrine of their belief system. The inevitable next step Groups try to make their members internalize their values. by I began to start freaking out a bit. Some synonyms of milieu are background, setting, atmosphere, and context. Was it a reward for spending time with your family and friends? If neutrinos have mass, where are all the slow ones? But, Remski continues. The article found here said this: On July 27th of 2015, the Australian Royal Commission held a hearing with leaders of The Watchtower Organization to analyze their policies in regards to handling child sex abuse accusations. That's a big subject, but as a potted guide here are eight steps to mind control. 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. There are cults within cults, like the two thousand or so accepted faiths that borrow from Christian doctrine: Mormonism, Eastern Orthodox, Catholicism, Protestantism, Lutheranism, Scientology, Christian Science. A cult answers to no one. Writing about recent trends in the movie industry is her other hobby, alongside music, art, culture, and social influences. Cult behavior involves a fervent devotion to a particular person, object, or idea. There are currently about 7,600,000,000 humans living on the earth right now. Bringing all of this back to my mind has currently silenced me on the subject. 13 April 2006. "Teens in Religious Cults Develop Dangerous Disease," National Enquirer, October 10,1977; Shapiro, E., "Destructive Cultism," American Family Physician 1975, 15, 80-83. Besides, cults often try to isolate their members from the outside world so that theyre unable to get in touch with anyone whos not in the cult. responsehe has been deprived of the opportunity to exercise his capacities You cant choose for yourself whether or not you believe in their beliefs because theyre telling you that its right for your life. Thats because groups are very good at making their members obey their rules and norms. 5. Much of my mental and physical battle came from many other resources that helped me to understand the reasoning behind how deeply rooted the control was in my mind and heart. If so, dont worry because weve all been there. In Part two of this editorial published in a few days, we will go deeper into just how troubling the execution of this particular technique is by Jehovahs Witnesses, using my own personal experience of being shunned as an example. Your beliefs are not yours and you cannot change them. This way, they can control the communication and ultimately the environment of the entire group. Here are the four steps to getting sucked into a cult. Any doubts, assertiveness or remaining ties to the outside world are punished by the group through criticism, guilt and alienation. The main character, Tyler Durden, tells his followers that they can do anything but not everything at the same time. Even the most intense religious indoctrination can be overcome. For example, a cult may take all the money you make and then demand that you give it to them, or else theyll destroy your business and make your work for free for the rest of your life. give expression to these tendencies. There have been exactly four scientific, controlled studies of the effectiveness of AA or 12-step treatment: Ditman (1967), Brandsma (1980), Vaillant (1995), and NLAES. after milieu control is extensive personal manipulation Initiated from People are often recruited at a time of personal stress such as divorce, bereavement, unemployment or depression. A belief that the leader is right at all times. Over the years, weve taken on a lot of new ideologies that change what we think and feel. 1. Follow. Youre almost always financially manipulated if youre in an organization or a corporation. Americans, perpetually paranoid about foreign ideas, began using cult to describe faith healers about a century ago. And they use various ways to achieve their goals. Do you have to attend their retreats and seminars on a regular basis? A cult member's sense of self is systematically destroyed. If this is the case, then its yet another warning sign of being controlled by a cult. She dreams to create an uplifting documentary one day, inspired by her experiences with strangers. STEP ONE: IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL RECRUIT You'd expect the focus to be on troubled youngsters, but many groups target people with useful skills or access to money. A belief that the leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or giving validation. Was it a reward for doing something you enjoyed doing? Lifton uses the word milieu very often in his work. I was in 4th grade. Codifying Consent w/Joyce Short & Nina Lucas. Those robes were also part of what drew Remski in. Finding the answer could help professionals and patients. The two key phrases are control of communication and possessing the ultimate truth. . Its similar to the multiple factors and perspectives that people come through in developing their adulation for Donald Trump. Charles Manson was said to be giving his followers large doses of LSD. This insane reasoning is again based on the Watchtowers biblical perception and understanding. A colloquial term, it is more generally applied to any technique designed to manipulate human thought or action against the desire, will, or knowledge of the individual. "Unless they . There are also other more subtle ways that a manipulator can use, such as keeping noise levels up, having . Acknowledging that joining a cult requires an element of voluntary self-surrender also obliges us to consider whether the very relinquishment of control isn't a significant part of the appeal . The final step is vital. Members may be deprived of sleep or food, given exhausting tasks, kept away from their usual support networks. 81 minutes | Jan 25, 2023. This makes up their milieu or environment. Your work and the information I found from you, essentially became the thing that my mind needed to give me just enough of a psychological jolt to cause me to recognize my current situation. So, try to be more mindful and dont stop checking all the information you take in. This happens in groups of ten or ten million. This is a common feature of small groups or cults. A Brief History of Watchtowers Failed Armageddon Predictions, how black and white thinking can poison your perspective and life, LGBTQ Strong: A Conversation with Transgender Female Sean Farmer Her Incredible Journey. 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