There is no debating this. Some groups ask their members to wait for years before they learn the entire creed. its ordinary religious, legal, and therapeutic expressions to the point of 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,. Stay tuned for Part Two coming in a few days. strength and confidence in your own personal faith, ask yourself honestlydoes Isolating members and penalizing them for leaving 3. 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. When I started to resolve the behavioral drives it was about beginning to value normalcy. They will make you feel like youre a bad person if you break their rules, or if your actions contradict their beliefs. This makes up their milieu or environment. Some groups use meditation, mind-numbing chanting, euphoric music or dancing at this stage. Its pretty simple. He outlined several ways to identify cults. Cults tend to have very simple and similar foundations and common factors having all or some of the following: [1] A charismatic founder, leader or leadership. If youre a massless particle, you must always move at light speed. They reminded him of his Catholic upbringing, one filled with violence and abuse, yet, as he says of Roach, represented a demilitarized, more feminine version of the robes of my childhood. Early repression in church left Remski hollow, vacant, setting him up for indoctrination under Roachs care. 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. Induced Dependency - Cults demand absolute, unquestioning devotion, loyalty and submission. "Aum made it seem like you were free to make choices but, in reality, you were being guided toward those choices.". Are you really willing to give your money to people you dont even know? A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power. He is based in Los Angeles. Now you know that some people might try to convince you that what theyre saying is true for your own good. The member must "behave" or he may not get food, water, social interaction or protection from the outside world. A cult member's sense of self is systematically destroyed. One can be punished for contradicting their values and beliefs. PICK A LEADER. Even though the religious are quick to point out that others have been brainwashed (such as communists, other religious adherents . As the site itself exclaims, JWfacts makes it as simple as possible to determine if Jehovahs Witnesses have the truth.. Just make sure it's positive, good, and harmless. 760-580-5758. . by We encourage you to please comment with your experiences and even tell your story of how you were awakened. Author Douglas Rushkoff lists 20 common steps of indoctrination in destructive cults. 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. That's a big subject, but as a potted guide here are eight steps to mind control. Opposing critical thinking 2. Do you understand why you do what you do? Thats why they try to make their members think that if it wasnt for them, theyd be lost. The two key phrases are control of communication and possessing the ultimate truth. Roach gave up his robe for Armani suits and a Tibetan prosperity gospel, which he continues to preach worldwide today. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him. NPR's Tovia Smith took a look inside the practice of deprogramming. For birth to death, life is simply one lesson after another. They may punish you for contradicting their values. It was originally formulated in 1881 by Charles Taze Russell and has gone through several major changes and revisions since then. Finding the answer could help professionals and patients. give expression to these tendencies. There are people out there who are trying to convince us that were not free agents, but they have hidden agendas. Ultimately, feelings of worthlessness and "evil" become associated with independence and critical thinking, and feelings of warmth and love become associated with unquestioning submission. Marshall Herff Applewhite, who founded the organization known as Heaven's Gate, led 38 others in a mass suicide near San Diego. Would they all make fun of me? As we were putting this information together, it became clear that the material being presented could potentially be lifesaving to someone in need of help. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is a publishing company that has been established (sometimes under different names) for around 140 years. We never know how or when something that we say may be of support to someone else. This is usually done through peer pressure or subtle manipulation. But most psychologists believe that cult brainwashing techniques, which are similar to techniques used in prisoner interrogation, do change a person's thought processes. 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. Because your behavior might not be completely under your control. Cults appeal to our in-group mentality. Hes been involved in two cults: the Gelukpa Tibetan Buddhist group headed by former diamond dealer Michael Roach and former real estate salesman Charles Andersons Endeavor Academy. as in all situations of ideological totalism, the experiential world is sharply If that group has some, to borrow a term from Alan Watts, inside dope, then in your mind its not a cult at all. Berg's organisation was also notorious for its use of "flirty fishing", a form of evangelistic prostitution. Nato is a writer and a researcher with an academic background in psychology. Thats what happened to Matthew Remski, a Toronto-based yoga therapist and Ayurvedic consultant. His studies and research led him to the point where he was able to break it down into levels of severity and compartmentalize the whole process of actually controlling someones mind. Along with a few loyal followers he took a muddy ranch and began to build a small city. Youll end up believing in those beliefs and acting accordingly without having any doubt whatsoever. As we go through each of the defined criteria we will showcase as an example of just how an Organization or group can go about executing this. Answer (1 of 3): "Deprogramming" implies an outside initiative. human welfare. Now I want you to think about it. The main character, Tyler Durden, tells his followers that they can do anything but not everything at the same time. IndoctriNation. Sounds scary, right? Sleep and food deprivation, coupled with rigid rules, help to break down a person's sense of self. Do others think the same way as well? Members can believe that all sorts of horrible things may happen if they don't follow the rules, if they don't earn more money, if they leave the group or even think of leaving the group etc. A cascade of affection, support and approval poured over the recruit. Vissarion's followers include soldiers, doctors and engineers; we've all heard of celebrities involved in fringe religions. Members may be deprived of sleep or food, given exhausting tasks, kept away from their usual support networks. Theyre just manipulating you. 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. May your wonderfully empathetic heart be at peace with the knowledge that you have helped so many of us to live again. Jehovahs Witnesses have one unalterable rule that they simply refuse to compromise on. These are often things to do with religion, social media, school, and our surroundings. One last priceless resource that should be recognized is the work of jwfacts.com. And this is an effective way of controlling people. Having Do you feel uncertain about whether your beliefs belong entirely to you or not? I began to start freaking out a bit. Every religion that I researched had an absolute line drawn in the sand, between good and evil. For example, do you have to go to their meetings every week? Osho had big dreams. Seeking a sense of purpose or a substitute family factor in. This rule of theirs has become rather famous as of lately in the world. being changed a step at a time. No one has all the answers. The member may be pressured to publicly confess sins, after which he is viciously ridiculed by the group for being evil and unworthy. Yes, there's actually a standard psychological step-by-step guide, for building your very own cult. You can only accept or reject the thoughts of others. Needless to say, its another warning sign of being indoctrinated. They will do everything they can to make sure that your money goes towards advancing the organizations goals. Your beliefs are not yours and you cannot change them. The 12 steps are religious indoctrination disguised in lies and thought-stopping mantras. This one is executed very differently inside of a brainwashing mind control cult. If neutrinos have mass, where are all the slow ones? You enjoy receiving various types of rewards. Young adults often go off to college happy and excited, but come . They teach ideology that goes against commonly accepted notions while dehumanizing people outside of their group. If you are currently in this religion, or in any other similar organization, you may want to just pause and read that sentence out loud one more time. By then they'll have invested heavily in the organisation and will be immersed in its magical thinking. Which brings us to the seventh step. Also, a person who joins the military does so for a definite period of time -- he is a party to a legal contract that states how long he will be a soldier and what he will get in return. He called himself Osho. What was the last thing you got for your devotion? This way, they can control the communication and ultimately the environment of the entire group. Studies show talk therapy works, but experts disagree about how it does so. Those robes were also part of what drew Remski in. Here is a video explaining these failed predictions very clearly A Brief History of Watchtowers Failed Armageddon Predictions. 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. To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. We may not be realizing it, but were being brainwashed by the media, our government, and even our beliefs. Instead his dream world fed an insatiable curiosity about a perfection that can never exist. Do you feel angry, sad, or happy? Whatever the case may be, youre probably receiving rewards in some way or another. This will make this information more reachable online to those that may be seeking help in regards to escaping a cult. 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. Despite any redeeming value that you may be receiving from your faith, it doesnt come close to canceling out the extreme damage that the brainwashing has done to you. As in, how could one member have sex with Michel every Monday afternoon for five years when he never wanted to in the first place? Step five is tougher. after milieu control is extensive personal manipulation Initiated from You cannot make rational decisions without their guidance. It may seem innocent: a self-help group, a retreat, relationship therapy, church, a business meeting, an evening class. In this two-part editorial, The Small Town Humanist will be discussing what indoctrination means, how brainwashing works and explaining in detail how mind control techniques used by religious cults can absolutely destroy someones life. So this is the process of my research this week! The organizations goals were also Part of what drew Remski in '', a,! 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