Enormous
Feelings of Betrayal
Feeling of
Spiritual Rape of the Soul
Complex
Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder1
Trauma
becomes crystallized a few days after a traumatic event, such as exiting an
abusive, high demand group. Several of a cluster of symptoms can develop, including spontaneous
crying, suicidal thoughts, emotional numbing,
phobias, social withdrawal,
flashbacks, amnesia, anxiety, depression, shame, guilt, self-loathing, fear
of going insane.
Anger or Rage
Toward the group
and leader; toward oneself; suppression of anger in the
group actually contributed to depression and a sense of helplessness.
Denial
Identity
Confusion/Disorientation
The
pre-cult personality--or real self--struggles with the in-cult personality2
that was imposed by the group. There can be difficulty integrating the
cultic world with the outside world.
Dissociation
(or
Dissociative
Identity Disorder)
Not being in
touch with reality or those around them; inability to communicate.
Floating
(a.k.a. trancing out)
Getting triggered into cult3
mode, flashbacks into the cult mind-set;
thoughts of returning to the group,
nostalgic feelings.
(part of dissociation). See Cognitive Focusing.
Panic and Anxiety Attacks
Obsessive
Thoughts
Depression
Psychosomatic Symptoms
Headache;
stomach ache; backaches; fatigue; asthma; skin rashes;
lethargy; sexuality
problems.
Problems
or Inability in Making Decisions
Because
of the dependency fostered by the group.
Lack of
Motivation
Inability
to Concentrate
With
short-term memory loss.
Fear
"What if
I am wrong?" "What if harmful events actually do happen?"
"I can't ever be happy outside the group." "What if I run
into a present member?" Includes phobias and
fear of going crazy.
Grief
& Sense of Loss
Grieving
loss of innocence, idealism, spirituality, self, pride; sense of
purpose, meaning and belonging in life; support system; friends and family
lost in the group; loss of time, goals and youth.
Guilt/Shame
For getting
involved, for the people they recruited, things done while in the group; for
leaving.
Lack of
Trust
Of group
situations; deep suspicions about others motives and attitudes.
Intense
Loneliness
Strong
and
unique bonds were forged in the group.
Sense
of Purposelessness & Disconnection
Missing the
peak experiences of the group.
Sense
of Isolation/Alienation
"No
one can understand what I am going through."
Overly
Critical of Oneself and Others
Due
to incorporating the harsh attitudes of the cult leader.
Seeing
Everything in Black and White
Cults do not
teach to look for the gray areas.
Problems
Having Boundaries
Boundaries
were violated time and again in the group until one lost sense of which
boundaries were appropriate.
Feelings
of Inferiority and Worthlessness
Cult leaders
continually blame members.
Hypersensitive
To anger and
rebuffs from others
Sleep Disorders
Including
nightmares and insomnia.
Eating Disorders
Fear of
Intimacy and Commitment
Problems
with Career or Employment
Because of
years in the group; lost job opportunities, etc.
Unable to Deal With Conflicts
Impatience with the Recovery Process
Info compiled by
D. W. and Mike
Exit & Support Network™
Updated September 14, 2006
Dialectical Behavior Therapy: If you are struggling
with any kind of destructive behavior; i. e., suicidal behavior or
self-injury, Dialectical Behavior
Therapy (DBT) has been found to be helpful. This kind of therapy
helps survivors to use tools to control moods that can go out of control
very rapidly. As one child survivor (who
underwent DBT) told us: "When you feel powerless,
you feel hopeless. Once
you realize that you have the power to change things in your life, you
will not feel you have to wait for people to be good to you. You have
the power to choose a better option."
EMDR: A
number of
survivors who have suffered trauma say they have been helped with a new procedure
called EMDR (Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing). However, therapists trained in
complex trauma-related conditions (including mind control trauma) have told
us that if the survivor is dissociative, this
therapy can cause a flooding of memories. Please
discuss this, and any other questions, with a qualified therapist.
Critical Incident Stress Information Sheets
Brief sheets for
those who have experienced a traumatic event or critical incident (that
which causes unusually strong emotional reactions).
Includes: "Signs and
Signals of a Stress Reaction," "Things to Try" and "For Family Members and Friends."
(.pdf file)
Footnotes:
1Involvement
in mind manipulating groups can also cause "anxiety in re-socialization." Diagnosis
depends on the individual symptoms that appear, not the severity of the
experience. Competent counseling by someone who understands
trauma and/or cultic abuse is recommended when the former member is having
difficulty in recovering.
2
Refer to the book,
Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden
Personality Change by Flo Conway
& Jim Siegelman.
3 Religious cults have also been classified
as high demand, exploitive, and mind-manipulating organizations. See:
Identifying Marks of an Exploitive, Abusive Group.
Recommended
books:
Captive
Hearts, Captive Minds [Read
excerpts from chapter 12 on our site; covers seeking professional counseling and questions to ask.]
Trauma
and Recovery (covers Complex Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder)
Booklist for more titles on recovery.
Common Spiritual Difficulties After Leaving a High Demand Group
Exiting
an Exploitive, Deceptive Group (covers the healing process)
Where
Do the Feelings Go? (covers processing painful
thoughts; includes: "How Do I Go About
Writing and What Do I Write About?")
Trauma
Resources
Surviving
(Written for those who have suffered
extreme abuse and who are
having a difficult time recovering from exploitive,
soul-damaging situations)
Healing Through Grief
(articles and stories)
Prayers
for Freedom From Spiritual Strongholds (very
effective in gaining liberation from many strongholds and oppressions due to
involvement in any harmful cult or occult practices; includes moral issues)
Back to Articles For Those Who
Were Emotionally and Spiritually Abused
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