I was a victim of severe indoctrination from birth and had my entire thought process defined via the most wicked version of thought reform that I personally have ever come across; the Jehovahs Witness religion. You might even hear that if it wasnt for them, youd be dead. 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. Studies show talk therapy works, but experts disagree about how it does so. Isolating members and penalizing them for leaving 3. This way, they can control the communication and ultimately the environment of the entire group. Roach gave up his robe for Armani suits and a Tibetan prosperity gospel, which he continues to preach worldwide today. The gloves start to come off. Throughout recorded history (and probably much longer) humans have been susceptible to charismatic leaders that have, either by nature or training, understood the psychology of acquiring followers. And guess what? Cult Indoctrination through Psychological Manipulation by Professor Kimiaki Nishida 9. The technique described here is actually a pretty common one used by many religious groups around the world. How do you feel when you read your favorite news source? 9. 1. Stay in touch onFacebookandTwitter. It is illogical to the Nth degree for us to think or feel that we know more about these subjects than these experts do. There has always been a heavy emphasis in the organization placed on staying away from any publications not published by Watchtower. 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. Potential new members are led, step by. Youll end up believing in those beliefs and acting accordingly without having any doubt whatsoever. Spread the Love - Share this Post! my religion or organization use this technique? We will be using the organization Jehovahs Witnesses as a case study. And they use various ways to achieve their goals. 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 I couldnt see what is true of all human beings: that he has an unconscious, and he doesnt know why hes doing what hes doing, and that some very deep, difficult stuff is likely beneath the surface. Other groups have been associated with the physical or sexual abuse of vulnerable members. It may seem innocent: a self-help group, a retreat, relationship therapy, church, a business meeting, an evening class. So why arent any neutrinos slow? Its natural. They may even be used on you. 1. How a cult-recovery therapist helps former NXIVM members regain their independence: 'There's a huge amount of fear and loss'. Dani's final moment of indoctrination comes when the cult presents her with a choice: she must . This is the whole point of a cult. Now you know that some people might try to convince you that what theyre saying is true for your own good. 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. This means that its quite possible that you may not even realize that youve been brainwashed in some way or another. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. is apt to be relegated to the bad and the impure. Thats how you can avoid being indoctrinated. If this sounds like whats happening in your life, it might be time to take a step back and take a closer look at how the information is shaping your beliefs. He is loved again when he acknowledges that his devotion to the cult is the only thing that will bring him salvation. As he puts it, A certain amount of metaphysical thinking sets you up for that to compensate for the structural inequalities in your life. In his dreamscape Roach was all good, all powerful, an apt comparison to the members of Buddhafield that loved Michels ballet lessons, his open talks of sexuality (well, not that open), his shirtless body twirling and swimming in the Los Angeles sunshine. The 12-step method was co-founded in 1939 by Bill Wilson (with Robert Smith) after, he claimed, God had visited him in a "flash of light" during a stay in hospital. I once spoke to the mother of a young man who had joined a destructive community in England. 2. Have you ever been told that if you leave the cult, youll be punished? They will make you feel like youre a bad person if you break their rules, or if your actions contradict their beliefs. This problem is not new to Jehovahs Witnesses. Words and experiences can be so powerful and so helpful. This is done by making the members rely on the cult for their daily needs. Trump, he holds, has all the characteristics of a cult leader, and his followers . That is, they try to make people believe in their values and beliefs so that they will no longer have doubts about them. For that reason, I will be using all three terms: thought reform, mind control, and brainwashing. From day one, it's a process of manipulation and deception. For an example of this, look no further than feminism. 15 The internet serves as a 24/7 indoctrination tool for mind controllers to keep members fully committed. What was the last thing you got for your devotion? Yes, faith can bring some joy in our life. The main character, Tyler Durden, tells his followers that they can do anything but not everything at the same time. As the site itself exclaims, JWfacts makes it as simple as possible to determine if Jehovahs Witnesses have the truth.. Remski admits to his intense drive for crisis-type experiences of love that left him feeling manic. Ultimately, feelings of worthlessness and "evil" become associated with independence and critical thinking, and feelings of warmth and love become associated with unquestioning submission. STEP ONE: IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL RECRUIT You'd expect the focus to be on troubled youngsters, but many groups. Do you understand why you do what you do? The member may be pressured to publicly confess sins, after which he is viciously ridiculed by the group for being evil and unworthy. 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. Having on LinkedIn, Subscribe for counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday. Your beliefs are not yours and you cannot change them. On the evening of the 18th November 1978, Jim Jones persuaded his followers to drink a punch laced with cyanide. Special Knowledge. Thats because they know that if theyre able to make their members feel guilty about leaving them, theyre going to have a hard time doing so. Has holding tightly to this two witness rule ever gotten the Watchtower in trouble? So, try to be more mindful and dont stop checking all the information you take in. As the article above highlighted, an accusation of child molestation is not to be taken to the authorities in the Jehovahs Witness religion and if there were not 2 witnesses present that can confess to the action, then it is to be left in Gods hands and not to be reported to the authorities, regardless of the claims of the victim of the sexual molestation. There is no debating this. Which brings us to the seventh step. Was it a reward for spending time with your family and friends? Even the most intense religious indoctrination can be overcome. The member may believe that only group members are "saved," so if he leaves, he will face eternal damnation. Inside of the Jehovahs Witnesses religion, the elders in each local congregation are to be informed of almost all sins. But you know what? This is a central doctrine of their belief system. Even if your answer is positive, you should think twice before taking further action. They want us to believe that were victims, but they dont want us to be able to stop being victims. Lloyds video library is vast and extremely valuable to anyone that is mentally trapped inside of the Watchtower. 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. He's welcomed into the cult family and invited to commit himself to the group. As a parent, Im simply at a loss for words at this moment and dont really know what else to say on this subject. Remski has, fortunately, come to terms with the fear and instability that lied dormant at the foundation of his discontent. Lifton uses the word milieu very often in his work. that he participate actively in the manipulation of otherswhatever his Here are the four steps to getting sucked into a cult. Mr. Liftonif somehow you manage to read this article, I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to you. Questions and doubts are systematically "turned around" so that the doubter feels wrong, worthless, "evil" for questioning. 209 Episodes. Indoctrination and brainwashing are very real things in the world that we live in. human welfare. But when a cult like Buddhafield emerges and, flipping the script on the normal derivation of insidious leader, Michel sexually abuses the men in the group, we again step back and ask: how? Information manipulation can be used to control peoples thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. A destructive cult uses countless techniques to get its members to stay, commit themselves and take part in what may be harmful activities. When I started to resolve the behavioral drives it was about beginning to value normalcy. It took me a very long time to completely reprogram my heart and my critical thinking techniques. The idea behind information manipulation is that individuals are not always aware of what they are being influenced by and how they are being influenced. The cult leader can then use these statements to shame individual members publicly. His tale, briefly, included being no more than fifteen feet away from his spiritual wife, Lama Christie, who he claimed to never have sex with; later, when they spiritually divorced (consciously uncoupled, I suppose), Christie found a new boyfriend that died in the desert after being kicked out of the group. Control the person's social and/or physical environment; especially. Emphasizing special doctrines outside scripture 4. Having strength and confidence in your own personal faith, ask yourself honestlydoes my religion or organization use this technique? Rigid rules and rituals may be introduced. Finding the answer could help professionals and patients. 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. There are (effectively) tax-free institutions that aren't considered to be religions. For example, you might be told that if you leave the cult, your friends and family will no longer like you. Do you feel uncertain about whether your beliefs belong entirely to you or not? However, the goal of this writing and essentially this website is to reach as many people as possible to help us all to evolve from within and to open our minds to questioning everything in our lives. Have you ever had to spend all your time with people who are in a specific group? 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