"I'm not a fan of some of the Democrats," says Queen. Whats wrong, Hassan says, is telling the believer that theyre brainwashed, or stupid or weak. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; I decided to make this first post on the cult aspect of Alcoholics Anonymous. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var addy_text1833e4fdcb5e73c4e79dca8a1e8dad0d = 'mwinell' + '@' + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak1833e4fdcb5e73c4e79dca8a1e8dad0d').innerHTML += ''+addy_text1833e4fdcb5e73c4e79dca8a1e8dad0d+'<\/a>'; Web site: Odenwald Residence, Miguel Perlado, PhD BarcelonaSpecializes in cult-related problems with current members, ex members and victims of abusive relationships.Roger de lure 26, entlo 2B (08010, Barcelona/SPAIN) Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. But the deal is we both listen respectfully to each other.. Then, Benscoter wades in, carefully making the case that anyone can be duped, making sure never to take aim at Queen. Specializing in cult recovery counseling with support group for former cult members. But it's a tedious and time-intensive process, and one that Benscoter concedes, cannot keep up with disinformation spreading virally online. She expresses sympathy for how Queen's business has been hurt during the pandemic. Men and . TED's editors chose to feature it for you. QUEEN: And I pray on everything. And so then, we have a path to go on.". BENSCOTER: I think it's really important to try to help people inoculate, to try to create herd immunity to psychological manipulation and to hit that tipping point in society where more people understand how these tactics work. SMITH: It's a tedious and time-intensive process, too, that can't keep up with disinformation spreading virally online. "It goes deep.". 4. Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. addy36636b8776af4b03ad7a9a07dfcdf3b6 = addy36636b8776af4b03ad7a9a07dfcdf3b6 + 'CultRecover' + '.' + 'com'; Indeed, anyone can be psychologically manipulated, Benscoter says. var addyffec56a2dcd6b68be693d9a3ad7e4687 = 'gerard' + '@'; Some claim that rules to enforce social distancing could lead to civil war and violent resistance. 1 Summit, NJ 07901 Phone: (917) 753-7007 Kevin Taylor Attorney at Law Queen says she gets most her information from a trusted friend who "digs deeper" on the internet than she does. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. SMITH: Before long, they find more they can agree on - that January's violence at the U.S. Capitol was wrong, and so is hurting children, even though they disagree on what's actually happening. One click led to another, and he wound up deep into dark conspiracies and hate speech dressed up as dogma, which to Gilley felt like validation. BENSCOTER: You know, that sounds outrageous, but, you know, I wasn't stupid. "I know you do," Benscoter says. document.getElementById('cloakde94da22e197db1d535fa5dc06c0facf').innerHTML = ''; Dan featured on the Break It Down Podcast. LEONARD MOTY: There's no constructive criticism. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; It was, itself, brainwashing. 1: It can help to know that you are not the first person to leave a controlling group and you won't be the last. Today, experts say the engagement is voluntary, and more cooperative than confrontational. And one thing led to another, and it kind of fed into some fears I had. "And we need to get to the bottom of that. Hoping to set a tone of humanity and compassion, she starts by asking Queen how she's faring in the aftermath of last month's snow storm in Texas, and expresses gratitude that she's warm and well. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. var addy58e313c97f95266c6ebc9cf6532a97bb = 'cathysharrislcsw' + '@'; var addy08a3115d0b8c7e253703ff3626436340 = 'dwehlelcsw' + '@'; Experts say that works in reverse, too, to help people reconnect to reality. addyfd9ed15925585d1f1899766b95a93c7b = addyfd9ed15925585d1f1899766b95a93c7b + 'dreichel' + '.' + 'com'; By the end of the conversation, they agree to keep talking, just what Benscoter hoped would happen. var addy9305946a8da6033cf0ae51a493ea258b = 'info' + '@'; Andrea Moore-Emmett, MA, LMFT Rancho Cucamonga helps individuals dealing with former cult affiliation. var addyde94da22e197db1d535fa5dc06c0facf = 'john' + '@'; Ginger Brown was 22 years old when she accused her parents of kidnapping her. The QAnon cult: What it is, how it works, and how to help deprogram your loved ones. But an Ipsos poll taken after the attack on January 6 found that only 27% of Republicans believe that Joe Biden legitimately won the presidential election. She also cautions that when people are suffering like they are during the pandemic it's easier to get them riled up," and how big-hearted, caring people can be especially "susceptible to buying into things.". ", "That's right," agrees Queen. 13 Irving Place, Ste. Hassan most recently authored The Cult of Trump, an analysis of the president's hold over his most ardent supporters, and began deprogramming people after he left the notorious Moonie cult in 1976. And that's just not what this country should be, I don't think. . You need JavaScript enabled to view it. var addyfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08 = 'crussellmft' + '@'; Community education and consultation are offered. MSNBC recently hosted a guest who claimed that people who watch FOX News are in a cult and need to be deprogrammed. And those who try to use them will be less successful using them because they're easily spotted now. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Thats toxic and going to drive the person deeper [into the conspiracy] by persecuting them.. One click led to another, and he wound up deep into dark conspiracies and hate speech dressed up as dogma. Recovering Emotionally 1 Work on your boundaries. BENSCOTER: It may seem like you're being tricky or crafty, but really, what you're doing is respecting the fact that this is not going to be an easy process for them to get out of this with their dignity. addy91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac = addy91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com'; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; addy7b57602c4cc4d305ebe32094a0517282 = addy7b57602c4cc4d305ebe32094a0517282 + 'aspiremhnv' + '.' + 'com'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Phone: (214) 607-1065 Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. MSNBC's host of The 11th Hour Stephanie Ruhle was not happy that Fox News reacted to President Biden's State of the Union by calling him a liar and to help her in her quest against this narrative, she welcomed professional Fox News watcher Juliet Jeske to claim Fox viewers are in a "cult" who need "deprogramming". I don't put anything past people.". You need JavaScript enabled to view it. General psychotherapy, specializing in cult recovery and education for those affected by cults; facilitating a Group for Former Cult or High-Demand Group Members (since 2003), facilitating online and in-person workshops for former members. A small industrydeprogramminggrew up around the posited need to rescue people's children from the clutches of cult leaders, alternately depicted as monomaniacal zealots or sociopathic . Oh, absolutely. "I've probably got almost a hundred requests in my inbox," says Diane Benscoter, who's been helping people untangle from extremist ideologies since the 1980s, after she herself was extricated from the Unification Church, commonly known as the Moonies. It is the catalyst for starting this blog; and it is the reason so many people's lives have been harmed as a result of AA. "That feeling of 'I did my own research, and I didn't just believe what I read in the newspapers' makes believers more emotionally invested," says Arieh Kovler, who researches online extremism and disinformation. 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 . Michael Travesser is the leader of the cult called Strong City. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. And so then we have a path to go on. SMITH: Queen is also among the 20% who believe that those who broke into the Capitol in January were actually undercover members of the left-wing antifa, even though most of those arrested have been affiliated with right-wing groups. Overcoming the charisma of cult leaders, such as Jim Jones, is not an easy task. The QAnon conspiracy theory has exploded in popularity this year, but its just one of a depressingly wide array of crackpot beliefs that certain Americans adhere to, including that vaccines implant microchips in people or that Covid-19 is a hoax. Heres how cult deprogrammer and mind control expert Steve Hassan says you can talk to friends and loved ones who believe conspiracy theories: Hassan most recently authored The Cult of Trump, an analysis of the presidents hold over his most ardent supporters, and began deprogramming people after he left the notorious Moonie cult in 1976. In the media, cult experts are still often referred to as 'deprogrammers' - people who 'deprogram' someone who has been 'programmed' by 'brainwashing' or 'mind control'. var addy_textf4219bca9ede32acb3a79607cd4c413f = 'therapist' + '@' + 'beaarmstrong' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloakf4219bca9ede32acb3a79607cd4c413f').innerHTML += ''+addy_textf4219bca9ede32acb3a79607cd4c413f+'<\/a>'; Govt considers deprogramming terrorists Mother saves daughter from religious sect Bob Pardon to the rescue History of Cult Deprogramming Breakthrough Scientologist "Deprogrammed" Like are we just going to start fighting for thought control?". You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: (630) 677-2070, Peter T. Malinoski, Ph.D., HSPP Has experience working with former cult members and their families. You could also give us a call. Phone: (347) 554-0191. "I'm not in a cult. var addyf8cac7ff1581dc987ce8d90a07bec040 = 'sguziec' + '@'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; addyd837acf5bd986a89f36638fee3f1630d = addyd837acf5bd986a89f36638fee3f1630d + 'verizon' + '.' + 'net'; addy5fb41fcd031f23f99e1fe74c1f0c8e03 = addy5fb41fcd031f23f99e1fe74c1f0c8e03 + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com'; "Individuals who are. Psychiatrist: since 1980, short term consultation to former members, families and attorneysPhone: (310) 277-4199. ARI. FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday rejected conspiracy theories blaming left-wing extremists for the violence. var addy_text12e374cf467cf94c035e499fed3d9ec1 = 'consulta' + '@' + 'miguelperlado' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak12e374cf467cf94c035e499fed3d9ec1').innerHTML += ''+addy_text12e374cf467cf94c035e499fed3d9ec1+'<\/a>'; They also questioned the very idea that brainwashing and deprogramming were real phenomena. But before he leaves, the Sweathogs pull him into the school bathroom and try to deprogram him. The individuals who spoke to HuffPost described feeling entirely . Joe Biden, who denounced Trump for refusing to criticize QAnon during a press conference last week. DONALD TRUMP: This election was rigged, and the Supreme Court and other courts didn't want to do anything about it. Margaret Singer, PhD psychologist advocates for "showing them how their own decision-making power had been taken away from them." 165 (1981)Google Scholar; Note, Conservatorships and Religious . document.getElementById('cloak1d5d405a44b140051bf1a553979856bb').innerHTML = ''; document.getElementById('cloak12e374cf467cf94c035e499fed3d9ec1').innerHTML = ''; Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Hassan has several models to illustrate how healthy influence differs from the unhealthy, along with criteria to help determine whether a group is, in fact, a cult. Deprogramming is the more drastic of the two approaches because it usually involves an initial kidnapping to get the cult member away from the cult. If you have questions regarding Shipping, Please click HERE to read our SHIPPING INFO page first. Horshack joins a religious cult and decides to drop out of school to go live with with the cult members. 383 (1983)Google Scholar; Note, Tort Liability for Cult Deprogramming, 43 Ohio St. L.J. TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: Michelle Queen, a 46-year-old from Texas, is one of a quarter of Americans, according to a recent Ipsos poll, who believe the baseless claim that Trump won the election and President Biden did not. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. For. He hopes destigmatizing those who have fallen prey to disinformation, and might make it easier for them to get out with their dignity intact. Court Dialogue Helps Moon Cultist To Break Without Deprogramming By Marjorie Hyer April 13, 1977 Barbara Underwood and four other members of the Unification Church went into a San Francisco court. Queen also believes the big lie that the Democrats stole the election from former President Donald Trump, and that the people who broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were actually undercover members of the left-wing Antifa, even though none of those who've been charged appears to have any connection with the far-left movement. And the disinformation is not only about the pandemic. "That's not what I'm about," Benscoter tells Queen, "even a little.". document.getElementById('cloak08a3115d0b8c7e253703ff3626436340').innerHTML = ''; She served two internships at Wellspring Retreat Center, Ohio, and has many years' experience working with trauma, including survivors of spiritual and cult abuse, and sexual abuse. There seem to be almost no resources at all despite QAnon's head-spinning growth and the urgent calls from extremism experts for the government to invest in deradicalization initiatives. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Read transcript. It started when he questioned the Black Lives Matter movement online and got assailed. Today, experts say the engagement. A few words on a CBS News New York segment on fraudulent meditation schools - 9/17/2017 One of our friends here, raysny, seems to have some hands-on experience with deprogramming We should have a page dedicated to that . The term deprogramming has been used since the 1970s to refer to a range of behaviors, all of which are aimed at convincing members of so-called new religious movements (NRMs) to leave such groups and return to more mainstream social and religious lifestyles. Box 455, Lombard, IL 60148-0455 (630) 627-9028 Fax: (630) 627-6829 Evangelical Ministries to New Religions - An umbrella group for evangelical Christian ministries to the cults and new religions which offers resources. SHAPIRO: NPR's Tovia Smith, with some additional reporting from NPR's Joel Rose and Sarah McCammon. BENSCOTER: I know you do. Specializes in litigation against cults. document.getElementById('cloak3b255930a16b40f719162d87866cd410').innerHTML = ''; General Psychotherapy, Specializing in Cult Recovery and Education Phone: (541) 306-6081 Web site: www.ColleenRussellmft.com/, Roberta Cobrin Eisenberg, MSW, BCD PhiladelphiaIndividual and family counseling. Itll take time for people to change their views, Hassan said, but by engaging with them and continuing to be respectful, it can help them pull away from conspiracies. var addyb2de03711ae6bd99ac1a0f1add652edf = 'rbbernstein' + '@'; Phone: +61 (2) 8065 8237. SHAPIRO: Former President Trump has led that attack on the truth on an unprecedented scale. Use the vacation to have fun, not to press your views onto the person. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Sound of My Voice. document.getElementById('cloak3001007811159a16eabbf160ee2e3f2d').innerHTML = ''; In Northern California, a typical meeting of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors used to run around two or three hours. In fact, in the early days of cult deprogramming, more aggressive techniques were sometimes used. The approach has evolved since the days when some deprogrammers came under fire for crossing legal and ethical lines by holding cult members against their will. But to Gilley, it felt like validation. document.getElementById('cloakfd9ed15925585d1f1899766b95a93c7b').innerHTML = ''; Those creepy remarks came after Ruhle wondered why Jeske does what . var addy_textfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08 = 'crussellmft' + '@' + 'earthlink' + '.' + 'net';document.getElementById('cloakfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08').innerHTML += ''+addy_textfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08+'<\/a>'; It's also taxing a bevy of "deprogrammers" who are trying to help. "The question is - how are we going to almost deprogram these people who have signed up for the cult of Trump," asked Katie Couric during a recent interview on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. Comments on NXIVM, a sex-trafficking cult, on CBC 3/28/2018. addy7986d920f3745ab243b59af6f71579f5 = addy7986d920f3745ab243b59af6f71579f5 + 'verizon' + '.' + 'net'; var addyf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054 = 'erikastille' + '@'; addy1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67 = addy1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67 + 'tellatherapist' + '.' + 'net'; This table demonstrates the major similarities falling into each of the three categories. Diane Benscoter has been helping people untangle from extremist ideologies since the 1980s, after she herself was extricated from the Unification Church, commonly known as the Moonies. var addy1833e4fdcb5e73c4e79dca8a1e8dad0d = 'mwinell' + '@'; document.getElementById('cloak1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67').innerHTML = ''; var addy_text9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa = 'sarawaters' + '@' + 'protonmail' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa').innerHTML += ''+addy_text9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa+'<\/a>'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa = 'sarawaters' + '@'; You need JavaScript enabled to view it. It was the first of many times during their conversation that Benscoter would back off and pivot, in search of even the tiniest patch of common ground. var addy_textd837acf5bd986a89f36638fee3f1630d = 'andreamoore4' + '@' + 'verizon' + '.' + 'net';document.getElementById('cloakd837acf5bd986a89f36638fee3f1630d').innerHTML += ''+addy_textd837acf5bd986a89f36638fee3f1630d+'<\/a>'; Colleen Russell, LMFT, CGP 1036 Sir Francis Drake Blvd Kentfield, CA 94904 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; And she tells Queen how those indoctrination tactics worked on her. Specializing in working with former members, and the families of those in cults.Phone: (818) 907-0036, Cathy S Harris, MSW, LCSWSan Diego Web site: www.discoveryouservices.com Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. As part of a special series on disinformation, we are going to spend the next few minutes talking about why it's spreading, and we'll go inside the practice of deprogramming people who believe it. Web site: www.dallascult.com, Cyndi Matthews, PhD, LPC-S, NCCCounseling for cult survivors, domestic violence survivors, and LGBT populations Dallas Web site: www.drcyndimatthews.com Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: (302) 368-9136, Leona Furnari, MSW, LCSW Help for the victims of abusive groups or cultic experiences.Web site: www.leonafurnari.com Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. "Then I have credibility. addy3b255930a16b40f719162d87866cd410 = addy3b255930a16b40f719162d87866cd410 + 'eurekamail' + '.' + 'net'; You need JavaScript enabled to view it. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; The anti-cult movement soon ran into opposition from many sociologists and historians of religion, who argued that the anti-cultists often targeted religious movements that, while exotic to most Americans, were doing nothing wrong. In New York, there is the Cult Hotline and Clinic at the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, reached at 212-632-4640 . In Combating Cult Mind Control, Hassan describes what he calls his "BITE model," an acronym for the four components of "mind control": behavior, information, thought, and emotional control. document.getElementById('cloakd837acf5bd986a89f36638fee3f1630d').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; BENSCOTER: Yeah. She hosts a podcast about FOX News and watches the channel all day in order to find reasons to talk about it. SHAPIRO: The point here is that increasingly, disinformation is leaking from the far corners of the Internet into mainstream politics. var addy_text36636b8776af4b03ad7a9a07dfcdf3b6 = 'Rosanne' + '@' + 'CultRecover' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak36636b8776af4b03ad7a9a07dfcdf3b6').innerHTML += ''+addy_text36636b8776af4b03ad7a9a07dfcdf3b6+'<\/a>'; They didn't tell you all the others. Note, Religious Deprogramming: A Solution Through Judicially Approved Guardians," 7 Nova L.J. We're talking strategy because if I can get a family to do something meaningful, then I have credibility. var addy3001007811159a16eabbf160ee2e3f2d = 'robertaeisenberg' + '@'; Hassan, author of The Cult of Trump, says shame and humiliation can also be enormous hurdles for someone interested in quitting a cultic group, and returning to their old lives. ANDRA GILLESPIE: What does it mean when you see legislators responding with legislative and policy proposals that would be aimed to address a problem that, in fact, didn't exist in the first place? Phone: (415) 785-3513 Web site: www.ColleenRussellmft.com, Marlene Winell, Ph.D. Berkeley Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. Pat Ryan, another former cult member-turned-deprogrammer or exit counselor, says when a family hires him to meet with a loved one, his first step is to do a kind of intervention on the family. Two weeks ago, we watched a pro-Trump mob storm the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the results of a U.S. election and keep Donald Trump in power. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. var addyd477c46acce837837ff43023e001dfd2 = 'crussell' + '@'; People there are angry about the local coronavirus response. cult deprogramming hotline Home; About; Services; Testimonials; Contact; Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. Specializes in recovery from authoritarian religious organizations. addy08a3115d0b8c7e253703ff3626436340 = addy08a3115d0b8c7e253703ff3626436340 + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com'; Of course, it's all much easier said than done. Modeling QAnon as a cult suggests that "deprogramming" techniquesa kind of "un-brainwashing"could be helpful, but when deprogramming was used in its 1970s heyday, it usually began with. Conspiracy theories are encouraged and promoted, but QAnon is a political cult that recruits and indoctrinates primarily online. JAY GILLEY: Just having someone tell you you're right and don't listen to people - it just leads you down that path so fast. You don't want to be dragged back into that confusion.". "Just having someone tell you you're right, and don't listen to people, it just leads you down that path so fast," he recalls. CIFS was initially formed by parents and family members of loved ones caught up in abusive groups. Another approach to helping people exit cultic groups is a kind of mirror image of the tactics used to lure them in. var addy_text7986d920f3745ab243b59af6f71579f5 = 'cyndersm' + '@' + 'verizon' + '.' + 'net';document.getElementById('cloak7986d920f3745ab243b59af6f71579f5').innerHTML += ''+addy_text7986d920f3745ab243b59af6f71579f5+'<\/a>'; In a classic deprogramming scenario, a cult member is physically abducted and held at a secret location or forcibly detained while visiting home. addyb2de03711ae6bd99ac1a0f1add652edf = addyb2de03711ae6bd99ac1a0f1add652edf + 'socal' + '.' + 'rr' + '.' + 'com'; Steer the. Everything was rigged. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; addyf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054 = addyf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054 + 'bellsouth' + '.' + 'net'; document.getElementById('cloakfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08').innerHTML = ''; With disinformation spreading on an unprecedented scale, experts in cult deprogramming are turning their expertise to those who have fallen down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. Benscoter senses an opportunity to take one more shot at dispelling the disinformation. Ingo Michehl, M.Ed., Counseling Psychologist Bodensee, Germany Web site: psychotherapiebodensee.comEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; The jury awarded the plaintiff nearly US$5 million in total damages. document.getElementById('cloak36636b8776af4b03ad7a9a07dfcdf3b6').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; hide caption. Kathleen Lee "I think it's really important to try to help people inoculate, to try to create herd immunity to psychological manipulation," Benscoter says, "and to hit that tipping point in society where more people understand how these tactics work, and those who try to use them will be less successful because those using them are easily spotted now. var addy_text8034107a87f3497c1eaf99e1fec2acf0 = 'info' + '@' + 'dallascult' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak8034107a87f3497c1eaf99e1fec2acf0').innerHTML += ''+addy_text8034107a87f3497c1eaf99e1fec2acf0+'<\/a>'; A cult keeps people in by its magnetizing and entrancing environment, so if the person gets away from this environment, they'll have space to think and reflect. var addy12e374cf467cf94c035e499fed3d9ec1 = 'consulta' + '@'; At least 40 states are considering similar bills. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; ", none of those who've been charged appears to have any connection with the far-left movement, FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday rejected conspiracy theories blaming left-wing extremists, 'More Dangerous And More Widespread': Conspiracy Theories Spread Faster Than Ever, Disinformation Fuels Distrust And Even Violence At All Levels Of Government. QUEEN: That's right - and sturdy bridges, not nothing that's going to fall apart. One third. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Cult leaders are much more dangerous because they have a delusion. You want to be right so bad. Approaches to helping people exit cultic groups, The biggest mistake families make is trying to argue with a loved one, says Pat Ryan, another former cult-member who has been working in the field for decades, and now calls himself an "interventionist.".