"The most intelligent and savvy of people DO get pulled in – not always immediately but eventually. "
A **major** way even the savviest of us get recruited without our realizing we are getting recruited is through people we love and trust.
A beloved friend or relative or trusted acquaintance of ours may be in a cult - and not even be aware of it, because they have not yet been harmed badly enough to have their eyes opened.
These people may off handedly mention some "classes" they attend, or that their child benefits from. These people we love and trust may occasionally praise a therapist or yoga teacher who has done wonders for them or for their child.
Because of this trusted friend or relative you will slowly get accustomed to hearing the name of this "art group", theatre group, choir, therapist, teacher, yoga instructor, school, church.
Then, bang. Life happens. You are plunged into a crisis. Or your child is plunged into a crisis which means you are plunged into a crisis.
You are devastated, confused, bewitched, bothered and bewildered.
You get curious about this person or group your pal has mentioned over the years and which has come to be familiar to you......
This is how recruitment takes place. We are convinced we have chosen to do this, but did not know that our trusted friend or relative was unknowingly or knowingly under the influence of a cult and was an "agent of deployment"
This is how I got involved with an abusive therapist for 19 years -- and stayed with this person despite my being very knowledgeable about cults and exploitative organizations.
It all started with a beloved friend whom I trusted.
The most important thing to do is -- develop and maintain a wide array
of friends and acquaintances whom you can talk with.
It is so easy to be led into an exploitative organization.
What keeps us trapped in exploitative situations is when the exploitative entity
becomes the source of our social input and we discard our outside friends or we
fail to develop friendships outside of the exploitative relationship -- by their nature exploitative people and groups seek to monopolize our attention and energy.
The biggest tip off is if you sense a grinding feeling of unease at the mere possiblity that someone might fail to share your trust in the exploitative group or person, or worse you feel grinding anxiety at the mere possiblity that someone might criticise the person or group or tell you something you don't want to know.
A **major** way even the savviest of us get recruited without our realizing we are getting recruited is through people we love and trust.
A beloved friend or relative or trusted acquaintance of ours may be in a cult - and not even be aware of it, because they have not yet been harmed badly enough to have their eyes opened.
These people may off handedly mention some "classes" they attend, or that their child benefits from. These people we love and trust may occasionally praise a therapist or yoga teacher who has done wonders for them or for their child.
Because of this trusted friend or relative you will slowly get accustomed to hearing the name of this "art group", theatre group, choir, therapist, teacher, yoga instructor, school, church.
Then, bang. Life happens. You are plunged into a crisis. Or your child is plunged into a crisis which means you are plunged into a crisis.
You are devastated, confused, bewitched, bothered and bewildered.
You get curious about this person or group your pal has mentioned over the years and which has come to be familiar to you......
This is how recruitment takes place. We are convinced we have chosen to do this, but did not know that our trusted friend or relative was unknowingly or knowingly under the influence of a cult and was an "agent of deployment"
This is how I got involved with an abusive therapist for 19 years -- and stayed with this person despite my being very knowledgeable about cults and exploitative organizations.
It all started with a beloved friend whom I trusted.
The most important thing to do is -- develop and maintain a wide array
of friends and acquaintances whom you can talk with.
It is so easy to be led into an exploitative organization.
What keeps us trapped in exploitative situations is when the exploitative entity
becomes the source of our social input and we discard our outside friends or we
fail to develop friendships outside of the exploitative relationship -- by their nature exploitative people and groups seek to monopolize our attention and energy.
The biggest tip off is if you sense a grinding feeling of unease at the mere possiblity that someone might fail to share your trust in the exploitative group or person, or worse you feel grinding anxiety at the mere possiblity that someone might criticise the person or group or tell you something you don't want to know.