Cult Survivor Survey/Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion

Greetings, readers. I'm posting this important announcement especially for any of you who are cult survivors like me. The announcement is in the form of a letter from Dr. Janja Lalich encouraging us to participate in a confidential survey whose results will help to educate counselors. I took the survey myself and submitted it last week.

I'm grateful to Dr. Lalich for the wonderful work she does and for her support of my cult memoir, Undertow. At the end of this post, you'll find her bio and the endorsement she wrote for my book.

A letter from Janja Lalich, PhD
Professor Emerita of Sociology
Founder & CEO of Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion

Hello,

I’m writing to encourage all survivors of cults, coercion, and/or extremist groups to [click this link:] please participate in this study. This survey research was formulated by Dr. Natalie Fabert, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University. Dr. Fabert is also a much-appreciated member of the Board of Directors of my nonprofit, the Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion, and is Director of our Continuing Education programs.

Many of us know from hearsay, as well as our own experience, that it is very difficult (nearly impossible) to find a therapist who understands the personal and psychological aftereffects of coercive experiences (especially cults).

How many times have I heard some version of this: “I explained to her (the therapist) that I had been in the group for 40 years, lost all my money, worked for the leader’s business for free, broke contact with my family and friends, and even recruited my children into the cult. When I was finished, the therapist looked at me and said, ‘Well, why didn’t you leave?’” This kind of uneducated and hurtful reply is exactly why we need this research, so that we have hard evidence of the need for training.

The results of this study will provide us with the type of solid research data that we need to show why it is so crucial that helping professionals get the type of training and education that will provide them with the skills to better serve their clients who may be struggling with the aftereffects of cults or some form of coercive control.

So, please, consider completing this survey. It would mean a lot to me, to all of us at the Lalich Center, and to all survivors who are searching for the kind of care and support they need.

Regards to all,

Janja Lalich, PhD
Professor Emerita of Sociology
Founder & CEO

Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion

About Dr. Lalich

Janja Lalich, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Sociology, is an international authority on cults and coercion. Researcher, author, and educator, she specializes in recruitment, indoctrination, and methods of influence and control. She has been studying the social psychology of controversial groups and exploitative and abusive relationships for 35 years. Dr. Lalich is the author and/or coauthor of six books, including the now classic, Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships and Escaping Utopia: Growing Up in a Cult, Getting Out, and Starting Over.

Blurb for Undertow

“A magnificently written life story that sheds light on the enticing ways of cult recruitment and indoctrination that engender conformity, obedience, and loss of self. Nevertheless, thankfully, the seed of doubt grows, as the author strives for acceptance through hard work and deep faith. Edge’s prose captures the essence of cult life and the personal devastation of having to acknowledge not only corruption and plagiarized teachings but also a ‘sex ring’ at the top levels of leadership. An important and must-read book—more gripping than a mystery. Undertow will sweep you away.” —Janja Lalich, PhD, Professor Emerita of Sociology at California State University, Chico, author of Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults

Thanks for reading!

Your writer on the wing,

Charlene


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