Cult and High Control Organization Recovery

Signs and Symptoms of Cult trauma:

If you’ve experienced cult or high control organizational trauma, it’s probable that an individual may experience multiple different types of emotions that are conflicting. You may feel an overwhelming sense of relief to have removed yourself from the group, but may also experience the grief over the loss of some elements presented in the cult (ie. friendships, the sense of belonging, personal worth). Often, this emotional cycle is presented as something called “post-cult trauma syndrome”.

• spontaneous crying
• sense of loss
• depression & suicidal thoughts
• fear that not obeying the cult’s wishes will result in God’s wrath or loss of salvation
• alienation from family, friends
• sense of isolation, loneliness due to being surrounded by people who have no basis for understanding cult life
• fear of evil spirits taking over one’s life outside the cult
• scrupulosity, excessive rigidity about rules of minor importance
• panic disproportionate to one’s circumstances
• fear of going insane
• confusion about right and wrong
• sexual conflicts
• unwarranted guilt

When is it time to get help? 

After leaving a cult or high control organization, it is best to seek help after recognizing the signs and symptoms. It may be time to get help from a religious and cult trauma informed therapist if you’re experiencing depression, anxiety, or symptoms of other psychological disorders. Working with a mental health professional is always recommended after these events take place. 

Treatment Methods: 

There are several treatment methods that are effective in dealing with religious and spiritual trauma. Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all therapy – so your therapist will talk with you to determine the best treatment method for you and your situation. These may include:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based approach to treatment that focuses on how people’s thoughts, emotions, and beliefs influence their behavior and how they perceive themselves.
• Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is defined by EMDR Canada as an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma and many other mental health problems.
• Mindfulness Therapy is an approach to treatment that focuses on how people’s thoughts, emotions, and beliefs influence their behavior and how they perceive themselves, others, and the world. The ability to be in the moment, to acknowledge and regulate your emotions helps you to break free from negative thought patterns.
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a treatment method that is similar to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) but emphasizes building skills to manage stress, mental health issues, and the psycho-social aspects of relationship building.
• Emotionally Focused Therapy is based on observations and experience. It looks at emotions and emotional intelligence, which helps support stronger and more secure relationships by helping better understand how our actions impact others, and how our emotions drive our interaction.
• Sex Therapy is the treatment of sexual dysfunction and also includes working with concerns about sexual feelings and intimacy, less common alternative sexual practices, kink, gender issues, sexual offending issues, or work on optimizing or exploring new experiences. Sex therapy can also include distressing sexual behaviour, sexual abuse and trauma.
• Family Systems Therapy looks at the family as one emotional unit. This therapeutic approach looks at the relationships within the family and the structure as a whole.
• Grief Work Therapy refers to the methods used in counseling that help people to grieve loss and understand their emotions associated with the loss in a healthy way with the ultimate goal of moving forward.
• BITE model is used to target the methods used to recruit and maintain control over their individuals