Church of Scientology Exit Zone: Good Reads

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The Legendary Robert Jay Lifton Interviewed by Steve Hassan

Dr. Robert J. Lifton is renowned in the field of cultic studies every since his groundbreaking work that evolved into the leading Theory of thought reform, which was first published in 1956 with his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.

On July, 13 2011 Lifton was interviewed in the following video by Steven A. Hassan, author and cult recovery expert from the Freedom of Mind Center.

Adapted from the video description by Steve Hassan's channel on vimeo:

I sat down and had a most wonderful conversation with Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. on the occasion the publication of his memoir entitled, Witness to an Extreme Century.

Lifton talks about Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism and his work in Hong Kong in the 1950s exploring brainwashing in communist China. We then talk about his book, Death in Life, which describes the psychological effects of the nuclear bombs on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as his life work campaigning against nuclear bombs and ultimately nuclear energy.

Followed by a discussion of his work with Nazi Doctors, the concept of "doubling" and the mot amazing levels of atrocity done in the name of "virtue." Then to his book, Destroying the World to Save it, about apocalyptic cults. The book focuses on Aum Shinrikyo, the cult of Shoko Asahara who ordered the manufacture and ultimate sarin gassing of thousands on the subways of Tokyo. We talk in depth about this cult and throughout this fascinating talk, the themes of how powerful situational influences can make essentially, intelligent, good people commit extreme and immoral acts.

For those who may be unfamiliar with Lifton's works, his earliest research and related theories along with the great works Margaret Singer on Brainwashing and Mind Control have become the defacto standards in cultic studies aimed toward the harm inflicted on members of destructive cults.

From Dr. Lifton's profile with The Harvard International Negotiation Program:

Robert Jay Lifton is a lecturer on Psychiatry from Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychology, The City University of New York. He was formerly Director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He held the Foundations’ Fund Research Professorship of Psychiatry at Yale University for more than two decades. The recipient of many awards and honorary degrees, Dr. Lifton has sought always to combine scholarship and social activism.

The overall themes of his work have been holocaust and transformation. He has developed a general psychological perspective around the paradigm of death and the continuity of life, with emphasis on symbolization and the “formative process,” and on the malleability of the contemporary self. He has studied many of the most destructive events of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and has played an important role in the development of the field of psychohistory.

His many publications include: Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima (winner of a National Book Award), Hiroshima in America: Fifty Years of Denial (with Greg Mitchell); Six Lives/Six Deaths: Portraits from Modern Japan (with Shuichi Kato and Michael Reich); The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide (awarded a Los Angeles Times book prize), Home from the War: Learning from Vietnam Veterans (finalist for a National Book Award, and reissued with a new introduction on the war in Iraq), Destroying the World to Save It (about the fanatical Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo), and The Protean Self: Human Resilience in an Age of Fragmentation.

From September 11, 2001, he has been studying Islamic apocalyptic violence and American responses to 9/11, including their own apocalyptic tendencies. His book Superpower Syndrome: America's Apocalyptic Confrontation with the World was published by Nation Book in 2003. Most recently, Crimes of War: Iraq (Nation Books 2006), coedited with Irene Gendzier and Richard Falk and included a number of Dr. Lifton's essays, exploring the complex legal, historical, political and psychological dimensions of America's military response to 9/11.

As readily evidence in the small excerpt above, the range of Lifton's expertise since his earliest work based on his infamous Study of Brainwashing in China runs broad and deep.

But there is still an incredible wealth of knowledge that can be gained from Lifton's perpetually reprinted book, and it ranks high on this blog's recommended list of reading for those looking to shake off the undue influences of cults.

Additional references on Lifton and his related works in the fields of cultic studies and psychology of totalism for further study can be found on the following links.

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13 ways Scientology just got creepier [Annotated]

Asked how high he got in Scientology’s levels
of study, Haggis said, “All the way to the top.”
Photograph by Mary Ellen Mark.

Lawrence Wright's penultimate essay on Paul Haggis in The New Yorker magazine entitled THE APOSTATE has unleashed yet another media feeding frenzy regarding the alleged human rights abuses the Church of Scientology inflicts upon it's Sea Org members.

However this time the media wave comes with with with and additional one-two punch that was long overdue: A celebrity bares his soul about what he experienced and the FBI have been investigating the claims of abuse.

Amongst the ensuing fallout a virtual tsunami of media articles and related coverage is currently flooding the internet, one of the best sidebar tidbits this blogger came across was the article featured on the backlink of this post from the Manage Your Life blog on Yahoo!Shine.

This gem struck me as not only well worth re-posting on this micro-blog for educational purposes, but also worthy of expanding each item listed with additional source materials that support the information highlighted The New Yorker expose.

13 ways Scientology just got creepier
[The Annotated Edition]

Originally by Piper Weiss, Yahoo!Shine Staff with additional hyperlinks, images and dox inserted after each item, and supplemental commentary by this blogger noted in accented text. Click on thumbnail images for additional reference on any of the visual annotations.

"Journalist Lawrence Wright interviews current and former members of faith, including Academy Award winning writer Paul Haggis, who denounced his three-decade affiliation with Scientology publicly. The 28-page investigation into the history and horror stories of Scientology is chock full of weird. Here are the highlights:"

1. The FBI probe: The article reveals that the church is under investigation from the FBI for human trafficking. Former members have made claims of unpaid, forced labor and physical abuse from current head of the organization, David Miscavige.

See also:

New Yorker Magazine Article Reveals FBI Probe of Scientology

The Church Of Scientology, Fact-Checked

FBI investigating Scientology, defectors say

2. The founder's fake past: The church fabricated documents about founder L. Ron Hubbard's war heroism, claims The New Yorker.

The DocumentCloud from The New Yorker supports Wright's conclusions. Additionally, see the following classic body of work by Chris Owen, a British historian who studied Scientology extensively. (click thumbnail for further reading)

3. The celebrities: A lot of them were siphoned by a Scientologist acting teacher at The Beverly Hills Playhouse. That's how Anne Archer joined the fold. Now her son, Tommy Davis, heads up the church's Celebrity Centre. In other news, bossman Miscavige was Tom Cruise's best man when he wed Katie Holmes.

Note the Tom & Katie photo from the original article below, and cross reference this bike to the motorcycle shown on the left in the photo added for clarifying item #12.

4. The six-figure membership: Members can spend upwards of $100,000 on courses and training in the church.

The vast number of levels on the Scientology Grade Chart is seemingly endless, and the farther up you the more outrageous the costs become. The fee schedules in the following collection of dox illustrates how easy it is for membership in this cult to lead to financial ruin.

5. The fenced-off boot-camp: If you don't have that money you can work for your faith as a Sea Org member at Gold Base, a compound in central California. Miscavige spends a lot of his time there and most high-level members make there way to the base at some point for brief, intensive stays.

The razor fence surrounding the cult compound from: Scientology Headquarters (Gold Base/Int Base).

6. The fenced-off prison: There's also a re-education camp near Gold Base. Here's the description: "Sea Org members who have 'failed to fulfill their ecclesiastical responsibilities' may be sent to one of the church’s several Rehabilitation Project Force locations. Defectors describe them as punitive re-education camps. In California, there is one in Los Angeles; until 2005, there was one near the Gold Base, at a place called Happy Valley. Bruce Hines, the defector turned research physicist, says that he was confined to R.P.F. for six years, first in L.A., then in Happy Valley. He recalls that the properties were heavily guarded and that anyone who tried to flee would be tracked down and subjected to further punishment."

The following 1999 German documentary about Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force ( RPF) was the first to expose the world at large to the cult's POW style abuses.

7. The escape: Two former members claim to have escaped in the middle of the night. One drove a car through a fence.

Mark Headley's great escape was even more hair raising, check out his book Blown For Good for an unforgettable tale on escaping Gold Base.

8. The punishment: According to a former Gold Base security chief, the church is not averse to using mental and physical tactics to bring escaped members back in the fold.

Amy Scobee's horror stories in her book Scientology Abuse At The Top goes into even more detail on the violence surround the cult's nefarious leader David Miscavige.

9. The most bizarre game of musical chairs ever: A violent version of the kid's game set to Bohemian Rhapsody, mandated by Miscavaige, took place one night at Gold Base. It lasted all night, and by the ned people were punching each other. As full-time residents and workers at the Base, they were playing for their livelihood. Everyone who lost would be shipped off the Base immediately, deprived of their shelter and $50 a week income.

Marc Headley was the first to disclose the infamous Musical Chairs Incident, and his book listed above goes into further details. Since we already featured that reference, it seems apropos to note the gut wrenching story of torture, abuse and humiliation endure by Jeff Hawkins during his days at Gold Base as featured in the Counterfeit Dreams book.

10. The most bizarre celebrity anecdote ever: Actor Josh Brolin claims to have witnessed John Travolta using his Scientology practice to heal the wounded leg of Marlon Brando at a Hollywood party. “I watched this process going on—it was very physical,” Brolin recalls. “I was thinking, This is really f------- bizarre! Then, after ten minutes, Brando opens his eyes and says, ‘That really helped. I actually feel different!’ ” (Travolta, through a lawyer, called this account “pure fabrication.”)

11. The horror stories of Scientology kids: For kids who grow up in the church, there’s a thing called a ‘freeloader’ tab. If you want to leave the church’s fold, you’re charged with a six figure debt for unpaid coursework, according to ecclesiastical policy. Former underage members, including the niece of Miscavige who joined at 12, have formed an online support group called exscientologykids.com. They talk about how hard it is to leave the fold because they never received a formal education, and instead were put to work as manual laborers.

The article states: "In 2009, two former Sea Org members, Claire and Marc Headley, filed lawsuits against the church. They had both joined as children. Claire became a member of the Sea Org at the age of sixteen, and was assigned to the Gold Base. She says she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone where she was going, not even her mother, who was made to sign over guardianship."

The appalling treatment that Children in the Sea Org receive is unconscionable. The only words that can do this subject the justice it deserves, is the voices raised in unison from the kids who lived it.

12. The horror stories of dealing with Tom Cruise: A former member claims he was ordered to pimp Tom Cruise's motorcycles, pro-bono, of course. Haggis claims Cruise reported him to the church when he joked about Scientology to Stephen Spielberg on the set of War of the Worlds. Another former member claims a botched project for Cruise resulted in a member being sent to the work camp for a stint.

From John Brousseau settles it, the personal account of the former Sea Org member who did the customization work to trick out Tom Cruise's favorite toys for $50 a week. Click the thumbnail to view the full-size image and notice the same motorcycle shown above with Tom & Katie is on the left:

Tom Cruise’s motorcycles flanking Miscavige’s Harley at his $70 million palace. [Source] This is Building 50 built for RTC and David Miscavige in Hemet, California
at Gold Base. [Source]
See also:

Inside Scientology's Labor Camp That Benefits Tom Cruise: The Photos

Tom Cruise’s Favorite Toys Were Built For Free by Scientology Slaves

13. The horror story of Scientology chief's wife: David Miscavage’s wife, Shelly, hired several people for jobs at Gold Base, without her husband's permission. Shortly thereafter she disappeared. When the New Yorker asked Scientology spokesperson Tommy Davis of her whereabouts he said, “I definitely know where she is.” He didn't elaborate.

Nobody knows where Shelly is, but iy is widely hell DM is inseparable from his communicator Laurisse (Lou) Stuckenbrock as shown in the 2nd photo below from July 2008 when DM & Lou were seemingly on a double date with Tom & Katie at the Laguna Seca Moto GP in Monterey, California. The original photos by celebuzz.com recently disappeared but highlights captured here for posterity.

See also: Tom Cruise Katie Holmes Laguna Seca Moto GP & FreeKati.yuku.com

YES- Long post is long, but it needed to be said because the rabbit hole runs deep in Scientology. And considering the long history of insanity surrounding the Sea Org's Billion Year Contract, it needs to be said again and again. Until it stops.

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Margaret Singer: Cults in Our Midst

Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace is the second edition of a nonfiction psychology book on cults, by Margaret Singer with a foreword by Robert Jay Lifton. This text was first published in hardcover format during 1996, with a slightly different subtitle with coauthor Janja Lalich, Ph.D.

The second edition of this book, without Lalich as co-author, was published in paperback form in 2003 shortly before Dr. Singer's death. This revised version of the text was used as the primary source for this review, and includes a new introduction and postscript section that brings the book up to date. A lively yet comprehensive oral review of the first edition was also done in September 2008 by Mr.Fyde's channel on YouTube, and is featured in playlist format at the bottom of this post.

About the Author

Dr. Margaret Thaler Singer has been called "the preeminent cult expert of the 20th century" by those who follow in her footsteps. She was a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. A leading expert on thought reform and cult techniques of persuasion, she forged a path where few had gone in her time.

According to her ICSA author profile, she was known as a soft-spoken but hard-edged Berkeley psychologist and expert on brainwashing who studied and helped authorities and victims to better understand the destructive nature of many dangerous cults. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Well-versed with the likes of Peoples Temple, Branch Davidian, Symbionese Liberation Army, Unification Church and Psychotherapy Cults, Mrs. Singer testified in hundreds of cases in court -- but she also assisted anyone who called her listed home phone number asking for help. [Oakland Tribune]

Cults in Our Midst is considered one of Dr Singer's seminal works. For those who are new to the subject of cultic studies, this book and Lifton's Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism should be consider the classic starting points for further study in regards to academic due diligence for self-healing or self-education purposes.

A formal review of the first edition by Rev. Walter Debold was published in a 1995 volume of Cultic Studies Journal astutely described the book as follows.

Cults in Our Midst is not a book about weird people who join crazy groups. It’s about how all of us, at various times, can fall into vulnerable states during which another person can wield more influence over us. Alluding to Big Brother of Orwell’s 1984, Singer says: "Instead of one Big Brother, we see herds of Big Brothers in the world today." And she notes that they promise intellectual, spiritual, political, and self-actualizing utopias. "Eventually these groups subject their followers to mind-numbing treatments that block critical and evaluative thinking and subjugate independent choice in a context of a strictly enforced hierarchy." [ICSA Archive]

Roadmap of the Fundamental Principles of Thought Reform

In Chapter 3, Dr. Singer provides a comprehensive yet down-to-earth explanation of the history and mechanics behind the process of Brainwashing, Psychological Coercion, and Thought Reform.

The book explains that at the time of initial publication of this book (1996) there were many previously used buzzwords by various experts to describe the process of psychological coercion that include: thought struggle, brainwashing, thought reform, coercive persuasion, mind control, coordinated programs of coercive influence and behavior control, and exploitative persuasion. [pg53 in the 2003 edition]

The author also states that this gem of a chapter fits into the bigger field of cultic studies of the time by focusing on those aspects that are best conveyed by the first and last terms in the list – thought struggle (Mao Tse-tung 1929) and exploitive persuasion (Singer and Addis 1992). Furthermore, the approach she takes in undressing this somewhat unsavory subject from these particular aspects, provides possibly the best basic introduction printed to date on how a member of a cult can be unduly and unknowingly influenced.

Many former members of various groups have praised this book for being an all-inclusive wake-up call they desperately needed to “snap out of it.” In this blogger’s humble opinion, the magic mojo of Singer’s pen is fully unleashed in Chapter 3 because of the excellent way she covers the essential need-to-know aspects of thought reform and cultic coercion.

After covering the basic background and history of persuasion and control techniques, Chapter 3 goes on to explain that the tactics of a thought-reform program are organized to serve these specific functions: [pg 62 in the 2003 edition]

Destabilize the person’s sense of self
Get the person to drastically reinterpret his or her life’s history, radically alter their worldview, and accept a new version of reality and causality
Develop in the person a dependence on the organization, and thereby turn the person into a deployable agent of the organization

Dr. Singer continues on to explain the evolutionary product of her decades of field studies research: Singer’s 6 Conditions of Thought Reform. Additionally, she provides an insightful comparison of the other two basic schools of thought on the subject that were contemporary works during her practice in the field of cult recovery: Lifton’s 8 Criteria of Thought Reform and Schein’s 3 Stages of Conversion.

A summary of these methodologies for identifying coercive tactics used by cults, and how the steps in each models correlate to each other, is also provided in the following table. [pg62-4 in the 2003 edition]

Table 3.3 Criteria for Thought Reform

Conditions (Singer)	Themes (Lifton)	Stages (Schein)
1. Keep the person unaware of what is going on and the changes taking place.		1. Unfreezing.
2. Control the person's time and, if possible, physical environment. 3. Create a sense of powerless, covert fear, and dependency, 4. Suppress much of the person's old behavior and attitudes.	1. Milieu Control. 2. Loading the language. 3. Demand for purity. 4. Confession.	1. Unfreezing.
5. Instill new behavior and attitudes.	5. Mystical manipulation. 6. Doctrine over person.	2. Changing.
6. Put forth a closed system of logic; allow no real input or criticism.	7. Sacred science. 8. Dispensing of existence.	3. Refreezing.

Excerpt from Cults in Our Midst 2003 edition, pg63

At the time of initial publication, these 3 schools of thought on recognizing the classic signs of cultic mind control were the widely accepted standard amongst scholars, and they still are today. However, there has also been a new school of thought on the matter of conversion through thought reform by Steve Hassan, known as the B.I.T.E Model of Mind Control, which is seemingly growing in popularity amongst his peers.

In the months ahead, we plan to explore all four (Singer, Lifton, Schein and Hassan) of these methodologies for identifying commonly used thought reform tactics used by cults. Thus the recent series of posts on this matter, including this book review, are an attempt to lay the basic groundwork for future reference. (See also Confronting Thought Reform & Coercive Persuasion and Glossary of Wog Words #2)

Definitive Work on the Various Types of Coercive Persuasion

In Chapters 6 and 7, Dr. Singer provides an informative description of exploitative persuasion tactics that cults like the Church of Scientology employ, and the effect each has on unsuspecting parishioners.

She takes a very common sense approach in addressing this material in laymen terms, and categorizes these tactics as physiological vs. psychological persuasion techniques. An outline of the general topics covered is summarized in the following table.

Physiological Persuasion Techniques
(Chapter 6)

Psychological Persuasion Techniques
(Chapter 7)

Mass Marketing of Experiential Exercises
Techniques Producing Predictable Physiological Responses

- Hyperventilation
- Repetitive Motion
- Change in Diet, Sleep & Stress
- Body Manipulations
- Relaxation-Induced Anxiety

Meditation May Not Always Be Good for You

Trance and Hypnosis

- Naturalistic Trance Induction
- Guided Imagery
- Indirect Directives

Trickery
Revision of Personal History
Peer Pressure and Modeling
Emotional Manipulation
Psychotherapy Cults

Summary of major points from Cults in Our Midst 2003 edition, pg125-81

Additional Material

There is so much valuable material in Singer's Cults In Our Midst, this quick synopsis of the major highlights barely does it justice. Suffice it to say, if former cult members or their loved ones only read one book on the subject of subversive influences a destructive group asserts over its followers, this book is definitely the one you need to get.

Don't have time to read it? Well then, check out the following series of videos that take the time to provide a more comprehensive review of the first edition of the text.

MrFyde on Cults in Our Midst

Further Reading in the Exit Zone Dox

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Confronting Thought Reform & Coercive Persuasion

The last entry on this blog offered a humble introduction as well a list of common terminology for one of the hardest topics that former members of destructive groups have to face when they reflect back on the trauma inflicted on them by an abusive church:

Thought-Stopping cultic influences in the form of: mind control, thought reform and coercive persuasion. Big scary words that basically mean the same thing but are often blown so far out of proportion that they become another form of dangerous disinformation.

Soothing the Soul with Laughter

The subject of thought reform and similar cultic influences is often affectionately referred to by fully recovered ex-cultists that are typically several years down the road to healing through educational therapy as: "WTF Did They Do To ME!?!?!!!"

When you can honestly face the answers to that question - and laugh more than you facepalm - you can rest assured that worst of the harm done to your psyche is well on its way be to be sufficiently healed.

Unfortunately, it takes time to get that point of being thankful enough to have survived that you can wholeheartedly laugh at the whole affair no matter how tragic it may have been. The recommended approach by many modern cult recovery experts for reaching that point in your life is by learning everything you can in relation to subversive influences a destructive cult exerts over its unfortunate members.

"We can only feel sorry for ourselves when our misfortunes are still supportable. Once this limit is crossed, the only way to bear the unbearable is to laugh at it."

- Marjane Satrapi

As dually warned in the last post, this subject matter is not for the faint of heart. We strongly recommend that those who have only recently left the Church of Scientology take the time to sort out their doubts, and then become informed on the basic issues and controversies first, while saving this material for later.

Then ideally, once you can pass the basic litmus test of using laughter as a sign of readiness — tackle the subject matter outlined in these recent posts on thought reform and coercive persuasion once you find yourself a little further down the road of cult recovery through education.

Healing the Mind with Knowledge

Once your ready to proceed digesting this unsavory plate of need2know material that comes bundled under a variety of words for basically meaning the same thing in conversational usage (brainwashing, coercive persuasion, mind control, thought reform, and cultic influences).

The first step of this learning curve journey is to get comfortable with the basic clinical explanation of mind control in the academic context from the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA):

What is Mind Control?

Mind control (also known as "brainwashing," "coercive persuasion," and "thought reform") refers to a process in which a group or individual systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator(s).

Such methods include the following:

extensive control of information in order to limit alternatives from which members may make "choices"

deception

group pressure

intense indoctrination into a belief system that denigrates independent critical thinking and considers the world outside the group to be threatening, evil, or gravely in error an insistence that members’ distress-much of which may consist of anxiety and guilt subtly induced by the group-can be relieved only by conforming to the group

physical and/or psychological debilitation through inadequate diet or fatigue the induction of dissociative (trance-like) states via the misuse of meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, and other exercises in which attention is narrowed, suggestibility heightened, and independent critical thinking weakened

alternation of harshness/threats and leniency/love in order to effect compliance with the leadership’s wishes isolation from social supports pressured public confessions

by Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.

Cult Awareness: What Is A Destructive Group?

In Wendy Ford Wolfberg's 1993 classic handbook Recovery from Abusive Groups, a vast amount of ground is covered regarding how to recover from the damage done to a person involved in a destructive cult in a very straightforward yet eloquently buffered manner.

This book is a must-read for anyone recently out from under the omnipresent influences of the Church of Scientology, who is at the stage of coming to terms with the ruin brought about by pursuing their religious beliefs and the harm done to their psyche by coercive tactics. The author is a former cult member herself, and the material is presented in the form of a courseware style guide that maps out a path to fully healing oneself from the trauma of abuse. She does this by providing a set of constructive exercises combined with a recipe for recovery with three main ingredients: Time, Discipline, and Courage.

Mrs. Wolfberg's text is readily available online in a professional PDF format from the FREE ICSA Archives (via shared googledocs), and is partially featured on her website at Woflberg.net. You can also purchase a hard copy from ICSA (aka American Family Foundation) Bookstore, although that area of ICSA's snazzy new website appears to be somewhat under construction as of this post.

Under the Introduction section of Wendy's book, she features the following information to answer the important question: What is a Destructive Group? This material was reprinted from a Cult Awareness Network (CAN) brochure that was widely distributed prior to Scientology's hostile take over of the organization that helped so many people escape and recover from destructive cults.

Marks of a Destructive Group

The marks of a destructive group are as follows:

1. Mind Control (undue influence): manipulation by use of coercive persuasion or behavior modification techniques without informed consent.

2. Charismatic Leadership: claiming divinity or special knowledge and demanding unquestioning obedience with power and privilege. Leadership may consist of one individual or a small core of leaders.

3. Deception: recruiting and fundraising with hidden objectives and without full disclosure of the use of mind controlling techniques [group psychology]; use of "front groups."

4. Exclusivity: secretiveness or vagueness by followers regarding activities and beliefs.

5. Alienation: separation from family, friends, and society, a change in values and substitution of the cult as the new "family," evidence of subtle or abrupt personality changes.

6. Exploitation: can be financial, physical, or psychological; pressure to give money, to spend a great deal on courses or give excessively to special projects and to engage in inappropriate sexual activities, even child abuse.

7. Totalitarian Worldview (we/they syndrome): effecting dependence, promoting goals of the group over the individual and approving unethical behavior while claiming goodness.

Techniques of a Destructive Group

The techniques of a destructive group are as follows:

1. Group Pressure and "Love-Bombing" discourages doubts and reinforces the need to belong through use of child-like games, singing, hugging, touching, or flattery.

2. Isolation/Separation causes an inability or lack of desire to verify the reality of information provided by the group.

3. Thought-Stopping Techniques introduce recruits to meditating, chanting, and repetitious activities which, when used excessively, induce a state of high suggestibility.

4. Fear and Guilt induced by eliciting confessions to produce intimacy and to reveal fears an secrets, by creating emotional vulnerability through overt and, covert threats, and by alternating punishment and reward.

5. Sleep Deprivation encouraged under the guise of spiritual exercises, necessary training, or urgent projects.

6. Inadequate Nutrition sometimes disguised as a special diet to improve health or advance spirituality, or as rituals requiring fasting.

7. Sensory Overload forces acceptance of complex new doctrines, goals, and definitions to replace old values by expecting recruit to assimilate masses of information quickly with little opportunity for critical examination.

Not all of these techniques need to be present simultaneously for a mind control environment to be operative.

Harmful Effects of a Destructive Group

The harmful effects of a destructive group may include:

1. Loss of free will and control over one's life.

2. Development of dependency and return to child-like behavior.

3. Loss of spontaneity or sense of humor.

4. Inability to form intimate friendships outside the cult or enjoy flexible relationships.

5. Physical deterioration and abuse.

6. Psychological deterioration (including hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, disorientation, and dissociation).

7. Involuntary, de facto servitude or exploitation.

Not all of these harmful effects will be experienced by everyone who has a destructive group experience.

For additional insights on Recovery from Abusive Groups by Wendy Ford Wolfberg, checkout the ICSA book review from Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, 1993.

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Deciphering Scientology: A Primer

As previously stated in the mission statement for this blog, one of the demographics we hope to reach is non-scientologists who have family or friends in the Church of Scientology, and are seeking to understand what they are dealing with in terms of helping get their loved ones out of this destructive cult.

To further this goal, we've assembled a subset collection from the bigger document archive of Exit Zone Resources, which is featured on the backlink for the title of this post and embedded below. All of these essays are a quick read, and provide introductory info for the uninformed to become more knowledgeable. These articles are also readily available for download by anyone with a free account on Scribd.

The cornerstone pieces in this collection are the first and last essays by outspoken former members of the Church of Scientology: What Scientologists believe by Paul Schofield, and Scientology: Loosing the Religion by Phineas Fogg.

Additionally, the "Deciphering Scientology" segments in between the cornerstone works cover all of the major areas of concern that outsiders tend to loose sleep over when they first learn of their loved ones involvement in the Church of Scientology. These additional works in the middle of this series were salvaged from various archives of past usenet and forum postings, and include well-known writings from other former cult members such as Stacy Brooks, Charlotte L. Kates, Mark Plummer and Chuck Beatty.

Special thanks to Paul ("Scooter") Schofield for contributing his paper to the Exit Zone to help aid our outreach efforts, and for providing the inspiration for developing a primer on deciphering Scientology!
(/hat tip)

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