var addyf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054 = 'erikastille' + '@'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; "I know that sounds outrageous," she sighs, "but I was wasn't stupid, and I just one thing led to another, and it kind of fed into some fears that I had, and it just kind of just pulled me in. Then, Benscoter wades in, carefully making the case that anyone can be duped, making sure never to take aim at Queen. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; 13 Irving Place, Ste. Kathleen Lee ", In other cases, the allure may be what Benscoter calls "easy answers to life's hard questions.". var addy_textffec56a2dcd6b68be693d9a3ad7e4687 = 'gerard' + '@' + 'gerardwebster' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloakffec56a2dcd6b68be693d9a3ad7e4687').innerHTML += ''+addy_textffec56a2dcd6b68be693d9a3ad7e4687+'<\/a>'; And that's just not what this country should be, I don't think. "You feel like you are fighting the battle for goodness, and all of a sudden you are the hero. Thats how many Americans believe that the death toll from coronavirus has been overinflated, according to a July 21 Axios/Ipsos poll. Specializes in recovery from authoritarian religious organizations. "I'm not in a cult. MSNBC recently hosted a guest who claimed that people who watch FOX News are in a cult and need to be deprogrammed. It was rigged. They also questioned the very idea that brainwashing and deprogramming were real phenomena. Most cult experts themselves no longer use the terminology of deprogramming because of the controversies surrounding this intervention process. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; LEONARD MOTY: There's no constructive criticism. 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 . Men and . A problem shared is a problem halved. ARI. "And we need to get to the bottom of that. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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". Ross is the preeminent cult deprogrammer in the United States and the head of the Cult Education Institute, a nonprofit library with archived information about cults. var addy_text1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67 = 'vanessa' + '@' + 'tellatherapist' + '.' + 'net';document.getElementById('cloak1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67').innerHTML += ''+addy_text1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67+'<\/a>'; Note, Religious Deprogramming: A Solution Through Judicially Approved Guardians," 7 Nova L.J. var addy_text9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa = 'sarawaters' + '@' + 'protonmail' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa').innerHTML += ''+addy_text9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa+'<\/a>'; Instead, she offers up herself as Exhibit A, explaining how she when she was a Moonie thought she was following the Messiah. Like are we just going to start fighting for thought control?". ", "That's right," agrees Queen. var addy1833e4fdcb5e73c4e79dca8a1e8dad0d = 'mwinell' + '@'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; 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. "It's strategic, absolutely," Ryan says. SHAPIRO: Of course, that's false. They have incorrect wiring operating in their brain for conscience and empathy and reality testing and respect for others, as. SMITH: For all the psy-ops used to suck people into a cultic group, experts say it takes just as much savvy and precision to help them out. Benscoter talks about the many reputable non-profits fighting human trafficking, and suggests Queen might like to get involved. Like, this is, like, a war on thought. Margaret Singer, PhD psychologist advocates for "showing them how their own decision-making power had been taken away from them." Cultic groups all tend to fill some psychological need or void, such as a desire for meaning, purpose, or community. "Then I have credibility. And that's not what our country should be. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; GILLEY: Looking back at it now, it's terrifying. Horshack joins a religious cult and decides to drop out of school to go live with with the cult members. When Benscoter's conversation with Queen veers off toward an area of disagreement one more time, Benscoter makes one last pivot to try to end on a more congenial note. the effects on the victim or aftermath once leaving the cult or relationship. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; For all the psychological operations, or PSYOPs, used to suck people into a cultic group, experts say, it takes just as much savvy and precision to help them out. document.getElementById('cloak1d5d405a44b140051bf1a553979856bb').innerHTML = ''; "Often strong men muscle the subject into a car and take him to a place where he is cut off from everyone but his captors,". var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Published by ICSA: "Harms associated with cultic groups have been addressed through various forms of self-help, conservatorship, habeas corpus proceedings, consumer protection . Cult cults deprogrammng brain washing scientology moonies ted talks kidnapping sleep nutrition exercise beyonce jackfruit tacos abuse abusive relationships aa alcoholics anonymous addiction recovery jewish doctors And while few cult specialists today claim to do the sort of deprogramming that gained popularity in the 1970s, some anti-cult practitionersand licensed psychiatristsdo still embrace the . A place with limited internet or phone will be especially helpful in giving them time away from the cult. document.getElementById('cloakde94da22e197db1d535fa5dc06c0facf').innerHTML = ''; Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. Experts see this spread of disinformation as a public health emergency that's threatening democracy, increasing the risk of further violence, and straining family relationships. 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. "It goes deep.". After the forced removal, deprogramming mostly . Michelle Queen does not consider herself part of QAnon, but she does believe some of its most outlandish conspiracies including that Satan-worshipping elites in a secret pedophile cabal are killing babies and drinking their blood. We're talking strategy because if I can get a family to do something meaningful, then I have credibility. var addy3b255930a16b40f719162d87866cd410 = 'hochmanmd' + '@'; Some claim that rules to enforce social distancing could lead to civil war and violent resistance. document.getElementById('cloak8034107a87f3497c1eaf99e1fec2acf0').innerHTML = ''; Ingo Michehl, M.Ed., Counseling Psychologist Bodensee, Germany Web site: psychotherapiebodensee.comEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. addyffec56a2dcd6b68be693d9a3ad7e4687 = addyffec56a2dcd6b68be693d9a3ad7e4687 + 'gerardwebster' + '.' + 'com'; You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "They believe it much stronger.". But Queen was willing to sit down with Benscoter just to hear her out. Of course, it's all much easier said than done. The notion of "deradicalizing" and "deprogramming" Trump supporters has been fiercely promoted by those on the left in recent days following the November presidential elections and the storming of the U.S. Capitol last month. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Focus on those in recovery from cults and narcissistic relationships.Phone: 408-486-9202 Web site: www.beaarmstrong.com, Rachel Bernstein, MSEd, LMFTEncino Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. document.getElementById('cloak9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa').innerHTML = ''; addy58e313c97f95266c6ebc9cf6532a97bb = addy58e313c97f95266c6ebc9cf6532a97bb + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com'; Psychiatrist: since 1980, short term consultation to former members, families and attorneysPhone: (310) 277-4199. addyf8cac7ff1581dc987ce8d90a07bec040 = addyf8cac7ff1581dc987ce8d90a07bec040 + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com'; For this reason, deprogramming is a very expensive service. Also a former cult member and anti-cult activist. She recently founded a nonprofit called Antidote to run Al-Anon-style recovery groups for those caught up in disinformation and their loved ones. var addy7986d920f3745ab243b59af6f71579f5 = 'cyndersm' + '@'; Another approach to helping people exit cultic groups is a kind of mirror image of the tactics used to lure them in. Nothing that's going to fall apart!". 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. With everyone in distress from coronavirus, maintaining meaningful spoken communication with loved ones through phone calls and - where safe - visits are more important than ever. var addy1d5d405a44b140051bf1a553979856bb = 'malinoski' + '@'; "I started believing that all information, from regular news sources, or different faiths or churches was wrong," Benscoter says. (714) 435-CULT(2858) Monday - Friday / 9am - 5pm Phone: +61 (2) 8065 8237. The question is whether the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol can begin to steer some of the Trump faithful toward the kind of cult deprogramming they so . var addy_textfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08 = 'crussellmft' + '@' + 'earthlink' + '.' + 'net';document.getElementById('cloakfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08').innerHTML += ''+addy_textfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08+'<\/a>'; SHAPIRO: In some parts of the country, the threats against public health workers have gotten so bad that officials are resigning. Licensed in New York and New Jersey, but can usually practice in other jurisdictions as well with a local lawyer as a sponsor. "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. addyf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054 = addyf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054 + 'bellsouth' + '.' + 'net'; 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.". document.getElementById('cloakf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054').innerHTML = ''; addyf4219bca9ede32acb3a79607cd4c413f = addyf4219bca9ede32acb3a79607cd4c413f + 'beaarmstrong' + '.' + 'com'; That's what got 32-year-old Jay Gilley, a pizza delivery guy from Alabama who spent three years caught up in QAnon. Ironically, she herself is a FOX News viewer. BENSCOTER: Yeah. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. And I think we need to get to the bottom of that, though. Bipartisan Lawmakers Introduce House Resolution Condemning QAnon 'Cult' (Forbes), Nearly A Third Of Americans Believe Covid-19 Death Toll Conspiracy Theory (Forbes), Trump Refuses To Denounce QAnon After Conspiracy Theory Is Described To Him (Forbes), The QAnon conspiracy theory has spread so widely. Anyone can be drawn in, she says, as cultic groups all tend to fill some psychological void. Before Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij created The OA, the pair teamed up for a spellbinding drama about two journalists who try to infiltrate a secluded cult led by an . var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; QUEEN: And I pray on everything. var addy_text08a3115d0b8c7e253703ff3626436340 = 'dwehlelcsw' + '@' + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak08a3115d0b8c7e253703ff3626436340').innerHTML += ''+addy_text08a3115d0b8c7e253703ff3626436340+'<\/a>'; Wellspring Retreat Albany Greg Sammons, Director Specializing in the rehabilitation of individuals who have suffered in abusive religious groups, relationships and organizations. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "You want to be right so bad. I decided to make this first post on the cult aspect of Alcoholics Anonymous. var addy_text7a81c507740ba1e5a4b8252e1b215489 = 'drjackie' + '@' + 'drjacquelinejohnson' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak7a81c507740ba1e5a4b8252e1b215489').innerHTML += ''+addy_text7a81c507740ba1e5a4b8252e1b215489+'<\/a>'; SMITH: Then Benscoter walks a fine line, being totally upfront that she wants Queen to consider that she's caught in a web of disinformation while insisting that she's not trying to turn Queen into a Democrat, for example. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; A security team guards the person for several days, 24 hours a day, while the deprogrammer, former cult members, and family members present information. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Patrick, and the parents who hired him, assumed that cult members must have been brainwashed, and therefore it was necessary to brainwash them, in reverse, in order to return them to "normality." You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: (510) 292-0509, Steven Eichel, Ph.D., ABPPNewarkSpecializes in harm done by exploitive, coercive and/or destructive movements and groups.Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Community education and consultation are offered. "And sturdy bridges! var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Queen listens quietly as Benscoter explains how extremist groups need to control what people think in order to convince them to dedicate themselves to a cause, and so these groups paint everything else as a lie or evil. Cult deprogramming expert Rick Alan Ross has helped people escape cults since 1982. They also both abhor the idea of hurting children even though they disagree on how much of the fantastical, horrific stories are actually happening. document.getElementById('cloak7a81c507740ba1e5a4b8252e1b215489').innerHTML = ''; SMITH: And then Benscoter carefully starts making the case that anyone can be duped, offering up herself as Exhibit A and explaining how she, as a Moonie, thought she was following the Messiah. Phone: 1 (239) 514-3081 Intervention101 Cult Recovery Resources Intervention101.com Since 1984, we have helped people with destructive cults, mind control, brainwashing, parental alienation, estrangement, abusive relationships, gurus, multi-level marketing, violent extremism and other forms of undue influence. BENSCOTER: It establishes this camaraderie and this feeling of righteousness and this cause for your life, and that feels very invigorating and almost addictive. Specializing in working with ex and exiting members of religious, secular or treatment groups using a trauma-informed perspectivePhone: (619) 807-9159, John Hochman, MD Los Angeles Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. addyde94da22e197db1d535fa5dc06c0facf = addyde94da22e197db1d535fa5dc06c0facf + 'goldhammer' + '.' + 'com'; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The similarities between cults and being in love with a narcissist fall into three basic categories: the people involved. And one thing led to another, and it kind of fed into some fears I had. document.getElementById('cloak3001007811159a16eabbf160ee2e3f2d').innerHTML = ''; Phone: (214) 607-1065 Email: info@dallascult.com Web site: www.dallascult.com Cyndi Matthews, PhD, LPC-S, NCC Counseling for cult survivors, domestic violence survivors, and LGBT populations Dallas Web site: www.drcyndimatthews.com Email: cyndersm@verizon.net document.getElementById('cloak1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67').innerHTML = ''; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; 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 . addy12e374cf467cf94c035e499fed3d9ec1 = addy12e374cf467cf94c035e499fed3d9ec1 + 'miguelperlado' + '.' + 'com'; SHAPIRO: The point here is that increasingly, disinformation is leaking from the far corners of the Internet into mainstream politics. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var addy_text1d5d405a44b140051bf1a553979856bb = 'malinoski' + '@' + 'faxtone' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak1d5d405a44b140051bf1a553979856bb').innerHTML += ''+addy_text1d5d405a44b140051bf1a553979856bb+'<\/a>'; Like, are we just going to start fighting for just thought control? Joe Biden, who denounced Trump for refusing to criticize QAnon during a press conference last week. 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. document.getElementById('cloak91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac').innerHTML = ''; "Some of the things that are being spread about babies being eaten and things, I don't think those things are true, personally," Benscoter says. addy91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac = addy91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com'; You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. For example, Hassan will ask a person to recount how they first started buying into the ideology or group, hoping they, themselves, may start to recognize ways in which they were manipulated or led astray. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. SMITH: By the end, they agree to keep talking - just what Benscoter was hoping for. Cult psychology is known for its "all or nothing" approach, in that there are implications if you denounce or leave the cult a system of punishments and rewards kicks in. You can find this movie on Vudu. var addy_text3001007811159a16eabbf160ee2e3f2d = 'robertaeisenberg' + '@' + 'comcast' + '.' + 'net';document.getElementById('cloak3001007811159a16eabbf160ee2e3f2d').innerHTML += ''+addy_text3001007811159a16eabbf160ee2e3f2d+'<\/a>'; Cult Deprogrammer Rick Alan Ross on NXIVM, QAnon, and What Makes Us Vulnerable | by Alex Kantrowitz | OneZero 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. They didn't tell you all the others. "It's like a free-for-all," says Joan Donovan, who heads up the study of online disinformation at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School. var addyfd9ed15925585d1f1899766b95a93c7b = 'steve' + '@'; Today, experts say the engagement is voluntary, and more cooperative than confrontational. var addy_text7b57602c4cc4d305ebe32094a0517282 = 'deirdrewilson' + '@' + 'aspiremhnv' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak7b57602c4cc4d305ebe32094a0517282').innerHTML += ''+addy_text7b57602c4cc4d305ebe32094a0517282+'<\/a>'; This talk was presented at an official TED conference. Our country needs leadership that will bring us together more than ever, he said in a statement. Specializes in recovery from cults, trauma, and abuse. addyb2de03711ae6bd99ac1a0f1add652edf = addyb2de03711ae6bd99ac1a0f1add652edf + 'socal' + '.' + 'rr' + '.' + 'com'; She shares an insider's perspective on the mind of a cult member, and proposes a new way to think about today's most troubling conflicts and extremist movements. var addy36636b8776af4b03ad7a9a07dfcdf3b6 = 'Rosanne' + '@'; And next thing I knew, I had cut off all contact with my family.". Copyright 2021 NPR. Phone: (415) 785-3513 Web site: www.ColleenRussellmft.com, Marlene Winell, Ph.D. Berkeley Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. When we started to know better, we started doing more to combat it. Specializes in litigation against cults. addyd477c46acce837837ff43023e001dfd2 = addyd477c46acce837837ff43023e001dfd2 + 'colleenrussellmft' + '.' + 'com'; 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. It started when he questioned the Black Lives Matter movement and got criticized online. Experts see it as a public health emergency, threatening democracy, straining family relationships and now also straining an industry of folks trying to help. addy1d5d405a44b140051bf1a553979856bb = addy1d5d405a44b140051bf1a553979856bb + 'faxtone' + '.' + 'com'; SHAPIRO: Joan Donovan is a researcher at Harvard Kennedy's Shorenstein Center, and she says the truth is often kind of boring and doesn't play well on social media. Misia Landau var addy1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67 = 'vanessa' + '@'; In a classic deprogramming scenario, a cult member is physically abducted and held at a secret location or forcibly detained while visiting home. "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. The QAnon cult: What it is, how it works, and how to help deprogram your loved ones. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; And those who try to use them will be less successful using them because they're easily spotted now. Her areas of expertise are trauma, loss, cult and high demand group and relationship education and recovery, including those born and raised; and motherless daughters, women who have lost their mothers through death, illness, narcissism, separation, or estrangement in childhood, adolescence or adulthood. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var addyffec56a2dcd6b68be693d9a3ad7e4687 = 'gerard' + '@'; 1 Summit, NJ 07901 Phone: (917) 753-7007 Kevin Taylor Attorney at Law Benscoter says the only viable strategy is prevention, and she's helping develop a public awareness campaign to keep people from falling down the rabbit hole in the first place. "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. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: It's a fraud. The spread of QAnon is so prevalent that the House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan resolution Tuesday condemning it as a dangerous, anti-Semitic, conspiracy-mongering cult.. var addyc86dd6e18b3f6b7519f1d77b8ebc194c = 'ingozen' + '@'; 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. Steer the. "How do we prove they're not doing that? You don't want to be dragged back into that confusion.". var addy_text91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac = 'tbiegenlcsw' + '@' + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac').innerHTML += ''+addy_text91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac+'<\/a>'; Vanessa Reiser, LCSW Psychotherapist licensed in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts specializing in narcissistic abuse, cult recovery and trauma. It can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. BENSCOTER: I know you do. Infranaut/YouTube. document.getElementById('cloak9305946a8da6033cf0ae51a493ea258b').innerHTML = ''; The ICSA website also has much valuable information there. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; SMITH: While Queen does not consider herself part of QAnon, she also believes some of its most outlandish tenets - for example, that Satan-worshipping elites in a secret pedophile cabal are killing babies and drinking their blood. document.getElementById('cloakfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08').innerHTML = ''; According to the Ipsos poll, more than 40% of Americans believed some of the most virulent and far-fetched disinformation either the baseless claim that the election was rigged, that a Satan-worshiping child sex ring is trying to control our politics and media, or that Antifa activists were responsible for the Capitol riots. Dan featured on the Break It Down Podcast. She recently founded a non-profit, Antidote.ngo to run Al-Anon style recovery and support groups for the unduly influenced and their loved ones. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "That's who they said they arrested," Queen says. Eventually, thanks to a patient friend who stuck by him and indulged his questions, Gilley says he came to understand how he had "allowed himself" to go from a left-leaning supporter of former President Barack Obama to a guy who had fallen all the way down a far-right rabbit hole. var addyd837acf5bd986a89f36638fee3f1630d = 'andreamoore4' + '@'; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Tovia Smith, NPR News. var addy_textf8cac7ff1581dc987ce8d90a07bec040 = 'sguziec' + '@' + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloakf8cac7ff1581dc987ce8d90a07bec040').innerHTML += ''+addy_textf8cac7ff1581dc987ce8d90a07bec040+'<\/a>'; DIANE BENSCOTER: I've probably got almost a hundred requests in my inbox. One of our friends here, raysny, seems to have some hands-on experience with deprogramming We should have a page dedicated to that . addy1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67 = addy1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67 + 'tellatherapist' + '.' + 'net'; UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A controversial election bill clears another hurdle at the state capitol. One click led to another, and he wound up deep into dark conspiracies and hate speech dressed up as dogma. 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. When a family hires him to meet with a loved one, Ryan says his first step is to do a kind of intervention on the family. 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. "Deprogramming is a fancy word for a variety of kidnapping," the ACLU warned in 1977, while a 1982 survey of over 400 former cult members found that of the almost three-quarters who had been .