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Home » Consumer Information » Trauma

Post-cult Trauma

When an individual leaves a cult, they may struggle through a time of strong and sometimes confused emotions. While they may be relieved to be free of the group, a former member may also grieve over the loss of the cult's advantages (e.g., kinship, sense of belonging, higher self-esteem). The emotional instability associated with this period is a part of post-cult trauma syndrome. Its common symptoms include:

  • Random episodes of crying.
  • Feeling of emptiness.
  • Depression and ideas to end one's life.
  • Fear that leaving the cult will cause the wrath of god to come down upon you.
  • Estrangement from family and friends.
  • Sense of separation and loneliness because no one outside the cult seems to understand its appeal and values.
  • Urge to apply rules and regulations so all aspects of life, no matter how insignificant.
  • Feeling of panic that does not correlate with the level of stress in one's life.
  • Fear of losing one's mind.
  • Difficulty differentiating right from wrong.
  • Sexual confusion.
  • Unjustifiable feelings of guilt.

The time following one's departure from a cult can be very traumatizing, and like any major change in life, various adjustments must be made as you adapt to the change. There are numerous stages in this process of adaptation that an individual may encounter:

  • Disbelief/denial -- "There's no way this is happening to me. It really wasn't as bad as people make it out to be."
  • Anger/hostility -- "How could I have made such a poor decision?"
  • Self-pity/depression -- "Why do I have to suffer through this?"
  • Fear/bargaining -- "I feel helpless without the group. I wonder if I can still see them from time to time if it is on their terms."
  • Reassessment -- "Maybe I made a poor choice when I joined the group."
  • Accommodation/Acceptance -- "I can put this experience in the past and move on."
  • Re-involvement -- "I can't function outside of the group and think I will return."

The transition through these stages is not always a breeze, and some people may find that they revisit stages as their opinions waver. It is not guaranteed that everyone will get to a point of accommodation and acceptance. Some undoubtedly return to the cult, but those who do not may experience any of the following conditions:

  • Flashbacks to cult customs
  • Cut and dry thinking
  • Feeling that life is illusory
  • Disengagement from reality
  • Quick to defend the cult when someone attacks it, even if the cult was detrimental to the person (Stockholm Syndrome)
  • Problems focusing
  • Indecisiveness
  • Feelings of hostility towards others who are critical of the cult or towards the cult itself
  • Confusion
  • Poor self-image
  • Horror of a chance meeting with a current cult member
  • Inability to accomplish basic tasks
  • Fear associated with condemnation by the cult
  • Poor time management
  • Difficulty balancing a job with the rest of life's responsibilities

As a victim of post-cult trauma syndrome gets back into the swing of daily life, these symptoms will begin to vanish. However, in some instances, they will persist.

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