Pre-Cult Personality

[programmer_guy]

<snip>

I can't afford therapy or anything, but do you think a therapist that specializes in cult and high control groups would be more beneficial for someone coming out of a situation like Scn? Or is the most beneficial just someone with whom you have a good rapport, regardless of specialty?

IMO, the therapist needs to have understanding/knowledge about cults.
In that way they know what specific types of items to address.

For addition info on this topic, you could also ask Chris Shelton at [email protected]

 

[freethinker]

... but my pile of shit is called The Bridge To Total Freedom...

Oh yeah, you'll be free of money, relationships, health, Mest, friends, certainty, and in the end your body.

 

[Karakorum]

I can't afford therapy or anything, but do you think a therapist that specializes in cult and high control groups would be more beneficial for someone coming out of a situation like Scn? Or is the most beneficial just someone with whom you have a good rapport, regardless of specialty?

DISCLAIMER: I really do not want to make it seem like I'm "giving advice" as every person is different. My experiences were quite different than C.Shelton's or Leah Remini's, but I think all of them are equally valid. I can only speak about my own experiences and they will in no way be universal or applicable for all people.

I spoke with a therapist who had quite some experience with the moonies some buddhist and hindu cults and also JWs, but not with scn. We had very good rapport and "ARC" so to speak.
What the therapist was telling me was true and legit, but I didn't feel like I'm learning anything new. My replies were a constant barrage of: "Well duh!", "Yeah, tell me about it!" and "I know, right?"
I ended up feeling like the money is better spent on education and time is better spent on looking for a job.

I think the reason was that by the time I decided to defect, I was so f-ing-done with the cult and its bullshit. I spend my final 1.5 years in the SO thinking if I should defect, try to participate in some coup or go out in some sort of "Luther's 95 theses" Debbie-Cook-letter-esque protest. I very thoroughly analyzed all the possibilities and scenarios in my head, while coming up with several different defection plans. In some sense, I did a lot of de-programming while still inside. Once I was out, I had absolutely no desire to do independent scn or anything like that. I was done with it all.
Also, I was a thought-police officer. That's a different can of worms separate from the usual cult nonsense,

Looking back I feel like I would have benefited more if I could have a chat over a beer with an ex-North Korean investigator or an ex-KGB agent than having a session with a therapist.

But again, I stress that this is specific to me alone and will not be the same for everyone.

 

[JeansAndRice]

Looking back I feel like I would have benefited more if I could have a chat with an ex-North Korean investigator or an ex-KGB agent over a beer than having a session with a therapist.

This really tracks.. Scn easily more closely resembles a nationalist/communist dictatorship than a religion.

I'd take that beer therapy...

 

[Dotey OT]

DISCLAIMER: I really do not want to make it seem like I'm "giving advice" as every person is different. My experiences were quite different than C.Shelton's or Leah Remini's, but I think all of them are equally valid. I can only speak about my own experiences and they will in no way be universal or applicable for all people.

I spoke with a therapist who had quite some experience with the moonies some buddhist and hindu cults and also JWs, but not with scn. We had very good rapport and "ARC" so to speak.
What the therapist was telling me was true and legit, but I didn't feel like I'm learning anything new. My replies were a constant barrage of: "Well duh!", "Yeah, tell me about it!" and "I know, right?"
I ended up feeling like the money is better spent on education and time is better spent on looking for a job.

I think the reason was that by the time I decided to defect, I was so f-ing-done with the cult and its bullshit. I spend my final 1.5 years in the SO thinking if I should defect, try to participate in some coup or go out in some sort of "Luther's 95 theses" Debbie-Cook-letter-esque protest. I very thoroughly analyzed all the possibilities and scenarios in my head, while coming up with several different defection plans. In some sense, I did a lot of de-programming while still inside. Once I was out, I had absolutely no desire to do independent scn or anything like that. I was done with it all.
Also, I was a thought-police officer. That's a different can of worms separate from the usual cult nonsense,

Looking back I feel like I would have benefited more if I could have a chat with an ex-North Korean investigator or an ex-KGB agent over a beer than having a session with a therapist.

But again, I stress that this is specific to me alone and will not be the same for everyone.

I have been watching this thread with the greatest of interest, for myself.

When I decided that it was time to go, I wanted to take as many of my friends with me that I could. That is where I discovered that it was an individual thing. I suppose there is the possibility that the cult think drilled into my head over all those years was what was driving my idea of "disseminating" the idea of the trap that we had all been in to my friends.

I keep threatening about the therapist, and have tried to locate one in my area, but was afraid that I would spend my time educating the therapist on scn.

The thing I hate about myself the most, which is different than who I was before, is my tolerance (or lack thereof) of others.

 

[Karakorum]

This really tracks.. Scn easily more closely resembles a nationalist/communist dictatorship than a religion.

I'd take that beer therapy...

I reckon we are on different continents (with me being in the PostSovietoSphere), so the best that could be offered is some discord chat.

 

[JeansAndRice]

I suppose there is the possibility that the cult think drilled into my head over all those years was what was driving my idea of "disseminating" the idea of the trap that we had all been in to my friends.

I feel this urge, as well. I think a greater possibility is that [one's] humanity shows through in these situations; disseminating the idea or experience of the trap is a natural drive to bring others to safety, less than a programmed drive to disseminate "truth" to those you love.

 

[This is NOT OK !!!!]

A couple of thoughts from me:

First, is that I have found counselling to be extremely worthwhile for me. I have been helped by neighbors, main-stream ministers, my primary care physician and a couple of psychologists.

No one outside of mind control groups thinks they have all the answers or that their techniques work 100% of the time. So you should try out your therapists in the same way you might test-drive a car. Try one, maybe try another or do a second visit with one. Through conversation with you they will find out more about you and will be willing to refer your to another therapist who perhaps specializes more in the areas you are exploring.

Through my counselling I have found some "cult-think" that's affected my behavior. Two that come to mind right now. Hubbard classifies emotion as either positive (constructive) emotion or negative (destructive, restimulated) emotion. So I've spent a bunch of time in my life "handling" people (friends, family, strangers) to get them "up-tone". That's pretty much all bullshit. Emotions don't have to be on a scale and be considered "positive" or "negative". And I don't have to be in charge of making people cheerful.

Also the idea that I can or should "handle" people. That's all Scientologists do, they handle themselves, others, their businesses, etc. from the misbegotten belief that they are experts of the mind or whatever.

So I try to slow down, relax and try to let life come to me.

It's not easy after 37 years of being "at cause".