Cults and Deprogramming
| 4 › 1 › 14 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Cults and Dr. Zimbardo
 |
| Many cults play on unfulfilled needs of individuals and escalating, chronical shyness among adults. |
In a 1980 study where we (C. Hartley and I) surveyed and interviewed more than 1,000 randomly selected high school students in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, 54 percent reported they had at least one active recruiting attempt by someone they identified with a cult, and 40 percent said they had experienced three to five such contacts . . .All this shyness cannot be just an individual problem, but also a function of how the society handles growing youngsters.
With the rise in cults and maiming membership, a public health model is essential for understanding how societal pathology is implicated in contributing to the rise in shyness among adults and children in America.
In general, cult leaders offer simple solutions to the increasingly complex world problems we all face. Following simple rules, simple group regimentation and simple total lifestyle, helps some, at least initially. Ultimately, each new member contributes to the power of the leader by trading his or her freedom for the illusion of security and reflected glory that group membership holds out.
Individual intelligence may not be enough to combat maiming influences that portray or speculate in future's conditions by fraud. Personal intelligence may not be enough against plots and tricks that deal in promises and visionary attempts that some cults speculate in and maim by.
A sect leader may promise not only to heal any sickness and foretell the future, but give immortality. Mot Americans with unfulfilled needs would fall for cult appeals, guesses Zimbardo.
Many cults play on needs of individuals needs where they find them. They will eliminate the increasing feelings of isolation and alienation created by mobility, technology, competition, meritocracy, incivility, and de-humanised living and working conditions in our society. In this they may contribute to neurotic maladaptation.
Initially the "cult member bargain" seems like a "win-win" trade for the shy members of society, but there is often a difference between a facade and what is behind - it has to be taken into account. As for the rising shyness among young and adult members of the American society. Zimbardo:
Shyness among adults is now escalating to epidemic proportions, according to recent research by Dr. B. Carducci in Indiana and my research team in California. More than 50 percent of college-aged adults report being chronically shy (lacking social skills, low self-esteem, awkward in many social encounters).There are severe cults and others. Savoury information about a cult may be hard-won, as the cult climate is tough.
Yogananda called his ideal places "world brotherhood colonies," places to facilitate the development of an integrated, well-balanced life. [Autobiography, 1st ed. ch 42].
Create an alternative, "perfect cult", Philip Zimbardo proposes, and go for ways to make our society nicer and more handsome. "Enriching that core of common humanity should be our first priority," he concludes.
Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D., was a psychology professor at Stanford University.
Cults and Deprogramming
"When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." - Richard James Cardinal Cushing (1895-1970)
 |
| Quacks like a bird - |
The words 'cult' and 'sect' many be interchangeable. However, the 'sect' seems to be somewhat tenser and unpleasant for free thinking. Christianity started as one of the very tense sects of Judaism, one may add for perspective.
Knowing that SRF (Self-Realization Fellowship) has been classified as a cult or sect recently, helps in knowing what we are dealing with, for sects and cults have been studied, and have many common characteristics. And there are ways to deal with them; some of which are decent enough too.
Basically, to deal with them all right, just stay away from them. If not, the chances are that you end up in recurrent troubles. And those who are able to realize and not repress their hovering cult member problems, may seem enigmatic to the "blinded", fooled flock of cult serfs. Well, there is that chance.
Members of the sect that get aware of frustrations of unfulfilled or dwarfed lives, may react differently. "There are basically three ways people leave a cult:
- By intervention (exit counseling, deprogramming)
- On their own decision (walkaways)
- Through expulsion (castaways) [Wikipedia, sv. "cult"]."
Deprogramming of a Sectarian and Some of Its Problems
There are two types of persons who enter a cult: those who are fooled into it, and the rest. Those who are fooled into it, may come to talk of their experiences accordingly.There was a person - here called "Yellowbird James" - who on a discussion board spoke of having a cult-twisted, deranged mind, and blamed SRF for it. That might have some truth in it, but yells and loud shrieks do not necessarily make a proof.
There are rules for how proofs are set up in medicine and the social sciences. Basically, someone who says his mind has been deranged, may be no good and very reliable source of information.
In ex cultists there may linger underlying motives that twist and derange the overt ones. I think some persons who get drawn to a cult and accommodate to it, get some tense, underlying motives fulfilled, depending on their character structure. At first they submit to an inferior role, with glowing hopes - for example of gaining cosmic consciousness through Yogananda. As time goes by, if their positions in the hierarchy are not substantially changed into top-dog ones, or they do not get cosmic in due time, they may get bitter and relentless. What next happens, depends on many factors.
Some who set up discussion boards to fight a reproachable cult, but who act act foolish and clownish by it, may be beyond good enough self-help and in need of therapy. Nasty and foolish conduct and drivel that runs contrary to one's declared goals indicate great inner conflicts. Others may feel helpless.
Recurrent, underlying motives of cultists show up in the course of time, be they desires for money, sex, and influence. These should be settled first.
A rather deep-set problem might just be that a former cult member's mind may still be fixated in an authoritarian way of working. We should not rule out that his mind was that way first, and he sought to find a network in a cult that suited his mentality. Both possibilities need to be taken into account, among others.
Lack of emphasis may help
One may not be able to solve an inner, sectarian dilemma of domination by turning very vehemently against cults and sects. To get free from sects, is to get rid of sectarianism within - such "strings" inside.The alleged anti-cultist may reveals his "addiction" to authoritarian stuff by going too far somehow, drawing in other authority figures to lean on, perhaps hoping they may work wonders in "deprogramming". There is a risk that some take their authoritarian submission problems and "hook up" to nother authority figures that seem better than the authority figures these persons first chose. Yellowbird James, for example, brawled by "Here's an example of a classic deprogramming technique from an interview with the cult buster pioneer, Ted Patrick". What was left out, was that Patrick had been sentenced to jail for his activities.
Deprogramming may itself work as a form of corky mind control. Deprogramming is not an easy matter, and it frequently needs follow-up, because:
- The emotional ties in the organization (friends) are still very strong;
- Loneliness and disillusionment are strong factors causing a desire to go back to the cult;
- Lingering doubts about a new decision remain for a while;
- Confusion and disorientation about the future haunts former cult members.
Deprogramming Understood
In a cult or sect there may be some plotting to make new members accept a doctrinal body. Thought, knowledge, and loyalities may be affected, eventually. Psychological punishments for non-cooperation may be subtle, affecting such as control and contacts, if reinforcements have failed. Deprogramming may consist in reversing doctrinal plotting through intensive psychotherapy and confrontation. Deprogramming has proved somewhat successful, particularly with religious cult members. Depth of changes in attitude and point of view depend on the personality and motivation of the individual, and how supportive the environment shows up to be. [Ebu "brainwashing"]For healing of the ex-cultist there are kind-looking, non-coercive methods, based on talk and agreement. Healing from some cults may take from one to five years, and you can hardly rush the process. Maybe you can supply a liberal social climate to derive benefits from. That could help. You may also help in granting the cult victims clear thoughts if you have any to mediate, and if you reach their cores and different wavelengths of mind. Some are narrowminded, insecure, and yet very dogmatic-minded. Sects could initially look like a haven to them for suchreasons.
Deprogramming can mean (1) the freeing of someone (often oneself) from any previously uncritically assimilated idea; and (2) intervening with the goal to persuade a person to leave a religious group regarded as spurious. This last form of deprogramming may be illegal and dangerous, and there is no "standard" deprogramming procedure. Kidnapping may be included in some cases, and discrediting the authority figure, the leader, presenting contradictions between the cult thinking and the realities, expressing oneself too, and transfer of belongingness.
Deprogramming has become less violent with time, although there may still be cases of being threatened with guns, beaten, denied sleep and food, and being sexually assaulted.
I do not advocate abuse, including that of infringing on the airy rights of others, and violent deprogramming, and in the process of assimilating tactfully launched ideas by cult victims, there may be incubation time and faltering, and so on. [Wikipedia link] [FA] [FB]
Deprogramming oneself, a very hard struggle
The more committed you were first, the harder the struggle to break free, assumedly. A person speaks of her struggle to be freed from a "bad investment" of faith in Self-Realization Fellowship:At some point, I began to feel that I had been duped . . . I discovered that I was seething with resentment over the years of self-abasement, and humiliated by the fact that I had aided my captors . . . Additionally, the inner compulsion to perform ritualistic practices in which I had lost faith, and the need to overcome the fear that abandoning these practices would cause me to suffer terrible consequences, has made for many painful days and nights. . . . Self-deprogramming has taken me to the edge of despair . . . The truth is that one who delivers their belief into the hands of others risks having to fight to get it back.♦ One had better leave deprogamming to analysts who know what they are doing and respect their patients' lives and privacy.
♦ Facts are strong medicine to cultists, maybe too strong for some.
♦ A cult freak should not try to help others if he has not got well from underlying systemic troubles.
Satyagraha
Satyagraha: Non-cooperation with Evil, Holding to Truths
Two Sanskrit words: Satya: truth, graha: holding. Satya also means Truth, Reality, Being, and Sublime Truth. Holding to truth (satya) is the most used meaning of the term, but there is more to it. Gandhi was inspired by Thoreau. Thoreau spoke for civil disobedience in certain cases, as when the state was up to no good and did bad things too, such as going to aggressive wars.Those who speak the truth and hold to the truth are reliable, and no deceivers [With Buddha].
But Gandhi was not inspired by Thoreau alone. Non-cooperation with evil may also be understood as a logical ramification of the first "commandment" in yoga, that of holding fast to satya, which is translated as 'truth' most often. Holding to truth is a basic understanding of moral that goes along with yoga training. Stop being truthful, and you may get nasty through that only. That is what yogis say.
Truth, satya, is also a designation of the ultimate Reality. So being attuned to Reality is satya too. And it is integrity as fits. In Soto Zen, Dogen (1200-53) delineates much in his main work Shobogenzo [Sth; Shz] so that we may align ourselves to Reality - That should help a lot, the more who manage it, the merrier - and such attunement may be called satyagraha too - holding on to truthfulness, decency, great integrity, the Real.
Satya has also come to mean the practice of truthfulness, to refrain from lying, deception or betraying promises and confidences. And to extract promises from gullible ones, promises they are unable to keep, is not in tune with satyagraha either. Yogananda and SRF do not permit kriya yoga to be taught without such an oath. It violates the Human Rights, and is not lawful in many countries, accordingly. That should be important to keep in mind too.
Not to cooperate with evil, should further satya, and going away from satya means getting depraved. Not to support those who thrive by evil and wicked deeds, and stealthy uses of such stuff, may be vital too. And the large society has become hard-hearted and exploitative. It seems essential to see that.
Success in Life and Maharishi
The will to truth and real evidence is an asset deep inside. Be sure not to lose it. To fight against this and that, including cults, may be for some, perhaps, but it is far better to fight for things, and better still to advance tactfully instead of fighting when there is no need for being brutal. Success in life rests in no small part on the art of living, which Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has given a lot of tips on too. This suggests that in taking a stand for truth, the satyagraha thing, it may be vital to escape parodies and mock liberators - instead of learning the really valuable things in the art of living well.SRF nudges
After years of bootlicking, you should not be surprised that your head is not clean.
 |
| Didgruntled SRF member preparing for true self-confidence. |
On the Internet SRF is in part presented on heavily censured boards as good, but with very little content. There are also a few discussion boards for disgruntled members, such as ex monks and nuns, and they tend to be shunned by the devotee boards. And then there is SRF itself, which keeps its reserve.
For the information seeker, major problem of SRF-related discussion boards stands out: most postings are anonymous, the information is often lacking good references or goes unverified by others. Some of the information in some of them may be factual, but it may take much time and effort to find out. Reading SRF-published books and articles may help out fairly well, though. In any case there should be a marked need to check the evidence even so, since SRF allegedly has edited "a thousand changes" into books like Autobiograhy of a Yogi. There are many changes, but I have not taken the time to count all of them. A brief overview of some dominant changes is here: [LINK]
Avoid the Company of Fools for Your Own Good
Yogananda tells that ninety-nine percent of the people will not do what is good for them, even if told.That is the guru's yardstick. It may be a small step for a dictatorial mind to go on from there to, "The average man cannot think clearly . . . He needs the master mind of a Dictator in order to think right and do right." [Yogananda. "Interview". East-West, Vol. 6.] [LINK]Ninety-nine percent of all people fail under this test. Tell a person, for his own good, to do a particular thing, and he will do exactly the opposite. Why? Because he can't help himself. [Ak 321].
Yet, if Yogananda saw the light in the matter, how easy it would have been to get things right by saying the opposite of what he meant! For then people would "do exactly the opposite". The problem is that the orator Yogananda did not get his percentages right, and that his assertion is untrue, his wisdom is not flawless, and the guideline is not infallible, contrary to what SRF wants others to think about him.
Narcissistic guru devotees that seek to mask what they are really up to - laying the foundation for an evolving cult that fits exceptional, unhealthy self-occupation - in part by pretty-looking words about truth and the greatest freedom and so on, may have something in common with clowns. As for more or less stupefied victims - lay disciples, one may also wonder: "To what degree have some been hurt by the SRF cult, and to what degree did they fit in through some defect sides they already had?" — These can be interesting topics to ponder in the absence of good evidence.
Fit Self-assertion of Buddhism
Those who write glowing, devoted praises of gurus they have not met, may or may not have been goofed. Those who spend lots of time on heated discussion boards, loaded with untruths and distortions, may have entered hidden backwaters in life. But to mind one's own business well, taking Buddha's directives in fields that matter, is essential.This counsel helps against "demoniac guru" love that may deplete inner worth and self-assertion, and other assets too easily. The teaching poem Dhammapada also says one should avoid the company of fools, but company with the wise is pleasure. [cf. Dhammapada 206, 207]. To benefit from such a counsel, it has to be determined who are basically fools, and who are not. That helps. Buddha offers some thoughts on who are false friends, fools, and wise. Those ideas help. [LINK] - [LINK]
Speaking of priorities in life, Buddha teaches that no one should waste time or gifts on unworthy fellows or fools, but instead make use of the precious time and opportunities we are given, if any. There may be time enough to try to help others later. This is an attitude reflected in sayings by the Tibetan saint Milarepa of the Middle Ages. [LINK]
One should not be over-anxious and hasty in setting out to serve others, but have the one resolve to attain Buddhahood. - Milarepa, [Tm 271]
Skvaller är halv lögn
Gossip is a half-lie, says the Swedish proverb. And even though no exact estimate may be made - there are many sorts of gossip, and some tale-tellers may be reliable - there is "something"
of value in the proverb anyway. It tells of something to be aware of, to guard against, and a need to check our sources before spreading "the news" too.If you annoy a herd of cattle, at long last the ox-herd or boss will take action against you to get rid of you.
Being soap religious is much and severely linked to conformism, whereas being spiritual is marked by close assonance with "Know the Father in truth and righteousness."
Friendly teachings allow some leeway and room for thought, even expansive thought to be added - not unlike the shoe that allows the child's feet and toes to grow, according to Rudolf Steiner. His marked synchretic (assimilating, confluence-rich) strain is not a Hindu hallmark.
Cults may have inner circles.
Social taming has its price.
Skilled thinking is basically favourable and should be a blessing. Maybe a Russian proverb may serve you a bit: "Believe, but make sure." Sound verification tends to bring non-maiming knowledge to man. Some knowledge is probabilistic - partly dealing in odds also.
Basic transitions in life are of many sorts - change of livelihood is marked by transitions. Many persons become a lot more sensitive and vulnerable in such stages. Compare Erik Erikson's Epigenetic Scheme. [LINK]
Wincers fairly often mask themselves to look bold and seek comfort in company, even drunk company.
Cults often play on well-known fundamental motives. Many soap opera looking cults play on deep needs for a good life - deep needs to be played on are there.
According to Merriam-Webster's Internet dictionary, pagan means:
- heathen [(a) relating to heathens, their religion, or their customs; (b) strange, uncivilised, especially a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome) (c) of a member, people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible - see "heathen" for the inserted heathen elaborations - it's all there];
- one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods;
- an irreligious or hedonistic person.
 |
Literature
Ak: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Man's Eternal Quest. Los Angeles: SRF, 1975.
Ap: Mieder, Wolfgang (main ed.), Stewart A. Kingsbury, and Kelsie E. Harder: A Dictionary of American Proverbs. (Paperback) New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Ay: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 1st ed. New York: Philosophical Library, 1946. Online. [oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk12.html]
Ha: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 12th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), 1981.
Opt: Brown, J. Operation övertalning. Reklam. Propaganda. Hjärntvätt. Stockholm: Prisma, 1965.
Pa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 11th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), 1971.
Say: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Sayings of Yogananda. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1958.
Shz: Cleary, Thomas, tr. Shobogenzo: Zen Essays by Dogen. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1986.
Sth: Nearman, Hubert, tr. Shobogenzo: The Treasure House of the Eye of the True Teaching. Mount Shasta, CA: Shasta Abbey Press, 2007. On-line.
Tm: Evans-Wentz, Walter Yeeling, ed. Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1969.
Yv: Venkatesananda, swami, tr. The Concise Yoga Vasistha. Albany: State University of New York, 1984.
 |
 |
 |
 |
USER'S GUIDE to abbreviations, the site's bibliography, letter codes, dictionaries, site design and navigation, tips for searching the site and page referrals. [LINK]
DISCLAIMER: [LINK]
© 1999–2008, Tormod Kinnes. All rights reserved. [E-MAIL]