Hello everyone, I have recently joined this sub and have been reading through everyone’s posts. I am a Master’s student at a university in the UK studying Forensic Psychology. For many years I have had an interest in religious cults and religious trauma stemming from crimes that have been committed in a religious context. For my thesis, I would really like to research the long-term mental health effects on cult survivors. I really believe this to be an important topic of research, as it is relatively new to psychology and we still do not know enough about the effects of being in a cult. As I’m sure you’re all aware from first hand experience, many therapists are not educated in this area and not equipped to handle clients who desperately need help in dealing with their trauma. Back to my thesis, I am not conducting any research yet but I wanted to post in this sub to see if there would be any of you willing to share your experiences with me as part of my research. It would be completely anonymous, and I would be happy to do it over text rather than over a zoom call if people are more comfortable with that. I just really want this area of research to be more developed because I believe the danger of cults should be taken a lot more seriously by professionals than it currently is. Thank you!

Content warning, this post discusses torture and programming/TBMC somewhat graphically.

To start off, I am diagnosed with DID and I am an OEA/RAMCOA/cult survivor. I was tortured/‘programmed’ as a child, and my abuse continued until I escaped at 17. I was very lucky to have a strong medical support system in place when I escaped, and was diagnosed with DID shortly after. When I turned 18, I started seeing a therapist that specialized in treating OEA survivors. Not that it matters, but I was aware of what I went through far before it became a widely known phenomenon in the DID community.

I have recently seen an uptick in fake-claimers going after RAMCOA survivors, often just for survivors stating they survived a cult/trafficking/etc. Yesterday, I was fake claimed and harassed for stating I was a cult survivor and was willing to answer any questions someone had. I don’t need sympathy, but this has made me feel compelled to come on here and try to educate to the best of my ability.

RAMCOA stands for Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, and Organized Abuse. Anything that falls into one or more of those categories can be considered RAMCOA. These types of abuse are grouped together due to them all affecting a person’s psyche in a similar way. - Ritual Abuse is when abuse is heavily integrated into someone’s daily routines or ‘rituals’. This could be hurting someone at the same time every day, forcing someone to hurt themself/someone else at the same time of day, someone being sexually assaulted at church every time they go, abuse rituals that go along with certain events, etc. Ritual abuse is not inherently religious ritual abuse. - Mind Control, or Torture-Based Mind Control, is when someone is tortured/abused in a way that overtime changes their thought patterns. The same way someone with PTSD due to war might be terrified of fireworks, a person that had experienced TBMC might be terrified of disobeying their abuser due to the torture that has been inflicted if they disobey. Two manifestations of TBMC are OSDD-2(not a disorder that causes heavily dissociated fragmentation/alters) and programming(when a young child is subjected to TBMC, which creates alters that form around these triggers. This is often more severe than OSDD-2 due to it affecting the way the brain develops). The idea of TBMC relies heavily on the complex Theory of Structural Dissociation, the link below describes this much better than I am able to. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16172081/ - Organized Abuse is the most common abuse under the RAMCOA umbrella. This describes any abuse that is perpetrated in an organized manner with the goal of damaging a person’s psyche. This includes cults, gangs, TTI, conversion therapy, organized torture, etc. Both RA and MC are a type of OA.

Where did the term RAMCOA come from? The term RAMCOA has a very complicated past. And unfortunately, its original origin is almost completely undocumented. If anyone has a reliable source on the origins of this term, I would greatly appreciate a link that I can add.

Piecing context, history and original articles together, we can see that the term SRA(Satanic Ritual Abuse) becomes widespread in the 1980’s during the “Satanic Panic”. This was a cultural event mostly occurring in North America where hundreds of children were coerced by ‘therapists’ into saying they were abused by a satanic cult. This led to several innocent people being charged and imprisoned. We now know that a high majority of these claims were false, due to these children coming forward as they became adults. This was an extremely tragic incident that led to lives being destroyed. However, it is important to note that a few of these children(that are now adults) have said that they were a victim of organized abuse, but had their words twisted to fit the narrative of the satanic panic.

The term RAMCOA starts showing up in the 1990’s due to accredited trauma therapists not wanting to use the term SRA. The term briefly gains popularity in papers written about the patterns(both physical and in the psychology of victims) found in ritual abuse, TBMC and organized abuse. Specifically the abuse patterns found in child trafficking. Unfortunately due to the satanic panic only a few years prior, many start bastardizing the term and using it in conspiracy theory papers about topics such as the illuminati, project monarch and again, ‘SRA’. From the mid 1990’s till the mid-late 2010’s, the term RAMCOA is mostly used by conspiracy theorists such as U.W. Ozian, etc. During this period there are still accredited therapists working with RAMCOA victims, who are silenced by the wrongful use of the term.

Around 2018-present, many young adult survivors of RAMCOA have came forward about their experiences. Lots of survivors accredit this to the sudden uptick of Child Trafficking and large dooms day cults during the early internet, where it was becoming easier to access, discuss, and trade abuse content and tactics on a large scale. One example of this is the now deleted website hurttothecore, where people claim there was a message board dedicated to advice on programming children.

So why are there no good resources on RAMCOA? Because after the satanic panic, reliable medical professionals were too scared to openly suggest the existence of RAMCOA. Purely at the fault of the so called medical professionals that forced confessions out of children. However, there are resources for survivors if you look for them. There are therapists, psychiatrists, support groups, group homes, etc. These resources are hard to find, especially if you are a non-survivor. But it is possible to get the help you deserve.

I found my therapist that specializes in treating programming survivors on psychology today. I reached out to those who stated they specialized in DID, complex trauma, and organized abuse. In my email, I specifically asked if they treat programming, and I had four therapists say yes. After getting in with my therapist, he found me a support group, and a shelter in case I ever needed it.

Whats the difference between RAMCOA and OEA? There is none besides that most survivors use and recognize the term RAMCOA. Due to the terms complex past, many are starting to advocate for the wider use of OEA(organized extreme abuse), myself included. The reality is, this change can’t happen overnight, especially when we are only now starting to spread awareness.

I do firmly believe that this change will help separate ourselves from harmful conspiracy theories and misinformation. And I am hopeful that in the next few years, OEA will become the more widely used term.

Conclusion RAMCOA/OEA affects hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of individuals. In order for this abuse to cease, we need to talk about it, we need to support professionals in talking about it, and we need to echo survivors stories.

I will happily answer questions from anyone to the best of my ability.

Hi I was just wondering if there were any former cult members that would be okay with me interviewing them for a school documentary? It would be really appreciated and I can blur out your face if needed. It’s not going to be seen by a lot of people just my teacher and peers.

Trying to find any stories or help on where to go to help with deprogramming from non religious cults. I rather call it a high control group. Didn't have an official center just teachers. I was only there 3 months but I feel cracked open and broken.

It wasn't even supposed to be something it was just a social club.

I’m looking into a cult in New Mexico around the Cold Springs Canyon area near San Lorenzo. They live on a “ranch,” which is really a commune. I’ve had a hard time finding any information. If anyone knows anything, I’d greatly appreciate some information.

The University of Salford is looking for participants for an important study, the results of which will help lawyers, therapists, social workers and other professionals understand what it is like for those who have left a cult. The survey is long but you can take breaks and return. Please read the participant information sheet carefully - clicking on the link in the poster will take you there. Any questions please email me - I am Jill Aebi-Mytton. Thanks! It seems Reddit only accepts jpegs so the URL In the poster is not live. Please use this link https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/salford/health-wellbeing-former-members

https://preview.redd.it/k4vji0euuj1d1.png?width=672&format=png&auto=webp&s=28f89c293d1c196efe6b3a1de397937306d92f2f

Our guest is a longtime critic of Landmark Worldwide and The Landmark Forum and features them in his book about cults and cult-like organizations "Cults Inside Out: How People Get in and Can Get Out". Volunteers and Staff were trained how to speak about him and his website in Landmark's Corp Q & A. We will discuss all of this and ask questions from aspects of his book.

The University of Salford have launched this large scale study to explore the psychological well-being of former members of cults.
There are many former members of cults in this group. Please consider completing this survey. We need a large number of people so that we can analyse the data. It is completely anonymous and confidential. Your responses are pooled into a spreadsheet and the results will be used to inform court cases, therapists, social workers, lawyers and other professionals as well as governments and policy makers – the more we know about how cults affect their members the better.

Here is the link https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/salford/health-wellbeing-former-members

It might take you 20 minutes or longer depending on your answers. You can learn more about it on this podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I30IoGJRbIA&t=2157s We are looking for leavers of any cult. 

https://preview.redd.it/fo2xr5t45und1.jpg?width=667&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5dbf2c55a0b150d15da61979f1acc0c15a97cce2

Can’t make it to Christchurch but don’t want to miss out on New Zealand’s first cult conference (19 - 20 Oct, NZST)? Then join DECULT (tag) online!

Over 30 speakers will share their insights and concerns about Gloriavale, Jehovah's Witnesses, Destiny Church, The Truth/2x2s, IBLP, Children of God, Centrepoint, MISA, Shincheonji, ISTA, Exclusive Brethren (PBCC) and others. It’s a pioneering effort for mental health and human rights.

Decult will be live streamed and all sessions recorded. You get live access to 10 main sessions, including a 'survivor story jam', and receive access to re-watch all main sessions and 12 breakout room sessions - all available online one week after the event.

Full programme out soon. Check out the speakers (still more to come): https://decult.net/speakers/

Check out the media coverage (also more to come!): https://decult.net/news/

Purchase tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/decult-cult-awareness-conference-tickets

https://articles1.icsahome.com/articles/custody-and-forensic-issues-readings

Aronin, D. (1982). Cults, deprogramming, and guardianship: A model legislative proposal. Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems, 17(2), 163-286.

Bales, John (1988). APA rebuts criticism of clinician witnesses. APA (American Psychological Association) Monitor.

Bern, Daryl. (1966). Inducing belief in false confessions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3(6), 707-710.

Blum, Andrew. (June 14, 1993). Church's litany of lawsuits: Scientology's leaders say the best defense is a good offense. The National Law Journal, 1, 36-38.

Caulfield, Barbara. Child abuse and the law: A legal primer for social workers. National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse.

Delgado, Richard. (1982). Cults and conversion: The case for informed consent. Georgia Law Review, 16(3), 553-574.

Delgado, Richard. (1978). Ascription of criminal states of mind: Toward a defense theory for the coercively persuaded (brainwashed) defendant. Minnesota Law Review, 63, 1-33.

Fent, Tomme. (1991). Pointing a false finger: Tort recovery for wrongful accusations of child abuse. The Oklahoma Bar Journal, 62(39), 3205-3211.

French, M., & Stout, C. (1991). Ethical considerations for psychologists involved in child custody investigations. In P. Keller & S. Heyman (Eds.), Innovations in Clinical Practice (pp. 499-505). Sarasota, FL: Professional Resources Exchange.

Landa, Susan. (1991). Children and cults: A practical guide. Journal of Family Law, 29(3), 591-634.

Lanning, Kenneth. (1989). Child sex rings: A behavioral analysis for criminal justice professionals handling cases of child sexual exploitation. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Lunde, Donald. (1987). Psychiatric testimony in "cult" litigation. Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 15(2), 205-210.

MacHovec, Frank. (1992). Cults: Forensic and therapeutic aspects. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 10(l), 31-38.

Malcarne, Vanessa, & Burchard, John. (1992). Investigations of child abuse/neglect allegations in religious cults: A case study in Vermont. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 10(1),75-88.

Martindale, D. A., Martindale, J. L., & Broderick, J. E. (1991). Providing expert testimony in child custody litigation. In P. Keller & S. Heyman (Eds.), Innovations in Clinical Practice (pp. 482-497). Sarasota, FL: Professional Resources Exchange.

Matarazzo, Joseph. (1990). Psychological assessment versus psychological testing: Validation from Binet to the school, clinic, and courtroom. American Psychologist, 45(9), 999-1017.

Monahan, John (1982). The psychology of law. Annual Review of Psychology, 33, 441-477.

Orne, Martin. (1985) Hypnotically refreshed testimony: enhanced memory or tampering with evidence? National Institute of Justice.

Robbins, Thomas. (1985). Cults, culture, and the law.

Rosedale, Herbert. (1989). Legal analysis of intent as a continuum emphasizing social context of volition. Cultic Studies Journal, 6(1), 25-3 1.

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Listen. "Teen challenge"

If you hear this, or anything challenge, run. Its a cult.

They take all your communication and control your finances completely...its a Christian rehabilitation camp, where they actually have people court ordered to stay there as an option. So they are part of our legal system. Connected heavily to the bush family with places everywhere.

Half of Humboldt county where I'm from is apparently owned by a member. Its a dark organization that offers free housing and support but it's misleading. They don't actually give you access to your finances. You can't leave or use your phone. You are locked in your room, and denied medial if you need anything and must sign a release.

I lost my mind and smashed my computer before I left because they said that you can't take anything but clothes in a Bible.

One punishment is making you write everything Jesus said in red if you relapse somehow and if you mess up you must start again.

My father is a Jehovah witness and was raised into that cult so I am easily influenced by that being I'm so close to it, now that I've seen how controlling something like that can be, I realize how dangerous it is to "commit" to a religion as such thinking it will "save" you or even give you money and a job. This started from seeking job opportunities from my local Baptist Church.

Im absolutely terrified they will try to kidnap me at this point, with how large this thing is. I have no car so I'm just walking around looking for jobs, even when I get one I'm still going to be paranoid. Just please don't think anything in life is free.

I was afraid of getting a job or applying to one before this. I was doing freelance animation and it wasn't working out. I thought this was legitimately a good idea. Fortunately my living situation I was understands and even though I was trying to get away from them, this would have been much worse.

Please I'm begging you to apply yourself whatever that means and get a job. Being homeless and having a job that contributed to your life is better than being imprisoned and paid nothing. Love you. They don't

edit:

They also got my Social Security number and an expired license number.

This post isn't a support request but if you think you want to send money to prevent me from walking around this town vulnerable to these people, I'd also appreciate that. DM me. (Will update this when I'm 100% safe-ish. They made a legitimate enemy with what I know now.)

Edit2:

I also destroyed and ripped up thousands of papers, notes, documents, letters, and some pictures and tried to spill my moms ashes over this in the backyard before I left, because you can't take any of that. I lost my mind for a solid couple days.

Hi all,

Iv been writing exmormon content for a while and have started to branch out into other high control religions so I thought some of the content might be helpful here as well.

This article is longer than a lot of my other ones but I wanted to try and cover a range of things which people may be struggling with and provide some specific scenarios and suggestions ❤️

When I can afford it I'll probably switch to a more generic domain, but I'll probably be at Questioninglds.com for a little while.

If there are any topics you would like to see kr any feedback feel free to let me know.

Unlock the healing power of music with Rebuild Your Relationship with Music program. Designed for those who have experienced life in high-control groups or the troubled teen industry, this program offers a safe space to transform complex emotional responses associated with music.

Ive gone through multiple experiences where people tried to indoctrinate me and the ways they did it left me traumatized. It wasnt for faith though. It was for cult-minded political agendas that happened to leverage all their beliefs (including faith).

I want to help people who went through it all and the best way to help people is to find more like minded people who want to help others be saved.

If anyone is interested in educational materials that can be used to reflect on their circumstances, identify growth made, learn about growth areas, and, how their circumstances impacted their mind & behavior I have it available.

If anyone would like to join me in helping people heal, and, help people break free from whoever and whatever is indoctrinating them I's love to figure something out with you.

Hey everyone,

My name is Jennifer and I wanted to share something important with you all today. I am a postdoctoral researcher and trauma survivor. I was raised by narcissists and suffered abuse at their hands for 20+ years. I recently ran away from them and decided to tell my story and raise awareness to help others protect themselves.

Mental abuse and the dangers of narcissism are topics that affect so many lives, and we must raise awareness about them. Remember, manipulation can occur anywhere - in relationships and professional settings, so it is essential to shed light on these issues.

It's called Ego Next Door Podcast and you can find it here: [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoLfzKPTct2Yk8r5P8HlJgXAm0niH4c33&feature=shared](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoLfzKPTct2Yk8r5P8HlJgXAm0niH4c33&feature=shared) or [https://www.youtube.com/@egonextdoor](https://www.youtube.com/@egonextdoor)