Deprogramming
Writing a Deprogramming
Author: Anthony M. Ketterman
"In the name of God, I cannot deprogram." These five words became the mantra of one cult survivor snapped out of brainwashing by his mother. He was brought to Paris in 1954, where he met with other Americans who had also been exposed to different forms of indoctrination and mind control. They were surprised to find their stories shared many similarities-- mainly that they all followed similar patterns and fell for the same tactics used by parents, teachers, counselors and other cult leaders. In this article, the author shares some chilling parallel tales from those who finally escaped from these dangerous renegades that appear on some unsuspecting yet vulnerable people's radar today.
Deprogramming, the official name for an in depth review of a person's life and history, has become a mainstay of cult-deprogrammers. After an undercover operation gets them inside the cult and they are able to get close to their victims, they schedule several sessions offering you and your family all the help that you need. They have been planning this meeting for years and have been carefully preparing for this moment with detailed information about your personality, family background, etc. All of their notes are carefully scripted so that it will be easy for them to pull all the information together into a comprehensive picture of each member. Their goal is to draw a complete map of everyone in order to make it easier to control them.
"Hey, I just got out of that cult, and they had me memorizing a lot of 'information' too."
"Yeah, so did I."
"I know what you mean. My mom asked a lot of questions too."
Immediately after the deprogrammers arrive, they begin to notice patterns in the list of questions they were given. The beginning of the meeting is filled with general information about your family members and how much time each spends with you during your childhood-- all very basic family information but not what they were expecting. This information is then compared against their list of questions. Soon they find these similarities and begin to ask you about them. You are asked about your childhood, your family and friends, the topics of conversation at home, the schools you attended, what church you attended-- all questions that would have been found in their list of questions. This may sound fairly normal at first but after a while it becomes obvious that something is wrong with the way they are asking these questions.
"Jezebel", "Satanist", "mind control", "brainwashing".. They will keep repeating these words over and over until it becomes so ingrained in your mind that you start listening to them in an attempt to believe what they say.
"She's the devil when she gets drunk."
"He's a Satanist."
"I know he is trying to brainwash me, can you help me?"
One of the primary goals of deprogramming is to break down your defenses by letting you emotionally expose yourself in front of them. They will make sure that they keep bringing up the same sensitive topics over and over again until they are able to uncover each one by one. The more you talk, the more vulnerable you become and the easier it becomes for them to confuse your mind with their nonsense. It is important to remember that they are doing this to get a reaction from you, to make you angry or upset, not that they actually have anything of value inside their heads. They are just trying to get your emotional response in order to control you and make you easier to control.
"She's a handler--she's been putting thoughts into my head."
"You can't turn her mind back on she doesn't want it there," he said. "She was brainwashed."
All of these phrases sound like something out of the same deprogramming script but you'll notice one very distinct difference: None of these phrases apply. They are not a part of their script. These phrases are just patches that people put on the old deprogramming script to explain and justify the lies they have been telling themselves.
"She's a controlled person who has been conditioned by the cult."
A good way to "deprogram" someone is to emotionally torture them in an attempt to make them get over their past. The longer you stay with these people, the closer they come to demolishing your mind. As you continue hearing the same damaging phrases over and over again, it starts to become more of a physical torture than anything else. These phrases begin to burn holes in your mind that will never be able to heal again-- if ever.
"I know she's brainwashed but I'm not.."
This process is also an attempt to reverse the effect of these phrases by trying to convince you that you are not under mind control. The deprogrammers are planting these ideas into your head without realizing it and so it is just another way for them to get their point across. In the end, however, this will only make things worse because removing yourself from the situation will never be a realistic option. If you continue relying on someone else for advice, they will always have a hold over you-- they will always be able to manipulate you whenever they want. You will always get hurt when you choose to listen to them instead of making your own decisions.
"Her parents are members."
If they ask you if your parents are members, it is important that you answer honestly. You cannot hide behind their words and say, "No, not my parents." You need to understand that the cult people have a list of questions that they use often in these situations and you should be aware of what they have been saying over and over again. If this person asks about your family members being members of a cult one more time, pay attention to the words used-- it may be a hint at what is coming next.
"Have you ever been with a cult?"
"Have you ever been with a cult?"
"Have you ever been with a cult?"
Check the words used in their sentences-- what are they trying to imply? Are they trying to make it seem like it is okay to be in the group? Do they seem irritated when you don't say yes?
Be aware of the person's tone and watch out for any indications that are not normal. It may be hard to tell what is normal anymore. Sometimes it can be very subtle, but just make sure you listen carefully to any signs of danger before going forward.
"Have you ever been with anyone from the group?"
This should be a fairly easy question to answer, but a lot of people will blow it off as nothing-- something that does not need to be taken seriously. You may have seen cult members before or know someone in the group but I would recommend saying yes. This is another warning sign to pay attention to-- this is just one more way that they can work their "magic" on you and make you feel good about it. By saying no, you are actually putting yourself in a situation where they can get the upper hand.
Conclusion
I hope that this article has given you enough information to help you decide for yourself whether or not the deprogrammer is forcing you to stay in the cult. You have read about some of the common phrases used in deprogramming and how those phrases are used. During the process of deprogramming, the cult members constantly repeat their own lines over and over again to confuse your mind and make it hard for you to think outside of their scam. Get out before you are forever stuck in a negative cycle of skepticism, doubt and guilt. Fight back-- be as strong as a person can be when they are being attacked by others..
"We'll tell her what she wants to hear till she realizes that she made a mistake.