Below you will find terms which may be unfamiliar to you. When applicable, discovering language that describes personal experience can be insightful & empowering.
A group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion to some person, idea, or thing, and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control (such as: isolation from former friends and family, debilitation, use of special methods to heighten suggestibility and subservience, powerful group pressures, information management, suspension of individuality or critical judgement, promotion of total dependency on the group in fear of leaving it), designed to advance the goals of the group's leaders to the actual or possible detriment of members, their families, or the community.
* This definition is built on decades of research, discussion, and dedication from some of the 20th century's best minds in the cult recovery field and constructed by Louis West and Michael Langone (original source: PeopleLeaveCults.com).
A psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people when the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in irrational or dysfunctional thinking and decision-making. In a groupthink situation, members often suppress dissenting viewpoints, fail to critically analyze alternatives, and prioritize consensus over sound judgment.
Illusion of invulnerability: belief the group cannot make wrong decisions
Collective rationalization: ignoring warnings or negative feedback
Belief in inherent morality: assuming the group's decisions are morally right
Stereotyping outsiders: viewing those who oppose the group as biased or inferior
pressure on dissenters: direct or indirect pressure to conform
self-censorship: members withhold dissenting opinions
illusion of unanimity: assuming silence means agreement
mind guards: some members shield the group from dissenting information (ie. gatekeepers)
Refers to the mental discomfort or tension that a person experiences when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes—especially when their behavior conflicts with those beliefs. The discomfort of cognitive dissonance often leads people to seek out information or interpretations that align with their existing beliefs (confirmation bias). A practical example of cognitive dissonance within OI is when someone leaves the fellowship and is “cut off” or excommunicated. Some members may feel conflicted about this (sensing that it is wrong and not aligned with their Christian values), but they choose to believe a narrative that dissipates their internal conflict (e.g. that person is a distraction to me and my relationship with God now).
An intervention aimed at reversing or undoing indoctrination. It typically involves helping a person critically examine the ideas or beliefs they’ve adopted under undue influence, with the goal of restoring their ability to think normally, and critically, for themselves. It is the process of helping someone break free from beliefs or behaviors that were instilled through thought reform or coercive persuasion—often associated with cults and high-control environments.
A psychological tendency where people:
*Favor information that confirms their existing beliefs or hypotheses
*Ignore, dismiss, or undervalue evidence that contradicts
those beliefs
*Interpret ambiguous evidence in a way that supports their views.
Confirmation bias can lead to poor decision-making and be especially
problematic and dangerous in relationships because it distorts how a person perceives
the other person(s).
A person will wrongly interpret others' actions, reinforcing negative beliefs which undermines
trust and fractures positive relationships that are deemed broken (because of
incorrect perceptions/assumptions/conclusions).
A term used to describe a set of psychological and emotional symptoms that can
result from harmful religious experiences, particularly those involving
authoritarian, dogmatic, and/or high-control religious environments
Causes:
*coercive or controlling religious teachings and practices
*fear-based approaches or doctines
*suppression of critical thinking
*shame-based moral codes
*shunning
*ex-communication
Behavior characterized by excessive people-pleasing, submissiveness, and avoidance of conflict. It's a survival behavior rather than a conscious choice, where a person tries to feel safe by becoming excessively cooperative. It's an instinctual reaction to discomfort caused by intimidation. An individual responds this way in an effort to preserve psychological or emotional safety; they may quietly or passively acquiesce for the sake of peace.
A process marked by manipulation where someone builds a relationship with a person (often someone subservient, malleable, vulnerable). In a spiritual setting, grooming is tied to indoctrination which encourages conformity to the groups practices and ideologies. The relationship is marked by fear and guilt which results in control and domination, even if subtle by appearances. The relationship is typically built on trust and a perceived connection, making it difficult for the person being groomed to recognize that the domination and control is happening. The person subject to the grooming remains aligned, believing they are submitting to God and/or a higher cause.
is a form of mental manipulation in which one person causes
another to doubt their own perception
In the context of a Christian setting:
…the devastating power of religious gaslighting…doesn’t just destabilize your
sense of truth. It corrupts your understanding of trust, love, justice and mercy. It confuses trauma with sanctification. And it leads you to believe that naming harm
is the true sin. -Wade Mullen
(see the complete article, The Gaslight Religion by Wade Mullen, on what
gaslighting looks/sounds/feels like in a church setting)
A particular word or phrase (or other stimuli) that can cause emotional or physical reactions, such as discomfort, uneasiness, fear, panic, anger, dissociation, or flashbacks.
*If you're comfortable, you should be uncomfortable
*Close the gap
*challenge or “to be challenged”
*You know the truth that's in your heart.
*It's just so good we could come together on this.
*We are married to Jesus. We are the Bride of Christ.
*Die to yourself.
*Cut across
*You can't trust your own perspective.
*I just feel you could give more.
*You need to identify the black specks in your life.
*You need to give yourself to this.
*You need to sacrifice (interests, money, family, job, comfort)
*Live in your Levite calling.
*Where's Jesus in all this?
*cheek to cheek with God
Refers to an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance, power, knowledge, or identity. It often involves an unrealistic or inflated view of the self and can manifest in behavior, thoughts, or speech. These elements—charismatic authority, required loyalty phrases, an informal yet spiritually central “church” identity—can be seen as institutional grandiosity, where the leader becomes the locus of spiritual identity and authority.
When someone is repeatedly controlled, especially someone they may depend on or trust, they can begin to feel powerless. That loss of agency fosters a sense of learned helplessness—a belief that no matter what they do, they can’t change (improve, resolve, fix or get out of) their situation.
A state of increased alertness and sensitivity to surroundings; in extreme examples, a person may be constantly on guard and scanning for threats even when no real danger is present