Coming from the place of “having been there”, my approach to consulting others about cultic involvement is free from judgement and I hold a confidential container of respect and compassion for each individual, family or organization. 

The emotional and cognitive impact of cultic involvement is complex, nuanced and unique to each person and situation. It is common to experience despair, overwhelm and anger when manipulation or coercion is recognized. For individuals, this emotional dissonance can sometimes lead the person into another abusive situation as they seek solace before reckoning with the one they left. Another common response is to withdraw or simply ‘move on’. Whatever the history or coping responses used, I approach each situation with gentleness, while offering concrete resources that support integration and comprehension.

Janja Lalich, Ph.D, researcher, author, and educator specializing in cults and extremist groups, strongly advises a psycho-educational approach to cult recovery. My work is educational in nature but dovetails well with therapy. 

My education consultation work is typically short-term or as-needed, ranging from one or two sessions up to a year, depending on the complexity of the situation. Using a big-picture approach, I work with what IS and bring compassion, cognition and a wide variety of tools to the table, supporting people to discover the path to recovery that best suits their life. 

FOR INDIVIDUALS

For people who have experienced cultic involvement, consultation involves one-on-one meetings via zoom or in person. These sessions are an opportunity for experiences to be voiced and put into the larger perspective of patterns of cultic abuse. Whether the involvement took place recently or decades ago, this process supports the integration of complex and traumatic experiences, and furthers self understanding and compassion. 

FOR FAMILIES

Witnessing a loved one fall into a controlling group can be devastating. In their efforts to help, they sometimes inadvertently create further alienation. Cultic environments actively strive to rupture healthy family ties because their goal is to become the “chosen family.” Family consultation work provides support - specific to their loved ones experience - that builds and maintains bridges, re-establishing the link between the pre-cult identity with the family members. Entire families and close friends can be invited into the consultations. Hopefully, the one who is in a cultic environment will eventually feel safe enough to also engage in the compassionate, educational process so they can begin their cult recovery. 

FOR ORGANIZATIONS

Cult consultations begin with a commitment to transparency and a willingness to engage honestly on leadership and membership levels. I believe any group or organization has the potential to develop cultic tendencies, often unconsciously, employing controlling techniques that in the long run, will only undermine the entire system. Through educational consultation with leadership, members and all involved, the “easy fix'' of an authoritarian or power over approach can be identified and options for employing ethical leadership will be explored. This work is most effective if the organization is also engaged with a professional mediator. 

*see custom workshops

It’s no small act - to write one’s story of cultic, spiritual or religious abuse. The process requires courage to speak the truth and to be honest where there is not yet clarity and to keep writing anyway. I have experienced again and again how this commitment to oneself inspires others to do the same, breaking down the barriers of shame and shattering the societal stigma that silences us.

When we write, we speak, in no uncertain terms of what we have endured. When we write we are standing in our own lived experience and saying, “It’s NOT ok to coerce another person” “It’s NOT ok to impose top-down thinking onto others.” “It’s NOT ok to ravage another person’s mind, body and spirit for an unattainable goal.”

~Gerette Buglion

Recurring Writing to Reckon —

Live Writing to Reckon Workshops —

Writing to Reckon provides a safe and engaging space for survivors who wish to establish a writing practice as part of their personal healing process and/or are actively engaged in writing a book. This course provides a confidential container to delve into the challenging terrain of power-over abuse.

Live and in person Writing to Reckon Workshops are offered at different locations and only irregularly. If you are interested in hosting one or would like to speak with Gerette about offering one near you, please click the “connect to plan” button. Full day and multi-day retreats are also an option.

Drawing on a wide variety of educational resources, I customize workshops for schools, training centers, college campuses, etc. My approach is to provide opportunities where participants can directly experience the human traits that make us vulnerable to either being unduly influenced and/or unconsciously promote power-over leadership that become cultic if not checked. Much of this content exists beneath common awareness. The aim of these workshops is to awaken a compassionate lens into the human condition that includes our innate vulnerabilities while also  inspiring discernment and critical thinking, which in turn helps one to recognize and prevent engagement in harmful groups. 

Below are two examples of such workshops but they can be adapted to any situation.

Power and Empowerment for Youth and Young Adults:

The need for discernment in group participation is essential for adolescents and emerging adults. Destructive cultic groups target 15-25 year olds for recruitment - using their natural optimism, curiosity and openness as a tool to garner their trust. 

Learning the signs of destructive or controlling groups is only the beginning of these workshops. Designed to engage students through experiential exercises, participants will learn how humans think (and don't think) and develop skills of discernment on how to safely interact with a group that might look really good but could lead to a loss of autonomy instead of empowerment.

Power & Empowerment in Yoga Communities:
A workshop for yoga teachers to reckon with Cult Culture 

Empowerment is the essence of what yoga teachers want for students: promoting self-confidence and inspiring a grounded connection with body, mind and spirit. However, there are many examples of abuse of power in yoga centers across the globe. How does this happen? Power dynamics are inherent in teacher-student relationships, making it essential for yoga teachers to understand the complex and nuanced dynamics of hierarchy, projection, and the vulnerability that brings each student into their class. This workshop is designed to shed light on power dynamics that exist in all yoga communities (whether we are conscious of them or not) and empower teachers through tools, techniques and increased personal understanding to create yoga environments imbued with reciprocity, integrity and healing.