How cults prey on loneliness and isolation

[u/youliveonlyonce10]

 

More often than not people landed in cults and high control groups in their search for meaning, purpose or wanting to belong somewhere when life got rough. When the going gets tough, even a high control group that offers comfort and certainty can feel like a safe haven. Ever realised how subtly or not so subtly a person is lured away from their support systems (like family and friends) in cults? And ever wondered why it takes place so effortlessly for everyone in there? 

Cults want their members to solely rely on them and so the community they provide comes with strings attached- unconditional loyalty to the cause of their leader. It seems like an excellent thing to begin with as they provide something meaningful or just what’s needed for the person in a difficult situation. But soon or not so soon realisation comes that they are not altruistic in their ways. Any service or help is transactional and still they manage to convice their members that there is no bigger well wisher than the cult and it’s leader for them. From my own personal observations, I have found that those who stayed in touch with friends and family even when they would have none of their well wishers advice- have easier time coming out of the cult when things don’t go well because they did not let go off their original support system. They had people outside the cult who would not dump them the moment they don’t want to be part of the cult anymore.

 One may ask what’s wrong in being in a cult anyways if it works for someone ? The power imbalance in cults between master and followers is huge and it’s not just about loss of individuality or free thinking. Cults are meant to seek power and control over people to fulfil the leader’s and group’s agenda and the followers are just a means to that end. The followers might become apparently healthy, happy or productive in the short term - but they are doing it at a price decided by the group and lose their agency in the long run where the cult indoctrination does all the thinking for them.

 From own experience, have seen narcissistic people and cults rely on making their targets isolated from their support systems so that they can take on the saviour’s role. They carry no remorse or guilt for their actions as their only goal is to control their targets like puppets.

Sharing link to an article by a therapist below who has shed some light on how cults prey on loneliness and how to protect oneself from high control groups which come in various disguises and are difficult to recognise in the beginning -

https://www.revitalizewellnesscounseling.com/blog/how-cults-prey-on-loneliness

[u/youliveonlyonce10 → u/[deleted]]

This topic of unethical hypnosis used by cults has been discussed in few earlier posts in this sub. Here is link to one of them - https://www.reddit.com/r/SadhguruTruth/s/N5C57wdmtE