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“The Common Stages in the Life Cycle of a Cult

The Big Idea. A leader or leaders propose a new transcendent idea that promises a panacea solution for alienated and vulnerable people. This big idea promises to solve all problems; to end loneliness, isolation, and a sense of personal failure. It makes vague promises of meaning and salvation. There is usually a charismatic leader or a single text with its own coded language that spreads the big idea.

Love-Bombing. Cult leaders and early devotees recruit from the wider population through love-bombing and promising a new start, a hope for a future of love, belonging, and salvation within a living community of people who all believe in the big idea. As a new recruit, you become one of the chosen to whom ‘the truth’ is revealed. You are loved and 'saved.'

A New Life. New recruits are inducted into a secret language of signs and symbols. They're encouraged to identify as victims of the world outside and are promised a rebirth, a new body or identity within this life, or an afterlife. Recruits are taught to see the world as black or white, good or evil, us or them; and this creates tight group unity which is enforced by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These beliefs are often illogical as a test of ‘true belief.’ New recruits experience euphoria as part of a 'chosen' secretive group.

Growth. As new recruits move into greater commitment, the cult enters the ‘expansion phase’ and looks outwards. The new task is to recruit ever more people. Love-bombing and promising a new life are used on outsiders, and the young and needy are targeted. The cult expands rapidly with its promises of future rewards, be they spiritual, sexual, or political. Mantras and slogans replace all individual thought and offer collective 'one-ness.'

Rites of Passage. Allegiance is sworn through acts such as renouncing your own family, past life, and past name. New members are separated from all past support systems and become dependent on the cult. New members are tested by having to transform their identity, body, language, and even sexual behaviours. They must ‘don the robes’ and declare to the world that ‘I am no longer who I was, I am now part of group X.’” -Evan Morrison I might add that the religious cults made Christian plays, Christian movies, Christian concerts, Christian awards shows, Christian landmarks, Christian museums, and Christian events God. They had the persecution complex, the martyrdom complex, Messiah Complex, and The God complex.

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“Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were God.[1][2][3] In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, the Baháʼí Faith, and Islam) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic God as if it were God.[4][5] In these monotheistic religions, idolatry has been considered as the "worship of false gods" and is forbidden by texts such as the Ten Commandments.[4] Other monotheistic religions may apply similar rules.[6] For instance, the phrase false god is a derogatory term used in Abrahamic religions to indicate cult images or deities of non-Abrahamic Pagan religions, as well as other competing entities or objects to which particular importance is attributed.[7] Conversely, followers of animistic and polytheistic religions may regard the gods of various monotheistic religions as "false gods" because they do not believe that any real deity possesses the properties ascribed by monotheists to their sole deity. Atheists, who do not believe in any deities, do not usually use the term false god even though that would encompass all deities from the atheist viewpoint. Usage of this term is generally limited to theists, who choose to worship some deity or deities, but not others.[4]

In many Indian religions, which include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, idols (murti) are considered as symbolism for the absolute but not the Absolute,[8] or icons of spiritual ideas,[8][9] or the embodiment of the divine.[10] It is a means to focus one's religious pursuits and worship (bhakti).[8][11][9] In the traditional religions of Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Africa, Asia, the Americas and elsewhere, the reverence of cult images or statues has been a common practice since antiquity, and cult images have carried different meanings and significance in the history of religion.[7][1][12] Moreover, the material depiction of a deity or more deities has always played an eminent role in all cultures of the world.[7]

The opposition to the use of any icon or image to represent ideas of reverence or worship is called aniconism.[13] The destruction of images as icons of veneration is called iconoclasm,[14] and this has long been accompanied with violence between religious groups that forbid idol worship and those who have accepted icons, images and statues for veneration.[15][16] The definition of idolatry has been a contested topic within Abrahamic religions, with many Muslims and most Protestant Christians condemning the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox practice of venerating the Virgin Mary in many churches as a form of idolatry.[17][18]

The history of religions has been marked with accusations and denials of idolatry. These accusations have considered statues and images to be devoid of symbolism. Alternatively, the topic of idolatry has been a source of disagreements between many religions, or within denominations of various religions, with the presumption that icons of one's own religious practices have meaningful symbolism, while another person's different religious practices do not.[19][20]”

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“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

Lao Tzu

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“1. Improved Sleep Quality

If you are always busy with other people, you may notice that it is difficult to wind down at night and fall asleep. Those moments right before you fall asleep can be uncomfortable if you are not used to being alone. Taking some time to yourself throughout your day—free of distractions, obligations, and screens—can help you practice being with your thoughts so that you feel more comfortable transitioning from wakefulness to sleep. Choosing to practice alone time can also help you feel more relaxed overall, able to have more restful sleep at night, and see firsthand the impact sleep has on mental health.

2. Increased Creativity

As anyone who has ever spent time alone can attest, having space from others can free up your mind to think of new ideas. If you are constantly in the presence of others, your mind is more likely to be engaged in being social than in being creative. Those who enjoy creative pursuits, like writing, painting, or music, may need to get some alone time (and even crave alone time) in order to create.

If you are not used to alone time, being alone with others may be a good way to start, such as writing at a library or in a café. Whether or not you are struggling with your mental health, creativity can benefit your mental health by providing an outlet for expressing a range of emotions.

3. Time to Focus on Setting Goals

Being alone gives us a chance to check in with where we are now and what we need to do to set and achieve healthy goals. We may even need to feel the dissatisfaction or sadness about where we are now in order to get the motivation to change something—and being around others constantly might distract from these informative feelings. Taking time to journal about how your life is in line with your values, plan your schedule, or even research resources related to your goals are all beneficial ways to spend alone time that will help us in the long term.

4. Increased Productivity

Scheduling alone time may be a helpful way to increase productivity because fewer distractions can make it much easier to get things done. If you are used to being with others, you might struggle to get things done when you are on your own. With practice, eventually, you won’t be dependent on others in order to be productive.

You may find that you need other tools to boost productivity, as well, such as making a list prioritizing what you need to do, breaking it down into smaller steps, and setting a timer to help you work for a certain amount of time.” -Headshot of Caitlin Bergh, LCSW

Written by: Caitlin Bergh, LCSW

Heidi-Moawad-MD-Headshot

Reviewed by: Heidi Moawad, MD

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You are sex positive if you emphasize openness, nonjudgmental attitudes, as well as freedom and liberation about both sexuality and sexual expression.

This can mean you support all gender identities, gender expressions, gender presentations and sexual orientations.

“It’s more of an attitude and acceptance of trying not to be judgmental either to yourself or other people who may have a different lifestyle,” says Dr. Bennett. “As long as they are consenting adults, you don’t see it as problematic behavior.” “Sex positivity versus sexually active

You do not need to have sex — or be sexually active — to be sex positive. Being sex positive is about accepting yourself and all the different identities that are out there.

“It’s more about us as a person and our emotional development,” says Dr. Bennett. “Our relationships, how we bond with other people and how we express love with other people.”

Sex positivity versus sex negativity

As the opposite of sex positivity, many of us have dealt with sex negativity — attitudes that attach shame and judgment to others’ experiences and feelings about sexuality — whether it comes from other people, society or education.

“Much of it is stems from religion or sex education that only emphasizes sex as being just about physical reproduction,” says Dr. Bennett. “Our brain is our biggest sex organ, so it’s going to include our emotions, our identity and our relationships.” Examples of sex negative messages and behavior:

Abstinence-only sex education.

Purity culture.

Shaming others for their sexuality.

Using someone’s sexuality to make a joke.

Assuming LGBTQIA+ individuals have a mental health condition.”

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“In Christianity, agape (/ɑːˈɡɑːpeɪ, ˈɑːɡəˌpeɪ, ˈæɡə-/;[1] from Ancient Greek ἀγάπη (agápē)) is "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God".[2] This is in contrast to philia, brotherly love, or philautia, self-love, as it embraces a profound sacrificial love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance.

The verb form goes as far back as Homer, translated literally as affection, as in "greet with affection" and "show affection for the dead".[3] Other ancient authors have used forms of the word to denote love of a spouse or family, or affection for a particular activity, in contrast to eros (an affection of a sexual nature).

In the New Testament, agape refers to the covenant love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God; the term necessarily extends to the love of one's fellow human beings.[4] Some contemporary writers have sought to extend the use of agape into non-religious contexts.[5]

The concept of agape has been widely examined within its Christian context.[6] It has also been considered in the contexts of other religions,[7] religious ethics,[8] and science.[9]” My grandma was and is my teaching priest.

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“Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as historical-biblical criticism, it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the scientific concern to avoid dogma and bias by applying a neutral, non-sectarian, reason-based judgment to the study of the Bible, and (2) the belief that the reconstruction of the historical events behind the texts, as well as the history of how the texts themselves developed, would lead to a correct understanding of the Bible. This sets it apart from earlier, pre-critical methods; from the anti-critical methods of those who oppose criticism-based study; from the post-critical orientation of later scholarship; and from the multiple distinct schools of criticism into which it evolved in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The emergence of biblical criticism is most often attributed by scholars to the German Enlightenment (c. 1650 – c. 1800), but some trace its roots back further, to the Reformation. Its principle scholarly influences were rationalist and Protestant in orientation; German pietism played a role in its development, as did British deism. Against the backdrop of Enlightenment-era skepticism of biblical and church authority, scholars began to study the life of Jesus through a historical lens, breaking with the traditional theological focus on the nature and interpretation of his divinity. This historical turn marked the beginning of the quest for the historical Jesus, which would remain an area of scholarly interest for over 200 years.

Historical-biblical criticism includes a wide range of approaches and questions within four major methodologies: textual, source, form, and literary criticism. Textual criticism examines biblical manuscripts and their content to identify what the original text probably said. Source criticism searches the text for evidence of their original sources. Form criticism identifies short units of text seeking the setting of their origination. Redaction criticism later developed as a derivative of both source and form criticism. Each of these methods was primarily historical and focused on what went on before the texts were in their present form. Literary criticism, which emerged in the twentieth century, differed from these earlier methods. It focused on the literary structure of the texts as they currently exist, determining, where possible, the author's purpose, and discerning the reader's response to the text through methods such as rhetorical criticism, canonical criticism, and narrative criticism. All together, these various methods of biblical criticism permanently changed how people understood and saw the Bible.

In the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, biblical criticism was influenced by a wide range of additional academic disciplines and theoretical perspectives which led to its transformation. Having long been dominated by white male Protestant academics, the twentieth century saw others such as non-white scholars, women, and those from the Jewish and Catholic traditions become prominent voices in biblical criticism. Globalization brought a broader spectrum of worldviews into the field, and other academic disciplines as diverse as Near Eastern studies, psychology, cultural anthropology, and sociology formed new methods of biblical criticism such as social scientific criticism and psychological biblical criticism. Meanwhile, post-modernism and post-critical interpretation began questioning whether biblical criticism had a role and function at all. With these new methods came new goals, as biblical criticism moved from the historical to the literary, and its basic premise changed from neutral judgment to a recognition of the various biases the reader brings to the study of the texts.”

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Jesus said in Matthew 7: “True and False Prophets

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

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“Self-healing refers to the process of recovery (generally from psychological disturbances, trauma, etc.), motivated by and directed by the patient, guided often only by instinct. Such a process encounters mixed fortunes due to its amateur nature, although self-motivation is a major asset. The value of self-healing lies in its ability to be tailored to the unique experience and requirements of the individual. The process can be helped and accelerated with introspection techniques such as Meditation.[1] Self-healing is the ultimate phase of Gestalt Therapy.

Self-healing may refer to automatic, homeostatic processes of the body that are controlled by physiological mechanisms inherent in the organism. Disorders of the spirit and the absence of faith can be self-healed.[2]

In a figurative sense, self-healing properties can be ascribed to systems or processes, which by nature or design tend to correct any disturbances brought into them. Such as the regeneration of the skin after a cut or scrape, or of an entire limb. The injured party (the living body) repairs the damaged part by itself.

Beyond the innate restorative capacities of the physical body, there are many factors of psychological nature that can influence self-healing. Hippocrates, considered by many to be the father of medical treatment, observed: "The physician must be ready, not only to do his duty himself, but also to secure the co-operation of the patient, of the attendants and of externals."[3] -Wikipedia

Self-healing may also be achieved through deliberately applied psychological mechanisms. These approaches may improve the psychological and physical conditions of a person. Research confirms that this can be achieved through numerous mechanisms, including relaxation, breathing exercises, fitness exercises, imagery, Meditation,[4][5] Yoga,[6] qigong, t'ai chi, biofeedback,[7] and various forms of psychotherapy, among other approaches.

Varieties of mechanisms for self-healing have been proposed, including:

Decreases in stress hormones that may impair physiological functions when there is chronic stress.[8]

Decreases in muscle tension, which can worsen or produce pains in muscles, tendons and joints when there is chronic muscle tension due to stress.

Improved sleep that can be achieved through relaxation, which improves physiological functions.

Improvements in emotional tensions, depression, anger and other emotions that can otherwise impair social relationships and functioning in the workplace, leading to vicious circles of increased psychological symptoms.

Another phrase that often includes self-healing is self-help. In 2013 Kathryn Schulz examined it as "an $11 billion industry".[9]

Twelve-step programs support individuals recovering from dysfunctional families and addictive/compulsive behaviors.

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I am called to combat: “Harriet B. Braiker

Edit

Harriet B. Braiker identified the following ways that manipulators control their victims:[31]

Positive reinforcement: includes praise, superficial charm, superficial sympathy (crocodile tears), excessive apologizing, money, approval, gifts, attention, facial expressions such as a forced laugh or smile, and public recognition.

Negative reinforcement: involves removing one from a negative situation as a reward.

Gaslighting.

Intermittent or partial reinforcement: Partial or intermittent negative reinforcement can create an effective climate of fear and doubt. Partial or intermittent positive reinforcement can encourage the victim to persist.

Punishment: includes nagging, yelling, the silent treatment, intimidation, threats, swearing, emotional blackmail, guilt trips, sulking, crying, and playing the victim.

Traumatic one-trial learning: using verbal abuse, explosive anger, or other intimidating behavior to establish dominance or superiority; even one incident of such behavior can condition or train victims to avoid upsetting, confronting or contradicting the manipulator.

According to Braiker, manipulators exploit the following vulnerabilities (buttons) that may exist in victims:[31]

the desire to please

addiction to earning the approval and acceptance of others

emotophobia (fear of negative emotion; i.e. a fear of expressing anger, frustration or disapproval)

lack of assertiveness and ability to say no

blurry sense of identity (with soft personal boundaries)

low self-reliance

external locus of control

Manipulators can have various possible motivations, including but not limited to:[31]

the need to advance their own purposes and personal gain at (virtually any) cost to others

a strong need to attain feelings of power and superiority in relationships with others - compare megalomania (associated with, for example, narcissistic personality disorder)[32]

a want and need to feel in control

a desire to gain a feeling of power over others in order to raise their perception of self-esteem

furtherance of cult dynamics in recruiting or retaining followers[33]

boredom, or growing tired of one's surroundings; seeing manipulation as a game more than hurting others

covert agendas, criminal or otherwise, including financial manipulation (often seen when intentionally targeting the elderly or unsuspecting, unprotected wealthy for the sole purpose of obtaining victims' financial assets)

not identifying with underlying emotions (including experiencing commitment phobia), and subsequent rationalization (offenders do not manipulate consciously, but rather try to convince themselves of the invalidity of their own emotions)

lack of self-control over impulsive and anti-social behaviour - leading to pre-emptive or reactionary manipulation to maintain image

George K. Simon

Edit

According to psychology author George K. Simon, successful psychological manipulation primarily involves the manipulator:[15]

Concealing aggressive intentions and behaviors and being affable.

Knowing the psychological vulnerabilities of the victim to determine which tactics are likely to be the most effective.

Having a sufficient level of ruthlessness to have no qualms about causing harm to the victim if necessary.” I am also called to help heal survivors of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_disorder and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipulation_(psychology)?searchToken=2zampd5mxt565n9vt7wbr5ihs.

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