Triggering the Cult Personality - Not necessarily a bad idea

Mad Sweeney

I've been thinking about things to say to people lately, since I finished Releasing the Bonds. One thing I've been rolling around in my skull is the idea that it isn't necessarily a bad thing to trigger the cult personality, IF you plan to leave it at that for the moment. Yes, the cult personality is trained to block out any rational criticism of the cult and to demonize anyone who brings up that criticism. However, everything the cult personality hears the authentic personality hears, too, and everything stored in the mind of the individual is accessible to both the cult personality and the authentic personality in the future. Also, even though what you say may trigger the cult personality, you are also creating cognitive dissonance which is felt by the authentic personality.

So, if you're looking to release someone's bonds in the long run I submit that while it is important to bring out the authentic personality when you can, to give it needed interaction and love and information, saying things that trigger the cult personality's defense mechanisms can be useful as a seed-planting mechanism that can add to the pile of rationalization and cognitive dissonance within them, and eventually the weight of it all may bear fruit.

The big downside is that once you have revealed yourself as a critic of the cult, you may be turned off (shunned) for good. So that may be something you have to reserve for your last word.

Thoughts?

GrandmaJones

"The big downside is that once you have revealed yourself as a critic of the cult, you may be turned off (shunned) for good. So that may be something you have to reserve for your last word." - Mad Sweeney

I tend to think so.

Evidently Apostate

i find it works better if i ask them questions and after getting the thought into their head change the subject or minimize any rebuttal insinuating any apostate views. its slow reasoning but the question remains in the mind without raising much suspition

Dogpatch

Yes, that is the process that occurs in cult interventions. People get to hear themselves as if they were in the mind of the others in the room, and get to see what ludicrous AND SPECIOUS arguments they themselves really stand on. That's why it's also important to show movies, etc. on this happening to others (not related to JWs) so they can understand how self-deception works when you really want something to be true, but know that most others do not think it's true.

It doesn't have to be scary. The key is how loving and empathetic the counselor(s) is. THEY have been through the same thing. THEY know what you are feeling, and hopefully a bond develops. All the "education" in the world through books cannot explain how powerful this is. It also eventually changes the understanding of the exit-counselor in time, if he/she is religious and practices similar self-deception because they want THEIR view to be THE TRUTH.

That's why die-hard fundamentalists cannot be successful exit-counselors; they are already lying to themselves, and eventually realize that, but won't change because they think "might is right," and they instead just become good at arguing philosophy and semantics. They bully the victim into another belief system, a very immoral and un-Christlike thing to do! THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS.

Shady!

Randy

cyberjesus

un-Christlike thing to do

Why not un-mohammed thing to do? or un- budha? or un-ghandi? I am just curious.