What's the best way to...

by jwundubbed 4 Replies latest forum tech-support

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  jwundubbed

  I am working on writing my autobiography. I want to be able to use academic research as well as personal experience in my book. And I would like to look at resources that members here would recommend. I know that starting a new topic is a great way to go, but then what subject area should I put it in? Any other recommendations for looking up this question in the search field?

  Using this site, what is the best way to find resources on leaving or recovering from a cult from a mental health point of view? Using psychology and understanding the mechanisms of how a cult operates, then using the same language of therapists and counselors to discuss and explain how a person recovers from having been in a cult. This is what I'm looking for. This site is a mountain of wealth of information on personal points of view. But I know I've read posts from people who look at the mechanisms of cults and have discussed some of the things they learned through therapy and etc.
  
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  Tenacious

  Using the search field you could use specific key words. If you want a broad field on a subject I would suggest no more than two words at a time. If you want less just use more words (5 tops). You may also want to type in whole sentences if you're looking for a quote. This will also yield some good information.

  As far as academic research you could use Google Scholar, Archive.org and Researchgate.net.

  You may also use Scribd.com but you may have to become a full member to get the best resources.

  As far as clinical research you would have to read different case studies (there are not many) but you may try Edward Hunter, Steve Hassan, Robert Jay Lifton, and a few others that I can't think of right now.

  God bless.
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  Sigfrid Mallozzi

  Undubbed, great suggestions by Tenacious. I'm assuming you do not have any formal training in psychology. For an autobiography where you are stating your perspective and version of reality, just write it. If you are trying to add weight to your perspective you could skillfully use "peer reviewed articles". Meaning, an expert wrote about this subject and his peers in the profession have reviewed it and given their opinions. I can still log into my college web site and use their search engines.
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  apostatethunder

  You could write about the similarities you see between cults and society at large.
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  jwundubbed

  @Tenacious, Thank you so much! That is exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

  @Sigfrid Mallozzi, I do not have formal training in psychology and I don't want to sound like I do. But I did learn a lot about the mechanisms of cults and the mechanisms of survival and recovery through my journey in leaving. At some point I left all of that behind. At the time I needed the distance. But that was a big part of my journey, so I'm looking to find that information again to use in describing my journey, through my own eyes, but also using language that is from a few different perspectives than my own. The various perspectives and the associated language played a bit part in my recovery. Thanks so much for your advice. I will have to see if I can still log into my college search engines as well. That is a great idea!

  @apostatethunder, Yes. I do want to do some of that as well.