Cultic Groups
"Most people think such groups are things
of the past: phenomena of the 1960s and 70s.
This is far from the case; cults continue to
flourish in many different forms,capturing
and exploiting many thousands of people in
their seemingly benign embrace."
Gillie Jenkinson
Am I really in a cult?
Almost everyone thinks they would never join a cult. It is easy to think you make your own decisions. Take these quizes to find out for sure.
10 Signs you are probably in a cult
7 Signs you might be in a cult
Professional advice
If you find yourself in an undue influence group with cultic tendencies, professional help from therapists and psychologists may be helpful. A word of caution--some professionals may not yet be aware of the harmful, long-lasting impact from years of undue religious influence.
● Phase 1: leave physically and psychologically.
● Phase 2: cognitively understand.
● Phase 3: emotionally heal the trauma, loss and pre-cult vulnerabilities where relevant.
● Phase 4: recognise recovery and posttraumatic growth.
source: "Out in the World: Post-Cult Recovery" by Gillie Jenkinson
People who have worked with ubfriends
Brian Karcher (the ubfriends admin) has spent numerous hours talking with the following people, including video interviews. These friends have had an incalculable infuence on his family's recovery. Brian recommends reaching out to the following people for help understanding undue influence groups, especially the UBF group. The information here will also likely be helpful to those recovering from hyper-evangelical religious organizations.
Steven Hassan - Freedom of Mind (info about UBF)
Ashley Easter - The Courage Conference (especially for marriage and family issues, and students)
Bob Pardon - MeadowHaven Center (especially for couples)
Resources for Help
For help with recovery and dealing with undue influence groups like the University Bible Fellowship (UBF), professional therapy may be helpful. Some resources below are paid memberships. Please be aware that cult recovery often requires specialists who understand the nature of undue religious influence. Hope Valley Counselling in the United Kingdom is working to train specialists who can assist in this area.
Hope Valley - UK: https://www.hopevalleycounselling.com/services
Betterhelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/
Talkspace: https://www.talkspace.com/
https://www.onlinetherapyreviews.com/guides/betterhelp-vs-talkspace/
Here is a website that gives pointers on how to detect signs of depression, suicide red flags, and how to make conversation starters of such topics: https://seizetheawkward.org/
Resources for LGBTQ and UBF
Groups like University Bible Fellowship are rarely friendly for LGBTQ people. Here are some resources for help for you or family members related to LGBTQ. Brian Karcher is also fully affirming in this arena.
It Gets Better: https://itgetsbetter.org/
The Reformation Project: https://reformationproject.org/
Book by Brian Karcher: Uncircumcised - Welcoming LGBT People Into the Family of God