After more than five decades of extracting hundreds of people from cults, Raphael Aron says the situation’s only getting worse and more people than ever are being brainwashed.
“I get at least one call a week from a family wanting help with an intervention,” says cult expert Raphael, 70. “It’s a significant and frightening increase.”
He claims it’s all the result of the COVID pandemic, which caused people to feel troubled and insecure – and easily recruited.
“Cults provided a false sense of security,” says Raphael, director of Cult Consulting Australia. “People were more vulnerable and less likely to have access to a social network that provides a normal sense of perspective.”
Even with the pandemic over, cults are booming. Among those being targeted are younger people, including university students at their orientation weeks.
“The cults talk about idealistic ways of living and how to reduce university stress, but they rarely tell you who they are at the desk,” says Raphael. He explains how the groups lure in unsuspecting victims by appearing friendly.
Since the 1978 Jonestown massacre, which saw the mass murder-suicide of the Peoples Temple cult led by Jim Jones, Raphael has worked on a helpline and spoken to cult members, assisting victims. He has rescued hundreds of people from closed religious organisations.
“Interventions become very complicated. They can take months,” he says, explaining how brainwashed members, who’ve often cut ties with family and perhaps given everything away, won’t instantly snap out of it.
The method he uses is different every time and he often plans it over months.
At times, he has an ex-cult member with him; at others, a family member. Sometimes he will approach them at a set time or when they don’t expect it.
“You have to tread carefully because if it doesn’t work, you want to leave the door open to try again,” he says.
And there’s no one-size-fits-all fix, just like there’s no one reason someone signs up.
“All sorts of people join cults,” reveals Raphael. “Men and women as well as families… I know of a gifted woman, six weeks off finishing her PhD, who a cult recruited. The people can be very mainstream. Nobody is immune.”
The major tool he offers families worried about a loved one’s involvement is the internet. “It’s where survivors post about their experiences. Post the name of the organisation, plus ‘ex-member’ or ‘ex cult’. It’s the simplest way to find out what you’re getting into.
“It’s not foolproof, but it might be enough to get someone to think twice. I’ve had parents forever grateful for that piece of advice.”
Escaping the truth
Laura McConnell was born into a fundamentalist cult called The Truth. In it, she was taught the outside world was to be feared and strict rules governing her life must also be obeyed at all times.
“There was no TV, no computers and no pop music. Although I attended school, Leaders prohibited me from making friendships outside of the group,” Laura, now 44, tells Woman’s Day.
“I had to wear certain clothes and act in a certain way.
“As I grew older, I started questioning things, but they shunned and shamed me. I tried to fit in because I thought I’d die if I left. But by age 19, I started to think dying was preferable to staying.”
So one day, with no outside support or real understanding of the world, Laura found a way to leave the order and her family.
Finally, after fumbling to set up her life on the outside, Laura trained as an accountant. She now lives in Melbourne with her five-year-old son.
“It’s hard,” she admits. “There’s no support or understanding of cults. People thought I was a weirdo when I told them and I felt ashamed. You can need decades of therapy.”
Now she wants to raise awareness that cults are not a niche problem.
“I want people to know what damage these organisations can do.”
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