Conferences

International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA)
Annual Conference
Jully 1-3, 2010
New York, NY

Who should attend?

Anyone interested in cults, psychological manipulation, and related groups

  • former group members
  • people born or raised in cultic groups
  • families of group-involved persons
  • helping professionals
  • researchers

Presentation by Doug & Wendy Duncan on "Critical Thinking Skills for Former Members"

Psychological Manipulation, Cultic Groups, and Harm

An Assistance-Focused Conference for Family Members, Former Group Members, Helping Professionals, and Others

October 2-3, 2009

Sheraton Denver West
Denver, Colorado

Post-Cult Spirituality: Toxic Vs. Healthy

Doug Duncan, M.S., L.P.C.; Wendy Duncan, M.A., L.B.S.W.

2008 Annual Conference

International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA)

    University of Pennsylvania

    June 26-29, 2008

Secular vs. Religious: Identity Issues for Individuals Exiting Bible-based Cults 

Wendy and Doug Duncan

 

For individuals leaving Bible-based cults, one of the most significant questions they struggle with as they form their post-cult identities is what to do regarding their faith. There are unique complications for people in Bible-based cults, because some were Christians before being drawn into the cult, and they would like to reclaim the positive aspects of their Christianity that were valuable pieces of their pre-cult identity. However, some elements of the cult they are leaving have been mixed in with the faith that was once such a comfort to them, and it is challenging to separate out the good from the bad. Moreover, they may be faced with some in their families and support systems who are well-meaning but skeptical about the former member’s involvement with any religion, failing to distinguish healthy ways for people to access their spirituality from that which is toxic. Doug and Wendy Duncan have been through this maze themselves, and they offer suggestions for people leaving Bible-based cults who want to preserve for themselves what is helpful and life-affirming in Christianity while leaving behind those expressions which are cultic.

 

2008 Evangelical Ministries to New Religions (EMNR) Conference

 March 6-8, 2008

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Kansas City, Missouri

Ministering To Those Who Have Been In Cults Or Who Have Been Spiritually Abused

In this workshop, Doug and Wendy Duncan draw upon their experiences trying to reintegrate into healthy, mainstream Christianity after a long-term involvement in a Bible-based cult to describe what ministers, churches, and individual believers did that was and was not helpful to them. They will emphasize some common mistakes that were made and suggest alternative approaches to minister to people recovering from cultic or spiritual abuse

The International Cultic Studies Association
2007 Annual Conference
The University Foundation, Brussels, Belgium
June 29, 2007 through July 1, 2007

 

David Clark will be presenting a workshop on, "Ole Anthony, the Trinity Foundation and the Cult Controversy."

This presentation will examine a new book entitled, I Can't Hear God Anymore: Life in a Dallas Cult, by Wendy Duncan on Ole Anthony and his Trinity Foundation. Former members complain of separation from a Bible based cult, the Trinity Foundation, in Dallas Texas. Involvement in this group has produced testimony how people can be made vulnerable to the psychological manipulations and spiritual abuse of a "skilled spiritual leader." The book also focuses on how to regain psychological and spiritual health after leaving this group and explains how others caught in similar circumstances can do the same.

 

The workshop will cover how anyone can be vulnerable to join a cult. How the new community and the cult of personality change a person into a new identity will be explained. The group dynamics can impact the true believers "in the angry hands of an angry cult leader" to the point of despair and the devastating state of, "I can't hear God anymore." The tortured journey need not end with a departing blow-up and shattered lives. If it does happen that way, there are tools to find your way back to spiritual and psychological health.


Each person's experience in a cult is different and, therefore, the after-effects are dependent on a number of factors, such as the length of time the individual was involved with the group. It is imperative that the former member develop an understanding of the dynamics of his or her group Also, the time factors in the recovery and healing processes need to be covered.

David Clark is a thought reform consultant from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been active in this field for more than 20 years and is the chair of ICSA’s Video Education Committee. Mr. Clark has been on the Board of the Leo J. Ryan Education Foundation and reFOCUS and was a contributing author for the "Practical Guidelines for Exit Counseling" chapter in the W.W. Norton book, Recovery from Cults. In 1985 he received the Hall of Fame Award from the "original" Cult Awareness Network. He was a founding member of the "original" Focus and reFOCUS, a national support network for former cult members. Mr. Clark has been a national and international conference speaker on the topic of cults and has been interviewed by newspapers, radio and TV stations on the topic of mind control and cults for over two decades.