You haven’t left the cult until the cult left you
My Liberation Notes
This piece is part of a new series for paid subscribers to share my experiences and learning that have contributed to Hacking Narcissism’s educational content and my worldview about the human condition and culture. Our stories, when read in good faith, can help us feel seen, less alone, more connected, restore empathy and humanity.
I was once in a cult.
It was called Academia.
I thought I was joining something that would help me express my desire to be of use to others. When I realised it was a self-serving narcissist, I left.
I then joined another cult.
It was called a Spiritual Community.
I thought I was joining something that would help me express my desire to be of use to others. When I realised I was serving a narcissistic cause and its leader, I left.
I joined another cult after that.
It was called a women’s entrepreneur group.
It didn’t take me as long to realise that it too was a cult that required unbending allegiance to its leader, so I left.
I dipped my toe in a few other cults to observe them rather than to join them. The Social Justice cult, the Medical cult, the Corporate Wellness, and the DEI cult. I learned about many other cults through clients and associates over the years including the Hollywood cult, the Multilevel Marketing cult, the Yoga Community cult, the Psychedelic Medicine cult and the list goes on.
Our news feeds are filled with examples of destructive cults at the hands of narcissistic to psychopathic leaders. Like narcissistic behaviour, cults are also on a spectrum. Regardless of where the cult lies on the moderate to destructive authoritarian spectrum, I discovered that leaving a cult was not the end of my time with the cult.
Closure was also not the end of the cult exit process.