Last week, I attended the International Cultic Studies (ICSA) conference in Washington, D.C. During the meetings and in between sessions, I found real people seeking and finding real help from those who could provide the insights and resources meant to further recovery from involvement in a high-demand group. I do not regret any of the changes in my schedule or the cost of attending the conference. My experience may not be exactly what other attendees encountered, but I believe the majority of the people around me felt the same as they left the conference.

Starting in February, I planned this trip. As new information was released, the excitement grew. One benefit I expected was to meet a few of the professionals whom I had been in contact with over these last few years. For various reasons, I had contacted professionals across the country involved in either the studies surrounding high demand groups or directly helping survivors. I met these folks and many more. There were people from many different nations as well as many from different States.
Continue reading Real People Getting Real Help… →

In an effort to provide information about resources that can be a help to those affected by high demand faith groups or any control group, this post shares information about the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The Conference will be from July 3^rd through the 5^th of this year. Preconference workshops will be opened on Wednesday, July 2^nd. The information is explained here at the ICSA website.

The theme of the conference is “Government, Human Rights, and the Cult Phenomenon.”  However, talks are by no means limited to this theme.”

Who should attend? “The program will be varied with numerous sessions pertinent to former members of cultic or other high-demand groups, families, helping professionals, researchers, and others. A track within the program will include sessions addressing aspects of the conference theme of government, human rights, and the cult phenomenon.”

(After you click to read the rest of the post, the Registration Form comes up. Use the slide bar to backup and read excerpts from the Agenda.)

Continue reading ICSA Conference in Washington, DC July 3-5 2014 →