Non-chemical addictions. Sects. Technologies of psychological influence in sects

What is a sect

The word "sect" comes from the Latin sequor - "to follow someone, to obey." Initially, this was the name given to all the separated philosophical, political and religious groups. Once upon a time, the Christian Church was a sect opposing itself to pagan society.

In a broad sense, a cult is a group of people who promote ideas, teachings and practices that differ from the generally accepted norms of society. In a narrow sense, a sect is a religious group that has separated from the mainstream or opposes its ideas to the main religion of society. The sect has its own founder and its own teaching.

Based on the definition discussed, we can conclude that not all sects are destructive. This is a social stereotype that benefits, first of all, official religious movements. Once upon a time, those who chose science instead of the church were considered sectarians. They were called heretics and executed for disobedience. Fortunately, in our time, the church and science have learned to live more or less peacefully.

According to the law, any person has the right to create his own religious organization or religious group if its teachings do not threaten the life and health of people, do not infringe on their freedom and do not call for refusal to perform civil duties. In practice, most sects violate these conditions, which is why the belief has formed that all sects are dangerous and harmful.

Any sect can potentially become a religious movement and achieve official recognition. In fact, this is what the representatives are fighting for. Each sect is closed and isolated, convinced of its exclusivity and claims to be the leading church.

A sect is a society of separated people who have united with the goal of building a different way of life, detachment and salvation from the outside world that does not suit them. This is where the question arises of what the sect offers participants. Is it salvation? Let's talk further about dangerous, destructive sects.

An interesting fact: the association of a sect with something dangerous is so firmly entrenched in society that religious scholars and lawyers do not recommend using this term in its original meaning. In relation to non-dangerous sects, it is better to say “religious groups”, “religious associations”, since “sect” in their relation may sound like an insult to the feelings of believers.

Network brainstorming

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The trend towards increased activity of sectarians on the Internet was confirmed to Izvestia by the head of the Center for Economic and Social Research and Expertise, lawyer and specialist in the field of sectology, Alexander Korelov.

— Today, large sectarian organizations are trying to transfer their activities to the network. Soothsayers, fortune tellers, clairvoyants - all these characters are trying to grab their profits in the coronavirus wave. These swindlers are a type of near-religious crime. Any person claiming to be a clairvoyant is a fraud. The degree of danger is determined primarily by the ability of this person to gather a group of people around himself and pump money and some benefits out of them, says Alexander Korelov.

Instruct on the dregs

Photo: TASS/Demyanchuk Alexander

Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) are also active in RuNet. This American sect bases its teaching on the ideas of millenarianism, that is, the expectation of the imminent end of the world, so it has become especially active in today’s conditions.

Nothing sacred: the Mormon Church in the United States has accumulated $100 billion in donations

The tax service was informed about the fabulous amount deposited in the accounts.

— Compared to Jehovah’s Witnesses and neo-Pentecostals, Mormons are few in number in Russia. However, they have strong financial support from abroad. True, the distribution of financial assistance is puzzling to law enforcement agencies - it is not clear what these amounts of money are used for. Formally, no major events are held - the activities are closed in nature. Such sects try to prevent outright violations, says lawyer Korelov.

Signs of a sect

Let's talk in more detail about destructive or totalitarian sects. They are dangerous to the life and health of participants, are based on an authoritarian management style, and take the form of a religious, social, commercial, educational or health organization. The peak of our days is sects under the guise of personal growth courses, but they are far from the only destructive associations.

Signs of a totalitarian sect:

Active advertising and propaganda: annoying calls, invitations to free seminars, growth trainings. Cult leaders are evil, but good psychologists. They use a special recruitment method: two representatives of the group are constantly close to the potential participant, not allowing him to admit a single critical thought regarding the ideas of the sect.
Hierarchy, dedication. The division of the concept into levels of accessibility is a direct sign of a sect. The hierarchy stimulates participants to be active, because at a new level more secret and deeper knowledge will be revealed to them.
Contributions, donations. Some sects immediately declare that participation is paid, others leave this for later. Moreover, more often than not there is no direct demand, but the person is influenced by hypnosis and suppression of consciousness.
Leader, prophet, chosen one. Each sect has one main person, more enlightened than others, chosen by the highest powers themselves. His orders and words are not discussed. And although at first acquaintance it may seem that participation in the sect is voluntary, and all adherents are equal, later a hierarchy and an undisputed leader will become visible.
Suppression of consciousness, reason, ability to think rationally. There is a maximum impact on emotions so that the mind does not have time to think about everything that is happening. For better suppression, sectarians control the life of the victim, trying to constantly, completely keep the person within sight. Representatives of the sect instill attitudes and beliefs that are beneficial to them. Some organizations make it easier for themselves by changing people's consciousness through ritual drug use under the guise of a traditional drug.
Information control. Representatives of the doctrine overwhelm the victim with disks, books, booklets, films, and other materials. A mandatory element is meetings, meetings at which not only the value of knowledge is demonstrated, but also various types of healing, correction, and “miracles.” Meetings can be mass or individual.
Opposition to the world. The idea of uniqueness over the rest of the world is promoted, for example that only members of this group will be able to achieve enlightenment, be saved, or save another lost soul. The newcomer is necessarily forced to do something contrary to society, so that he is even more separated from it. Sectarians force people to show pity to other people, since they have not yet found the meaning of life.
Common goal. A sect always has a goal and a plan to achieve it. Some people believe in enlightenment, some are waiting for the apocalypse, death, some are dreaming of world power. The teaching of any sect states that after reaching this point, all earthly problems will be solved by themselves.
Attributes. Any identification marks dividing between friends and foes. Everything you can imagine: tattoos, brands, amulets, hairstyle, clothes, verbal signs. This is necessary so that at every point in the world and time a person remembers the sect and feels involved in it.

The sect does not tolerate irregular attendance at meetings, because then control over the person will not be constant. It fills all the victim’s time, tearing him away from his usual way of life, family, and friends. Without noticing it, a person spends all his physical, psychological strength, time, and money on the development of the sect, and not on his own development.

Under the guise of a coach

The greatest threat, according to Alexander Korelov, can be posed by Scientology organizations.

— These organizations have taken quite deep roots in Russian society. Some of their forms are non-religious in nature, for example, WISE (World Institute of Scientology Enterprises) structures that support entrepreneurs and charitable organizations. It is now very difficult to uproot them. WISE attracts high-level businessmen.

Psychotrainings, in particular personal growth trainings, which have become extremely popular in Russia over the past few years, according to Korelov, are also a threat to human health and psyche.

— The trainings use various methods of processing consciousness. Of course, they do not lead to any personal growth. Just the opposite. In a number of cases, after attending such trainings, people committed suicide, fell into depression, and ended up in psychiatric hospital beds. They also use illegal methods of processing consciousness, which are extremely harmful not only to mental, but also to physical health, says the expert.

Instruct on the dregs

Photo: Depositphotos

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Impermissible methods of influence are, in particular, hypnosis, as well as other methods of working with a person, leading to the loss of control of the individual over his own consciousness.

“These methods were originally developed purely for medical and military purposes. Today, they are adopted by both sectarian organizations and individual charlatans,” says the expert.

To illustrate his words, Korelov cites complaints from the republican ministries of health about the broadcasts of mass hypnosis by Vladimir Kashpirovsky - about an increase in the number of strokes, heart attacks, and stomach disorders after them.

— Since the end of the 19th century, any methods of hypnosis, methods of influencing human consciousness were prohibited on the territory of the Russian Empire. Then in the USSR the ban was repeatedly introduced by regulations. Unfortunately, in the 2000s, the ban was lifted in Russia by the Ministry of Health, and today we do not have a direct, clearly regulating norm,” says Korelov.

The Dangers of Participation in a Cult

Any sect, even a positive one, isolates a person from normal life and society. Representatives of the sect are fixated on their ideas, ideals, and interests. They think and live only within the framework of their group. It is obvious that a person cannot grow and develop outside of society. Every member of society needs to work somewhere and communicate with other people. The sect member finds himself out of touch with reality. And even if the sect has a positive character, it is difficult to call its influence positive.

For example, you can create a sect that worships free work hours or barter relationships. But what is the likelihood that this sect will become the political philosophy of the entire state, the world? It is more likely that people who promote this will find themselves thrown overboard in everyday work and social relationships.

The second danger of participation is fanaticism. Any business or idea loses its value if it turns into a fanatical attitude.

Well, the third danger of sects is that a person begins to live for the sake of the sect, giving his strength and resources to it. In many closed totalitarian sects, extremist ideas flourish. In some sects, participants are bullied, beaten, and raped. Often their loved ones are also in danger.

Participation in a sect leads to psychophysiological and intellectual exhaustion of a person:

loss of ability to think critically;
malnutrition, sleep deficiency;
narrowing of horizons, impoverishment of the knowledge base in topics and areas not related to sectarian teachings;
hostile attitude towards society;
loss of communication skills, ability to social interaction.

The goal of the sect is to suppress a person’s will, gain control over his thoughts, feelings and behavior. The participant becomes a slave of the sect and loses psychological, material, and social opportunities to leave it.

What is the difference between a sect and a religion?

In order to understand the principle of sectarianism, who the sectarians are and what they do, it is necessary to grasp the very difference between religion and sect. The line between them is very thin, and without a concept of the operating principle it is difficult to distinguish lies from truth. The difference between a sect and a religion:

Religion is much older than sectarianism; sects are young groups, the oldest no more than two hundred years old. Such pseudo-religious movements are formed by breaking away from the general faith, or at the whim of some person.
The basis of religion is the worship of God, the creator of everything in this world, or deities, and it can be based on a higher goal, such as enlightenment in Buddhism. At the heart of the sect's religion, the main roles are played by their leaders, who compare themselves almost to God.
The goal of any religion is not to enslave a person and drag him under its wing. Everyone seeks the path to God on their own, and decides to believe or not. In sects, complete control over a person is exercised; each of its members lives according to the rules and is constrained by certain obligations.

Afterword

Faith is important for every person. But the most useful version of faith from the point of view of psychology is faith in yourself, in your own strengths. A rational explanation of surrounding phenomena, the ability to establish cause-and-effect relationships, knowledge and acceptance of oneself, working on oneself are more beneficial for psychological health and self-realization than faith in a higher power or hope in other people. Man is the author and manager of everything that happens to him.

For information on how to help a victim of sectarianism, read the article “Why people join a sect. How to avoid becoming a victim and ending up in a sect. Help for someone who has fallen into a sect."

How to get a person out of a sect?

Religious groups are business as usual. Those at the top make a lot of money from this. If a person has already been dragged into it, getting him out of the sect is a very difficult task. When taking the first steps in a sect, a person is in a state of euphoria and does not care at all about how to leave the sect. There he can feel his own uniqueness and significance. The only way is communication with the family and a competent psychologist. It would be nice to find a person who managed to get out of there; he knows better than anyone how to fight the sect.

“Totalitarian sect” and its “adherents”

Over the past decades, domestic and foreign researchers have been actively studying the phenomenon of so-called destructive cults. In our country, the term “totalitarian sect” is now more widespread and more often used. The name is often used - asocial (destructive) cult.

Taking into account other definitions of the terms “sect” and “cult” offered in various dictionaries, scientific studies and textbooks, we can give the following version.

The term “sect” comes from the Latin “secta” - way of thinking, school, teaching, party. In everyday language, the concept of “sect” over time became increasingly associated with the verb secare - to separate, cut off. Thus, an understanding of a sect arose as a special religious society or group, closed in its own interests (including cultic ones), separated from the traditional church or traditional religion.

An adept is a zealous follower, an adherent of a cult, initiated into the teachings and secrets of the cult. Adherents are usually called “sectarians” in common parlance.

In the book “Dangerous totalitarian forms of religious sects”, the authors (Priest Andrey Khvylya-Olinter, S.A. Lukyanov) reveal the concept of a totalitarian sect as follows: “A totalitarian sect is an authoritarian hierarchical destructive organization (religious, political, educational, commercial), or a movement that practices deceptive recruitment and mind control to keep its adherents submissive to a doctrine and a leader who purposefully deceives and binds them to himself, taking advantage of their ignorance and inexperience and cultivating in them a state of ignorance and unnatural illegal dependence.”

The works of Metropolitan of Leningrad and Ladoga Ioann (Snychev) indicate that spiritual totalitarianism, like political totalitarianism, aims to seize power over people, but only with the help of religious beliefs.

Using the natural spiritual need of a person and his craving for the search for truth, a totalitarian sect wants to enslave not only a person, but also force him to serve himself in the name of God himself.

Scisne?

Most of us have encountered sectarians more than once. These people often pester passers-by on the streets with offers: to attend some theological seminar, read the Bible together, buy some trinket at exorbitant prices (with the assurance that your money will go exclusively to charitable purposes). They come home to many people with similar offers. However, few people wondered what makes already adult and mentally healthy people behave so strangely in society. But there are sectarians who behave even more “strangely”: they burn themselves, carry out gas attacks in the subway, blow up themselves and others. Many psychologists argue that any terrorist organization is the same as a sect.

This article is an attempt to briefly analyze how ordinary people are turned into sectarians who are ready, on the orders of their guru, to take any action, even a crime.

The first stage—attracting newcomers to the sect—is carried out by recruiters. In sects that are seriously seeking to replenish their ranks, these are excellent practicing psychologists. Even by the appearance of people, they can already identify potential victims. After this, the recruiter approaches the selected person and begins a conversation. As a rule, sectarian recruiters are taught that all people are divided into four groups: thinkers, feelers, doers and believers. “Thinkers” are people who worship logical thinking and science; “feelers” – trust their feelings most of all; “active” are people of “action”, and “believers” are adherents of the doctrine of the divine beginning of life. An experienced recruiter, after just a few answers to his leading questions, can determine which of the four groups he is dealing with. After this, all that remains is to interest the person in the activities of the sect.

“Thinkers” are mainly caught in photographs of scientists who are passionately discussing something at conferences organized by cultists, claiming that they support the cult. In fact, these scientists are completely alien to both the sect and the topic being discussed at the conference. For them, coming to this conference is just a free opportunity to communicate with colleagues, and also to receive a serious fee that the sect leaders pay them for participating in the conference.

The sectarians “treat” the “feeling” with care and love. They are told how well they live in the sect as “one big and friendly family”, how the members of the sect understand each other “without a word”. Naturally, the emotional problems of a newcomer, in contrast to life in society, will be quickly and effectively resolved in their group.

Recruiters talk to the “active” ones on other topics. Since the “active” “accept the challenge and act,” then, as a rule, people talk to them about unresolved social problems in society, about what the sect is doing to alleviate people’s suffering. If they are concerned about the problems of wars and national conflicts, then they are told that this group is the only organization that has developed a real plan to counter wars and peacefully resolve conflicts (even if such a plan does not exist). Hundreds of programs for the stabilization and revival of the “dying” world, which the group finances and supports, are listed.

The recruiters share their “spiritual experience” with the “believers.” After this, many of the believers themselves go for recruitment, because they believe that the meeting with the sectarians was sent down to them from above.

The majority of those recruited are “feeling” and “active”. “Thinkers,” if they end up in a sect, subsequently, as a rule, become leaders.

After a person, having “taken the bait” of the recruiter, has come to the first meeting of the sect, the most important action begins - “reprogramming of consciousness.” How is it done? To answer this question, let’s take a short digression into the field of neurology.

Our nervous system consists of eight so-called circuits: four in each hemisphere. Four circuits located in the left hemisphere of the brain deal with our “social survival.”

The first circuit, called the infant circuit, is responsible for human biological survival. Survival is the most important innate reflex of a living creature. When the infant's circuit signals danger, all other mental activities of the body cease. In everyday speech, the first circuit is usually called "consciousness."

The second circuit (the child’s circuit) is responsible for the social status of a person in society (dominates or subordinates). This circuit is colloquially referred to as the “ego.”

The third circuit (student circuit) is the rational mind. He is responsible for the ability to conduct intellectual work.

And finally, the fourth circuit (the circuit of an adult) is responsible for the continuity of culture and knowledge in human society. Its task is to ensure the continuity of the existence of the clan.

When a person falls into a sect, the attack is carried out on all four circuits in order to completely replace the imprint (knowledge acquired during the development of the nervous system). This is achieved primarily by isolation (short-term at first, and longer as one becomes involved in the sect) of the neophyte from out-group society.

The result of the isolation of the victim from the rest of the world is, first of all, that she begins to imprint the one who brings her food and on whom her life depends as the archetype most akin to the archetype of the mother. By the way, this is precisely what explains the so-called “Stockholm syndrome”, when the hostages developed a strong emotional attachment to the terrorist and, at the same time, rejection of the “strangers” from the special forces who saved their lives.

In fact, by isolating the victim, the sectarians ensure that the person returns to the state of infancy (due to the imprint vulnerability of the first circuit) and begins to “re-recognize” his parents, who for him become the leaders of the sect.

Isolation of the victim from the outside world also leads to a state of second-level imprint vulnerability, because the victim of the sect understands that in this social group she is nothing. Automatically, a person begins to seek the protection of the most powerful figure, who is the leader of the sect.

The lowering of the “social status” of the neophyte is also facilitated by the constant reminder to him that all the failures of his life, both before and after joining the sect, are associated exclusively with his “sinfulness” and poor fulfillment of the will of the “guru”.

The third circuit is reimprinted primarily due to the lack of communication between a person and his previous environment, i.e. again thanks to its isolation from the rest of the world. A person finds himself in a situation where his usual abilities and skills do not work, because they are not needed in the sect. He has to learn new skills that are necessary to survive in the sect.

To enhance the effect of third circuit reimprinting, in most sects members communicate using their “newspeak.” The “newspeak” effect seriously enhances the “restructuring” of the human brain also because the survival needs of the first circuit (food, shelter) and the status needs of the second circuit (security, recognition) are connected to the third-circuit need to master a new language.

As a result of isolation, a serious imprint vulnerability of the fourth circuit is achieved, since in order to preserve one’s cultural traditions a person needs constant feeding from the outside. Obviously, when a person stops receiving “cultural signals” from his constant environment, his imprints begin to disappear. He acquires the “culture” of the “society” surrounding him, i.e. sects

For more successful reprogramming of the consciousness of an adherent, sects use four types of control: behavior control, thought control, emotional control and information control.

Control of behavior affects the entire physical life of the adherent in the sect. Very strict rules are introduced regarding hours-long rituals, indoctrination activities, work, place of residence, duration of sleep and diet.

In many sects there is a very strict discipline, when adherents must ask the leader for permission for virtually any of their actions. Since adherents are often deprived of financial resources, they have to ask the same leaders for money for any little thing they need, which makes it much easier for the leadership of the sects to control them.

Sects also practice such a technique that allows them to control behavior, such as the requirement to live a group life, when the adherent is constantly surrounded by other sectarians. Sometimes a member of a sect is forcibly imposed on a “buddy” or even a “group of friends” with whom he must constantly be together.

The system of reward and punishment plays a great role in controlling the behavior of sectarians. The leadership of the sect, as a rule, monitors its adherents very closely. And if a person brings benefit to the sect (successfully recruits people into the sect, distributes sectarian literature well, etc.), then the leadership of the sect encourages him. As a rule, promotion is promotion to a higher position. If his activities do not satisfy the management, then he is publicly criticized and punished, sometimes very cruelly.

Thought control involves indoctrinating group members so deeply that they internalize group doctrine, adopt a new linguistic system, and practice thought-stopping techniques “for the sake of maintaining mental peace and focus.” To become a good group member, a person must learn to manipulate his own thinking process.

Among sectarians, the doctrine of the sect is the “sieve” through which all incoming information is sifted. Naturally, this doctrine is of a very strict ideological nature, not allowing for “halftones.” The whole world is divided into “white – black”, “good – bad”, “us – them”.

In order to control the thoughts of an adherent, the sect imposes on him its “newspeak” with special words that carry a unique sectarian meaning. Thus, sectarian symbols associated with language are the same for all representatives of a given sect. Controlling these symbols allows you to control your thoughts. In many groups, it is customary to classify all complex situations and designate them with meaningful label terms, which makes it possible to transfer these situations from the real plane to the plane of sectarian cliches. Each such term or label serves as a verbal expression of the “boot language” and programs a person’s thinking in each specific situation, initially imposing thinking stereotypes.

Our understanding of the world is based on our culture and language. We interpret facts according to them. Sectarians have a very limited number of interpretations. Thus, among Moonies, any conflict between group members is interpreted as “the problem of Cain and Abel.” They only need to determine: who is Cain and who is Abel? Here the leadership of the sect comes to their aid. After resolving the issue, Cain must repent and obediently “follow Abel.” Naturally, any deviations from this behavioral norm are interpreted as “service to Satan.” It is interesting that the problem of the emergence of any critical thought about the leader of the sect or the sect itself in the adept should also be resolved. Here the role of Abel is played by the leader himself or the sect as a whole.

An equally effective technique by which leaders control the thoughts of adherents is the ritual of stopping thoughts. As soon as a sectarian has a “bad” thought, he stops it and finds “peace of mind.” Stopping thoughts is achieved through prayers, reading mantras, “speaking in tongues” and other similar techniques. If at first the sectarian still has to “strain” a little to stop “bad” thoughts, then after a couple of weeks this is achieved automatically.

Emotional control is achieved by narrowing the range of personal feelings. Of all of them, a person is left only with guilt and fear. They allow you to completely control the emotions of the sectarian. Adepts must feel guilty for everything that happens in the world, including what they have done, and for everything else that they have nothing to do with.

In order to unite sectarians more closely into a group, sect leaders also act in such a proven way as creating an “enemy image.”

Cult members should always think only about the group, never about themselves and never complain. To prevent the emergence of “seditious” thoughts based on sympathies between sectarians, sect leaders also control interpersonal relationships in the group.

A very effective means of controlling the emotions of sectarians is confession, which is also cultivated in most sects. It can be either in front of the whole group or exclusively in front of the leader. Everything that is said at this “confession” is carefully remembered by the leadership of the sect. If pressure is necessary on a sectarian, his “sins” expressed in “confession” are instantly used for these purposes.

Fear of exclusion from the group is also a very powerful emotional weapon in the hands of cult leaders. Sectarians are constantly told that they will not be able to live long outside the group. In the “sinful world,” terrible diseases, drug addiction, persecution of sinners and death await them. As a result of all these suggestions, when threatened by the leadership about expulsion from the sect, the majority of sectarians experience panic fear.

Information control means that all information received by a sectarian is subject to the strictest censorship. Naturally, all critical information from the outside world is cut off. The main problem for a sectarian is that as a result of the receipt of one-sided information, a person’s analytical apparatus completely atrophies.

As mentioned above, interpersonal communication of sect members is also under strict control. Any criticism of the leader, doctrine or the sect itself is prohibited. In addition, sects cultivate surveillance by sectarians of each other with subsequent reporting to management. Newcomers can communicate with each other only in the presence of a senior member of the group.

In all sects there are so-called different “levels of truth.” There is an “external truth” - for those who are trying to lure into a sect. As one is drawn into the sect, the adept moves to ever greater “levels of truth.”

For a sectarian, “external truth”, which completely contradicts the doctrine of the sect, is not a lie at all - it is simply a different “level of truth”.

All four types of control (behavior, thoughts, emotions and information) allow you to manipulate almost any person. It is interesting to note that people with a stable psyche make up the fanatical and devoted core of the sect.

Chronologically, the creation of a “new person” takes place in three stages: unfreezing, replacement, freezing. The theory of three stages of human psychological reprogramming was developed in the late forties of the last century by psychologist Edgar Schein.

“Brainwashing” takes place in three stages using tactics of gradually increasing demands on the part of the sect leadership and gradual concessions on the part of the victim (the same tactics are used in the training of hired killers and terrorists, as well as in establishing non-coercive psychological control over a person).

In his work “Imposed Belief,” Edward Schein wrote that unfreezing consists in the destruction of the previous personality, replacement is the process of indoctrination of the necessary ideas, freezing is the process of completing the formation of a new personality, consolidating indoctrinated ideas in it. Let us consider the processes occurring with a person at each stage.

At the stage of unfreezing, a person’s pre-sectarian worldview is destroyed. The personality remains without life guidelines at all. The person loses all concept of reality. The most important thing: the protective mechanisms that protected his worldview from destruction cease to function.

In order to “unfreeze” a person, there are many techniques.

Firstly, it is the isolation of a person from the outside world. As a rule, sects combine isolation with a physiological effect on the human psyche. To do this, he is deprived of sleep and his diet is changed (as a rule, sectarians are given food low in proteins and high in sugars - to increase emotional arousal).

Secondly, hypnosis is used to “unfreeze”. Thus, a person enters a trance state if he is deliberately “inundated” with contradictory information. Since the victim is not given time to think, he becomes lost and reflexively begins to look for support in the group. And when a person sees that the rest of the group members are calm, he tries to adapt to the situation, i.e. perceive without thinking.

Thirdly, there are methods of so-called “sensory deprivation” (complete deprivation of a person’s information) or, conversely, “sensory overload”, when a person is literally “dumped with streams” of emotionally loaded information that he is not able to process. In such cases, a person “switches off”, i.e. perceives information without analyzing it.

There are other similar psychological techniques. For example, a “double trap”, when a person is “given a choice” between two possibilities, but he does not have the opportunity to check the correctness of his choice.

It is quite natural that “unfreezing” is facilitated by such techniques as group prayer sessions, dance movements (whip whips, Sufi spins), rhythmic music with group movements, and choral singing.

After the defense mechanisms are turned off, people begin to instill thoughts about their depravity, lack of spirituality, incompetence, etc. Everything is done in order to morally break a person and show him that his salvation is possible only in a sect. Once this is achieved, the first stage can be considered completed.

At the replacement stage, the newcomer is “pumped up” with the ideas of the sect during various seminars, group rituals, group viewing of videos and listening to audiotapes with recordings of leaders’ speeches, as well as in the process of intra-group communication.

All lectures in sects are read in a monotonous soothing voice, which helps to lull the adherents to sleep and uncritically perceive the information presented. During the lecture, the presenter constantly returns to key phrases and gives the material “in a closed loop.”

The essence of all lectures, as a rule, comes down to the statement that only the teachings of the sect are the world’s only hope for survival and prosperity. To learn this teaching, recruits must shed their former sinful personality and rationality. They must “set free and believe.” Such calls become stronger and more convincing over time.

For greater persuasiveness, the sect’s leadership also practices this technique. “Sympathetic friends” in a “confidential conversation” extract from the adherent any personal information, which they immediately pass on to the leader. At the right moment, the leader, in the process of “spiritual insight,” informs the adept on whom such “wonderful spirituality” has the most serious impact.

To enhance the influence of people in sects, they are constantly taught group conformity, for which they practice group classes in which confessions take place. The confessor is condemned and praised by the entire group, which helps to consolidate certain thoughts and “expel” others. As soon as the doctrine of the sect is mastered, the third stage begins - “freezing”.

At the “freezing” stage, the “newborn” sectarian is given some kind of life goal. The main technique at this stage is imitation. The newcomer is assigned to the “veteran” and forced to copy the latter’s behavior. In this way, the leaders of the sects actually “kill two birds with one stone”: they make the “veterans” feel like significant figures and be “at the top”, and awaken in newcomers the desire to become the same role models.

At the “freezing” stage, they try to completely tear the new sectarian away from his memories of pre-sectarian life. To do this, they often change his name, clothes, hairstyle, etc. He is forced to give all his property to the sect, which contributes to his even greater enslavement.

In order to strengthen a person in his new beliefs, they try to involve him in the recruitment of new adherents as quickly as possible. The leaders of sects know very well that nothing makes a person believe in certain ideas more than attempts to impose these ideas on others.

The beliefs of adherents are also strengthened as a result of “martyrdom,” including the trade in sectarian literature or every little thing in all weather conditions.

After some time, usually several weeks, the recruitment work or the practice of “martyrdom” of the adherents is sent to a new stage of indoctrination. This cycle is repeated many times over several years.

The ideas preached in almost all sects play an important role in brainwashing sectarians. These ideas, instilled in the adherents, make sects a terrible weapon in the hands of their leaders.

The most important idea is “doctrine is reality.” The system of ideas of a group among sectarians is usually considered not a theory that allows one to interpret reality, but this reality itself. Since the doctrine of the sect is the truth, any flaw found in it by the sectarian is interpreted as his sinfulness (he is not yet perfect to understand the doctrine). To come to an understanding of the doctrine, the sectarian must work much harder for the good of the sect, believe even more in the leader and the doctrine.

The second idea directly follows from the first: the whole world is black and white, where white (good) is the sect, and black (evil) is the rest of the world. Adherents are constantly told that the sect is surrounded by enemies, and that they themselves are being tempted by evil spirits. This leads to the fact that in many sects adherents begin to suffer from various phobias and gradually become paranoid.

The third idea is the idea of the chosenness of sect members. Sectarians seriously believe that they have been chosen by God in order to save lost humanity. To save this humanity, sectarians are ready to destroy it.

Thus, any sect seeks to destroy a person’s individuality, given from birth and nurtured in him throughout his life, in order to make him a “manipulator” capable only of certain actions in the interests of the sect.