Post-Cult After Effects: PTSD and DD NOS

Most cult experts mention post-stress traumatic disorder (PTSD) and DD NOS (dissociative disorder not otherwise specified) as the most common post-cult after effects. While there is a common consensus among them regarding PTSD, there are some disagreements regarding DD NOS. Besides Steven Hassan, who mentioned DD NOS in his both books, there are other cult experts who agree with that, for example: Louis West and Paul Martin, Margaret Singer and Richard Ofshe (see also another article by Margaret Singer).

Dissociative disorder is the split or doubling of identity. Such symptoms as floating are caused by DD NOS. In the cases related to cults, DD NOS is obviously caused by mind control that creates cult identity.

However, regarding PTSD, it is not so obvious what is the source. Many members of cults and abusive churches experience disappointments, humiliations, and abuses there that can cause cult trauma. However, in the beginning, most members are sure that their groups are wonderful and do not see anything negative there. Some members leave these groups on their own, some leave because of exit counseling. In principle, exit counseling also can cause trauma. If a person was sure that he or she was in the wonderful group and then the exit counselors convince him/her that this group is a mind controlling cult, this person can experience a serious disappointment and even shock. Of course, the character of exit counselors is also very important. At least, some of them are very unkind people.

Reading Steven Hassan's story of his experience in Moonism and his deprogramming, I did not find any indication that he had any disappointments or any negative experiences being a Moonie. However, he experienced a serious shock when he was deprogrammed. I do not think his experience was unique.

So, I think exit counseling can be traumatic experience. In the case if the person did not have traumatic experience in the cult, exit counseling becomes the only source of trauma. In this case, post-cult PTSD is caused not by the cult, but by the exit counseling. Actually, DD NOS can be caused only by the cult and not by the exit counseling. This means that cults still cause psychological problems to the people who did not have obvious negative experiences in cults. Then, the psychological damage caused by exit counseling can be justified. However, if there is no DD NOS caused by cults, then exit counseling in some cases might be greater evil then the cult itself. Well, I do not believe so because I believe that cults do cause DD NOS. I think this is a good explanation of many things related to cults.