More about My Personal Experience of Post-Cult Recovery

In my blog, I always made a distinction between secular and religious sides of post-cult recovery, though it seems that most people do not make this distinction. Usually, I used the term "psychological" for the secular aspect. I think, maybe "psycho-emotional" will be better. Also, usually, I used the term "spiritual" for the religious aspect. However, as I found out, atheists also like this term. So, I will call this aspect "religious" instead. I personally do not like the word "religion" very much because it is often used as just a set of some rituals. However, the origin of this word is much better. According to the most famous hypothesis, it is from Latin "religare" (to bind) and thus means "union with God." There are two other hypotheses: 1) that it is from Latin "relegere" (to treat carefully) or 2) from Latin "religere" (to recover). I prefer the concept of religion as a union with God.

I never liked the idea promoted by some people in the anti-cult community that post-cult recovery is practically (or actually) life-long. Unlike some people in the anti-cult community, I do not believe that every ex-cult member should get therapy after leaving a cult. I never had any therapy myself. Also, I stated in my blog that I do not consider religious aspect of post-cult recovery to be mandatory, that is, I do not consider that after leaving a cult, a person should return to their pre-cult religious beliefs or to become an evangelical (or whatever else).

Three years ago, I wrote in my blog that I think that I had finished my post-cult recovery. One person disagreed with me, stating that and that I may not know that I am not recovered and if people did not reconnect with God, they are not recovered. Other people in the past also strongly recommended me to get therapy, saying that if I do not have symptoms, I may be in denial. In another post, I wrote that two and a half years ago, I had a careful psychological and psychiatric examination. The professionals who examined me did not find that I had any disorder. Why should I get a therapy then?

For those people who believe that those who have not reconnected or reconciled with God, I can testify: by now, I have completely reconciled and reconnected with God. I have fresh and new relationship with God and I consecrated myself to Him. I do not have any spiritual problems caused by my cult involvement. Well, I guess that some people now may call me a religious bigot and claim that my consecration to God indicates that I am not recovered. Somehow, many people in anti-cult community believe that it is OK to go to church once a week and forget about God all the other time, but if a person is a devoted Christian, it is something wrong and indicates that this person is "unrecovered," "mind-controlled," and so on. There are too many opinions in the anti-cult field and they contradict one another. As for me, I consider myself recovered both psychologically and spiritually.