Errant Belief #9: “She’ll Walk out on Her Own When She Is Ready”

Is She Really Free to Leave?

This attitude presumes that the cult member has the freedom of mind, finances, and the resources to just “leave.” The bars are invisible but very real. In my experience, depending on the length of his involvement, the “exit cost” is usually very high to walk out of a high demand group. The indoctrination of the group’s beliefs, along with the habits ingrained into behavior, make it difficult to leave without help. If she did have freedom of mind, I can say from my own experience, she would have left the group long ago. As we shall see, one vital step of the Strategic Interactive Approach is to remove the phobias that keep the cult member imprisoned. (Please see chapter ten of my book, Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs.)