Newsletter: Tuning In and Helping Others Learn to Help Themselves
Staying Sane and Balanced in Extreme Times
This week’s episode of Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum, “Tuning In: Experiencing Music in Psychedelic States” features musician and former Hare Krishna devotee Steven J. Gelberg. We spoke about his experiences in the group and also his soon-to-be-released book of the same title, where he explores the role of music in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and psychedelic use generally. We also talk about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence and her ties to Krishna Hinduism and ISKCON, and the noted homophobia of the Krishna movement and Prabhupada, as well as her own guru, Chris Butler. You can also listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Next week’s episode, “On Offense: Taking Action to Prevent Further Assaults to Democracy” will feature an interview with accomplished public policy advocate Kristopher Goldsmith, the founder and CEO of Task Force Butler Institute. This nonprofit organization trains veterans in research and operations to counter extremism. It’s a timely discussion that is vital to our future going forward.
I’m delighted to announce that my Understanding Cults: A Foundational Course for Clinicians has just received major additional CE certification from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). It is my fervent hope that someday, all therapists everywhere will have the essential skills to help those who have experienced cultic manipulation. If you are a therapist, please consider enrolling in my course so you can help those emerging from high-control groups to the best of your ability. And if you are a survivor of a destructive authoritarian cult, talk to your therapist about taking my course to help them help you and others! I will also be offering my course to PESI, a nonprofit organization that provides cutting-edge continuing education to mental health professionals nationwide.
March 6th and 7th, I will be presenting at a conference for Harvard Medical School, “Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: Navigating Complexity in Community.” I hope to learn more about this fascinating and innovative field but also to interject the needed note of caution against bad actors who might use psychedelics unwisely to control others.
This week’s livestream will be Thursday, Feb. 5th, from 1 to 2 p.m. EST; I welcome everyone to tune in with questions and comments! Last week’s livestream was a great success; if you missed it, you can see the replay here.
And have you filled out our bitemodel.com survey yet? Please consider doing so for healthy relationships and groups, too! Please give the name of the healthy group. You can make multiple entries if you have been involved in more than one group. Please feel free to share it on Reddit, Facebook, and anywhere ex-members can be found. We wish to collect a database, especially of authoritarian groups.
Steven J. Gelberg entered the cult in 1970 at the age of 18 and exited in 1987 at 35 years old. While in the organization he authored the 1983 Grove Press book Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna: Five Distinguished Scholars on the Krishna Movement in the West. On leaving the organization, Steven explored spirituality and the academic study of religion more personally and entered Harvard Divinity School, receiving his Master of Theological Studies degree in 1990. Later, he wrote India in a Mind’s Eye: Travels and Ruminations of an Ambivalent Pilgrim, published in 2012 (link at end).
Read the blog post or listen to the podcast below:
How can you tell if that group your family member has joined is safe? Is your relationship hitting a “rough patch,” or is there actual cause for concern? With this anonymous, easy-to-use diagnostic tool, you can answer simple questions and determine if any group or relationship is beneficial or destructive, ethical or unethical, healthy or unhealthy. And now, you can share your results on your social media if you wish!
As always, please let us know what you think about these pieces or what you’d like to see us discuss in the future. Thanks so much!
Thanks Steve! You’re doing so much! You’re a real institution!