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Former member survey
Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions about your experiences. Your responses may be used in the book Sarah Steel (creator of the award-winning podcast Let's Talk About Sects) is writing about cults over the next year or so.
While I will collect your name and contact details at the end of this form so that I can verify your identity, you are able to indicate if you would like to remain anonymous in the case of any of your answers being shared in the book.
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* Indicates required question
What is the name of the group you were involved with?
*
Your answer
Do you consider this group to be a cult?
*
Yes
No
Maybe
What city and country were you in for the longest period of your involvement with the group?
*
Your answer
What is your gender identity?
*
Female
Male
Non-binary
Other:
What age were you when you first became involved?
*
I was born in
0-12
13-17
18-25
26-39
40-59
60+
What age were you when you left for good?
*
0-12
13-17
18-25
26-39
40-59
60+
Please indicate if you experienced (or witnessed others experiencing) any of the below during your time with the group:
*
Sleep deprivation
Financial pressure or control
Confession or sharing sessions where your disclosures were later used against you
An expectation of consulting with the group over decisions that should have been your own to make
A packed schedule, leaving you with very little free time
Being inundated with teachings or long lectures, whether verbal or in writing
A high level of self-doubt
Lack of autonomy
Homophobia
Gender discrimination (i.e. women and men not being treated as equals)
Physical abuse or assault
Sexual abuse or assault
Spiritual abuse
Emotional abuse
Monitoring of your communications
A lack of access to medical care, including for mental health
A lack of access to full educational opportunities
Rules around what media you were allowed to consume
Expectations around what you should wear, even in your spare time
Negative impacts on family relationships
Restrictions around personal friendships and relationships
A belief that those outside the group could not be fully trusted
Strict expectations around parenting decisions
Demonising of those who had left the group
An understanding from leaders that the group was being persecuted
Not feeling able to ask questions of leadership
An understanding that your group was the only one with access to the truth
A charismatic leader or leadership
In-group language (i.e. terms only understood by those within the group)
None of the above
Other:
Required
Can you provide any specific examples of any of the above, or is there anything else you would like to mention?
Your answer
Was there a turning point when you realised that certain behaviours were problematic? If so, can you describe the behaviour and the turning point?
Your answer
Have you noticed any of the behaviours you experienced within the cult occurring in any situations in the outside world (e.g. workplace, community group, political group, etc.), since you left? If so, please share any specific examples below.
Your answer
Have you been impacted by any of the below in the time since you left the group?
*
Nightmares
Flashbacks
Difficulty making simple decisions
Tendency to overshare
Difficulty trusting others
Doubt in your own judgement skills
Undesired patterns of thinking that are hard to overcome
Loss of faith
PTSD (diagnosed)
PTSD (self-diagnosed, or symptoms consistent with this)
Self-harm
Suicidal thoughts
Being shunned or ignored by former friends or family still in the group
None of the above
Other:
Required
Would you like to expand on any of the above? Please give some further details below, if you wish.
Your answer
Are there any particularly notable incidents that come to mind when you think over your time with the group?
Your answer
What (if anything) do you think is dangerous about how the group operates or operated?
Your answer
What (if anything) do you think most people misunderstand about those who have been involved in cults or cult-like groups?
Your answer
Did you get support after leaving the group via any of the below sources?
*
Counsellor or psychologist
Support group (e.g. Cult Information & Family Support or similar)
Online or telephone services (e.g. Lifeline or similar)
Informal support (e.g. Facebook group or message board for former members)
Police
Lawyer
None of the above
Other:
Required
Do you feel like there was enough support available to you, from people who understood your circumstances? If not, please share what further support you think might have been helpful.
*
Your answer
Do you think groups like this should be continuing to operate? If not, do you have any ideas about how they should be stopped from operating (e.g. what laws might need to be changed)?
*
Your answer
Contact details
Please share your contact details below – these will only be used to verify your identity.
Full name
*
Your answer
Email address
*
Your answer
Contact number
*
Your answer
Are you happy for your name to be used in the book?
*
Yes
First name only
No, I'd prefer that you use a pseudonym
Other:
Would you be happy to provide further information about your experiences in a more in-depth interview?
*
Yes
Not at this time
Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences or your thoughts on this subject?
Your answer
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