Recent research has revealed that there are many psychological parallels between cultic high demand group involvement and the lived experience of sex trafficking in recruitment, retention, sexual and emotional harm, and exploitive manipulation (Hassan & Shah, 2019; Thomas, Miller, Phelps, Hassan, 2014; Lundstrom, 2016). Untold millions of lives have been arguably hijacked around the world by the undue influence of...[ read more ]
We all experience stress and anxiety is everyday life. Anxiety is defined as feeling worry, nervousness, or unease, usually about an unknown future outcome. Low levels of anxiety do not cause alarm and do not interfere with the quality of one’s life. Sometimes anxiety can improve your production capabilities. We all know at least one person who needs that extra...[ read more ]
In this season of isolation, furloughs, unemployment and out-of-stock grocery shelves during the COVID-19 crisis, it is easy and understandable to feel alone, increased anxiety and fear. One must choose between going for fresh groceries or staying home and making due with what is in the freezer; to wear gloves or not to wear gloves; to wear a mask and...[ read more ]
Physical Abuse: Pulling your hair, punching, slapping, kicking, biting or choking you Forbidding you from eating or sleeping Hurting you with weapons Preventing you from calling the police or seeking medical attention Harming your children Abandoning you in unfamiliar places Driving recklessly or dangerously when you are in the car with them Forcing you to use drugs or alcohol (especially...[ read more ]
Please join a unique and unprecedented conference will be held at the Larimer County Events Center in Loveland, Colorado, on February 8, 2020, informing the community and professionals on what characteristics connect such groups. Experts will answer questions such as: How are people deceived into voluntarily joining such undesirable groups? What neuro-chemical dynamics occurs in the brain to trick itself...[ read more ]
If you have experienced trauma through physical, sexual or emotional abuse or assault, and are interested in re-building your life from the inside out, improve self-esteem, and decrease the obstacles of guilt and shame, please join us as we make positive steps toward healing in a community of women. All sharing will be done in an atmosphere of safety and...[ read more ]
Abortion is a common medical procedure which has been socially stigmatized and politicized. Sometimes, women and men may experience feelings of guilt, sadness, anger, and other symptoms of emotional distress after the termination of the pregnancy. There is help and hope. The nation understands abortion in terms of the competing rights of the fetus and the pregnant woman. It can...[ read more ]
Well-being is the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity. It includes having good mental health, high over-all life satisfaction, and a sense of meaning or purpose. More generally, well-being is just feeling well. Emotional Well-Being — The ability to practice stress-management techniques, be resilient, and generate the emotions that lead to good feelings. To develop emotional well-being, we need to build emotional skills — skills like positive thinking, emotion regulation,...[ read more ]
A cult is an ideological organization which blends a powerful social structure with a self-appointed charismatic leader. This leader exploits unsuspecting vulnerable members using extreme levels of manipulation. Cults infuse dependency upon the member. Cult dependency includes a ‘seemingly’ voluntary surrender of individuality, identity, personality, critical thinking skills and total commitment. This isolating commitment often promises spiritual and eternal salvation...[ read more ]
Can cult involvement be powerful enough to change one’s personality? Most people know someone who represents the face of abuse whether through: domestic violence, a toxic environment, or narcissism. Cult involvement can include all of these, with the addition of spiritual and sexual abuse, including sex trafficking. Cults are defined as an organization with: an authoritarian structure; a closed system...[ read more ]