ICSA - International Cultic Studies Association

06/10/2026

Wondering what to read this October?

Our recommended reading list this month explores coercive control across religious, therapeutic, communal, and family environments. Through memoir and historical investigation, these four books examine how authoritarian influence develops, how identity and autonomy can be shaped by controlling systems, and what it can take to process traumatic experiences, leave high-control environments, and rebuild a life beyond them.

This month’s selection includes:

📕 Manhattan Cult Story: My Unbelievable True Story of S*x, Crimes, Chaos, and Survival by Spencer Schneider — A gripping memoir of twenty-three years inside a secretive Manhattan cult, tracing how an accomplished professional was drawn into coercive control, gradually lost his autonomy, and ultimately left to reclaim his identity and rebuild his life.

📗 Pieces of the Mind: Posting Secrets by Emma Wise — A healing memoir exploring childhood trauma, religious fundamentalism, and family abuse, tracing Wise’s journey toward self-understanding, self-compassion, and recovery through psychology, reflection, and dialogue with her younger self.

📘 Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International by Charlene L. Edge — An in-depth memoir of seventeen years inside The Way International, exploring fundamentalist belief, authoritarian leadership, restrictions on critical thinking, and Edge’s eventual decision to leave with her daughter and rebuild her life.

📙 The Sullivanians: S*x, Psychotherapy, and the Wild Life of an American Commune by Alexander Stille — A revealing account of a New York psychotherapy community that evolved into an increasingly controlling communal system, examining therapeutic authority, disrupted family relationships, dependency, abuse, and former members’ capacity for recovery.

Read the full post and explore the reviews here: https://buff.ly/7AzzF1b

29/09/2026

A pastor may be a spiritual leader, counselor, mentor, and trusted friend to the same person. When those roles overlap it can make it difficult for congregation members to discern when pastoral care has shifted into manipulation or abuse.

In a new study, Jaime Simpson and Jodi Death draw on the experiences of 33 adults in Australian Evangelical and Pentecostal communities to examine how pastoral authority can be used to groom, isolate, and sexually exploit congregation members. Their framework also traces what can happen after abuse, including pressure to forgive, blame, and attacks on a person’s credibility.

The study is exploratory; it does not establish how widespread this abuse is. It offers a way for faith communities, safeguarding professionals, and others to examine power, boundaries, and meaningful consent.

Read ICSA’s summary on Substack and access the full article in the ICSA Online Library: https://buff.ly/wTBEYuK

A study of 33 Australian survivors maps how pastors within Evangelical and Pentecostal Christian faith communities used spiritual authority, grooming, and coercion to exploit congregation members.

24/09/2026

ICYMI, earlier this week we published an article exploring what post-cult recovery approaches may be able to teach us about recovering from narcissistic abuse.

The article, published in the International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation (IJCAM), examines parallels between narcissistically abusive relationships and the processes of deception, manipulation, and control associated with destructive cults.

Authors Vickie Howard, Amina Adan, and Charles Attwood consider how prolonged deception can affect not only a person’s perception of reality, but also their identity and sense of autonomy.

Drawing on existing research into cultic influence and recovery, the authors explore the concept of a “pseudo-identity”—an identity that can develop within a thought-reform environment as the individual’s autonomous self is increasingly suppressed. They suggest that narcissistic abuse may involve a comparable process, as deception and control gradually shape how a person understands themselves, their relationships, and their choices.

The article considers whether approaches developed for post-cult recovery could help survivors recognize these processes, understand how their autonomy was affected, and begin rebuilding an independent sense of self.

This is a theoretical and comparative article, and the authors emphasize the need for further clinical research into how these approaches might be applied to narcissistic abuse recovery.

Read our summary of the article and access the full academic paper through the ICSA Online Library.

Full academic paper 👉️ https://buff.ly/IzVdJeZ
Summary of the article on our substack 👉️https://buff.ly/O6SoQFH

23/09/2026

At ICSA, sharing knowledge and research is a foundational pillar of our work. We believe that deep, rigorous inquiry is essential to advancing public understanding of high-control groups, coercive influence, and the complex psychological, social, and cultural dynamics at play.

ICSA’s online library offers free access to academic articles, survivor narratives, conference summaries, expert insights and curated resources for anyone seeking to understand high-control groups and coercive dynamics.

Access 800+ articles and insights published, including 150+ peer-reviewed academic studies. Search the online library for publications spanning several decades through to the present, including Cultic Studies Journal, Cultic Studies Newsletter, Cultic Studies Review, ICSA Today, the International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation (IJCAM), the International Journal of Cultic Studies, The Advisor, and The Cult Observer.

You can search by theme, topic, or group of interest.

Visit the online library today https://buff.ly/sPMlwaX

22/09/2026

What can cult recovery research teach us about recovering from narcissistic abuse?

A new article published in the International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation (IJCAM) examines parallels between narcissistically abusive relationships and the processes of deception, manipulation, and control associated with destructive cults.

Researchers Vickie Howard, Amina Adan, and Charles Attwood explore several areas of comparison, including:

▫️ How deception and gaslighting can gradually distort a person’s perception of reality
▫️ Parallels between love bombing, isolation, and other processes of psychological influence
▫️ How prolonged manipulation can affect identity and an autonomous sense of self
▫️ Why an abuser’s carefully constructed public image can make abuse difficult for others to recognize
▫️ Whether established approaches to post-cult recovery could help inform support for survivors of narcissistic abuse

Rather than focusing primarily on the personality or diagnosis of an abuser, the authors consider the processes experienced by survivors and how deception, dependency, isolation, and control can affect their ability to trust their own perceptions and make autonomous decisions.

The article proposes that elements of post-cult recovery—including recognizing manipulation, rebuilding critical thinking, processing trauma, and restoring a sense of self—may offer a useful framework for understanding narcissistic abuse recovery. Importantly, this is a theoretical and comparative article, and the authors emphasize that further clinical research is needed to test these proposed applications.

In 2026, ICSA is proud to have published two new issues of IJCAM: Volume 9, Issues 1 and 2. Over the coming weeks, we will be highlighting selected articles and making their research more accessible to our wider community.

Read our summary of the article and access the full academic paper through the ICSA Online Library.

Read on Substack 👉️ https://buff.ly/O6SoQFH

Researchers examine parallels between narcissistic abuse and cult indoctrination and consider how post-cult recovery approaches could inform treatment for survivors.

21/09/2026

Are you an archivist with an interest in cultic or high-control groups?

Updated and accurate archives play an important role in documenting the histories of cultic and high-control groups and preserving the experiences of those affected by them. These collections can provide valuable primary-source materials for survivors, families, researchers, journalists, educators, and professionals seeking to better understand cultic dynamics and coercive control.

Our network is looking for professionals like you to help them with their collection of materials. Apply to list your profile in the ICSA Professional Network Directory.

From organizational records and publications to personal papers, correspondence, photographs, oral histories, and other primary sources, archival collections can offer valuable insight into how these groups develop, operate, and affect individuals and communities.

The ICSA Professional Network Directory connects the ICSA community with relevant professionals, organizations, and resources. We are looking to expand the directory by including more archives and archivists with collections related to cults, high-control groups, coercive control, and psychological abuse.

Does this describe your work or area of expertise? Submit your profile for consideration.

👉️ Visit the Professional Network Directory and submit your profile: https://buff.ly/qfvvOb8

17/09/2026

ICYMI, earlier this week we published an article summarising a recently published academic article that examines what conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton can tell us about gender, political power, and the enduring language of the “witch hunt”?

The new article published in the International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation (IJCAM) examines conspiracy theories targeting Clinton through scholarship on historical witch hunts, gender, and conspiracy culture.

Authors Susan Raine and Kilian LaBonte-bon analyze several prominent narratives, including:

🔸 The Clinton Body Count, Pizzagate, Frazzledrip, adrenochrome, and kuru conspiracy theories
🔸 Parallels between modern allegations and historical accusations of witchcraft
🔸 The role of gender and misogyny in narratives surrounding women in political power
🔸 How social media allows separate conspiracy theories to merge into larger “super-conspiracies”
🔸 The ways gendered conspiracy narratives can reinforce traditional expectations about women and authority

Using an established framework for identifying witch hunts, the authors find that conspiracy narratives about Clinton reproduce themes historically associated with accusations against women—including demonic allegiance, threats to children, sexual deviance, murder, and violations of social order.

The article argues that these narratives can be understood not simply as isolated false claims, but as part of a broader pattern shaped by anxieties surrounding gender, feminism, and political authority.

In 2026, ICSA is proud to have published two new issues of IJCAM: Volume 9, Issues 1 and 2. Over the coming weeks, we will be highlighting selected articles and making their research more accessible to our wider community.

Read our summary of the article and access the full academic paper through the ICSA Online Library.

Full academic paper 👉️ https://buff.ly/TzDd7hQ
Summary of the article on our substack 👉️ https://buff.ly/6cjSkRr

16/09/2026

In 2026, ICSA published two new issues of the International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation (IJCAM): Volume 9, Issues 1 and 2.

Together, these issues bring forward new research and perspectives on coercion, manipulation, high-control environments, psychological abuse, recovery, and related areas of cultic studies.

Swipe through the carousel to explore the articles published across both issues, with a brief introduction to what each study examines.

From emerging research to new perspectives on longstanding questions, these articles contribute to a deeper understanding of coercive and abusive systems and their impact on individuals and communities.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll also be highlighting selected articles in greater depth and making their research more accessible to our wider community.

Explore both issues and read the full articles through the ICSA Online Library https://buff.ly/ab6Ypqt

15/09/2026

What can conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton tell us about gender, political power, and the enduring language of the “witch hunt”?

A new article published in the International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation (IJCAM) examines conspiracy theories targeting Clinton through scholarship on historical witch hunts, gender, and conspiracy culture.

Authors Susan Raine and Kilian LaBonte-bon analyze several prominent narratives, including:

🔸 The Clinton Body Count, Pizzagate, Frazzledrip, adrenochrome, and kuru conspiracy theories
🔸 Parallels between modern allegations and historical accusations of witchcraft
🔸 The role of gender and misogyny in narratives surrounding women in political power
🔸 How social media allows separate conspiracy theories to merge into larger “super-conspiracies”
🔸 The ways gendered conspiracy narratives can reinforce traditional expectations about women and authority

Using an established framework for identifying witch hunts, the authors find that conspiracy narratives about Clinton reproduce themes historically associated with accusations against women—including demonic allegiance, threats to children, sexual deviance, murder, and violations of social order.

The article argues that these narratives can be understood not simply as isolated false claims, but as part of a broader pattern shaped by anxieties surrounding gender, feminism, and political authority.

In 2026, ICSA is proud to have published two new issues of IJCAM: Volume 9, Issues 1 and 2. Over the coming weeks, we will be highlighting selected articles and making their research more accessible to our wider community.

Read our summary of the article and access the full academic paper through the ICSA Online Library.

Read on substack 👉️ https://buff.ly/6cjSkRr

An analysis of how conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton draw on centuries-old witch-hunt narratives about women, power, sexuality, and social order.

14/09/2026

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We are incredibly grateful to our membership community, whose support enables us to publish research, convene conferences, and develop recovery and professional training resources.

Become a member today and help us continue this work: https://buff.ly/iBVp8mK