Errant Belief #8: “She’s Better Off Where She Is”

Are They Better Off Being Left in the Group?

Sometimes family, friends, and even mental health professionals may think that a person is better off in the cult. This way, the family, and friends may not feel obliged to do anything to help rescue the individual. Sometimes this is because the person has been a member for a really long time. Sometimes this is because people think of how the person was when they first got involved. This is especially true when the cult member gives a convincing argument that they would have committed suicide or overdosed on drugs if they hadn’t met the group. Often these stories are vastly exaggerated and sometimes made up. Sometimes they were true for the person many years ago, and they believe that if they left now, they would instantly revert to where they were at their darkest moments. This is phobia indoctrination. I often ask people, “How do you know you wouldn’t have decided to get help and gotten better without the group involvement at all? Do they actually believe their life would fall apart if they left the group now?” It may be tempting to agree, particularly when a person has stopped abusing drugs or alcohol, or when a person is no longer being physically or sexually abused—although some cults practice physical and sexual abuse.