ICSA CONFERENCE 2026

2026 Conference recordings

Recordings from the 2026 ICSA International Conference are available on demand for registered conference attendees. Browse more than 60 presentations from leading researchers, clinicians, legal professionals, and survivors exploring coercive control, cultic abuse, recovery, and related fields. 

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Watch Thursday sessions

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College students’ attitudes and stigma toward current and former members of High-Control Groups: The impact of terminology

Navah Chestnut
This study examines how terminology and membership status influence college students’ attitudes toward individuals involved in high-control or coercive religious groups, finding that linguistic framing and perceived stigma can impact reintegration and help-seeking behaviors.

Overview of research – Coercion and abuse in cults, trafficking and families

Navah Chestnut
This presentation will provide a contemporary and historical overview of key areas of research internationally on cults and extremist groups and related areas of coercion including intimate partner violence, trafficking and gangs.

Religious trauma & coercion in Evangelical Christianity: A kingship theory of narcissistic control

Marianne
This presentation explores how authoritarian and narcissistic dynamics can become embedded within Evangelical Christian theology and practice. Drawing on historical, psychological, and clinical perspectives, Andrew Jasko examines mechanisms of coercive control and their impact on

Out of line: A model for peer-led queer, trans, and Two-Spirit cult survivor support groups

Marianne
This session presents a practical model for creating and sustaining peer-led support groups for queer, trans, and Two-Spirit survivors of high-control groups. Drawing on the experience of founding Out of Line in New York City,
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Watch Friday sessions

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A reckoning in the Troubled Teen Industry: Survivor voices, legal accountability, and institutional harm

Dominyka Grucytė
This panel examines the growing movement toward accountability within the Troubled Teen Industry through the perspectives of survivors, advocates, and legal professionals. Panelists explore the long-term impacts of institutional abuse, the similarities between troubled teen

The Red String Project: Identity, belief, myth & meaning

Navah Chestnut
Liz Gale discusses her Red String Project, a multimedia art installation that visually explores inherited belief systems, myths, and secrets through a large-scale collage and string connections.

Sanctified submission: When male headship becomes coercive control in Evangelical marriage

Navah Chestnut
This presentation examines whether complementarian theology can contribute to environments that enable coercive control within evangelical marriages. Drawing on dissertation research and content analysis of influential evangelical organizations, Bethany Jantzi explores how teachings on male

Cults and confidence: An examination of cult recruitment rhetoric targeting women and its presence in mainstream confidence culture discourse

Navah Chestnut
This presentation uncovers how cults use rhetoric appealing to women’s desire for empowerment and self-improvement, often with manipulative results.
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Watch Saturday sessions

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After the world of the cult: My 50-plus year journey with ICSA and beyond

Navah Chestnut
This presentation shares Paul Engel’s personal account of his involvement in the cult awareness movement over the past 50 years, highlighting his evolving understanding of cultic relationships and their impact on individuals.

Black families in religiously abusive organizations: Considerations for mental health providers

Navah Chestnut
This presentation examines the complex intersection of religious trauma, cultural identity, and mental health in Black families, providing guidance for mental health providers on recognizing and addressing the unique challenges of religious abuse.

From dogma to data: Artificial intelligence as a mechanism of coercive control within The Watchtower Society

Navah Chestnut
This study, presented by Michael Miller, examines how The Watchtower Society, governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, uses AI-enabled systems to influence believers, creating a digital panopticon that supplements and displaces human surveillance, effectively multiplying coercive

Hypnosis and coercion: What people believe vs. What we know.

Navah Chestnut
This presentation aims to clarify misconceptions about hypnosis, its applications, and its role in coercive and cultic environments, providing a scientifically grounded understanding of its effects and limitations.
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Access the Online Conference Track

Conference attendees and those who have purchased post-conference access can watch all available recordings on demand.

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Watch Sessions

Access to the Online Conference Track is available only to registered conference attendees. If you have not yet purchased your conference ticket, please do so below. Once you have registered for the conference, create your Online Conference Track account using the same name and email address used for your conference registration. Your account will be activated once your conference registration has been verified.

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LIVE ONLINE Conference SESSIONS

Join participants and speakers in conversation

The Live Online Conference Track brings attendees together to watch selected pre-recorded presentations, followed by live Q&A sessions with speakers and/or facilitated discussions with fellow participants. It’s a great opportunity to engage with presenters, connect with our global network, and share ideas. Review the conference agenda and join the Zoom meeting room at the scheduled session times.

Day 1

1 July 2026

06:00–07:45 (PDT)

ICSA Research Network Seminar with Roderick Dubrow-Marshall (Live session with discussion)

Day 2

2 July 2026

06:00–07:45 (PDT)

The vicarious dimension of abuse in coercive contexts: Understanding coercive control form a broader perspective with Raquel Cuesta (90 min pre-recorded session + Q&A 15 min with speaker)

08:00–09:00 (PDT)

Integrity as Antidote: Addressing Destructive Leadership and Coercive Control in the Modern Workplace with Kim Peirano (40 min pre-recorded session + Q&A 15 min with speaker)

10:00–11:00 (PDT)

How leaderless cults demonstrate coercive control: the pseudo-law sovereign citizens movement with Lynne Feldman and Erica Fields (40 min pre-recorded session + discussion with attendees)

11:00–12:00 (PDT)

Sanctified control: coercive dynamics in mainstream high control religions with Elise Heerde (40 min pre-recorded session + discussion with attendees)

13:00–14:00 (PDT)

America’s cult of wellness: wellness, wealth and the war on modern medicine with Kim Peirano (40 min pre-recorded session + discussion with attendees)

Day 3

3 July 2026

06:00–07:45 (PDT)

Shunning and suicide: Much more that silent treatment with Raquel Cuesta (90 min pre-recorded session + Q&A 15 min with speaker)

08:00–09:00 (PDT)

Overview of research on coercion, cults and abuse Roderick Dubrow-Marshall (40 min pre-recorded session + Q&A 15 min with speaker)

09:30–10:30 (PDT)

How to provide legal support to victims of coercive control who suffer harm in their interpersonal relationships and with institutions Maleine Picotin-Gueye (40 min pre-recorded session + discussion with attendees)

13:00–14:00 (PDT)

Soft coercion in transformational communities: ecological and psychological patterns of control with Rebecca Wildbear (40 min pre-recorded session + Q&A 15 min)

Day 4

4 July 2026

06:00–07:45 (PDT)

Ethical dilemmas between autonomy and well-being for flourishing (40 min pre-recorded live Thursday + discussion with attendees) 

08:00–09:00 (PDT)

Establishing the Freedom of Mind in human rights law and psychology: A preliminary roadmap with Matt Bywater (40 min pre-recorded session + Q&A 15 min with speaker)

10:00–11:00 (PDT)

Patriarchy and coercive control in intimate partner violence, cults and extremist groups and human trafficking – advancing understandings across contexts (90 min pre-recorded session + Q&A 15 min with speaker)

13:00–14:00 (PDT)

Closing Q&A session – Wrap-up discussion and reflections on the conference sessions and hopes for the future. Online debrief & networking session (40 min live session)

Access the Zoom link to join each live session at the scheduled times listed above. You can down load a pdf version of this schedule here.

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