A reckoning in the Troubled Teen Industry: Survivor voices, legal accountability, and institutional harm
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 programs and cultic systems, and the challenges of pursuing justice through legal and therapeutic pathways.
Ethical Dilemmas Between Autonomy and Well-being for Flourishing
In an era increasingly shaped by polarization, disinformation, and coordinated manipulation, safeguarding human autonomy while promoting genuine well-being has become an urgent ethical priority. The ethical tension between autonomy and well-being demands renewed scrutiny. Coercive control—understood as a sustained pattern of manipulative, exploitative, and abusive practices aimed at subordinating individuals—poses a profound challenge to both […]
The Red String Project: Identity, belief, myth & meaning
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
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 authority and female submission may normalize unequal power dynamics and obscure recognition of abuse. Attendees will gain insight into the intersection of theology, gender, and coercive control, as well as the implications for prevention, education, and support.
Cults and confidence: An examination of cult recruitment rhetoric targeting women and its presence in mainstream confidence culture discourse
This presentation uncovers how cults use rhetoric appealing to women’s desire for empowerment and self-improvement, often with manipulative results.
Interpreting power: Sacred texts and coercive control: Evidence from Jewish sectarian contexts
This presentation examines how religious authority, scriptural interpretation, and communal norms can be used to sustain coercive control within insular Jewish sectarian communities. Drawing on survivor testimony, legal records, and existing research, Lea Lavy explores the ways obedience, gender roles, and social sanctions can reinforce systems of control while creating barriers to disclosure and intervention. Attendees will gain insight into the intersection of religion, power, and abuse, as well as the challenges of developing effective responses within closed religious environments.
Planned obsolescence in personal growth: Coercion, capitalism and cult dynamics in Large Group Awareness Trainings (LGATs)
This presentation examines Large Group Awareness Trainings (LGATs) through the lens of coercive control and consumer culture. Dave Booda explores how some personal development programs create cycles of dependency by promising transformation while encouraging continued participation, drawing parallels between planned obsolescence in products and recurring self-improvement models. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the history, methods, and risks associated with LGATs, as well as their relationship to cultic dynamics and high-demand groups.
After the world of the cult: My 50-plus year journey with ICSA and beyond
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.
When coercive control becomes a crime: Forensic, clinical, and survivor-centered insights from Finland
This presentation explores coercive control through forensic psychology, psychotherapy, and peer support. Drawing on clinical practice, legal casework, and survivor advocacy, it examines the challenges of recognizing psychological abuse within legal systems and highlights the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in supporting recovery and advancing legal responses.
Black families in religiously abusive organizations: Considerations for mental health providers
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.