The annual ICSA International Conference brings together researchers, health professionals, service providers, and survivors and their families from around the world to engage in open dialogue on the most pressing themes around cultic studies. The 2026 conference explores the theme: Expanding the scope of coercive control: Understanding abusive dynamics and their impacts across interpersonal, institutional, and cultic contexts. Log in to access the conference’s on-demand presentations and join live sessions at their scheduled times.
Published date
27.06.2026
This presentation proposes a framework for establishing freedom of mind as both a human right and a measurable psychological construct. Matt Bywater explores how existing international human rights protections could be expanded to address undue influence, coercive control, and authoritarianism, while outlining a research agenda for developing an evidence-based understanding of psychological freedom.