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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsVideo of Ginni Thomas speaking abt her 1980s cult experience with Lifespring
Steven Hassan, PhD @CultExpert (Mental Health Professional)
I knew Ginni Thomas. Ginni Thomas was in a cult (the large group awareness training cult, Lifespring). Here she is in 1989 speaking at an event I hosted for former members. Until today, almost NO one has seen this video.
Link to tweet
As you'll probably notice, Ginni seems likable (and she was)! After she left Lifespring, she got heavily involved in the movement to HELP former cult members exit cults. She also organized a cult awareness briefing for congressional staffers in the late eighties.
Sadly, the people who helped deprogram Ginni were also apparently involved in right-wing causes. As is the case with SO many former members, she was overly susceptible and went from one cult to another (The Cult of Trump).
For more on Ginni Thomas' time in a cult, her cult activism in the 80s, and her turn to right-wing causes, this
@washingtonpost article from 1991 is surprisingly thorough https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/09/10/the-nomineess-soul-mate/3e0a9aa9-fdee-41f3-b5be-a6af468d89cc/
To see the FULL video from this 1989 cult member support group conference, you can see that on my YouTube channel here (Ginni Thomas appears at the 17:30 mark):
elleng
(130,153 posts)'Sad,' and dangerous for more than herself.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Heaven's Gate?
cilla4progress
(24,588 posts)hot mess
brush
(53,474 posts)No real mind of her own.
gibraltar72
(7,486 posts)She told then President of the school Larry Arn, She could serve better as an employee working on the inside in Washington DC.
madaboutharry
(40,152 posts)There are people who have personalities that make them susceptible to cults and will move from one cult to another.