When we think of cults, we normally assume that they're the stuff of fiction or legend. There's a few
famous ones for sure - Heaven's Gate, the Manson Family, the
Church of Scientology - but we don't usually consider them to be all that common.
However, they do exist, and they're more prevalent than a lot of people believe. Here are 16 stories of people who have first-hand experience of living in a cult, and escaped to tell the tale...
1. Sometimes it's the only life you know
2. The outside world is completely different
3. This sounds like being trapped in the past
4. Time can't heal all wounds
5. It's difficult to completely separate yourself
6. It's similar to an addiction
7. Sometimes you have to choose between family and happiness
8. Old habits die hard
9. You can change your future, but you can't help your past
10. Extreme beliefs warrant extreme reactions
11. Very few others will understand
12. The effects are life-long
13. Imagine never knowing anything other than this type of life
14. Sometimes being part of a cult is not a choice
15. It becomes a part of you
16. Even after a decade, you still feel helpless
Most of us will never understand what it's like to be part of something like this - and we should be grateful for it. There are still people all around the world - many of them children - who are trapped in these kinds of lifestyles, and the only hope for them is escape.
