Uploaded October 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Common Experiences and Reactions of Second Generation Adults and Multi-Generation Former Cult Members (Bill Goldberg
Sunday, October 10th, 2021
Disclaimer: Views expressed on ICSA Websites or in ICSA's publications or events or other venues are those of the document's author(s) or speaker(s) and are not necessarily shared, endorsed, or recommended by ICSA or any of its directors, staff, or advisers.
About this presentation (Second and Multigenerational Adult Former Cult Member Recovery Series):
People can recover from trauma through therapy, nurturing relationships and self-care. Regardless of the primary focus of a particular cult (e.g. religious, political, therapeutic, philosophical, etc.) practically everyone who has been in one experienced feelings and reactions that were common to most cult encounters. These reactions and experiences were the predictable results of the group dynamics and manipulations common to all cults, even though their cult may have offered a self-serving mystical or magical explanation for them. For the initial presentation in this recovery workshop, the presenter will describe some common experiences of second-and multi-generation cult members (SGA's/MGA's). The goal of this presentation is to help the participants to define and describe these experiences as well as to consider non-mystical explanations for them.
Overview of series:
This series is specifically for second and multi-generational adult former cult members, however, this is going to be the first program for S/MGAs that is open to all. In the past, ICSA workshops for this population have been limited to those who were themselves born or raised in cults. But we see the increasing need for those outside of this population to learn about the unique recovery issues relevant to S/MGAs.
About the speaker:
Bill Goldberg, LCSW, PsyA, is a clinical social worker and psychoanalyst with more than forty years’ experience working with former cult members. He and his wife, Lorna, colead a support group for former cult members, which has been meeting for more than forty years. It is the oldest group of its kind in the world. In 2007, Bill retired from the Rockland County, New York Department of Mental Health, where he directed several programs and clinics. He is presently an adjunct professor in the Social Work and Social Science departments of Dominican College, and he is on the faculty of the Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies. Bill has published numerous articles in books and professional journals and is a frequent speaker at ICSA conferences. Among other awards, in 2010, Bill was the recipient of ICSA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also coeditor of ICSA's Cult Recovery: A Clinician's Guide to Working With Former Members and Their Families, published in 2017.
Common Experiences and Reactions of Second Generation Adults and Multi-Generation Former Cult Members (Bill Goldberg
Sunday, October 10th, 2021
Disclaimer: Views expressed on ICSA Websites or in ICSA's publications or events or other venues are those of the document's author(s) or speaker(s) and are not necessarily shared, endorsed, or recommended by ICSA or any of its directors, staff, or advisers.
About this presentation (Second and Multigenerational Adult Former Cult Member Recovery Series):
People can recover from trauma through therapy, nurturing relationships and self-care. Regardless of the primary focus of a particular cult (e.g. religious, political, therapeutic, philosophical, etc.) practically everyone who has been in one experienced feelings and reactions that were common to most cult encounters. These reactions and experiences were the predictable results of the group dynamics and manipulations common to all cults, even though their cult may have offered a self-serving mystical or magical explanation for them. For the initial presentation in this recovery workshop, the presenter will describe some common experiences of second-and multi-generation cult members (SGA's/MGA's). The goal of this presentation is to help the participants to define and describe these experiences as well as to consider non-mystical explanations for them.
Overview of series:
This series is specifically for second and multi-generational adult former cult members, however, this is going to be the first program for S/MGAs that is open to all. In the past, ICSA workshops for this population have been limited to those who were themselves born or raised in cults. But we see the increasing need for those outside of this population to learn about the unique recovery issues relevant to S/MGAs.
About the speaker:
Bill Goldberg, LCSW, PsyA, is a clinical social worker and psychoanalyst with more than forty years’ experience working with former cult members. He and his wife, Lorna, colead a support group for former cult members, which has been meeting for more than forty years. It is the oldest group of its kind in the world. In 2007, Bill retired from the Rockland County, New York Department of Mental Health, where he directed several programs and clinics. He is presently an adjunct professor in the Social Work and Social Science departments of Dominican College, and he is on the faculty of the Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies. Bill has published numerous articles in books and professional journals and is a frequent speaker at ICSA conferences. Among other awards, in 2010, Bill was the recipient of ICSA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also coeditor of ICSA's Cult Recovery: A Clinician's Guide to Working With Former Members and Their Families, published in 2017.
