Understanding Religious Abuse & Recovery by Dr. Patrick J. Knapp

Service Description

COURSE SCHEDULE/QUESTIONS ANSWERED Presentation #1 Introduction – Terms, Concepts and Illustrations • What is religious abuse? • Why do people join, remain in and eventually leave abusive groups? • How might we best understand the term cult? • What are Totalist Aberrant Christian Systems? Presentation #2 Religious Abuse – A brief history and relevance of the topic • Why should the topic of religious abuse be critically important to us? • How is history relevant to the subject of religious abuse? • The study of history can feel overwhelming; how might we get our arms around this subject? • What are some of the significant representative examples of religious abuse? Presentation #3 Religious Abuse – Four perspectives • Is religious abuse caused by mind-control? (Thought Reform/Undue Influence/Brainwashing) • Do unmet psychological or social needs cause religious abuse? • Is religious abuse brought about from bad decision making? • Does religious abuse result from all the above as a system of influence? Presentation #4 Religious Abuse Recovery (part 1 of 5) - The importance of beliefs • Why are core beliefs important? • How are beliefs changed for improved recovery? • What is a worldview? • Why might we consider a broad historical narrative from a Christian perspective? • Can recovery from religious abuse occur without accepting Christian beliefs? Presentation #5 Religious abuse recovery (part 2 of 5) – Six essential recovery principles • Why is it important to have a recovery system? • What are the essential principles for understanding religious abuse recovery? (SECURE) Presentation #6 Religious abuse recovery (part 3 of 5) – The Role of Healthy Relationships • Why are healthy relationships the core principle for religious abuse recovery? • What are some helpful preconditions to better experience healthy relationships? • How might healthy relationships be identified? Presentation #7 Religious abuse recovery (part 4 of 5) – Eight core recovery needs (ASCRIBED) • What are the main recovery needs and activities following religious abuse? • What is the best criteria to identify the most helpful recovery resources? (HEIR) Presentation #8 Religious abuse recovery (part 5 of 5) – Seven stages of recovery and resources • Is the process of recovering from religious abuse generally similar among former members? • What are the basic stages of recovery? • Where might additional religious abuse recovery resources be found?