Amidst the ongoing interest in actress Allison Mack speaking out about her experience as a leader in the sinister NXIVM cult, many people will become curious about what type of people are particularly susceptible to cults.
Mack, a celebrity who became one of the senior members of a bizarre cult that branded people, played a major part in her cult’s recruitment and identifying people to initiate into NXIVM.
She has broken her silence in a controversial new podcast in which she opened up about how she became a member and admitted to being ‘abusive’ as a leader.
A brave cult survivor from the UK, however, has spoken out about a key personality trait that can make nearly anyone susceptible to becoming part of a cult.
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Richard Turner was sucked into a toxic cult that he was actually working for, a group called the Hope City Church, and now works to help cult survivors overcome their trauma.
The cult drained their victims of money and sucked them in with ‘love bombing’
Hope City Church drained Richard of what little money they were paying him at the time, convincing him that by donating as much as 35% of his £13,000 salary he could become closer to God.
Richard had been working doing a counselling placement in Liverpool when he began working for the charity City Hearts, who worked to help victims of human trafficking.
City Hearts was run by Hope City and, once he switched churches, he stated he received ‘love bombing behaviour’.
Speaking exclusively to LADbible, Richard said there were ‘complicated grooming processes’, saying: “There was lots of love bombing, it made me feel really good.
“I felt like I was joining something that was positive, because they run the human trafficking charity, and they were doing things that were making me feel good about joining before I actually joined.”
He went on to say: “There is a complex system of manipulation and control at play, and they all kind of feed each other. So even from the very, very first church service I went into, they were talking about money a lot, and asking for money.
“Even though I was noticing that as a red flag, because I felt so good, because everyone was so friendly, you think you're in a safe place.”
How the Hope City cult convinced members to give up their money
Hope City - now rebranded as C3 Church after an internal investigation resulted in founder Dave Gilpin resigning and leaving the country in 2020 - was what is called ‘a prosperity teaching church’.
These are a subgroup of Christian churches that believe that, by giving to the church in your faith and literal money, you will be rewarded with wealth and physical health.
Even though he was making just £13,000 annually at the time, they would still take as much as 35% of his money, recalling at one time how he once simply handed over £300 to them.
At another point, he asked them to take 10% off his wages as the church had made out that they didn’t have enough money.
He stated that you would be called ‘stingy’ or ‘hard hearted’ if you didn’t donate, saying: “It was all manipulative tactics to make you feel bad if you didn't give, and good if you did give. And God loves you if you give more money.”
Bizarre relationship control and key personality trait that makes you susceptible to cults
Richard began a relationship with another long-time member, which led to a bizarre set of rules imparted upon him by senior members of the cult.
This suggested that they couldn’t have sex, kiss, or even sleep in the same building.
In addition to this, the couple were assigned ‘accountability partners’ who reported back everything they did with each other. When discussing the type of person that becomes embroiled in a cult, however, Richard was keen to disprove a common theory.
Whilst he acknowledged that neurodivergent people were more often targeted, he stated that no one type of person is susceptible to cults.
He said: “The control and the grooming processes and manipulation works so well that they work on anybody. Quite often, people think, ‘Oh, I would never fall for that’. But what they don't understand is this is a kind of slow, long term tweaking of your identity until you don't even realize you’re controlled.”
He went on to point out the particular point in people’s lives where they are susceptible to cults, saying: “I mean, generally speaking, everyone is vulnerable, and especially vulnerable when you go through transition periods in your life.
“When you move to another place, or you've gone through a bereavement or an end of a relationship where you don't feel very stable, you go around looking for something to help you feel stable again, or to get answers.”
Life after the cult and red flags to look out
Turner now works as a counsellor and cult consultant, with 100s of people having spoken to him about their experiences in cults or looking for advice getting people out of them.
This comes after completing a Master’s degree in ‘the psychology of coercive controlling behaviour’.
Naomi Brown, trustee of The Family Survival Trust, a charity that provides support to cult survivors, said of the red flags to look out for regarding cults: “Cults don’t always look like cults at first. The red flags are often subtle, love-bombing, the promise that whatever your problem is, their group has all the answers, discouraging questions, and using buzzwords that make you feel like you belong while quietly shutting down doubt.
“Gradually, there’s growing pressure to commit more time or money, and control over what information you access and who you stay in contact with.
“Recruiters aren’t looking for ‘weak’ people, they’re looking for people who want to make a difference, who are open-minded, curious, or going through a major life change. Those are good human traits, but in the wrong hands, they’re exploited.”
She also pointed out how the Allison Mack case highlights ‘a common complexity in high-control groups: individuals can be both coerced and coercers, victims and perpetrators’.
She finally added: “The key is education and awareness. If a group demands unquestioning loyalty or isolates you from friends and family, that’s your biggest warning sign.”
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article and would like to speak with someone in confidence please reach out to the Family Survival Trust here.
Michael Slavin