OK, I grew up in a cult. Ever see a chicken get pecked to death by the rest of the flock? Not good.
Do not, repeat, DO NOT do this if you are currently in a cult.
I'm not sure about doing it anyway, but don't do it if you're in an abusive group.
Trouble is, most people who are in abusive groups don't even know it.
I got labeled demon-possessed for questioning the leader (a big sin), and trust me, it's all downhill after that when your whole social network is the group.
Quote:
Cult of Confession (Lifton 101)
Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group.
There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders.
Even if not obviously promoted by the group, information is collected (usually automatically without set guidelines for collection) and fed to leadership.
Shameful past events may then be exploited to manipulate individual compliance or as evidence for disciplinary actions.
Information about those who leave the group is also exploited after they leave to enhance the milieu control. Sometimes, "sins" are confabulated to instill members with fear to decrease their chances of contacting dissidents or members who have left the group.
People with unresolved issues of shame are especially attracted to these types of groups, and indeed, there were some cults that developed out of some of these movements in the past.
When a person talks about themselves and personal facts, it is a natural response of the brain to shift from a faster, analytical brain wave speed (high or mid beta) into a slower, more suggestible one.
The process of confession, even if it is in regard to technical information, is naturally relaxing as it induces a slower brain wave pattern (alpha state).
This brain wave pattern, although it is associated with physical relaxation is also a highly suggestible state. After one has divulged personal information, the mind becomes far less critical as the mind is no longer in a largely analytical state.
Religious groups and sales people alike take advantage of this natural, physiologic effect of self-disclosure.
Vocal Self-Degradation
This element is associated with the previous element, the Demand for Purity. The Cult of Confession is a mode of open confession in front of the leader and is often in front of the group. It is intended to expose and rid the member of those impurities that the group so labels. What it amounts to, however, is open self-degradation.
This leads to exploitation of the member’s vulnerabilities. Under normal and appropriate circumstances, personal confession is therapeutic. In this situation, however, certain actions, weaknesses, thoughts and feelings are labeled as sinful and impure when, in fact, they are not. The member may even be pressured into confessing crimes that he or she has not committed.
A totalist group assumes to have a type of ownership of a person’s inner self. The member, consequently, views confession as a means of oneness with the group, and as a necessary means toward betterment of himself or herself.
Under Much Grace Blog: The Cult of Confession (Lifton 101) |
Some of us may sit with our backs to the wall for the rest of our lives.
I guess that's my confession.