How to recognize a political cult and/or coercive control in modern politics movements—and what to do when someone you love is affected.
A Silent Shift That Feels Loud
You may have noticed something changing, maybe slowly, maybe all at once. Someone close to you started quoting someone in politics or unfamiliar influencers or “truth speakers.” They began cutting off friends, questioning everything, and speaking in absolute terms. You’ve tried to understand, maybe even tried to talk them out of it, only to be met with defensiveness, suspicion, or complete withdrawal.
Or maybe this happened to you. You found yourself in a group or belief system that once felt empowering–until it wasn’t. Slowly, you started losing touch with your old life, your relationships, even your sense of self. This may be a political cult.
You are not alone. And what you’re witnessing may not be just a personality shift or ideological disagreement, it may be coercive control in action.
What Is Coercive Control?
Coercive control is a strategic pattern of manipulation that seeks to dominate another person by controlling their beliefs, behaviors, and relationships. It’s most commonly associated with cults and abusive relationships, but it can also appear in:
- Extremist political movements
- Radical religious sects
- Online echo chambers and conspiracy communities
- High-control multi-level marketing (MLM) or coaching schemes
- Spiritual “wellness” influencers turned ideological gatekeepers
Rather than relying on physical abuse, coercive control uses psychological tactics: gaslighting, fear, dependency, isolation, loyalty tests, and identity erosion.
A political cult creates invisible chains that make it incredibly difficult for the victim to recognize what’s happening until something breaks.
Why Is It So Prevalent Now in Politics?
We’re living in a time of massive social upheaval. The pandemic, racial unrest, economic instability, climate anxiety, and political polarization have left many people feeling overwhelmed, unmoored, and searching for meaning or safety.
In these moments, high-control groups offer compelling answers:
- “We are the only ones who know the truth.”
- “They are lying to you.”
- “You are chosen, special, awake.”
- “Everyone else is asleep, brainwashed, or evil.”
With social media algorithms, high-control groups or a political cult no longer need a compound or formal hierarchy. Anyone with a smartphone can be recruited, indoctrinated, and radicalized, often without even realizing it. This is especially true of the polarizing partisan nature of politics.
What It Looks Like: Modern Signs of Cultic Behavior
While not every group with passionate beliefs is a cult or even a political cult, cultic dynamics and coercive control follow predictable patterns. Steven Hassan’s BITE Model is one of the most widely recognized frameworks used to identify these tactics:
🧍♂️ Behavior Control
- Restricting or regulating diet, sleep, clothing, language
- Enforcing rigid schedules or isolation from “outsiders”
- Using shame or fear to discourage dissent
🧠 Information Control
- Discouraging independent thought or outside sources
- Rewriting history, distorting facts, or using conspiracy as a shield
- Creating an “insider” vocabulary to confuse and control
💭 Thought Control
- Black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinking
- Use of loaded language or clichés to shut down critical thought
- Teaching people to suppress doubts as personal failure
❤️ Emotional Control
- Guilt-tripping for disobedience
- Instilling fear of “the outside world,” punishment, or divine retribution
- Public shaming or love withdrawal as discipline
These tactics are not just theoretical—they are used in real time by modern cults, authoritarian movements, and ideologically driven influencers across platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Telegram, and private Discord servers. It is easiliy evident in the discourse on politics.
For Survivors: You Were Targeted, Not Broken
If you’ve exited—or are trying to leave—a high-control group, the first thing we want you to know is this: You are not to blame.
Coercive environments are designed to bypass your rational defenses and exploit your emotional vulnerabilities. Whether you joined seeking connection, deepening your politics, healing, identity, or justice, your openness was used against you.
You may now be feeling:
- Grief over lost time, community, or beliefs
- Shame for “falling for it”
- Anger at yourself or your leaders
- Confusion about what’s real
- Fear of retaliation or spiritual consequences
These reactions are not just valid—they are common in survivors of coercive control.
Healing requires trauma-informed care, not judgment. You are still you. You are reclaiming your identity, not losing it.
For Families: “It Feels Like I Don’t Know Them Anymore”
Watching someone you love fall under the sway of a high-control group is deeply painful. It’s like watching them walk into fog while you’re shouting from the other side.
They may seem like a completely different person—angrier, more isolated, more paranoid or dogmatic. You may feel guilt, rage, helplessness, or even grief for someone who is still alive but no longer accessible.
Here’s what we want you to know: You can still help—but it has to come from connection, not confrontation.
What You Can Do (And What Usually Backfires for politics and coercion)
Many organizations provide tips on how to help people involved in coercion. The Lalich Center has many great resources that can be helpful to extract our loved ones. Here are a few tips:
✅ DO:
- Stay connected whenever safely possible
- Validate their underlying needs (e.g., “I understand you want truth/safety/meaning”)
- Ask thoughtful questions instead of debating:
- “How did you come to believe that?”
- “What’s been the most meaningful part of this for you?”
- “Are there things you’ve struggled with in the group?”
- Share your own emotional experiences, not accusations
- “I miss talking to you.”
- “I’m scared for you and I care deeply.”
- Keep the door open, even if they pull away
❌ AVOID:
- Mocking their beliefs (even if they seem absurd)
- Labeling their group a “cult” too early
- Issuing ultimatums (“It’s them or me”) unless for your safety
- Debating facts or sharing anti-group media—it can backfire and reinforce the “enemy” narrative
Support for Both Survivors and Families of Politics and Coercion
At The Freedom Train Project, we provide resources for both primary and secondary survivors—those who have experienced coercive control directly, and those affected by the ripple effects of cultic involvement.
We offer:
🔹 For Survivors:
- Emergency relocation and safe housing (Pending Funding)
- Travel assistance to leave high-control environments (Pending funding)
- Trauma-informed therapy referrals
- Peer support and community rebuilding resources
🔹 For Families:
- Psychoeducation about coercive control and trauma bonding
- Support groups for secondary victims
- Communication coaching and boundary-setting guidance
- Workshops and webinars to learn how to stay connected with loved ones
You do not have to figure this out alone.
What You Can Do Right Now
👟 Join Our Virtual Run: Break the Chains
Every August, during International Cult Awareness Month, we host a virtual run/walk to raise funds and awareness for survivors.
🏁 Registration is open now — participate from anywhere in the world.
💜 100% of proceeds go to direct survivor support services.
👉 Click here to sign up or donate
📧 Subscribe to Our Newsletter (Bottom form of this page)
Stay informed about survivor stories, upcoming events, and ways to advocate for protective policy changes.
Final Thoughts: You Are Not Alone
Whether you’re a survivor reclaiming your life, or a loved one trying to hold on to someone you care about, know this:
This is real. This is valid. And there is help.
Coercive control isolates people by design. Our mission is to help you reconnect—with your self, your story, and your support system.
Together, we can break the silence.
Together, we can break the chains.