by Tara Backes | Jun 18, 2025 | Essays
Perry Bulwer examines the religious concept of mystical marriage between GOD and believers in the context of biblical bridal theology. He discusses its scriptural basis in the Old and New Testaments and the doctrinal disputes surrounding it. Check it out...
by Tara Backes | Jun 18, 2025 | Essays
Dr. Robin S. Stein explores how certain intimate relationships can resemble cult dynamics, particularly through the lenses of narcissism and gaslighting. She illustrates how a dominant partner may employ gaslighting – a manipulative tactic that causes the other...
by Tara Backes | Jun 18, 2025 | Cults: The Basics, Essays
Alexandra Stein is a writer and lecturer specializing in the social psychology of cults, totalitarianism, and other dangerous social relationships and their opposites: “small d” democracy, inclusivity, and healthy social networks. In this essay, Alexandra...
by Tara Backes | Jun 18, 2025 | Essays
This essay was written in honor of Dr. Philip Zimbardo, who died on October 14, 2024, at 91. Dr. Zimbardo was best known for his theory that situational and systemic factors can lead to ordinary people to commit harmful or immoral acts. Zimbardo’s research...
by Tara Backes | Jun 18, 2025 | Cults: The Basics, Essays
Keely Griffin and Andrew Pledger write about how sociologist Evan Stark coined the term “coercive control” to describe a broader form of domestic abuse that includes psychological, sexual, and economic manipulation. He argued it’s a gender based...
by Tara Backes | Sep 23, 2024 | Essays, In the Media
Taking a stand against Donald Trump as a public facing therapist and therapeutic trainer is not new to me and to my company, The Institute for Creative Mindfulness. As someone who grew up very conservative (with one parent even espousing many of the talking points of...
