Dangerous Persuaders: An Expos

"Louise Samways is a Melbourne psychologist who is a recognized expert in the fields of psychological healing and health. Following the publication of her last book, "Your Mindbody Energy," in which she gave a brief outline of how cults manipulated people by misusing psychological techniques, she was contacted by many victims and their families. The evident need for more widespread information about how cults manage to recruit people, and how to escape from their influence, led her to write this book."Preface "Dangerous Persuaders" has evolved not from an academic study of cults and personal development courses, but from thousands of personal stories told to me over many years by my patients and people attending my seminars and lectures. I have mentioned the names of groups and courses only where I have heard similar and consistent stories from many separate sources.There are at least a hundred known cults operating in Australia and it has been estimated that there are over one thousand operating in the United States. Personal development courses alone are currently attracting a turnover of one billion dollars annually in Australia. Nobody knows exactly what the financial turnover in cults is worth, as large-scale tax avoidance is common.For this reason it should not be assumed that the groups, courses or individuals mentioned in this book are necessarily the worst or the biggest. I have only mentioned those that are well known and where my own patients have shared their personal experiences with me."