Leaving a cult behind – Can brainwashing be reversed? | DW Documentary

Breaking free from the clutches of a cult or a cultish religious movement is a long and painful process. So far, it’s one that has largely gone undocumented. Few people talk about the years of struggle — and relapses – breaking free entails. Five people who have gone through the process talk about their experiences.

This documentary about leaving cultish religious movements behind illustrates how powerful the conditioning is — and how deeply dependent it makes its victims. How is it possible to renounce one’s own identity and “reprogram” the brain?

Nicolas has been exposed to this influence since birth: his parents are Jehovah’s Witnesses. At the age of 22, he managed to break away from the Jehovah’s Witnesses – but he had to cut off contact with his family.

Julie was 31 and Yohann 20 when they both fell into the clutches of the French “Université de la relation” movement during what purported to be an ‘internship in the field of personal development’.

David and François became “warriors of light” after they trained in kung fu at the Parc de la Villette in Paris — and stuck with it for 10 years. They describe insidious manipulation and talk about how they were completely sucked into a parallel world.

The film’s moving accounts of cult dropouts and their long journeys back to a normal life are supplemented by insights into the work of a French police unit specializing in new religious movements.

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31 comments

  7. i became a 'christian' a few years ago but it's by choice. i have to be careful of evil religious stuff cos many 'christians' are just religious and it's not the same as my personal experience. they will pressure us to do things which aren't coming from our heart, but more like rules, or commandments. and they'll use bible verses against you for it. so then we end up with heaps of 'christians' who are raised like that just doing it cos they're told to, but it's not coming from their own heart. so i have a daily battle avoiding that stuff, and have to keep trying to only do what's really in my heart rather than obligation. so I'm a kind of witness that there is a real side of knowing Jesus, but I'd say it's not religion, but our heart

  8. I demand from all religions to love people. They should never be involved with education if they don't or won't take on a Theologen challenge. All use power over mankind and should be imprisoned for their unbelievable mental abuse. Yes we are all free to join communities but these communities as domestic abuse must fall under the law. God's work? Think outside of the box, outside of every church, every cult.
    Thank you for this documentary, A loving God walks beside you all.

  11. This documentary about the Jehovah's witnesses is misleading. I was raised a pagan as well as a member of worldly Christian, but my question is are what the Jehovah's witnesses saying not in the Bible? I believes all they are saying is Biblical. Please DW, don't confuse people with this misleading information. I have tasted many religion beliefs and have carefully researched the Jehovah's witnesses with what they believeed in the Bible infact they are 85% right with the Biblical teachings.

  12. So sorry for all the people in this film and so many others out there that have suffered physical, sexual and emotional abuse in cults. 😢

    It's unfortunate how the JW cult and other cults have led people to despise God or make them believe that God does not exist. No matter how hurt you are, please remember the true God of the Bible loves you. Talk to him yourself today; trust me He will listen to you.😊

  17. J.Witnesses is the least I want to see in this documentary. Too sad that the man lump up the religion as a cult, just because his mother did not buy him a pair of pants lol😂 . Might their teaching and rules are resolute, but only who beleives in Almighty God can truly appreciate and understand this religion. Everything is a hype! Armageddon is do written in the bible not just in JW bible but also in any religious group bible.
    Stop being dramatic just because your not satisfied with their teaching. I'm not a member of JW nor any religion, but JW is one of a few religion that will guide and ask you to read your bible.

    I feel sorry to those who are truly victim of cult. May all of you have now peace of mind.

  25. These people made my childhood hell with those scary images. Big dark Oceans with big boats and everything falling off
    Was so scary in my African village. It reached a point I stopped opening those books 😢

  26. DW can you please be honest with us once. JWs are a registered religion not only in Germany but in a majority of nations in the world. Presenting cynical and biased information without right of reply or merely fact-checking is downright unethical journalism. Of most claims by the "victim" are well explained on JWs' official website (or you can ask a practising JW for clarifications) and can be seen as baseless. Anyone reasonable enough can see this. The term "cult" has lost it meaning for being used as a cliche and click-bait. That's my one cent of sense…

  27. I was raised by a grandfather who didn't bring any religion into my life and I am forever grateful. My sister did get into a cult and died because of it. Another reason I am grateful for my grandfather and my outlook on life is a free thinker.

  29. The masters program I was in arguably meets the criteria. The head of the department never shuts the fuck up about how learning is independent of the individual mind and is instead a process of groups building their own truth. He constantly talks about how in the classroom the only thing that matters is orchestration (tell me you have a thing for manipulating people without telling me you have a thing for manipulating people.) We are then repeatedly and continuously forced to do meaningless and intentionally vague groupwork (one of his colleagues openly discusses how students should be given intentionally vague assignments in group settings to create situations that promote emotional disregulation and result in unexpected emotional reactions.) We are not allowed to take external online courses that would actually teach us anything, and they even give us bogus additional study resources that, if you bother to look, say things like "I don't believe in "truth"" and "these articles are of low to medium quality. students can get a (possibly bad or wrong) impression here, try to make connections, then go look somewhere else".

  30. Thank you so much for this amazing documentary. To the people who have escaped: me too. I escaped a twisted version of evangelical Christianity and am rebuilding my life with two teenaged daughters at 42. You can ABSOLUTELY do it, but plan. Plan, plan and plan before you take the leap. I can attest that life is so much sweeter on the other side of it all. It’s exactly what YOU make of it. It’s hard. Take rests. But get back up and KEEP GOING. Sending so much love to those who see these words. ❤️❤️❤️

  31. I have to say that this was probably the best documentary I have seen on cults due to how empathetic and understanding it was towards the victims. In the U.S. people gawk at cult survivors and even cult survivors will gawk at those still trapped. It is very sad because of how the word 'cult' is now just a buzzword that people throw around with little to any understanding of what a cult is and how the victims of cults feel.

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