Are You in a Cult?

Key points

• Common dynamics often found in cults include coercive control, isolation, and the belief in a supreme leader.

• High-control environments, like abusive relationships, sometimes have cult-like characteristics.

• Recognizing the signs of coercive control early can be a protective factor against exploitive circumstances.

When most people reflect on life’s threats, becoming engulfed in a high-control organization is rarely our first thought. Research suggests that around 1 percent of individuals worldwide become involved in groups of psychological abuse (Castaño et al., 2022), also known as cults. Still, the figure is likely a huge underestimate, due to the secrecy, hazards, and stigma associated with disclosure. Beyond this extreme, a significant number of people become involved in coercive relationships, whether with an institution or an abusive individual.

Survivors of these experiences speak of being unaware of their circumstances, given the emotional manipulation intricate in the process (Garcia et al., 2025). Ashleigh Freckleton is one of those survivors.

Eight years ago, she joined a yoga school hoping to find a greater sense of peace, but she found herself trapped overseas. She did not know she had joined what she now considers a cult until circumstances turned frightening. Today, Ashleigh is sharing her story in the three-part Apple TV documentary series, "Twisted Yoga," in an endeavor to educate others.

I met with Ashleigh to better understand her experience and build awareness around emotional exploitation and how we can all protect ourselves.

Situational Vulnerability

Ashleigh became involved in the organization when she was in a state of what she calls "situational vulnerability." She comments, "It was kind of the perfect storm, where I was in a transitional life phase—in my mid-20s, I'd just moved overseas, I'd been through a recent breakup, I was very spiritually open. I'd dabbled or explored a lot of different things, and I was just so curious. I really wanted to just engage in a yoga practice, and so with all of these kinds of factors combined, I was just really open, and that made me vulnerable to the school's message."

It is natural to seek connection and meaning. When these needs are disrupted by turmoil, we become more receptive to places offering belonging. Ashleigh reflects, "I was searching for connection, meaning, and self-improvement. It started because I wanted to go to India and practice yoga for a month."

Isolation, Secrecy, and Infusions of Self-Doubt

Though Ashleigh felt a sense of unease, she initially dismissed her doubts. She says, "I often had doubts, but I saw them as my ego and challenges to overcome, questioning myself more than others. That led to more isolation due to secrecy."

These are indicators of a high-control environment—isolation, secrecy, infusions of self-doubt, and unquestionable leaders. In the case of a cult, this can rise to a level of emotional torture. "Any kind of boundary you put up was your limitation," says Ashleigh. "It was seen as a signal that you were not spiritually evolved and needed to grow. So, it really affected my sense of self and my self-esteem. I was constantly feeling like I'm not good enough, I'm not evolved enough."

In time, with massive doses of one truth and intense degradation, it all took a toll. Says Ashleigh, the degradation increased "in terms of my beliefs and my sense of reality. By the very end of it, by the time I came back home to Australia, I actually felt like reality was melting around me ... The scariest part for me was feeling like I didn't have control of my own mind. It felt like my mind had been cut in two: There was lucid Ashleigh and then brainwashed Ashleigh."

Climbing Out of the Well

So, how does someone recover from such an extreme trauma? Through support, family, therapy, and processing, Ashleigh was able to find a sense of healing. Physical distance helped, too.

"I learned about cults, coercive control, logical fallacies, cognitive biases, and these psychological mechanisms, and I ended up studying psychology as well to try to make sense of what happened," says Ashleigh. She worked with a therapist to re-establish her grounding.

Through all this pain, Ashleigh continued to carry qualities of strength and resilience. She shares a visual: "It felt to me like I had been thrown to the bottom of a well, but I always had a rope attached to me."

Healing came in steps. "There was a big process of having experiences and seeking something to believe in, experiences to validate that," she says. "I also had therapy. I saw a counselor. Just moving forward with life, having friends, support networks, studying hobbies, passions, and interests. And then with time, things got so good that it feels like it's really over there now and I'm over here."

Ashleigh has completed her degree in psychology and is now working as a provisional psychologist to support others in their healing journeys.

Are you wondering if you might be in a cult? You could be.

"It's really easy for us to look at someone and think 'well that could never happen to me,' but it could, and it often does on smaller scales," Ashleigh says. "This stuff is everywhere. It's not just in spiritual circles; it's also in politics, in political movements, in group fitness, wellness industries, dare I say certain marketing schemes; it's all around us. So it is really important not to look at it and think it couldn't happen to you because perhaps it already has."

Here are three questions to ask yourself to take a pulse on how much control a situation or person may have in your life.

Am I connected to people outside these groups? 

In cults and related experiences, there is often a dynamic of isolation from the outside world. Ashleigh says many members became cut off from society while the organization replaced family. Such isolation creates a space where leaving can feel psychologically impossible. "If something feels off, it probably is," says Ashleigh.

Am I free to make my own decisions? 

Coercive control looks like restricting a person's freedoms. It can take many forms, from tracking their physical movement to threatening seclusion if orders are disobeyed. Ashleigh shares: "I was losing in these mechanisms of coercive control, becoming disconnected from myself and my own intuition. It's so important to be able to connect to those to be able to listen to those red flags instead of ignoring them."

Is there a supreme leader in my life? 

One key characteristic of cult-like environments is a supreme leader. Such figures are common in a variety of coercive situations. "If somebody is being kind of put on a pedestal as this supreme power, question that," says Ashleigh. "If you are becoming more isolated, question that. Stay connected to the people around you who know you and love you."

Closing

Speaking with Ashleigh, I have a felt sense of a person with incredible strength of mind. I appreciate her insights.

To find a therapist, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.

References

Castaño, Á., Bélanger, J. J., & Moyano, M. (2022). Cult conversion from the perspective of families: Implications for prevention and psychological intervention. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 14(1), 148.

Garcia, Y., Dugger, S. M., & Greene, J. (2025). The Emotional Landscape of Cult Involvement from Recruitment to Disaffiliation: A Grounded Theory Study of Survivor Experiences to Inform Trauma Counseling. Trauma Counseling and Resilience, 2(2), 5.