“I still have stress problems, insomnia, nightmares that still last me over the years. I still dream about the group. They destroyed my life “. These are the words of Alejandro (fictitious name), victim of a destructive sect called The order. He has long since left “the group” but cannot escape the bad memories, he continues under psychological treatment to heal the wounds that still accompany him.
Post-traumatic stress, depression or socialization problems are some of the consequences suffered by the victims of these groups and their recovery process can take years. “Psychologists compare the departure as the return of a Vietnam veteran, suffer from post-traumatic stress: memories, flashbacks, anxiety … Everything that the war has not allowed them to surface when they go out. The same thing happens to the followers ”. This is how he explains it Laura Merino, psychologist specialized in destructive cults and radicalization processes who is treating Alejandro.
– “I still dream of the group. They destroyed my life” / Illustrations by Mariola Sarrió
What leads a person to join groups like these? Specialists warn that anyone can fall into their networks and be a victim of their abuse. It does not matter the cultural or social level, 80% of the followers have higher education. There are profiles of all kinds. Although a single type of potential victim cannot be defined, there are a number of factors that can be considered risky: lonely, dependent or simply in a moment of personal crisis where they are more vulnerable and accessible to group messages. The cults detect any of these weaknesses and use them to get closer, anyone is susceptible to being “hooked”. The Internet is one of the main points of attraction but the techniques are very varied. False messiahs selling attractive lies and lowering the defense, like Alejandro. He was a young man like any other, he wanted to live and try new experiences, he was very interested in topics related to spirituality and mental health and for that reason he was interested in the “doctrines” of The order. When he came into contact with this group, nothing made him suspect the hell that lay behind.
It is difficult to estimate how many there are in Spain but it is estimated that there may be more than two hundred. What is known is that the pandemic is being fertile ground for its proliferation: “Now we live in a situation of uncertainty, fear, problems at a professional level. People are looking for solutions, support, or a point of security to hold onto, and indeed destructive cults may be offering it. Offer and demand”, says the chief inspector expert in sects of the National Police which we have consulted. Fear is a very powerful weapon and this pandemic has brought us a lot of uncertainty and unease that, together with a context of social distancing, are the best breeding ground for these predatory groups. They identify your needs, your concerns and your weaknesses at the moment and use them to seduce you. It is the perfect time to spread the tentacles and capture people.
“We walk for Universality.” “Every continent walks in conscience with a common goal.” These are the claims that appear on the Internet page of a particular group that calls itself: “Camino Universal Santiago de Compostela”. They propose a non-religious pilgrimage, which in contrast they present as “an initiatory march of ascension, search for consciousness and liberation towards the original source because we are going to the reunion and union of all humanities, of all beings”, they quote in their portal. / SER string
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“Being a secret society they don’t have a telephone. You can only enter if someone in the group endorses you, by co-option. It is always done this way “. The group that Alejandro was in, The order, has been attracting people in Spain for more than 15 years through what is called Universal Way. In the midst of the many and varied offers of religious pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela there are also many initiatives of a “non-Christian spiritual” type linked to an esoteric interpretation of the Camino and some are led by sects. According to him, The order is one of them. His proposal is easy to identify, five different pilgrimages symbolized by a flower with five petals, one for each continent that converge in the city of Compostela. “The white rose of peace”, an enigma that contains a hidden reality to be deciphered.
In The order secrecy played a very important role: “Everything we did had to be kept secret, we couldn’t tell anyone. In that sense there was a lot of pressure. “ The success of the sects is in going unnoticed, in staying hidden. Hence the importance of acting in the shadows, on the margins. They camouflage themselves under the guise of altruistic, cultural associations or self-help groups to hide their true intentions. They are led by an authoritarian leader, or by a group of leaders, who exercises in a very subtle way and through coercive persuasion strategies an iron control over their members whose lives are trapped in a spiral from which it is not easy to get out. Silence at the service of a teacher or guru who indoctrinates and manipulates. It is the common denominator of all.
“Everything we did had to be kept secret, we couldn’t tell anyone. / Illustrations by Mariola Sarrió
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Alejandro’s story is not the only one. In Spain there are thousands of affected people who have also experienced fear and cruelty at the hands of these groups and who encounter many barriers when it comes to suing. In the same way that there is a healthcare vacuum, there is also a legal vacuum. “We need more specialized lawyers and prosecutors, more police units and also more specialized psychologists. But, above all, you have to encourage reporting, to make a problem visible what you have to do is report “. To Carlos Bardavío, criminal lawyer expert in sects, the behavior of these leaders or gurus clearly constitutes a crime of coercion but the problem arises when proving in a trial that, for example, the donations or sexual relations maintained by the victims were not voluntary . For this lawyer, it is necessary to reformulate the legislation and legally modernize the term “coercive persuasion” so that the cases begin to be judged differently since most of them constitute very serious crimes. However, Bardavío encourages the victims to make their experience visible without shame, to tell what they have experienced and to report it. It is important that they do so to protect themselves legally as victims of gender violence have done in these years, to fight to achieve visibility and rights.
Alejandro’s fight begins now. He wanted to tell his story to exorcise his fears and encourage other victims to do so too. He still has many memories left but he knows that one day they will go away. He only fears one thing: that silence continues to protect those who were his executioners.
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