I'm getting several hundred daily emails & I miss many real messages because of the sheer volume.

I wade through abuse & threats from the extreme RW & LW brigades who think they can intimidate me.

Lately, I'm getting QAnon related emails from followers, friends, and family.

I've been at this for 22+ years, and have received almost identical messages from sovereign citizens, tax protesters, and NESARA followers, friends, and families.

I'm afraid there's not much I've found useful when it comes to true believers.

They earnestly want me to believe what they believe and help them spread the gospel. When I don't, they say I'm "to stupid" to understand.

I can point out the flaws in their arguments and rather than concede on a specific false claim, they just move on to the next one, looping back to the first claim when they've forgotten it was wrong.

I've found that mocking extremists is the least effective tool in my toolbox. I did it for years.

In all that time, I'm only aware of one mocked extremist in whom that little light switch came on and they joined me in trying to wake up others.

The others just dug in deeper.

The family and friends email category is much harder. Most of them are desperately looking for ways to grasp the hand of their loved one and pull him or her out of the lunacy pit.

I'm afraid I don't have much to offer this group. There's no universal answer or technique.

But here's the group where I have the most experience: followers who want to leave and families/friends of those who have recently awakened from their cult-like nightmare.

My advice:

1) Almost formers: get off the freaking internet. It's harming you, your mental health, and your relationship with others. In the end, that's what matters.

2) Formers: get off the freaking internet. Forgive yourself, and make amends. You'll be tempted to try to wake up others asap but wait a stretch.

Heed the advice of the airlines.

3) Friends and family: Be prepared. Your loved one is in for one hell of a psychological crash and may need help. Self loathing, self-harm, and even suicide are possibilities.

Don't be judgmental. Don't mock them. Just be there. In the end, that's what matters.