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In response to posting the Redpilling Guide, I have been asked a few times, “is there a guide for getting people out again?”
And the answer is yes and no. There are strategies that have been shown to work. There’s no guide.
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And the answer is yes and no. There are strategies that have been shown to work. There’s no guide.
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First off, there are professionals who are better equipped than me to talk about the exit process: though he’s recently been caught up with a bunch of bad takes, @CultExpert has spent many years doing the work. @nezumi_ningen has great information and can point you to more.
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There are numerous books and articles. There’s scientific research on the topic: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178116319941
There are lots of resources available.
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There are lots of resources available.
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Also, I spend a lot of time making fun of total strangers on the internet who are caught up in a cult. I’m not the best source on exiting, which requires a lot of empathy and patience.
For your own loved ones, your own friends, yes, there are strategies that work.
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For your own loved ones, your own friends, yes, there are strategies that work.
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But if you want my take, here it is: getting out is a lengthy, personal process, and it’s never going to be as simple as following a simple step 1-2-3 methodology.
It is difficult to reason someone out of a belief that they didn't reason themselves into.
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It is difficult to reason someone out of a belief that they didn't reason themselves into.
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QAnon works by making a person outraged or curious by creating suspicions about a topic, person, or event, then instructing the person to “do research” and find “sources” that will repeat the same beliefs, which in turn confirm their initial suspicions.
It’s a trick.
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It’s a trick.
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The most success I've had is not debunking or trying to gotcha them in a trap. Sometimes that helps later on, but it's never been the key.
I just ask questions, and then follow up on their responses with more questions until what they're saying does not make any sense.
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I just ask questions, and then follow up on their responses with more questions until what they're saying does not make any sense.
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Then, I LEAVE THEM THERE.
I end the conversation, at least temporarily, and leave them with the uncomfortable feeling of having argued something that isn't possible.
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I end the conversation, at least temporarily, and leave them with the uncomfortable feeling of having argued something that isn't possible.
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So, as a simplified example:
Let’s say your mother tells you Tom Hanks is part of a worldwide child trafficking sex Cabal.
“How do you know?”
Well, because there's all this evidence that Q and the digital army have found.
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Let’s say your mother tells you Tom Hanks is part of a worldwide child trafficking sex Cabal.
“How do you know?”
Well, because there's all this evidence that Q and the digital army have found.
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“Can you show me some of the evidence?”
Of course!
“Has anyone filed any charges? Is there an investigation?”
Yes, it's one of the 150,000+ sealed indictments.
“Why are they still sealed? If he’s hurting kids, why hasn't Tom Hanks been arrested?”
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Of course!
“Has anyone filed any charges? Is there an investigation?”
Yes, it's one of the 150,000+ sealed indictments.
“Why are they still sealed? If he’s hurting kids, why hasn't Tom Hanks been arrested?”
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And if she’s going to answer THAT question, here's where she'll have to come up with increasingly implausible reasons.
He's already been arrested, but it's a secret;
they can't arrest him because it would cause a mass panic;
Cops won’t act because they’re in on it;
etc.
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He's already been arrested, but it's a secret;
they can't arrest him because it would cause a mass panic;
Cops won’t act because they’re in on it;
etc.
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From here on in, every question you ask will have a less and less coherent or sensible answer.
So keep asking questions.
Don't gotcha—NEVER GOTCHA—or try to force her to a conclusion in that moment. Just get her to examine her own beliefs by explaining them to you.
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So keep asking questions.
Don't gotcha—NEVER GOTCHA—or try to force her to a conclusion in that moment. Just get her to examine her own beliefs by explaining them to you.
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Reach a point where she's saying Tom Hanks has already been executed and the guy hosting SNL is a clone and then STOP the conversation.
Suggest a break, maybe say you need to think about what she said.
But what you really want is for HER to think about what she said.
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Suggest a break, maybe say you need to think about what she said.
But what you really want is for HER to think about what she said.
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Come back to the topic in a few days and be prepared repeat the whole exercise.
With patience and luck, she will start to realize, somewhere deep down, that what she is telling you doesn't make any sense.
That seed of doubt is powerful.
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With patience and luck, she will start to realize, somewhere deep down, that what she is telling you doesn't make any sense.
That seed of doubt is powerful.
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The other extremely important thing is that you make it clear you are present for her.
Once they have doubts, they need somewhere to go with them. If they go to someone still in the cult, the doubts will be soothed away.
They need someone outside the cult: be that someone.
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Once they have doubts, they need somewhere to go with them. If they go to someone still in the cult, the doubts will be soothed away.
They need someone outside the cult: be that someone.
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Lots of former cult members report that feeling as though they had no one to turn to kept then in the cult longer.
So make sure she knows you are there to talk to. That you love her. And yes, that part can be hard, too.
Until she's out, she might be a destructive force.
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So make sure she knows you are there to talk to. That you love her. And yes, that part can be hard, too.
Until she's out, she might be a destructive force.
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Protect yourself, certainly.
I'm just saying, even if you need to put distance between you, maybe don't shut the door all the way.
If she starts experiencing doubts, you want her to think about calling you.
It's a process.
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I'm just saying, even if you need to put distance between you, maybe don't shut the door all the way.
If she starts experiencing doubts, you want her to think about calling you.
It's a process.
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For ease, I collected this thread and put it up as a public post. It's not polished and is sure to be subject to future revisions. https://www.patreon.com/posts/can-you-get-out-45642225?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=postshare
