Dangerous persuaders: An exposé of gurus, personal development courses and cults, and how they operate in Australia

by Louise Samways

"Louise Samways is a Melbourne psychologist who is a recognized expert in the fields of psychological healing and health. Following the publication of her last book, "Your Mindbody Energy," in which she gave a brief outline of how cults manipulated people by misusing psychological techniques, she was contacted by many victims and their families. The evident need for more widespread information about how cults manage to recruit people, and how to escape from their influence, led her to write this book."

Preface "Dangerous Persuaders" has evolved not from an academic study of cults and personal development courses, but from thousands of personal stories told to me over many years by my patients and people attending my seminars and lectures. I have mentioned the names of groups and courses only where I have heard similar and consistent stories from many separate sources.

There are at least a hundred known cults operating in Australia and it has been estimated that there are over one thousand operating in the United States. Personal development courses alone are currently attracting a turnover of one billion dollars annually in Australia. Nobody knows exactly what the financial turnover in cults is worth, as large-scale tax avoidance is common.

For this reason it should not be assumed that the groups, courses or individuals mentioned in this book are necessarily the worst or the biggest. I have only mentioned those that are well known and where my own patients have shared their personal experiences with me."

Genres: Cults, Nonfiction

159 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Gregory Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world full of scammers, this book should be on every high schools curriculum. It would help make many people scam/fraud proof. It explains the many techniques people can use to manipulate you. How your levels of belief systems work and can get exploited. It was a great read from front to end.

[Rose Wh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting summary of the types of cults and brainwashing techniques that were popping up around Australia in the late 80s and early 90s.