Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships Paperback – August 17, 2006

I was raised in a cult and have experienced unrelenting pain as a result. To further the pain, I am around people (therapists included) who don't have a solitary clue about cults and how a person trying to forge a new life after leaving one struggles with things many people don't even know exists. This book is spot on about everything you experience; in reading it, I felt more understood than ever...and I know I am not alone in the frightening journey (with all the unknowns) of taking back my life. Dr. Lalich provides a plethora of resources and the book stands alone as a complete guide to understanding your experience and moving on from it. As I turned each page, I felt soothed and slowly, the hope is returning. I am still afraid, but I now have an excellent "friend" in the form of a book with a message that truly helps. The author does not leave any stones unturned; this book is straight-forward, user-friendly, and a must read for anyone who wants to understand more about people in general. This book can help far more than those of us who have been in cults. It will also provide guidance and understanding to many unaddressed relationship issues: your life will be all the better for reading this...clearly, I highly recommend it. Stay open-minded and open-hearted and you will be happy you did. This book is replete with much needed wisdom for all of us.

If you read this book, you will be forever a critical thinker, able to see what's what! Holy cow🐂Ever feel like you have been under the influence ? As I read this book, a life time of branding and news, political, religious, new age marketing and advertising with charismatic leaders,seminars, corporations and groups are now exposed for what they are. From mini cults to full blown movements , the descriptions will set you free!I might give this book a sub subtitle of "no longer under the influence"! Even if you never got involved with a cult, this book explains how people rise to level of leadership where people follow, like Hitler, bin laden, guru's, cult leaders, terrorist leaders and movements, politicians, multi level marketing,This book will deprogrammed even the most loyal advocate. The truth will actually set you free! With the crazy terrorist attacks that are going on in the world , this book gives anyone a clear view of how this can happen and how education and exposure of the leaders will be the only way to end it. Everyone should read this book.LoveMarilyn

Really helpful book.

This book is a must read for anyone recovering for leaving a cult, or an abusive relationship. I've read many books on this subject matter, is this one is by far one of the best. Identifying a cult, or a mind-controlling environment is always a simple matter, and more so leaving a high-demand or controlling group. Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias did a marvelous job, leading the reader through the process of healing and understanding the hardships and pain they've been through, helping them cope with the introduction to a new life style and a completely foreign and new environment. I can't stress enough how beneficial this book was for me, it was shocking to read how my experience was so similar to so many, and how many of the symptoms I've been dealing with are known psychological effects in the field of cultic studies. Reading this book is almost like a having a close friend holding your hand and guiding you through your own healing process and opening your eyes to the reclaiming your freedom and your choices in life.

What made me buy the book was that it was the first time I'd seen a book talk about one on one and family cult relationships, not to mention personality disorders. I believe there needs to be more research along those lines. It is core to who many criminals are, to how we punish people, and is how many of our leaders got to where they are.What I didn't like right off the bat was the formatting for Kindle was not done professionally, so I was going to deduct a star for that and mention it for the Kindle version only...The opinions expressed in the book seemed pretty much on the money, but it didn't feel very scholarly or backed up by hard research. I was going to give the author a break on that, until about a quarter through the book, Janja referred people to the website of a convicted criminal who is a diagnosed narcissist according to his Wikipedia page.Many cults create fronts that look anti cult but are far from it. Therefore if something is presented as a somewhat scholarly work, in the way this book is, the bar is high. There are people who are suffering severely, who have been mentally abused for years, many physically so you better get your research right.By sending people for help to the wrong resources, either Janja is complicit, or else just a bad researcher. Either way, as soon as I saw that, I stopped trusting in this book or this author and decided not to read anymore. I hope an updated version of the book will correct the mistake, but for now, I give it 1 star.

I've spent over three decades talking with cult members, and for anyone who has been involved in a cult or fanatical movement of any kind, this is an easily understood roadmap to recovery. If you or someone you love has been involved in a 'high demand' or totalist group this is one of the must read books - along with Steve Hassan's new edition of Combating Cult Mind Control.

This book has changed my life! It gave me the confidence to realise that what happened to me in the cult was not my fault. I am going to read it again in a year's time to see how I have progressed in my attitude to life. I would encourage anybody who has been in a cult to buy this book, as it could help you to move on in life & put the past behind you.

It gives great insight into the powerful appeal of cults and gives clear and healing advice about recovery. Highly recommend.

It wasn't for me, but could certainly help others.