deprogram
Reverse cult conditioning
To deprogram is to free someone from the effects of indoctrination, especially from a cult or extremist group.
The term emerged in the 1970s when families hired specialists to reverse brainwashing in members of religious movements: Her parents had her deprogrammed after she joined the group.
More broadly, it means undoing any deeply ingrained conditioning: I'm still trying to deprogram myself from diet culture.
Absence of constraint
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
- escapeFlight from captivity
- rescueSave from harm
autonomy · independence · self-determination · deliverance · unshackling · breaking free · release · enlightenment
Regaining what was lost
- deprogrammerOne who reverses brainwashing
- reintegrationRestoration to a group
- thought reformCoerced ideological conversion
- undue influenceImproper pressure overriding autonomy
coercive control · mind control · intervention · family reunification · rehabilitation · autonomy · critical thinking · support group
Ideology beyond accepted norms
- radicalizationShift toward extreme ideology
- fanaticismObsessive, unreasoning dedication
- indoctrinationSystematic uncritical belief instillation
- propagandaBiased information for influence
dogma · belief system · sectarianism · manipulation · groupthink · totalism · zealotry · ideological control
Professional guidance for problems
- psychotherapyTreatment through guided conversation
- trauma recoveryRegaining stability after damage
- cognitive behavioral therapyTreatment restructuring harmful thought patterns
- supportTo uphold or sustain
mental health · healing · coping strategies · self-discovery · empowerment · wellness · emotional processing · aftercare
freedom
Absence of constraint
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
- escapeFlight from captivity
rescue · autonomy · independence · self-determination · deliverance · unshackling · breaking free · release · enlightenment · disentanglement
recovery
Regaining what was lost
- deprogrammerOne who reverses brainwashing
- reintegrationRestoration to a group
- thought reformCoerced ideological conversion
undue influence · coercive control · mind control · intervention · family reunification · rehabilitation · autonomy · critical thinking · support group · trauma processing
extremism
Ideology beyond accepted norms
- radicalizationShift toward extreme ideology
- fanaticismObsessive, unreasoning dedication
- indoctrinationSystematic uncritical belief instillation
propaganda · dogma · belief system · sectarianism · manipulation · groupthink · totalism · zealotry · ideological control · authoritarian
counseling
Professional guidance for problems
- psychotherapyTreatment through guided conversation
- trauma recoveryRegaining stability after damage
- cognitive behavioral therapyTreatment restructuring harmful thought patterns
support · mental health · healing · coping strategies · self-discovery · empowerment · wellness · emotional processing · aftercare · group therapy
- letting goletting go, forgive, giving up, let go, relinquishing
deprogramprogram
Planned sequence of actions
brainwash · indoctrinate · condition · inculcate · reprogram
deprogramming, deprograms, deprogrammed, deprogramme, deprogramed