How can I trust someone who lives in the darkness? : Former cult members’ perceptions of consultations with healthcare professionals

Objective: This study explores former cult members’ perceptions of consultations with healthcareprofessionals for mental illness that they relate to their cult involvement. The study also aims toidentify the needs, obstacles, and facilitating factors related to these consultations. Design:Qualitative methods using semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using systematic textcondensation. Participants: Nineteen former cult members who had been in contact with Swedishhealthcare professionals due to mental illness related to their cult involvement. Results: Former cultmembers remain affected by cult belief systems, rules, and ideations even after leaving a cult. Thisleads to ambivalence and inner conflict for the former cult member in a healthcare consultation. Careproviders are perceived as ignoring cult experiences and lacking knowledge of a cult’s impact on anindividual. Conclusions: To understand, help, and work with former cult members, healthcareprofessionals need to know about cults and the possible impacts of cult involvement. Person- andpatient-centeredness in the form of non-judgmental attitudes, validation of experiences, andawareness of the psychosocial situation are important in consultations with these patients. Moreover, healthcare providers need to acknowledge cultural and existential aspects of a former cult member’slife, both in the present and from earlier experiences in the cult.