Is Wellspring a Deprogramming facility?
Technically, no. Many people think of us as a deprogramming facility in the sense that we undo the effects of abusive mind control / brainwashing. However, deprogramming in the original, historical sense (particularly in the 1970s and 80s) involved getting a cult member to see that his or her group is deceptive and harmful, and persuading him or her to leave the group. In this method, family members would often resort to snatching and holding the cult member against his or her will (for a few days or up to two weeks) and making them listen to information about the cult from a deprogrammer, thus making him or her see that the group is deceptive, manipulative, and dangerous. If the member is age 18 or over, snatching and restraining such a person is illegal. It is also traumatizing to the one who is snatched. A more recent method is called exit counseling. The exit counselor, along with the family of a cult member, attempts to convince the cult member that it is in his or her best intere
