Do you know anyone who seems like they’re brainwashed? One of my best friends went on a retreat a couple of years ago and came back completely changed.
I immediately suspected brainwashing, so I researched some symptoms.
Of course, I was right and I had to get her some help.
Thankfully, we found someone who could help us out and she is fine again.
Here is a list of the symptoms so that you can help either yourself or anyone you are close to:
1) Isolation from loved ones
If the person you are close to is isolating themselves from their loved ones, this could be a sign of brainwashing.
They may not want to talk to their friends or family members.
They may not want to go to work or school.
They may want to break off all contact. This can also be a sign of depression, so you need to look for other symptoms as well.
2) Strange rituals and practices
Certain cults and religions have rituals and practices that are not normal.
If the person you love has adopted these rituals, this could be an indication that they have been brainwashed.
You need to ask them about them. You can ask them what they mean and why they do them.
You may notice that they have adopted a new diet or way of dressing.
They may have tattoos or piercings that they didn’t have before.
You may also notice that they have a new vocabulary. They may use words or acronyms that they didn’t use before.
You should also look out for changes in their behavior. Do they seem to act like they are in a trance or on drugs?
3) Confusion and inability to think clearly
If the person you love is confused and can’t think clearly, they may have been brainwashed.
People who have been brainwashed will often be confused about their identity.
They will often forget their past.
You see, they may forget their name, where they grew up, or what they studied in school.
They will often say things that don’t make sense.
They won’t be able to answer simple questions correctly.
One thing that was really strange about my best friend was that she did not know how she got to where she was or what she was doing before she got there.
This was super scary, so I tried to look for ways to help her. One thing I found was a shaman called Ruda Iande.
I watched a free video with my best friend, in which he talked about tapping into your own personal power.
The video was really great, and it motivated me to make changes, but it also touched something within my best friend.
You see, when this shaman started talking about establishing a good relationship with yourself and tapping into your endless potential, I saw my best friend be present and clear for the first time in weeks.
After the video, she was actually in a place where I could suggest getting help and she didn’t object to it right away! This was a big change!
That’s why I definitely recommend watching this video with someone if you are worried about them.
Sure, it might not do much, but it’s worth a shot. Maybe it will help a bit as it did with my best friend!
Here’s a link to the free video.
4) Awareness and identity loss
A person who has been brainwashed will not be aware of it.
They will believe that the cult or religion is good and that the people are their friends.
They will believe that the person who is brainwashing them is their friend.
The thing is, they will believe that they are doing the right thing.
They won’t know that they have been brainwashed.
And the worst part?
They will have no awareness of the harm they are doing to themselves or others.
If you can break through their confusion and help them realize that they have been brainwashed, they can get the help they need.
You can help them look back into their past to try to regain their awareness and their identity.
5) Decreased impulse control
If the person you love is acting out of character, they may be under the influence of someone who is brainwashing them.
If the person you love is much more impulsive than they used to be, they may have been brainwashed.
People who have been brainwashed will often lose control of their impulses.
They may drink too much. They may use drugs. Sometimes, they may even become violent and abusive.
Simply put, they may take dangerous risks and endanger themselves and others.
This is obviously dangerous, and a big sign that this person needs help, one way or another!
6) Disassociation
People who have been brainwashed will dissociate as a way of defending themselves against the trauma they are experiencing.
If the person you love is experiencing frequent dissociation, they may have been brainwashed.
People who have been brainwashed will often dissociate. They will go into a trance. You may notice that they are staring off into space.
People who are being brainwashed will dissociate to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
7) Drastically different beliefs
People who have been brainwashed will adopt new beliefs.
These new beliefs will often be drastically different from the person’s old beliefs.
You may notice that the person you love starts to believe in things that they didn’t believe in before.
People who have been brainwashed will believe that their cult or religion is good.
They will believe that the leader of the cult is good and they will believe that the people in the cult are good.
People who have been brainwashed believe that they are doing the right thing.
They believe that they are serving a greater purpose.
Simply put, they believe that they are doing God’s will. They believe that they are saving the world.
People who have been brainwashed have very little awareness of the harm they are doing.
They may not realize that they have changed their beliefs.
You need to help them see their new beliefs as a sign of brainwashing. The good news?
You can help them realize that they have been lied to. You can help them realize that they have been deceived.
8) Financial manipulation
People who have been brainwashed may use financial manipulation to get money from their loved ones.
They may want money for their cult or religion. They may want money for the leader of their cult.
Sometimes, they may want money for travelling to the retreat.
People who have been brainwashed may take money from their loved ones without earning it.
However, sometimes, it goes the other way and these people will be the ones manipulated and will spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on their cult or religion.
They may not be aware that they are being manipulated.
9) Dependency on certain people or things
People who have been brainwashed will often become overly dependent on certain people or things.
They will become dependent on the leader of the cult. They will become dependent on the other people in the cult.
They will become dependent on the teachings of the cult.
This is because the brainwashing has caused them to believe that certain people or things are the only way to be happy.
10) Obsession
People who have been brainwashed will often be obsessed with their cult or religion. They will be obsessed with the leader of their cult.
People who have been brainwashed will often think about the cult. They will often talk about the cult.
They will often read books about the cult.
Their entire life will start to revolve around the cult.
People who have been brainwashed will often feel out of control.
They are obsessed because they feel powerless.
They feel powerless because they don’t understand what is happening to them.
11) Confusion
People who have been brainwashed will often feel confused. They will feel out of control.
They will feel ashamed because they don’t understand what is happening to them.
They don’t understand why they have changed.
You see, the worst is when they are aware that they are acting in strange ways, but they simply can’t stop.
They don’t know why they feel so powerless.
They don’t know why they feel so confused. They don’t know why they feel so ashamed.
12) Devotion gets rewarded
Another symptom of being brainwashed is that devotion gets rewarded.
People who have been brainwashed will often feel that they are doing the right thing.
They will often feel very proud when they do something for their cult or religion.
They may think that they are doing the right thing because it is what their leader tells them to do, but sometimes, this isn’t the case.
People who have been brainwashed may feel very happy when they do something for their cult or religion, but sometimes, this isn’t the case either.
The thing is a cult that has brainwashed someone will often reward their devotion.
13) The cult or religion will be their whole world
People who have been brainwashed will often think that the cult or religion is their whole world.
They will often think that they are the only person in the world that believes in what they believe in.
When they hear of other people who don’t agree with them, they feel very threatened.
They may even feel like they are being attacked when other people disagree with them.
It is not a good sign if someone feels threatened when other people disagree with them about their cult or religion.
The cult or religion will often feel like their whole world.
14) They are no longer themselves
One of the biggest signs that someone has been brainwashed is that they are no longer themselves.
People who have been brainwashed will often feel very different from their friends and family.
They will often feel more religious than most people around them.
They may even think that their cult or religion is not just a belief, it is their whole life.
People who have been brainwashed will often feel different from the people around them. They often feel more religious than everyone around them, and they may even think that their religion is not just a belief, it is their whole life.
This was really sad when my best friend was a victim of brainwashing – all of a sudden it felt as if I didn’t know her anymore.
What can you do?
When you know someone who has been brainwashed, they need your help. They need to understand that they have been brainwashed.
The thing is, They need to understand that they are not crazy.
They need to understand that they are being abused.
Most importantly, they need your help to break through the confusion.
They need your help to break through the shame and guilt. They need your help to break through the feeling of being out of control. They need your help to see the cult for what it is.
How can you help them?
Well, you will need professional help.
The best thing you can do is to get them to a professional therapist.
Often, the therapist will help the victim see what is happening. The therapist will help the victim to realize that their cult or religion is not real.
They may need a lot of encouragement during this process, but it will happen.
The therapist’s job is to make the client feel safe and secure enough in themselves to break through their brainwashing.
They need to be able to recognize their own thoughts and feelings as they are, without being confused by other people’s opinions of them or by other people’s expectations of them.
I know this is a difficult situation, but you got this! You can help your loved one break out of this!
Don’t give up on them and they will be forever grateful!