In March, a video circulated on Twitter showed Thomas speaking at a 1986 Cult Awareness Network event in Kansas City, Missouri, about her experience of leaving Lifespring.

On that blustery day last October, calls began streaming into the Cult Awareness Network’s threadbare office, hidden away in a nondescript building in Barrington. Just hours before, 48 members ...

As a person who has been victimized by two violent deprogrammings involving individuals related to the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), I can only tell you that Wes Smith completely missed the mark ...

Afterwards, Thomas joined the Cult Awareness Network and spoke before Congress about anti-cult workshops on two separate occasions. She also sought professional counseling.

Cynthia Kisser thumbs through a worn yellow binder fat with printouts of names: religious sects predicting the end of the world, self-improvement groups heavy on quirky psychology.

The Cult Awareness Network is a national organization that attempts to educate the public about alleged mind-control practices used by religious groups. CAN has about 500 members nationwide.