Like many people, I’ve always been fascinated with the mysteriousness and secrecy of cults. Especially with the slew of cult documentaries coming out on streaming services recently, it’s impossible for them not to pique my interest.
So naturally, I jumped at the chance of attending a talk on The Psychology of Cults by Dr Elizabeth Mullan on 5 March 2025. The night took place in the Brighthelm Centre and was hosted by Seed Talks, who hold talks across the UK ranging from wellness to neuroscience and, in this case, psychology.
Mullan is a renowned psychologist and cult-survivor herself. Along with discussing cult behaviours and key characteristics, she talked poignantly about her own experience of being raised within a cult for the entirety of her childhood and early adulthood, only making contact with her biological mother in her early 20s after becoming excommunicated from the cult.
With 20 years experience of researching cults and their behaviour, she talked in depth about some of the most notorious cults in history such as the Jonestown Massacre of 1978, the more recent phenomenon of the ‘Love Has Won’ cult led by Amy Carlson, also referred to as ‘Mother God’, and of course Warren Jeffs’ pedophilic church that was the subject of the viral Netflix documentary ‘Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey’.
After identifying core cult characteristics such as secrecy, control and narcissistic figureheads, Mullan used them to identify what she suggests are modern cults, such as the growing wellness industry and some of their 12-step-programmes. She starkly highlighted the hidden epidemic of cults that goes undetected, allowing them to grow and prosper in modern society, ending the night on a chilling tone and leaving us all with a newfound fear of Pilates wellness retreats.
Seed Talks runs regular events at the Brighthelm Centre.
Address: Brighthelm Centre, 40 North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD
Website: HOME | Seed Talks
