Cult Dynamics Show Up Anywhere!

High-control, abusive leaders in the running world

Last week was wildly busy, ending with a talk (in lieu of a sermon) that I gave at the Mennonite church I semi-regularly attend about … tarot! I covered similar ground as my recent post about religious trauma and tarot. Plus I did a podcast interview with

Contemplating Resonance

last Friday where we covered trauma (single-incident, complex, and religious versions), evangelicalism’s suspicious relationship with narcissism, and how using tarot has been a fun way to heal from religious trauma. My extraverting / presenting levels are usually not that high (and boy was I tired leading up and after!), but it was neat to get the chance to share about my passion subjects. 😄

This weekend I’ll be in my home state of Colorado, running the Boulderthon (that I somehow won free entry to!), and soaking in the mountains that fill up my soul.

Speaking of running, I listened to a book about running, while running, recently that I simply must share with you all. Not because you’re fascinated with running, but because the cult / high-control dynamics the author described were so powerful and alarming.

Kara Goucher (marathoner, Olympian, who now commentates long distance races for major running events) wrote The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Doping, Abuse, and Deception on Nike’s Elite Running Team, and it COMPELLING. It was actually uncomfortable listen to her describe the tactics of her coach Alberto Salazar because it was blazingly obvious to me how he was creating a cult-like environment and was setting her and other teammates up for abuse by him. Get out of there, Kara! Run as fast and far away from him as you can! But she didn’t, of course — not for a long time, and not after plenty of damage was done.

As survivors of high-control, cult-like or full on cult religion, I think we can empathize. Are these dynamics familiar to you?

• The emphasis on the team being like a “family” and the implication that only those within the family sphere were worth trusting

• Insisting on just trusting the leader; no questions or accountability allowed

• Emotional abuse and belittlement when standards are not met

• Performance seeming to be more reflective of the coach/leader than about your own effort that you’ve put in (narcissism in play, where you are an extension of the leader/the narcissist)

• Leader is admired and respected in the community and speaking out poses a great risk

In times when my thinking about cults or high-control religion gets very Christian/evangelical-centric, it’s helpful (?) to remember that humans are gonna human, and cult dynamics can show up in all kinds of places. Even the places that I love (running) and that I wish could be free from abusive dynamics.

That’s all I’ve got for now (I’m currently waiting to board a plane!). Feel free to chime in in the comments about where you’ve seen cult dynamics in unexpected places in the wild!