Exploring the Occupational Transition of Leaving a Cult

The emergence of cult groups has introduced a new population for occupational therapists to understand and support through the unique challenges they face after transitioning out of these organizations. While research within the field of psychology is robust, little is known about the occupational transition of individuals who leave cults and how occupational therapists can provide occupational science based intervention. In this study, the frameworks of Doing, Being, Becoming (Wilcock, 2002), and Belonging (Hitch et al., 2014b) were utilized to guide theme development and enrich interpretation of 11 hand-searched first-hand accounts. First-hand accounts were analyzed from multimedia sources such as memoirs, podcasts, blogs, and social media posts. Using qualitative interpretive description and reflexive thematic analysis to analyze data and deepen understanding of this phenomenon, five themes emerged from the sources: Forbidden Occupations, Fish Out of Water, Finding Closure Through Occupation, (Re)Discovering Self Through Occupation, and Rebuilding Life. This study contributes to occupational science research by examining the occupational transition of leaving a cult. By increasing the knowledge base of this topic, it will not only increase occupational therapist’s understanding of this population, but provide an opportunity to provide occupational science informed intervention. Additional interview-based research of former members may further validate findings of this study and may promote implementation of occupational science informed intervention