LeCompte, a former cult member, explores the coercive power of such groups in this debut memoir.

The author was not only a member of a cult for years—he also served as the editor for the organization’s “central book,” Awakening Through A Course in Miracles (2009). That book was based on the ideas found in the 1976 New Age classic A Course in Miracles (ACIM), a controversial publication that a pair of Columbia University psychologists, Helen Schucman and William Thetford, allegedly transcribed from the voice of Jesus Christ himself, which Schucman claimed to have heard in her mind. Despite having his own advanced degree in psychology and a successful publication on fostering human relationships, LeCompte was drawn to the theories outlined in ACIM in the early 2000s and gradually acquainted himself with a teacher, David Hoffmeister, within the movement. What began as a spiritual interest and lessons from a spiritual guru evolved, per the author, into a manipulative relationship that drove a wedge between LeCompte and his wife. By 2011, the author had abandoned his family and friends, sold his possessions, and moved thousands of miles away to an ACIM compound in Utah, where he edited books and videos produced by the group. Six “grueling” years later, he left the organization as a penniless outcast, having given its ministry more than $200,000, in addition to his free labor. At fewer than 250 pages, this is an accessible book that serves as a vehicle for LeCompte to recount his harrowing psychological journey into (and then out of) a cult and as a guidebook for those who fear their loved ones are being drawn into a manipulative sect. The book concludes with practical advice for “Getting Your Friend or Family Member Out of a Cult” and a list of cult-recovery resources.

A poignant exploration of the psychological manipulation used by cults.

A guide offers a comprehensive plan for improving communication.

Whether an interaction involves someone’s boss, family member, or friend, communication specialist LeCompte insists that the core issue is always the same: “How can you make sure you don’t end up with another painful relational conflict or loss?” In these pages, the author lays out the blueprint he’s developed from countless sessions with clients, and the central underlying idea is to remind his readers that they’re in control of their own thoughts and responses in any potential conflicts. Every one of those skirmishes, according to LeCompte, will involve a judge, a figure who’s setting the stakes, often wrongly: “It is a psychological fact that our judge always speaks first. He judges before we know it and his judgments are frequently inaccurate and negative.” The only way that most people become aware of the judge element in their interactions is when they realize it has made them angry, an undesirable outcome that could have been avoided. Discovering this point is crucial. As LeCompte puts it, “In this instant, we can become conscious.” This approach makes the author’s prized “conscious communication” possible, in which both parties learn to be more aware of what they’re actually saying and how it connects to what they’re feeling. Several of LeCompte’s contentions will strike some readers as odd (“When we say, ‘I feel abandoned,’ we are really saying, ‘It was your intention to abandon me.’ ‘Abandoned’ is not a feeling”). And many readers may doubt the optimism of his core claim: “Everybody has one hope that you can count on—to help other people get their hopes met. This generosity of spirit is hard-wired in each of us, part of being human.” But his repeated examples of breaking down specific interactions to get at the root of what’s really being said are unfailingly intriguing. They will cause readers to indulge in some bracing thinking about the nuts and bolts of how they talk to people.

An inviting and uplifting call for positivity and empathy in all kinds of communication.