The Cult Phenomenon in the United States (1979) ("Statement of Ted Patrick.

")
Joint-Congressional Proceedings,
statements by Ted Patrick
INFORMATION MEETING ON THE CULT PHENOMENON IN THE UNITED STATES, February 5, 1979,
318 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. P.62-68. of Transcript of
Proceedings.

Senator Dole. Thank you, Mr. Delgado.

We will have questions.

Our next witness is Ted Patrick.

I would just say as he's being seated that he has been involved in the civil
rights movement in San Diego, Southern California area in the 1950s. Active in
Democratic politics, and numerous other activities.

I think perhaps you are known by most in the audience, Mr. Patrick.

STATEMENT OF TED PATRICK.

Mr. Patrick. Mr. Chairman, members of the panel, I would like to express my
appreciation for allowing me to be here today and I would also like to thank you
for having this hearing.

This is something that should have happened years ago; but for the last eight
years, I have been investigating and involved in the movement -- a movement that I
consider one of the most dangerous and most vicious wars in the history of
mankind: a psychological warfare.

These cults in the United States are increasing by the day; and they are one of
the most dangerous threats in the history of this country. They destroy a person's
free will, the ability to think; and then they make it impossible for the person
to think throughout the rest of their lives.

They make willing slaves out of them. During this process, I would get into
deprogramming. I don't have enough time to explain to you fully about the process
of programming a person in the cult movement in this country; but I will give you
a brief outline or statement of what they do to the human mind.

We talked about natural resources, energy crisis. These cults are destroying some
of the most important natural resources in the world: our youth and future leaders
of tomorrow.

If we don't put a stop to it, they are going to destroy this country. This is what
most of the cults are out to do, is to destroy this country and turn this country
into a totalitarian nation.

Deprogramming is a process I developed in 1971, after my own son was caught up in

a cult, a psychological kidnap by a group called The Children of God.

After this happened, I started an investigation into this cult movement; and after
talking to 52 people that had been in and gotten out, husband, wife, mothers and
father who had lost their relatives in a cult, I went in to see for myself. It was
unbelievable what I heard from these interviews with my own son.

I went in to infiltrate; I went in to stay a week. I stayed four nights and three
days. If I had stayed a few more hours, I would never have left. I was hooked. I
was so confused for six days, I left home going to the office at 8:30 and ended up
70 miles away; didn't know how I got there; didn't know what I was doing there. It
took me over an hour to find my way back home.

This is how powerful this technique is. Deprogramming is just simply telling the
truth, getting the person's mind to working again.

I would describe deprogramming as the same as if you had a five-gallon container

with the top screwed on tight. Now you can put this container under a faucet and
run it for a year and nothing will go in; but once you take the cap off of it,
then something can go in other than what the cult put into the person's mind.

The mind is the same way. What I have to do in deprogramming is to open up a

person's mind so the mind can start working again, where that person can start
thinking, because the most painful thing for a cult member to do is to think.

They have been brain-washed that their mind is of the devil; the mind is evil;
thinking is the machinery of the devil. This is the reason it is very, very
painful for them to think; and this is the only way they can control the person's
mind, by preventing them from thinking, because if they start thinking, they won't
go for the lies and deception that they have been brain-washed to believe.

The only thing I do is to get a person, sit them down, take the self-hypnosis away
from them, and then challenge the person that I know if psychologically impossible
for the person to respond to.

The mind is the oldest and greatest computer in the world. The only thing that
will come out of a computer is what you put into it. I have to hit them, challenge
the person that I know that they haven't been programmed to respond to.

Then the technique is to open up the mind with something other than the cult -- so
something other than the cult can be in the mind.

Once we get the mind open for the first time in so many days, weeks, months, or
years, they have something to compare with. When they start comparing, they start
evaluating. When they start evaluating, they start thinking.

This is the key to deprogramming: the person himself has to deprogram himself once
he starts thinking. Once they start thinking, the mind starts working again, they
realize they have been deceived and all the lies they have bee programmed to
believe.

They come out of it and they thank God, their parents, everybody else that had
anything to do with getting them out. Then they tell their story on radio,
television, or anywhere.

I got the proof. I got proof. Even if you investigate for the next 25 years what I
got already at hand, you wouldn't be able to get this much material and proof.

I feel if a person talked, they should know what they are talking about and be
able to back it up with facts. I have those facts. I have the proof.

Then I welcome an investigation against me. If you don't investigate the cult, I
would welcome investigating me, a Congressional investigation against me.

I would welcome taking around with me 24 hours a day, seven days a week, three or
four FBI to see what I am doing.
If I was doing something wrong, I wouldn't have Walter Cronkite have a team with
me for ten days, running a three-day special, 10 minutes a day on the news, New
York Times, Boston Globe, and a lot of other publications.

I feel if I can just have one of these people like the people I get out of the
cult, I will truly feel that my living has not been in vain.

I beg of you to please do something to eliminate these cults, because what is

involved here is our nation is at stake.

I feel there is a conspiracy to turn this country into a totalitarian nation.

I hope this hearing will do some good. Like I say, again, I invite any group, law
enforcement agencies, to investigate me, which I know I can prove every word I am
telling here today and more, because the people I deprogram, over 1600, we are not
talking about skid row bums, we are talking about some of the most brilliant minds
in the world, legislators' sons and daughters, policemen, doctors, attorneys,
nurses, teachers, you name it.

I have deprogrammed people anywhere from 13 years old to 81 years old. There's
more people over 40 in cults than young people. The reason they are so popular
among young people is it just began to happen to the young people in the last 15
years.

Again I thank you for this opportunity to come before you today to speak on this
issue to try to get something done to save our country from being taken over by
these cults.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

Senator Dole. You will be able to stay, Mr. Patrick, for questions?

Mr. Patrick. Yes.