Exclusive Brethren Research

26/02/2025

We now have over 1100 participants which is wonderful - thank you all for taking part and please continue to take part, link below. One early finding is that the ratio of women to men completing the survey is 2 to 1. However, this is not true of the former brethren sample where the numbers are almost equal.

There are also some key groups we have rather small numbers of, for example Scientology. We have over 200 former members of the Exclusive Brethren - huge thanks - and really would like more to respond.

The research is still open though we are now beginning to. download the data and analyse it. Please consider completing it especially if you are not a woman! though of course women are very welcome to continue completing it!. All are welcome and we are grateful to all who have taken part. The data is going to be very valuable to so many professionals and survivors.

Here is the link again

21/08/2024

The numbers are slowly rising - be great to reach 1000 by the end of this month - of course not all are former members of the brethren. Here is the poster again - pink to attract attention. And the link NB PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY AT THE TOP OF PAGE 3. No i am not shouting just want to highlight this as some are still making errors with the 'finish later' option.
https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/salford/health-wellbeing-former-members

08/05/2024

Launch of large scale research study.
Version 1 for former members of cults. Version 2 for members of other groups will be in the next post

After a long time in the making, the research is finally ready to launch.
It is quite long but you can stop by clicking the tab at the bottom "Finish later" - you will then be given a URL that you can use to pick up where you left off. Hope that is clear Do please email me with any queries.
Please do take part in this - it is similar to previous studies but this time it is longer and we are inviting former members of any cultic group to take part. Please therefore share with other former members of any cultic group you know.

There is a similar survey being sent out for memberrs of other groups such as sport groups, music, drama, any comunity groups, mainstream churches and so on - so if any of you fall into this category rather than former membes of cultic groups, then see the next post below.

Here is the blurb! Please do this if you can - it is going to be hugely helpful to so many (we hope!)
Here is the link

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/salford/health-wellbeing-former-members

Jill Aebi- Mytton.

29/12/2021

Every now and then someone likes this page and I get a notification of this. Then I feel bad because again it's a long time since I wrote anything here. I feel I should write more often and I will if I remember.
I am hoping soon to be able to work again on a big research study that I am setting up with the help of the University of Salford. Watch this space for announcements. It will be looking at the well-being of not only for members of the brethren, but also former members of other cultic groups.
I am also setting up a professional website, the aim of which will do will be to provide:
1. a place where people can contact us if they need help,
2. to provide education about the brethren and cultic groups generally
3. to provide archive space for documents of various types
4. to provide a blog where people can comment (this will be moderated).

If you think you could provide help to those looking to leave do please contact me directly. We are also raising funds to help with the various costs of running such a website.
Here is the link

Making any change in our personal circumstances involves a journey. Leaving the Ex… Jill Aebi-Mytton needs your support for Contributions to website costs

06/09/2021

I am still here! Been crazy busy during Covid - thought I would set myself up with some projects so that I would not feel alone .... but now I have too many.
One thing I have been doing is working with colleagues at the University of Salford to set up a new and wide ranging research study to explore the psychological well being of former members of a range of cultic groups. Time is the issue for us though - it takes time to set this up and get it through the ethical procedure and time is not something my colleagues have much of. Very busy people!
But watch this space as I will be announcing it here when we are ready.

27/03/2021

This news and other news items connected to it are rather shocking. As with everyone on line these days of fake news, we have to be careful but if this is true it suggests the brethren have really got it wrong this time.

27/02/2021

This is a troubling development - hard to believe. I understand though that this has gone to the police.

Download transcripthttps://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/n5ztb3f3q0nlws93mgczb/04-Feb-2021-PI-call.docx?dl=0&rlkey=pukcy34fdztp8eakurfiviso2: -leaks the full au...

05/12/2020

A recent video made with Talk Beliefs - a channel on YouTube well worth following.

Ex Cult Member and Chartered Counselling Psychologist Dr Jill Aebi-Mytton was born into the Exclusive Brethren and left when her parents did in 1960. Jill of...

21/12/2019

I thought I was retired but ... I can see I promised to post the conference papers on here but I have yet to find a moment to edit them so that they are readable and make sense etc. It may have to wait at least another month as I am off to Melbourne next week on a family visit. In the meantime you can still read my thesis if you want to but you will have to request it - see link below. But as it is Christmas you may have to wait until the university is open again in the new year before you get it!

Information on Middlesex University's Research Repository: a online collection of Middlesex University's research outputs

13/08/2019

Am out and about so can’t check but is this the same as the one you posted Marg? Now in the UK news

An secretive religious sect has been given the green light to have a new place of worship built opposite a school in Brisbane.

11/07/2019

Have just attended two conferences back to back. The first was the Division of Counselling Psychology's Annual Conference in Cardiff. I presented a panel of experts on identity theory related to former cultic group members. The second was the International Cultic Studies Association's annual conference in Manchester, UK. At this one I spoke on disorganised attachment in a panel I had put together - I related disorganised attachment to the stories I obtained in my research using former Exclusive Brethren. Both panels were very well received!
I am trying to remember to post things on this page more often but like everyone I guess I am finding it hard to remember with all the social media stuff going on!

When I have tidied up both papers I will post them on here