How People Join Cults: How I Got Pulled Into a High-Control Group
That’s me, doing my first video with Mother God just a day after I arrived. How I ended up there is a long story, and how people join cults, isn’t how you think. I actually don’t think it was a cult when I arrived, not yet. It had all the makings, though.
The psychology of cult recruitment isn’t always what you’d expect. There’s no sign that says, ‘Come join us and surrender your free will while this hoax manipulates you completely.’ Instead, cult recruitment is slow, psychological, and subtle. One step at a time, decision by decision, you find yourself giving up control without realizing it. I experienced this firsthand.
It all started with a series of unexplainable coincidences leading me in 1 direction—or at least, that’s what I believe, even to this day. I can’t deny that I felt “led there” by some force I can’t explain, mixed with some questionable decision-making, of course.
I wasn’t completely lost, I wasn’t broken, and I wasn’t looking to join a cult. But cults don’t recruit people with a big sign that says “spiritual enslavement this way”. I thought I was joining a bunch of people focused on their spiritual growth. That’s what I was searching for. It’s not what I found.
This is how it happened to me. Just one incredible story of how people join cults.
How Cults Target People Searching for Something Bigger
At 29 years old, I had a fast-paced career, traveling the country as an account executive for a major cosmetics brand in Hollywood. I had money, I had freedom, and I had my dog, Lincoln—my best friend in the world. I wasn’t looking for an escape.
But I kept seeing 9:11 on the clock—morning and night. Every day, twice a day. At first, I brushed it off. But as weeks turned into months, it became impossible to ignore.
Curiosity led me to Google the meaning of repeating numbers, and that’s when I found myself in the world of “angel numbers”—the belief that seeing the same numbers repeatedly is a message from the universe or spirit guides.
It felt like a sign, a call to dig deeper into the hidden truths of reality.
That’s when I fell down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and spirituality.
How People Join Cults Through Spirituality and Truth-Seeking
At first, my research felt harmless. I started with 9/11 conspiracy theories, questioning the official narrative. Then it led to secret societies, hidden history, and extraterrestrial theories. The deeper I went, the more convinced I became that the world was not what it seemed.
And then came spirituality—something that offered personal transformation, something that felt real and applicable to my own struggles. It didn’t feel as hollow and pointless as chasing conspiracies, even if I truly believed them. This was something that actually mattered. And I needed this kind of growth.
I became obsessed with books and YouTube lectures from Esther “Abraham” Hicks, Bashar, David Wilcock, and other self-proclaimed spiritual gurus. Their teachings spoke directly to me, especially since I was struggling with opioid addiction after a car accident had shattered my pelvis years earlier.
Through spirituality, I saw a way out—a way to heal, grow, and finally overcome my dependence on painkillers. How people join cults is usually based on feeling some craving need to be special or to express untapped potential.
That’s when I found FirstContactGroundCrew.com.
The First Contact Ground Crew & “Mother God”
The website was an aggregator for daily spiritual and conspiracy articles. It was a one-stop shop for “hidden knowledge”—from ascension theories to energy shifts, from government cover-ups to extraterrestrial contact.
One day, I noticed they had a live chat room. I clicked in and found a tight-knit group of truth-seekers talking about the universe, divine energy, and how to awaken humanity.
At the center of it all was a woman named Mother God.
She wasn’t what you’d expect from a cult leader. Her demeanor was polite, kind, and well-spoken—a calm, motherly presence who listened to people’s struggles and gave them guidance.
She wasn’t demanding power. Or controlling. She was helping people.
Or so it seemed.
They Didn’t Recruit Me to Join the Cult—They Helped Me
Over the weeks, I became a regular in the chatroom. I asked questions. I shared my struggles with addiction. And instead of judgment, I received encouragement and support.
“You’re strong enough to get through this.”
“You have a bigger purpose waiting for you.”
“You just need to align yourself with your higher calling.”
They weren’t asking for money or forcing me to do anything.
They were just there.
Thanks to them, and an unexplainable meditation experience, I found the will to kick the habit and spent 10 days without sleep, hanging in the chatroom and riding on all the love and support they gave me.
The Perfect Mix That Put Me On A Path Towards Joining What Became a Cult
One night, I had a feeling I was going to see something incredible. It was an obsessive gut feeling—that I would see a spaceship on the beach near my home in Asbury Park, NJ. I can’t explain where the feeling came from but I didn’t question it.
So, I bought a camcorder and started bringing it to the beach every night. Weeks passed. Nothing happened.
Then one night, I lost my phone on the beach and spent hours searching for it. I finally found it at 1:30 AM, exhausted and frustrated.
The next night, I left my phone and camcorder at home. And that’s when I saw it.
A glowing blue sphere hovering just above the Asbury Park Convention Hall.
At first, I thought I was hallucinating. Then, it started floating toward me.
It wasn’t big—maybe the size of a basketball—but it moved so slowly, without deviating or making a sound. It floated directly overhead, and I could see inside it. The core looked like mercury, liquid metal swirling inside an electric-blue glow.
I was terrified. My first thought was: It’s here to take me or my dog.
But it didn’t. It just floated past me and disappeared after I spent 5 minutes just watching it slowly float north up the coast.
It felt too perfect. Leaving my camcorder home after weeks of attempts. It felt like it was an event created for me, to wake me up or push me along. Definitely not how people join cults to recover from, most of the time.
The “Final Sign” That Convinced Me to Join
A few weeks later, I lost my job. Sales had been dropping for months, and my company finally let me go.
I should’ve been devastated. Instead, I saw it as a sign. Join a cult! lol Jk.
But now, I had money in the bank from unemployment, time to focus on myself, and a calling toward something bigger.
Then I had recurring dreams about Mother God. Almost an entire week in a row.
When I finally told her, she responded instantly:
“I had the same dreams. You’re meant to be here. It’s time to join us in Colorado. The world is about to change, and you have an important role to play in awakening humanity. You can’t wait to drive here, you have to fly here, now!”
It felt inevitable. As if every moment of my life had led to this. I’m not saying this is how people join cults all of the time, but in my case, it felt like destiny was pulling me in. After getting to know her, I’m sure she made it all up about having the same dreams, that’s how she operated. But at this point I was as impressionable as one could get.
So, I bought a plane ticket. I left my dog with my mom, which became my biggest (and only) regret. And I flew to Colorado to join Mother God and the First Contact Ground Crew.
The Moment I Realized I Made a Huge Mistake
I arrived at their house in Crestone, Colorado, at 5 AM after a 5-hour cab ride from Denver. I remember the cabbie was pissed because I only had $40 left for a tip. Thankfully, one of the team members chipped in to help me out.
It was generous of him. I thought, “Well, okay. Not a bad start.”
But as I walked in, something felt wrong immediately.
The house was filthy—dirty dishes piled in the sink, clothes and towels scattered everywhere, a haze of cigarette smoke lingering in the air and a table full of laptops, wires, dust, and cigarette ashes that missed the tray.
Then I saw Mother God.
She was so intoxicated she couldn’t hold herself up. Michael, her lapdog and one of the core members, was physically propping her up in her chair. Her mouth was drooling, her eyes barely open, and she had clearly been awake for over 24 hours, drinking heavily and tripping on mushrooms.
I walked up to her to say hello, and she was too far gone to put together a full smile. She mumbled something incoherent before being carried to bed by her followers.
This was definitely not the Mother God I had seen on the other side of the computer screen.
That was the first moment I thought:
“Oh my God. I just made a huge mistake.”
Final Thoughts: How Cults Don’t Start as Cults
Looking back, it’s easy to say, “How could you not see it?” But the psychology of cult recruitment isn’t obvious when you’re in it. It’s slow. It’s emotional. It makes sense at the time.
If you’ve ever felt yourself drawn toward something that seemed like the answer to everything—trust your instincts. Question everything.
I did and I didn’t. And it changed my life forever.
I’m one of the lucky ones who made it out in one piece, even better for it. But that makes me a rare breed. Unlike the guy who spent $500k to be “Father God”, I left in tact.
📌 Signs You’re Being Recruited Into a Cult:
- They love-bomb you with validation and encouragement.
- They slowly isolate you from outside influences.
- They convince you that only they have the “truth.”
- They introduce small levels of control, increasing over time.
💬 Have you ever experienced something that felt like fate—but later turned out to be manipulation? Drop a comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts.
🔹 More cult survivor stories at InsideMotherGodsCult.com.
🔹 If you have a story to share, click here, we’re listening.
