Maria Esguerra escaped the Children of God at the age of 22 with her two children who have disabilities. Maria’s firsthand experience drives her passion to support fellow survivors of cults and institutions, advocating for specialised understanding, interventions and access to governmental schemes such as Redress. Maria has actively engaged in media and advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people escaping coercive environments. She founded a support group for second and multi-generational survivors (also referred to as SGAs or MGAs) from all cults. It addresses the devastating impacts from these groups, including abuse, denial of basic rights and forced labour. Maria is also a psychologist and the founder of Assessable.
Links:
- Maria Esguerra — Linktree
- Maria Esguerra — Director at Assessable
- Decult profile — Maria's information at the recent Decult Conference
- I lived under the so-called 'law of love' and it was terrifying – cult survivor — by Ryan Boswell, 1News, 17 October 2024
- CIFS Australia — Cult Information & Family Support
- The Olive Leaf Network
- Escaping Utopia — by Janja Lalich & Karla McLaren, Routledge, 2017
- The Strange Situation Experiment — more about Mary Ainsworth's work on attachment theory
- Erikson's stages of psychosocial development — more about Erik Erikson's work
- Make it Meaningful: How to find purpose in life and work — by Debbie Haski-Leventhal, Simon & Schuster, 2023
- Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse: A Workbook for Recovery and Growth — by Gillie Jenkinson, Routledge, 2023
- Stop Religious Coercion Australia — Advocacy group started by a former Geelong Revival Centre member
- Writing to Reckon — Gerette Buglion's workshops, retreats, journal, and more
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