ABOUT

Gerette Buglion, B.A. Elementary Education and Special Education, earned her ‘Master's Degree’ in cult awareness education from the school of life. This training occurred during her eighteen-year odyssey with Doug (Fictitious name. Real person) who was the leader of the ‘Center for Transformational Learning’ (fictitious name for a real group, also simply CTL). 

Pitting birth families against “true” families is just one of many tools used by cult leaders the world over. But, in CTL, Gerette was not forbidden to speak with her family. There was no tithing, no rules about where you should live, what brand of deodorant you must use, or what clothes to wear. Instead, more subtle techniques were used. Unspoken rules were inserted into the everydayness of the CTL culture. Loyal followers like Gerette obeyed them. This is the stamp of an everyday cult. It looks and feels like a wonderful opportunity…like spiritual, social, financial, or psychological growth. Life-affirming tools are offered - but there is also something else: a perhaps unintentional, but nonetheless gripping mechanism of control, turning what could be a good thing into an environment polluted by undue influence. 

As a lifelong educator, Gerette was humbled when she finally emerged from CTL at age 52. She asked herself, How did I, an educated, caring mother, wife, and business owner become that lost and for that long? Gerette dusted off her discerning mind and set to work studying cultic dynamics and mind control while reclaiming her autonomy with the help of a supportive family, therapy, and countless hours immersed in nature and writing. An Everyday Cult lifts the nuanced veil of controlling groups through its subtle weaving of personal experience with insight from recognized cultic phenomena. The mechanics of recruitment, indoctrination, and recovery are illuminated by one woman’s arduous journey, allowing the reader to discover for themselves how power-over abuse may have impacted their own lives, the lives of their loved ones, and the world at large. This is self-reflection at its best - empowering readers to embark on their own redemptive journey.

In Oct 2020, Gerette’s years-long pipe dream of launching a #metoo style movement for cult survivors shifted into reality when she collaborated with others to co-found the #igotout movement and igotout.org. The boundless potential of this movement fuels her heartfelt conviction that the world will be a better place for all of humanity, given the opportunity for authentic reciprocity through the telling and listening of our personal stories. She looks forward to hearing your story.