But is this system actually teaching a legitimate way to unlock the heights of success and human potential? Or is it a scam or a cult?
The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) has a list of characteristics that are associated with cultic groups. Below, I have included the entire list, comparing the Abraham-Hicks (A-H) group point-by-point.
I am writing this evaluation based on my own experiences from being involved, as well as my observations of others who were or are deeply committed to these teachings.
I have observed how A-H lures people in with grand promises. Followers are then coached to replace their natural, internal functioning with rules and superstitions that keep them preoccupied.
I maintain what I've said before: the A-H teachings rely on many spiritual and psychological ideas that are helpful. These ideas can benefit many people and have done exactly that. But Abraham-Hicks mixes these helpful ideas in with falsehoods and partial truths that can mislead, confuse, and harm followers.
In spite of this, rather than conclusively labeling A-H as a cult, I agree with ICSA's statement that, "tagging a label on a group is not as important as understanding it."
I have compiled the list below to do exactly that: compile a reference guide that will help people understand hidden elements of this popular ideology.
For further reading, my previous articles comparing Abraham-Hicks with cult tactics are as follows:
- Encouraging Laziness and Passivity
- The Language of Non-Thought
- Unquestioning Commitment to the Leader and Ideology
Characteristics Associated with Cultic Groups
The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.
Yes.
In the Abraham-Hicks system, the teachings are explicitly stated to be law. Law of Attraction is hammered home repeatedly as "the most powerful law in the universe." It is said to be, among other things, "the power that create worlds," supposedly superseding any other laws or forces in existence.
Group members have internalized the belief that A-H is teaching them facts, and they reinforce this with other members: "That's the way it works. It is law." They display unquestioning commitment to these "laws" and to the leader.
Another reason group members display unquestioning commitment is because they are taught to actively suppress all doubt. Members are heavily preoccupied with improving their "point of attraction" by soothing "low vibration" emotions like doubt and disbelief. Members strive to feel hope, certainty, and joy so that they can manifest good things from the universe.
Therefore when Abers feel doubt, they think they are improperly focused and talk themselves back into enthusiasm and certainty.
Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.
Yes.
This is built right into the A-H Teachings. There is an extreme focus on limitless potential and how to achieve it solely through conscious control of one's "point of attraction." Because each person supposedly has ultimate control over their point of attraction, success or failure rests on each person's shoulders and depends on how well they stay on track, mentally and emotionally.
The flip-side of a belief system that says you control every aspect of your experience is fear, fear of what you're attracting when NOT vigilantly on track. This is where punishment comes in.
Doubt, disbelief, and questioning are all seen as signs of a poor point of attraction, and the punishment is the unwanted manifestations that Abers believe they are attracting when they are not mentally and emotionally "On."
Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).
Yes.
Realize that mind-altering practices are not always presented as such. Trance states are natural and people feel just like themselves in these states. Even a speech delivered by an authority can function as a hypnotic induction.
A-H employs liberal use of hypnotic techniques with lectures (sermons), speech patterns and tone, pacing, repetition, persuasive speech, and complexity and confusion to slip past a person's rational mind. Even now, as a non-believer, I find it very difficult to stay mentally alert if I listen to a recording for research purposes.
Abraham-Hicks has even said that the lecturing process functions to bring the group "up to speed" during workshops. Group members consider this to be a positive thing, like receiving a beneficial tune-up to better align themselves with the teachings. They have faith that, if they surrender to the "all-knowing" Abraham, they can have their minds shaped into more perfect understanding.
Hypnosis is a powerful tool that can be used ethically to help, but it can also be employed surreptitiously to gain power and influence over another. Be wary when a group wants access to your mind in an altered state (but doesn't call it what it is) or needs to lull, disarm, or soothe group members in some way to attune them to a supposedly perfected belief system.
The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry—or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).
Yes to the first sentence. No to the examples given.
The Abraham-Hicks teachings extensively detail how members should think, act, and feel. This is the very foundation of the teachings and is also where thought-control factors in heavily.
This control is far more subtle than telling followers what to wear or who to marry. Instead, there are very detailed instructions as to what your thoughts and emotions are for and what must be done with them.
The average day of an Aber is layered with constant self-talk and emotional monitoring in the hopes of staying on a "high flying disc" and improving their "point of attraction." They are taught that lingering on a topic with the wrong focus creates unwanted, while a positive focus creates more of what is wanted, so Abers learn to be vigilant with how they think, feel, and act.
As a further example of leadership dictating how group members should think, act, and feel, the teachings also use a Question and Answer set-up in workshops. An Aber sits in the "hot seat" at a workshop and asks Esther, who is supposedly channeling Abraham, for wisdom and guidance in relation to a problem or question.
Abraham is viewed as the authority on how the world works, how to handle all types of situations, and how people must think and feel if they want to tap into their unlimited power as a "deliberate creator."
The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and its members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar—or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).
Yes.
Esther Hicks has the exalted status of supposedly channeling Abraham. And Abraham has the exalted status of supposedly being some kind of universal Christ consciousness and collection of non-physical beings, with any number of non-physical experts being called forth from across time by the power of the group's asking, in order to advance the leading edge of thought.
Abers are considered special as well, for they are the leading edge creators doing the important work of harnessing "the power that creates worlds" by deliberately using their focus.
Members not only feel like an elite group lucky enough to understand Abraham-Hicks' teachings for their own lives, they are also taught that they are aiding the whole of humanity as well. They are taught that refining themselves with positive thoughts and feelings is far, far more powerful for improving the state of the world than, for example, voting or fighting for change or noticing problems at all.
The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.
Yes.
There are the Abers who are the "conscious creators," proud and grateful to be in the know. And then there are the non-Abers, who may even be referred to as "muggles." Either you're in the club, or you're not.
In my experience, there is a definite feeling of superiority present, but there is no ill will towards non-Abers. In fact, many group members would likely be delighted if their friends and family "woke up" and joined the club.
There is conflict with wider society because Abers have learned a very specific set of rules and beliefs and feel that only other Abers can truly understand them. Abers may no longer want to associate with people who do not share their mission of heavily monitoring thoughts and emotions and focusing only in positive ways. Doing so (associating with non-Abers) begins to feel like a poor use of time and like a setback to their life goals.
Think of it this way. If you are made to believe you can control everything in your life by doing xyz, then it becomes crucial to do xyz as often as possible. Any time spent NOT doing xyz (for example, having a normal conversation with a non-Aber) or worse, doing the OPPOSITE of xyz (having a "negative" conversation with a non-Aber) provokes extreme apprehension and tension.
The leader is not accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations).
Yes.
Esther Hicks is not accountable to any authority. Members involved are taught that they are also not accountable to any authority, only to themselves and to feeling good. Abraham-Hicks says, "You are an extension of pure positive physical energy, therefore there is nothing more important than that you feel good."
This is treated as the ultimate authority and highest law of the land, while society's usual rules and values are actively dismissed and even mocked.
The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members’ participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before they joined the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).
Yes to implying the ends (in this case "joy" or "feeling better") justify the means. This does not necessarily result in unethical behavior or activities but certainly can.
What I have seen most often is that an Aber may maintain their high ideals but will lose a normal sense of how to go about living their principles because they have entered an ideology where integrity or good judgment need not show in any sort of objective reality, only in their own subjective world of feelings (i.e. whatever feels best IS best).
Abers live by the words, "There is nothing more important than that you feel good." They are also taught that they never get it wrong and that guilt and shame are only indicators that they are improperly focused.
These guidelines can be empowering at first, considering the kind of lives that people live when they don't make decisions that feel right for them. Yet A-H manages to overdo and oversimplify the prescription. Deceit, denial, avoidance, overindulgence, cheating, and addictions, for example, are all decisions that might feel best in the moment but have consequences over the long-term.
Doing away with all normal or objective measures of good or bad, functional or dysfunctional and replacing it all with "it's only how you feel that counts" radically changes a person's value system and can have really any consequence on an individual's choices and treatment of others.
The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.
Yes to inducing feelings and using subtle forms of persuasion to influence members. No to specifically focusing on the use of shame and guilt.
The teachings actually relieve a lot of shame, guilt, and negative feelings for people, which makes it an attractive ideology, and even quite helpful up to a point for people who are low in self esteem and high in self criticism and/or shame.
Rather than A-H inducing negative feelings to influence or control, members are trained in an entire system dictating what to do with their thoughts and feelings. Group members are told how to think and feel in order to supposedly avoid negative things and manifest positive things.
This system is internalized to the point that members become hyper-vigilant. They end up controlling themselves as well as each other by only allowing themselves to think and feel in the prescribed ways.
Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends and to radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before they joined the group.
No, it is not a requirement. However, it is a common result.
As a byproduct of the teachings, an Aber is likely to feel that time with "muggles" is ill spent. These conversations may feel low vibe or unproductive, which induces fear and worry in the Aber.
When other people are perceived as "bringing you down," the result is to move away from those relationships.
And what about personal goals and activities, do those radically change as well? Yes.
- Abers are taught that the world inside their heads is the one that really matters, so group members may spend an inordinate amount of time doing mental and emotional exercises in order to create a perfect life
- Because members are taught that they can "have, be, and do" literally anything, goals may shift into fantasy territory--dreams of sudden talent, superstar fame, billionaire-level wealth, physical perfection, teeth that straighten themselves, eyes that change color, and so on.
- A-H teaches that the purpose of life is joy and fun, so Abers may turn towards a pleasure-seeking lifestyle.
The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.
No, this is not a tenet of the teachings, but it could be the overall goal.
The A-H teachings do not focus on recruitment, but Abers are made to feel that they have found the ultimate Truth of life. They believe A-H has the legitimate solution to every life obstacle. As a result, Abers do tend to proselytize to get their friends and family on board.
On a larger level, I do believe that a huge following is the goal of Abraham-Hicks. The belief system is made up entirely of elements that have mass appeal, including feel-good promises, no bad news, and the idea that all life circumstances can be easily controlled by the individual. This grandiose ideology includes promises like, "There are no limits," "you can be, have, and do anything," "you have the power to create worlds," and "it can all be effortless." What's not to like?
The group is preoccupied with making money.
Yes.
Abraham-Hicks, The Secret, and other Law of Attraction philosophies do unmistakably focus on money and material achievement. Promises of "abundance" can mean any kind of abundance, but it certainly includes a strong focus on material and financial abundance, even if some Law of Attraction systems, like Abraham-Hicks, will claim that happiness is the only real goal.
Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.
No, they are not asked to do so. But yes, that is the likely result.
This is another one that is a byproduct of what is taught rather than a stated expectation. An Aber may devote much of their spare time to "vibration work," as discussed in my post about wasting a lot of time with A-H exercises. Group members will also listen to Law of Attraction tapes in their home, their car, and in their sleep.
From an Aber's perspective, why not spend your time doing what you've been taught is the most important thing: cleaning up your vibration, understanding the teachings even better, and therefore attracting more of everything you want?
Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.
No, this is not stated. But yes, this may be the result.
Again, this is not stated, but it is certainly a byproduct. Abraham-Hicks hammers home the idea that everyone is always attracting, and the importance of one's emotions and "point of attraction."
Abers become hyper-vigilant about how they feel, how other people make them feel, and what kinds of conversations they are focused on.
Naturally, group members will begin to distance themselves from anything that is not considered conscious creation, like a regular conversation with a regular person. Eventually, Abers become most comfortable with others that share in the same belief system.
The most loyal members (the “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.
Yes.
Many Abers certainly cannot imagine life without Abraham-Hicks. And they may not fear reprisal from the group, however, they fear that the dreams they have invested in will not occur if they don't keep up with A-H. They fear unwanted manifestations will arrive. And they fear not having all the power and control of a deliberate creator.
In other words, they fear the possibility of being a regular person, marooned in a regular existence, with no magical VIP pass exempting them from the usual rules of life.
What do you think about these similarities between cultic groups and Abraham-Hicks? Have you noticed these same warning signs or others?
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I am sad to see no one has commented here yet. My husband is mentally ill and abusive and I had to leave him earlier this year due to domestic violence. He was introduced to A-H and became obsessed with them. He still is. He began using their teachings as a justification for his abuse of me. They are preying on people and it is a crime. They are frauds and predators who become wealthy from other people's misfortune. I do not believe for one second they channel anything but narcissistic and sociopathic pathology. I listened to my husband play their teachings over and over and heard all the manipulative and strategic techniques they used. It was blantant psychological persuasion. He tried to force me into joining and used it all to try to control me further. They are not responsible. It is not spirituality. It is a cult.
ReplyDeleteSerena, what an awful situation. I'm sorry to hear it. Thank you for commenting with your experience. Your strong words are powerful and warranted. It is often the more extreme situations that effectively reveal the danger of something.
ReplyDeleteNarcissistic and sociopathic is right. From cheating to other unethical behavior to abuse, people's worst natures can be called forth through this belief system and then spun into feel-good tales for justification. There is no more right and wrong or accepting responsibility. Hurting others is suddenly the victim's problem. And all that remains is: "what feels good to me?" And the Aber feels infallible, enlightened, even downright holy.
On top of that, any "Aber" hearing your story would go through great mental acrobatics to explain your situation in a way that feels better to them and allows them to keep believing this ideology (usually blaming the victim for their point of attraction). Abers are coached to believe ANYTHING that feels better, rather than acknowledge reality or feel appropriate human empathy. This dogma is obviously not changing actual reality, just causing its followers to desensitize themselves to others and sink further into confusion and denial.
Yes, for whatever reason, people have been shy to comment on this post even though it is the 2nd most viewed article on this blog! Your words here will be read by others, and hopefully inspire more discussion.
Thank you. I appreciate that someone has courage to write publically about these kind of personality cult phenomenon that take advantage of people and try to generate discussion. I am pleased to participate. And yes, it is hard to speak out. I have been silenced due to threats made to my life. It is very hard to move forward in this situation.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not believe that if any individual had that kind of authentic divine connection they would not charge thousands of dollars for it. It is immoral and unethical.
While going through the worst time of my life, I have been utterly shocked by the level of support my husband has received in his abuse of me and this has included Abraham Hicks material that people like him interpret in ways that seem like they are telling him to do the things he does. They are not accountable in any way for what they preach and this is unconscionable. Thank you for your support and all the best.
With regards ...
I have a friend who believes pretty strongly in the A-H philosophy, and she has been trying to convince me to adopt it. I'm going through a difficult time right now financially - I had to leave a job for medical reasons and haven't been able to find a new job since treatment - and she often brings up LOA ideas with the implication that I attracted this misfortune to myself, that I should - rather than discussing what I'm going through for validation or to brainstorm solutions - not even think about it. She also recommends actions - moving out of the place where I currently live, going on trips rather than saving the money I have, purchasing expensive homeopathic or spiritual items - that would put me further in debt, as well as insisting that I shouldn't continue to visit doctors during my recovery.
ReplyDeleteHow can I get her to stop doing this? She is a friend of my family from way back; I've known her since I was a child. She is much older than me and genuinely seems interested in trying to support me, so I'm hesitant to argue with her over beliefs that I think got her through some really difficult times in her own life. But one of the CDs she gave me had Hicks implying that the Holocaust happened because Jewish people were too negative, and I'm now caught between trying to politely accept that she (my friend) hasn't given this much thought (I brought it up to her, and her answer was not to worry about that part and focus on the positive), and my disgust that there is someone that people listen to who can insist that people who find themselves in bad situations through no fault of their own somehow 'attracted' that to them.
I was hoping for advice, or a reference to somewhere I can find advice. Like I said, I don't feel comfortable aggressively calling her out on her beliefs, but that those beliefs lead her to conclude that what has happened to me is a result of my being too negative, and that she keeps insisting this to me, is very emotionally distressing and makes me feel worse. I don't know how to broach the subject rationally with her without triggering an argument or the response that 'I just don't get it'. I do get it; it just doesn't make any sense.
Hi Kai,
ReplyDeleteI want to respond to you as I really feel for your situation. My husband has just handed over the last of his money to A-H and is leaving the country to follow them. You do not owe this friend anything. If you do not accept the teachings and what she is doing does not feel right, then please trust your instincts. You know what is best for you. Not her or A-H. Do not trust anyone who tries to tell you they know better. What I hear from you is that you are in somewhat vulnerable place in your life and she is trying to take advantage of that. You will not convince her to stop. She really believes A-H crap. Distance yourself from her. I recommend seeking a counsellor that you can talk with confidentially if you can afford one. I hear you need support.
Yes, when you listen to some of the things they say, it is incredulous. To say that about the Jews is horrific. Trust your instinct and get away from this person. I send you positive thoughts and hope this has helped a bit.
Hello.
ReplyDeleteI would love some advice from anyone who can help. My sister in law has been involved with Abraham Hicks for a few years now and I’m really worried about her. When she first started, I thought it was a positive way for her to overcome her depression. But it’s gone way way too far.
Her personality has completely transformed; she’s quit her job, detached herself from her friends, and she’s cut off her family. She may be in massive debt, I don’t know. She’s given over her whole life to AH and I’m so scared for her. She’s become a hollow, self-centred and robotic person with no empathy, nor the ability to engage in “normal” social interactions. It’s come to the point where I’m terribly worried and wish I knew of a way to help her out. Can anyone advise as to what approach I should / shouldn’t take. She’s not responding to anyone in then family’s emails or phone calls etc at the moment.
Hi Kai, I'm glad you commented. I am a couple months late, so I do not know your situation now. However, I am sorry your friend is being so invalidating. LOA can turn people into lousy friends.
ReplyDeleteShe is incorrect about how to deal with this situation. Talking about reality is important. Trying to get support for what's happening is right and helpful. Being realistic and making logical financial plans is the best thing to do. Good for you.
Taking the kind of action she recommends is all about attempting to feel abundant to attract wealth but will have the opposite of the intended effect. I wrote about it in the post, Digging a Financial Hole with Abraham-Hicks.
Following her advice would make you worse off... then she would blame the negative results on you and your vibration too.
You are the one that is living in reality. I think it is also very compassionate of you to realize these beliefs got her through hard times.
As far as recommendations, you won't change her beliefs, but you can make it clear that her opinion is not welcome. It's something LOA-ers deal with a lot: trying to convert everyone and realizing that most people aren't interested. Since you seem most comfortable handling this gently, find a phrase you can comfortably use. "You know, I actually feel a lot worse after these conversations. I prefer not to discuss this." How you FEEL is something an Aber can hear. Whatever phrase you choose, stick with this boundary, EVERY single time, simply repeating yourself if necessary ("Again, I prefer not to discuss this. Thanks for understanding!").
Her behavior is driving you away, and you don't have to pretend otherwise. As the commenter Serena noted, trust your instincts, and keep yourself safe and protected by putting distance between the two of you.
Thank you, Serena! Great advice from someone who, unfortunately, knows all too well the mindset of LOA fanatics.
ReplyDeleteHi Anushka. Your description of your sister in law perfectly matches the trend of many others who get involved in LOA. It helps at first, then goes way, way too far. That is the nature of this: followers get invested in the promises and have to work themselves into more and more faith and belief. It ends up ruling mind, emotion, and life. It is frightening and very sad to see. It is like having a person stolen from you.
ReplyDeleteThere's really not an easy answer to the question, "How can I save this person?" You can't make her choices or change her beliefs. She has to do that. I have also started to see that looking at this from the point of view of cult rescue / cult deprogramming is probably the most useful way to go. I will be doing more research on this.
My piece of advice, as a person who WAS the Aber at one time, is to keep her feeling like you're on her side (because you are). In other words, if you confront her in a way that makes her feel defensive or raise your eyebrow skeptically every time she talks, you become just one more person who "doesn't get it." You become an enemy that she has to sequester herself off from. But if you accept her and that she thinks this way while also remaining very truthful when you have opportunities to give feedback, that gets heard somewhere inside and can be helpful for waking up later.
I don't know how close the two of you are, but I think it's a good time to be real, because there is something at stake here (her personality, her life). You can be real and say what you are noticing and what you fear the future holds if things go on this way. Revealing your genuine empathy and concern without being overtly challenging is a good balance. And you will probably have to be patient.
I just found this and I really agree! I recently started listening to A-H and it just felt so nice and good…. until it didn’t. And whenever anyone brings up a difficult question it gets twisted and things entirely beyond a persons control are all their fault. I think A-H is especially dangerous because a lot of what they’re preaching does make sense. I do believe in the law of attraction, I have for a long time, and I do believe in the power of thought. To an extent. I feel like abrahams “teachings” take these good vibe things and really twist them into something dark. I’ll always believe in good vibes, but I’ll also always believe that if you get sick you should see a doctor and not a spiritual coach. And I feel like A-H really preys on people who, like me, already believe in manifestation and vibes so that its easy to mislead people and get them to buy in to this very happy sounding message of complete irresponsibility.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on A-H. It's wonderful that you maintained your critical thinking to sort through what made sense and what didn't. You're so right that it easily appeals to those who already believe in the power of thought on some level: These teachings get their foot in the door with that instant resonance, and then followers easily overlook the falsehoods, even the ones that are completely ridiculous or twisted.
ReplyDeleteAbusive irresponsible behavior is not a A-H thing. If people use that as an excuse for poor behavior, that’s on them. How can teaching people how to look at positive aspects and guide thoughts to make you feel better be so terrible…Did you even read any of the books?
ReplyDeleteMaybe the A-H fans you know are just douche nozzles. No one is preying on anyone. Enjoy and have fun with your life! That’s what it’s about
Anything can be twisted by anyone into something horrible just look at most religions
Hello, I am a daughter of a parent who is into A-H. While not the abuse you expect of them like physical and manipulation, their teachings in my opinion are outright harmful. Its covert abuse to feel brainwashed into a spirituality that shifts blame onto the person for thinking such bad things because the victim brought it into their life, by thinking. It takes out critical thinking aspects a child needs and replaces it with passiveness instead of being proactive or even reactive. I have to state its not for fun and the more this goes on the less joy they earn from it. This is cult like behavior from the start.
ReplyDeleteHello there, I have stumbled upon the name Abraham Hicks 3 days ago. Since then I have played 2 15 minute videos and one an hour long. After wanting to see feedback from a friend I found that it is considered a cult. Here is my opinion - The videos I played contained more or less acurate description of how we can navigate this reality. I have figured that out before hearing the name and found it a good summary. I do not see how giving hope to daydreaming will improve your life long term, as some of my daydreams used to seek appreciation from people that I respected. This I see as a representation of my own issue with insecurity and a feeling of not being appreciated outside, when I was not doing it for my self. So I rather focused on working on that rather than encourage daydreaming. I found it is possible to manifest almost any reality through thought. However this requires discipline and building awareness and understanding of principles best described in Hermetic philosophy.
ReplyDeleteIf people seek to hand over responsibility for their life to someone else, this is crazy from my perspective. I can see the harm it can cause when this set of "keys" is given to someone without the perspective, awareness or comprehension of our existence. Just like giving a 3 year old the access to a nuclear missile room with lots of buttons. Everyone is responsible for his own experience.
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ReplyDelete