Alliance Against Cult Abuse (AACA) is a public reference project documenting coercive and high-control groups across history — so the patterns of undue influence are easier to recognize, name, and escape.
Our mission
AACA exists to build a careful, sourced, ongoing timeline of cults and high-control groups — from ancient religious movements to organizations operating right now. We believe that most people who join a high-control group don’t recognize what’s happening to them until they’re deep inside it. A clear public record of the patterns, tactics, and history makes that recognition faster.
Build a sourced, ongoing timeline of cults and high-control groups, past and present.
Explain the patterns of coercive control — using established frameworks like Lifton's criteria for thought reform and Hassan's BITE model — so they're easier to recognize early.
Point people toward real exit resources, crisis support, and recovery communities.
Given the subject matter, every entry follows the same editorial process before it's published.
Entries are built from court filings, journalism, academic research, and first-person survivor accounts — each cited on the entry page.
For groups still operating, we describe documented behavior and allegations precisely, distinguishing between what's been proven, alleged, or reported.
Groups or individuals named in an entry may submit a response, which we'll link or incorporate.
If something is inaccurate, we correct it — visibly, with a note on what changed and when.
Every submission is reviewed by a person before anything is published.
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