I met with a leading cult interventionist. Here’s what I realized about susceptibility and resilience.

A random Tuesday. I’m reading The Guardian and see a leading cult interventionist lives in my neighborhood. One LinkedIn message, and five days later I’m sipping a seasonal latte at our local coffee shop listening to him give details about his fascinating career.

During our conversation, one repeated theme kept catching my attention.

How Cults Influence People

While getting insights into how cult leaders bring people into their circles, and being gently reminded that these operations are elaborate and even the most intelligent individuals are susceptible, I noticed some consistencies:

• Some cults use meditation as a path to instill their ideologies, since the last 20 minutes or so after meditation people are more suggestible.
• In the final semester of high school and college, people have a heightened vulnerable state.
• Some cults will create or take advantage of an external stressor (like the loss of a loved one) to manipulate their targets.

It was fascinating to learn how advanced these operations are, but also unsettling to hear how concepts I previously thought of positively can be used manipulatively.

Neuroplasticity

After around 25, neuroplasticity becomes “use it or lose it,” and meditation is one of the best ways to strengthen it. Another benefit of meditation is that it shuts down your internal narrative, giving you space to find more clarity or repeat positive affirmations to integrate them more effectively into your mindset.

Common Stressors 

Now let’s add in the fact that major life changes like moving, a breakup, or job loss are major life stressors (my therapist told me this calmly as I was going through all three within a 2-month period). And during these times, we are more likely to look for external support.

Ideally, this support would be found in well-meaning individuals who are looking out for our best interest. Unfortunately, if we don’t have support or if someone’s best intentions fall flat, then we may lean on unhelpful coping mechanisms like over-drinking, impulse buying, or finding community in harmful spaces like groups with rigid and extreme beliefs.

Think of it like the classic mid-life crisis sports car, but this time, it’s not a life crisis; it’s a period of stress or transition. And instead of a car salesman, cult leaders are handed people who haven’t been taught how to manage their minds, right at some of their most susceptible moments.

A Modern Way to Build Resilience

Personal empowerment includes having the words to describe our inner world and experiences. Not only for external connection and validation, but to make sense of internal confusion especially during uncertain times.

So I’ve decided to catalog this susceptibility period and give us a way to describe this common part of the human experience: “window of influence.”

Window of Influence

a temporary period of higher openness or susceptibility where a person becomes more influenceable than usual. This can happen after meditation, during emotional stress, or throughout major life transitions. Knowing when your window is open helps you protect your thinking and make grounded decisions.

The goal isn’t to have your window fully closed all the time; after all, new perspectives can help us grow. However, we need to understand when our window is fully open and identify how we can care for ourselves in those moments. 

That might mean pausing before making major decisions, asking “what’s the rush?” if someone tries to force you to make an urgent decision, being mindful of sales messaging, or using the openness for positive practices like affirmations, reflection, or learning.

Learn the Full Definition

I still stand by buying the one-massage-a-month subscription the receptionist pitched after my hour-long massage, but I’m sure thousands of others immediately regretted that decision.

If you want to understand what a window of influence is, how to recognize it, and how to use it safely, you can read the full definition here.