Break Free of Coercive Control & Reclaim Your Power

Coercive control is a pattern of manipulative behaviours used by cults and high-control groups to dominate, isolate, and suppress. Its impact can be deeply traumatic, leaving emotional and psychological wounds that linger long after the experience ends. But healing is possible—and it begins with reclaiming your voice.

Recover From Coercive Control exists to support survivors, raise public awareness, and spark real change in Australia. Whether you're in the early stages of leaving, seeking clarity, or years into your recovery, you're not alone. This is a space for empowerment, education, and connection.

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Are you:

- Questioning a group or relationship

- Trying to make sense of something that doesn’t feel right

- Supporting someone you care about

- In recovery after leaving a church, charity, sports club, business, workplace, some other type of group?

Wherever you are in that process, you’re welcome here.

Coercive Control

Subtle, Confusing, and Deeply Disorienting

All high-control groups and relationships rely on coercive control.

But coercive control isn’t one behaviour—it’s a pattern. A combination of tactics that can gradually shape how you think, feel, and act.

Not every situation looks the same. Some feel obvious. Others are subtle, even familiar.

That’s why it can be hard to recognise.

To help identify patterns that infringe upon individual liberty and autonomy, Renée created a rubric that breaks coercive control into key behaviours that are commonly associated with high-control groups. The aim of this is to help you see patterns more clearly—while recognising that each experience is unique.

little red riding hood running away from wolf

“I Didn’t Know We Had Cults in Australia”

~ By Renée ~

I was sitting with two women—one in her 60s, the other in her 30s—when I mentioned that I had lost my daughter to a cult. The older woman nodded with quiet empathy and began sharing her own story of religious trauma growing up in a high-control group.

The younger woman looked surprised. "I didn't know we had cults in Australia," she said.

I was once just as unaware. I never thought to warn my daughter about charismatic leaders or coercive groups—it simply didn't seem like something that could happen to us. I wish I could go back and share what I know now. I can't change the past. But I can help prevent others from going through the same ordeal.

It's estimated that more than 3,000 high-control groups are operating in Australia—some relatively harmless, but many causing serious psychological, spiritual, and relational damage.

I developed my 12 criteria to help others recognise the level of coercive control present in any environment they find themselves in. The rubric draws on lived experience inside coercive systems, 25+ years in education, and a decade working in mental health.

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Make Sense of Your Experience

Once you begin to understand coercive control, the next step is often recognising how it may have shown up in your own life.

Many people notice common patterns—sometimes only in hindsight. These can include:

Manipulation – confusion, mixed messages, or feeling like reality was being reshaped
Dependency – relying on a person or group for direction, approval, or meaning
Identity impact – losing a sense of who you are, or feeling like a different version of yourself

Not every experience looks the same, and not every pattern will apply. But seeing even small pieces can begin to bring clarity.

You don’t have to figure it all out at once. This is something many people return to over time, as their understanding deepens.

Recover From Coercive Control

Recovery doesn’t happen all at once. It’s often gradual, non-linear, and deeply personal.

For many people, it begins with small shifts—feeling a little more grounded, a little more able to trust your own thoughts, or noticing moments where your sense of self starts to return.

You might be processing what happened, rebuilding your confidence, or learning to recognise your own needs and boundaries again. Some days will feel clearer than others.

There’s no single “right way” to recover. What matters is moving at a pace that feels safe and sustainable for you.

Support can make a difference. Whether through counselling, reflection, or simply having a space where your experience is understood, recovery becomes something you don’t have to navigate alone.

You can return to this process as many times as you need. Over time, things begin to make more sense—and a stronger, more grounded sense of self can emerge.