After breaking away from high-control religious groups, some UCF students formed an on-campus support group, After the Sect, for students going through similar experiences.

Kassandra Faylun, junior English literature and sociology major and After the Sect co-founder, said that the group has provided support for students navigating life after being affected by high-control religious groups.

Faylun said that the idea came from meeting another former member of an HCRG, or a high-control religious group, on campus and being able to relate to the experiences they shared in common.

“I felt like the only person in the world who was going through this because it’s not really something that’s talked about in everyday life,” Faylun said.

Faylun said the group serves as a safe space for individuals to talk about their experiences and relate to others who have gone through something similar.

“To be able to have that sort of place is really helpful for the whole process of transitioning out of a sect,” Faylun said.

In addition to acting as a support group, Faylun said After the Sect also works to open up a larger conversation about HCRGs and how to recognize them.

This was the case for Val, co-founder of After the Sect and junior information technology major, who requested that her last name remain undisclosed due to current ties in an HCRG.

Val said that growing up she remembered a very loving community with no outright issues.

“It makes it harder actually, to realize that this is not an organization that’s looking out for your well-being and that it's actually hurting you,” Val said.

Faylun said that before realizing she was in an HCRG she would be discouraged and sometimes even punished for asking questions or that answers to her questions wouldn’t make sense.

Faylun said what makes HCRGs different from other religious groups are the characteristics, not the faith.

“There’s kind of different parts to it,” Faylun said. “It’s more so the behaviors and the characteristics displayed by these groups that are what make them so dangerous and destructive to people’s lives.”

Instead, Faylun said she defines HCRGs based off of the social environment within the culture of a group, what the members are told to do or not to do and whether a person’s identity and mental health are being affected.

“If they teach their members that the outside world is dangerous, it sort of polarizes them from the rest of the world and cuts them off from the rest of society," Faylun said. "That can very easily become a high-control religious group because that is affecting their daily lives. It affects how they view the rest of the world and themselves in comparison.”

Val said she was able to recognize a similar polarization within her own HCRG.

“Even school takes a second place," Val said. “It’s like your grades are not as important just as long as you’re still in the religion.”

Additionally, Faylun said that that HCRGs can be challenging for people to talk about as they are often surrounded by many stigmas and taboos.

To normalize the discussion and spread awareness, Faylun said it’s important to use neutral terms, such as high-control religious group.

“It’s sort of a different approach to be able to talk about these kinds of religious groups in a way that isn’t scary,” Faylun said. “I typically tend to stay away from the word cult, only because it is a scary word for someone who may still be questioning their background or questioning whether or not they are coming from a high-control religious group.”

Faylun said for those questioning leaving an HCRG, even thinking about the first steps can be difficult.

“It’s not like a class that you can drop here,” Faylun said. “This is involving your social life, your relationships with friends, family, partners."

Faylun said another struggle was having to start over with her religious beliefs after leaving her own HCRG.

“There’s so much emotional turmoil when it comes to deconstructing your beliefs,” Faylun said. “You’re losing a sense of your identity.”

Nick Coker, freshman biology major and After the Sect member, said he experienced difficulty when leaving his HCRG due to the group's ties to his upbringing.

“I kind of tried to cling onto it because it was what was familiar to me,” Coker said.

But for Coker, moving away from home has played a large role in being able to separate himself from his HCRG, he said.

However, Faylun said some of the religious groups that preach on UCF's campus include multiple HCRGs, which can be distressing for students who have recently left their own.

Stephanie Chang, sophomore emerging media major, said the presence of these groups on campus does not bother her unless they are engaging in hateful speech.

Nevertheless, for Coker, the presence of HCRGs on campus raised concerns about the safety of UCF students.

Coker said that UCF has not done enough to protect its students and that many students, including himself, have been singled out by some religious groups on campus.

“I know as an openly queer and trans person on campus, I don’t feel safe sometimes walking around some of these people who come onto campus,” Coker said. “I just feel like it’s a matter of days until somebody becomes aggressive toward me.”

According to UCF’s Office of Student Involvement, even if members engage in hate speech defined on the website as "speech expressing generalized hatred of a particular group," these religious groups are allowed to preach on campus so long as they are not disrupting campus operations or breaking the law in doing so.

Coker said that he also recognizes the right to freedom of speech but that action should be taken when there is potential for students to be in danger.  

Multiple members of After the Sect said that so far the group has played a pivotal role in supporting students after life in HCRGs.

“It’s already been so massively helpful and we’ve only had three meetings so far,” Coker said. "I think that having a group of people to talk to who have gone through the same experiences has been very liberating and it’s also made me feel less crazy.”

Val said that the community built by After the Sect has played a large role in helping her feel supported.

“What I miss the most about being part of the religion is the community aspect, so it’s been really nice,” Val said.

Despite its focus on religious groups, After the Sect is open to anyone, including those involved in other highly controlling groups, Faylun said.

“This is not limited to just religion,” Faylun said. “It’s for anybody that wants the platform, that wants the safe space to talk about what happened to them and to be able to relate to others."

Although still in the process of becoming an officially recognized club by UCF, Faylun said she is optimistic for the future of After the Sect, as conversations about HCRGs are not only needed to bring more awareness but to help those who have been affected by them.

“Sometimes bad ideas can take hold of a person,” said Faylun. “How are we going to make people feel better about their experiences if we’re so taboo about talking about religion in general?”