Mind Control Blackout?

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[exshep]

In addition to being in recovery from cults and spiritual abuse, I have also been in open AA meeting for years.  I need the program.

There is a process known as the blackout where the alcoholic cannot remember his acting out behaviors and the subsequent havoc.  

A former Columbus church member and I have been sorting out what happened  20 years ago.  The neat thing is our friendship is restored. It is great to have her back. My wife has also been blessed with her presence. It is a neat gift.

I made a comment of how she used to say that she could not talk to me unless I repented and join GC.  I know her very well. She is woman of integrity. Curiously she does not remember her verbally attacking me,  "Shep, it is not my nature to be forceful".  I responded, "it wasn't you, it was the church speaking through you".  I went on to say that her attack were alarmingly out of character for her.  I did open up to the  grief which unintentionally ensued.    We went on talk about other things.   I am sure such a revelation must have  been devastating.

It is fascinating to see how the mind control dynamic plays out.  I have been there myself, so I patient and understanding.  I have seen how some GC members will have selective memory.   Ex cult members can smell a rat a mile away.  It was odd that a national leader who I actually respect did not remember there was  a church in the town of my alma mater.
It was innocent and matter of factly.  I was in a healthy GC church.  I observed the same phenomenon  with the senior pastor. I made a note of it and moved on.  It sounds like if a member hits something uncomfortable, he hits a delete button and denies it.

Has anybody else run across this?

[lone gone]

I hate to hijack this thread but quite often it has NOTHING to do with cult "programming". Many people can have selective memory. It has more to do with the individual's overwhelming need to be "right" and fighting against anything that doesn't match their need.

Off the top of my head I can think of one other prime example : a cheating spouse. They frequently fail to remember events, statements, and witnesses to their activities even when confronted with witnesses and evidence.

If you want to see many many examples of this behavior, check out a website forum for people who frequently see this behavior.  
www.divorcebusting.com/forums/ubbthreads.php  Go to the Midlife Crisis
threads. People are frequently described as "not being themselves" or even "taken over by an alien".

Also, one respected Christian Pastor James Conway has written many books about this behavior as it applies to a person's midlife. See his website at www.midlife.com  He describes how a person "wakes up" one day and cannot remember things that they were doing.

Human behavior is far too complex to attribute all similar behaviors to one source such as cults, or booze, or anything else. Try it and you'll find that there are too many exceptions to explain.

[exshep]

Perhaps you are right.  I could not help but notice the trend.   Of course I hardly have enough data to prove the thesis.  Your rebuttal  is quite reasonable.  What I have observed is rather curious.    The fact that the sample consists entirely GC "personnel" does make for  interesting trend.  

Perhaps I am calling the kettle white.  Good comeback. Next latte on me.