Allegations Of A Cult

Repressed memories of rape apparently are the key for a cult leader in West Australia:

The woman, who initially found Meinck's therapy helpful for controlling anxiety attacks, said she now saw his group as a cult and believed she had been ``brainwashed in a subtle way''.

``It's a belief system in what Matthew believes,'' she said. ``It's like he's playing God, telling people who they can talk to, what they can do.

``There's the isolation (and) being scared to leave. If people leave, they're `doing a runner on themselves', `not facing up to themselves'.''

In 1994, Meinck wrote and published the book Discovering the Nature of Mind: A Healer's Guide to Enlightenment. In it, he recalls incarnations and gives detailed descriptions of his birth.

``My first thoughts were: `I cannot let my mind be tarnished by these beings I have chosen to parent my childhood. I will be my own support through this life','' he wrote.

The head of the School of Psychology at Edith Cowan University, Craig Speelman, evaluated recordings of Meinck's ``counselling'' sessions and transcripts of interviews for The Sunday Times.

Prof Speelman, who specialises in the field of memory, said the ``repressed memories'' elicited by Meinck were highly implausible.

He said it was understandable that people involved in a tight group with a charismatic leader over several years could believe in false memories, particularly if they were looking for reasons why they had been unhappy.

``They seem intelligent and articulate, but it is quite bizarre,'' he said.

``The fact that it was happening in a group situation, upping the ante each time (with more traumatic and recent ``memories''), helped everyone believe it.

``I suspect that this Matthew doesn't allow any critical questioning so it all seems to keep reinforcing itself. It becomes the only way to think.

``The long meditation sessions break down resistance. It's a very intense environment.

He pushes them through the pain barrier and they are trying to please Matthew by doing this.''

Prof Speelman said there were ``certainly sinister elements'' to Meinck's group, similar to other cults around the world.

``All it takes is for someone to be looking for answers to their problems and they can be attracted to this sort of thing,'' he said.