Ted Patrick | |
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Born | Theodore Roosevelt Patrick, Jr. 1930 (age 93–94) Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Deprogrammer, author |
Known for | Anti-cult activism; deprogramming pioneer |
Theodore "Ted" Roosevelt Patrick, Jr. (born 1930) is an American deprogrammer and author. He is sometimes referred to as the "father of deprogramming."[1][2]
In the 1970s, Patrick and other anti-cult activists founded the Citizens' Freedom Foundation (which later became known as the Cult Awareness Network) and began offering what they called "deprogramming" services to people who wanted a family member removed from a New Religious Movement. Patrick's methods frequently involved abduction and forced confinement, which led to him facing multiple criminal charges and civil proceedings. He was eventually convicted of a number of crimes, including kidnapping, false imprisonment and conspiracy.