Ted Patrick

For the American magazine editor, see Ted Patrick (editor).
Ted Patrick
Born
Theodore Roosevelt Patrick, Jr.

1930 (age 93–94)
Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation(s)Deprogrammer, author
Known forAnti-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.

  1. ^ Chryssides, George (1999). Exploring New Religions. London, England: Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 346–348. ISBN 0-8264-5959-5.
  2. ^ Chryssides, George D.; Zeller, Benjamin E. (2016). The Bloomsbury Companion to New Religious Movements. New York City: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1474256445.