Two of the world’s leading cult interventionists, Patrick Ryan and Joseph Kelly, live in Philadelphia with their parrot. Over the past 40 years, they have handled hundreds of cases, helping families bring loved ones out of cults. Their method is unusual: they embed themselves in families’ lives, sometimes for years, to create conditions where a person might question their beliefs.
When a family reaches out, Ryan and Kelly conduct an assessment costing $2,500, then $250 an hour after that. They interview the family to understand dynamics and devise a strategy. They strengthen existing relationships, educate the family about the cult, and bring in experts like psychiatrists and lawyers. The goal is to untangle family dynamics that may have made someone vulnerable.
Occasionally, they meet face to face with the cult member, but these encounters are covert. In one case, a son came home for a few days. His parents introduced Ryan and Kelly as “family mediators” in town for a few days. The pair “forgot” a book to build rapport when returning to collect it.
Ryan’s early attempts were less successful. In the 1980s, he tried to help a woman in a pyramid scheme that required multiple enemas a day, up to 60. She would not budge. Frustrated, Ryan bought a parrot as a consolation prize. Their approach has since evolved, including careful use of language; they avoid the word “cult” as too blunt.
