Leaving a cult is a very difficult thing to do, there's no question about it.  It's particularly difficult to leave a cult that has a leader that has presented himself as an avatar or God.  When someone places their entire life in the hands of such a person, someone they viewed as God incarnate, and has believed in that person's ability to completely guide one's life on every level, well, that makes it very difficult to trust others upon leaving.

The enormous sense of security that a member has once placed in their leader is suddenly ripped out from under a person when they leave, often leaving them feeling that there is no firm ground to stand upon.  Trust in oneself, if a person ever had it to begin with (and people have to work that issue out individually) is one of the most dreadful casualties of having worshipped an avatar.  The good news is that indeed, there is firm ground, and it's possible to find the terra firma again in one's life post-cult.

No online forum can ever be a substitute for professional therapy when therapy is something a person needs, based on their particular circumstances.  That's something for every person to assess for themself, too.

Anyway, this is an article I dug out of my personal files, and is one that helped me along the way when I considered myself a recent ex-premie, although I'm not sure what the definition is of "a recent ex."  That's another thing, I suppose must be left up to each individual to decide (and define) for themself.  However, I would caution anyone, for obvious reasons, about labeling themselves.

The article is called "Coming out of Cults," written by the late Margaret Singer, Ph.D.  I haven't reproduced it here because it's quite long, so the link below leads to Carol Giambalvo's "Cult Information and Recovery" website 

I highly recommend the other information/articles and links on Carol's website, including the reFocus website that also has gobs of helpful information for anyone feeling confused or stuck about all the leaving the cult behind business. 

I hope this is helpful.

http://hometown.aol.com/carol2180/comngout.htm

I also recommend this article by Michael Langone, Ph.D. called "Reflections on Post-Cult Recovery."

http://hometown.aol.com/carol2180/reflctns.htm

Cynthia