It was too little, too late for this guy, but several of you cult members would do well to follow in Mr. Sanford's footsteps and go through the program. This is from his sentencing brief.
After his arrest, Mr. Sanford sought mental health treatment and participated in individual and family therapy until his incarceration. This therapy helped Mr. Sanford and his family deal with the anxiety of the pending case, but it did not give him real insight into his conduct on Case 1:21-cr-00086-PLF Document 53 Filed 04/04/23 Page 7 of 16 8 January 6. In August 2022, he began to work with an individual that specializes in cult deprograming. Even after he was incarcerated, he participated in regular discussions designed to challenge his ideology and belief structure, then help him understand how and why he developed the beliefs that led him to make the decisions that he did on January 6.
During this process, Mr. Sanford was confronted with facts about the “stolen election” conspiracy theory among others and how psychological manipulation is used to indoctrinate the followers of a conspiracy. Mr. Sanford learned how mental health problems, whether diagnosed or not, cause isolation which, when paired with belief in a conspiracy, gradually cause more isolation. He learned how the websites he was relying on for news would use algorithms to facilitate his trip down the proverbial conspiracy rabbit hole with more and more extreme articles. Consequently, it becomes easier to dismiss ideas and facts that do not fit with one’s narrative. Mr. Sanford also gained the insight that one of the motivations he had for attending the January 6 rally was simply to be around people who agreed with him as opposed to his friends and family members who did not agree with bis beliefs.
After his arrest, Mr. Sanford sought mental health treatment and participated in individual and family therapy until his incarceration. This therapy helped Mr. Sanford and his family deal with the anxiety of the pending case, but it did not give him real insight into his conduct on Case 1:21-cr-00086-PLF Document 53 Filed 04/04/23 Page 7 of 16 8 January 6. In August 2022, he began to work with an individual that specializes in cult deprograming. Even after he was incarcerated, he participated in regular discussions designed to challenge his ideology and belief structure, then help him understand how and why he developed the beliefs that led him to make the decisions that he did on January 6.
During this process, Mr. Sanford was confronted with facts about the “stolen election” conspiracy theory among others and how psychological manipulation is used to indoctrinate the followers of a conspiracy. Mr. Sanford learned how mental health problems, whether diagnosed or not, cause isolation which, when paired with belief in a conspiracy, gradually cause more isolation. He learned how the websites he was relying on for news would use algorithms to facilitate his trip down the proverbial conspiracy rabbit hole with more and more extreme articles. Consequently, it becomes easier to dismiss ideas and facts that do not fit with one’s narrative. Mr. Sanford also gained the insight that one of the motivations he had for attending the January 6 rally was simply to be around people who agreed with him as opposed to his friends and family members who did not agree with bis beliefs.
