MARGARET THALER SINGER is a clinical psychologist and emeritus adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley. An expert on post-traumatic stress and cults, she lectures widely in the United States and abroad. She is the lead author of Cults in Our Midst (Jossey-Bass, 1995).

JANJA LALICH is a writer, consultant, and specialist in cults and psychological manipulation and abuse. She is also the coauthor of Captive Hearts, Captive Minds (1994) and Cults in Our Midst (Jossey-Bass, 1995).