John M. Knapp, LMSW

Bio

John M. Knapp, LMSW is a counselor, therapist, cult recovery expert, consultant, and speaker. He has counseled over 2,000 former cult members in the last 13 years. He founded three web sites well known in cult recovery: TranceNet.net, TMFree.blogspot.com, and KnappFamilyCounseling.com. A former member of an Eastern Meditation Cult himself, he brings a wealth of experience, expertise, and first-hand stories to the study of cults, gangs, and high-intensity domestic abuse relationships. News organizations world-wide have interviewed him, including: Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo), Bras-Notícias (Brazil), Des Moines Register, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Washington Post, Knight-Ridder, LA Daily Times, Limburgs Dagblad (The Netherlands), NRC Handelsblad (The Netherlands), Rotterdams Dagblad, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, New Yorker Magazine, The Weekly Standard, 60 Minutes Australia, CNN-India, CBC Radio, among others. John enjoys offering lively presentations and workshops to government agencies, churches, schools, and colleges. He currently practices privately as Knapp Family Counseling in Malone, NY. He is also working on academic research projects and a book on recovery from toxic groups, abusive churches, and cults. He makes his home on a picturesque Upstate New York farmstead, surrounded by his extended family, chocolate labs, cats, and cockatiels.