Karen Pressley

Karen Pressley is an author, communication specialist, and CEO of KAP Communications in Atlanta, where she provides professional writing services to clients. She holds a B.S. in Communication and is a candidate for an M.A. in Professional Writing (2010). As a 16‐year (former) Scientologist, she served as Commanding Officer of Scientology’s Celebrity Centre International Network and later worked at the Church of Scientology International Management headquarters near Los Angeles. Since departing Scientology in 1998, she is consulted regularly on Scientology issues by media and former cult members and their families. She is a guest speaker for radio and television shows, conferences, seminars, and academic classes. Karen is interested in applying communication theory to bring further insight into: how cult rhetoric affects creativity and justifies human rights violations, the power dynamics of cult life, and abusive tactics of authoritarian cult leaders. Her first two books about Scientology, Chasing After the Wind (Broadman & Holman, 2001) and Escaping Scientology: An Insider’s True Story (New Hope, 2006) were suppressed from publication by Scientology officials. She authored several entries for Baker Dictionary of Cults (forthcoming, 2010) and numerous articles on Scientology for websites and e‐publications. Her upcoming book, Experiencing Creativity: Breaking Free from Spiritual Abuse and the Emergence of the Creative Self, provides a theoretical framework for understanding how cult rhetoric can suppress creativity in cult members, and offers a communication model that shows how a cult member processes communication from a charismatic leader within the hegemony of a cult. Karen and sociologist Miriam Boeri co‐authored the paper, “Creativity and Cults from Sociological and Communication Perspectives: The Processes Involved in the Birth of a Secret Creative Self” for a special issue, “Cults and Creativity,” of Cultic Studies Review (forthcoming, 2010) and will present it at the ICSA Conference, July 2010. (gkpressley@att.net) 404‐841‐0800 ext. 205.

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