As you resume responsibility for your life, your sense of personal empowerment will increase. The world may never again seem quite as safe, fair or rosy. Human nature is no longer viewed with the same naivet . But even though they may now be less gullible and less vulnerable, in many way former authoritarian group members have an increased understanding of and a new compassion for themselves and all humanity. If they avoid the challenge of recovery, former authoritarian group members run the risk of allowing cynicism, pessimism, and bitterness to become defenses against further vulnerability, and of using isolation and denial as weapons against future pain.
Recovery means full acceptance of one's humanity - the good as well as the bad.
It means accepting the struggle to grow while recognizing one's own and other's imperfections. I will quote some paragraphs from his book on the chapter Strategies for Recovery pages 182-184. I highly recommend the book. Former members need to learn how to trust themselves again. They have to become their own best friend, as well as their own best therapist.