Church of Satan, Temple of Set, Luciferian orders

Domain XIV · Western esoteric, divinatory & new spiritual movements · Anton Szandor LaVey, Michael A. Aquino · 1966 · San Francisco

What it is

Scholarly framing. Lewis's 2001 online survey (140 self-selected respondents) found that about 60% described Satan as a symbol, archetype or the self, about 18% as an impersonal force and about 14% in theistic terms; the average respondent was 26, had joined around 18, and most named reading (often…

Format

• No source gives phases or session counts for work with Satanist or Luciferian clients. The structure below is, built from the Cultural Formulation Interview approach, the minority-stress findings of the IJSNR study, and the investigative cautions of Lanning (1992) and La Fontaine (1994).
• Engagement and stance check. Goal: the client feels safe to name their religion without being treated as dangerous or ill. Format: first session(s). Move on when the client can talk about their beliefs and practice without guarding, and you have checked your own reactions.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Focused work. One or more of: minority stress and discrimination; family conflict; group concerns (costs, secrecy, leaving); prior religious trauma; abuse disclosures or fears of having been ritually abused; harm from the Satanic panic. Uses standard evidence-based treatments for any disorder found.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• the therapist's own faith taking sides. Working when old fears lose their grip.
• fascination drawing you into discussing technique; documentation using words like "devil worship". Working when the frame stays clear.
• testing behaviour (the client watching for shock); relief when you stay calm. Working when the client volunteers more without prompting.
• referrals that send the client to faith-based deliverance or anti-Satanism services. Working when the client gets help that respects their religion.
• assuming coercion because of the name, or missing it because the group says it values individualism. Working when the client can weigh membership freely.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.