Ted Patrick

Theodore "Ted" Roosevelt Patrick, Jr. (born 1930) is an American anti-cult activist, best known for his invention and prolific use of the practice known as deprogramming. He is sometimes referred to as the "father of deprogramming."

In the early 1970s, following the involvement of his son in a religious cult called The Children of God, Patrick founded an organization called FREECOG (Parents' Committee to Free Our Sons and Daughters from the Children of God), and subsequently became involved with the Citizens' Freedom Foundation (later known as the Cult Awareness Network). Patrick offered what he called "deprogramming" services to people who wanted a family member extracted from a New Religious Movement. His methods involved abduction, forced confinement and physical restraint, food and sleep deprivation, and desecration of the symbols of the victim's faith.

Patrick faced multiple criminal charges and civil proceedings resulting from his deprogramming activities. He was eventually convicted of crimes such as kidnapping, false imprisonment and conspiracy.