“…In such a setting, and given the doctrinal content of the spiritual teachings purveyed by this magico-esoteric community, proselytes to this NRM must necessarily undergo a radical change of identity. The hostility, as it were, of the religious field ( sensu Bourdieu, 1971) surrounding Damanhur contributes to making this organization – which in this respect is not unlike the majority of NRMs – a ‘greedy’ institution ( sensu Coser, 1974), or, with Skonovd ‘totalist’ (Skonovd, 1981, cited in Currie, 2016: 53), which demands that prospective members make a commitment that often extends past the spiritual level to encompass the social plane. This accounts for the radical character of the second turning point, the deconversion, which calls for yet another and perhaps an even more radical redefinition of self.…”