Penguicon 2026

"It all started with good intentions. A group had heightened emotional and psychological experiences, and years later, some of the participants wrote regretful blog posts saying they gained a sense of purpose but lost their sense of self; their sense of proportion; and their sense. We’ve heard the story many times. Mostly what we hear is advice about how to prevent joining one, but what about how to prevent starting one? Sometimes a group takes hold of each other negatively without anyone having ever planned for that. Can it be better designed from the outset? I’ll suggest practical ways to short-circuit several kinds of self-reinforcing spirals of group norms, and share perspectives from multiple sources, plus my own experiences."