The current paper advances understanding of terrorist rehabilitation by examining ideological reappraisal as a foundational mechanism in disengagement efforts. Drawing on interviews with 24 participants in Australia’s Community Integration Support Program—20 of whom were convicted of terrorism-related offenses—it integrates practitioner insights with academic theory. Building on Koehler’s concepts of de-pluralization and re-pluralization, the study highlights how reduced cognitive complexity, driven by ideological abstractionism, underpins radicalisation. Conversely, restoring cognitive complexity through ideological reappraisal is identified as a critical pathway for exit. The paper advocates for embedding this approach within countering violent extremism (CVE) strategies and reflects on its broader theoretical and practical implications.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09546553.2025.2540364