Daniel Barban Levin and Felicia Rosario are survivors of the now infamous coercive control group led by Larry Ray, who is now serving a 60-year prison sentence. Their stories are both heavily featured in the new Hulu documentary STOLEN YOUTH: INSIDE THE CULT AT SARAH LAWRENCE The film which is available now for streaming offers striking first-hand interviews with con man Larry Ray’s victims and incorporates personal audio tapes and video recordings to tell the story of his grim 10-year influence...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr
In the first half of this very special two-part episode. Rachel speaks with author Daniel Barban Levin who had previously come on the show to discuss his excellent memoir SLONIM WOODS 9, about his experience getting into, surviving, and getting out of the now infamous coercive control group that began at Sarah Lawrence College. Joining Daniel this time will be Felicia Rosario who is also a survivor of the group's master manipulator Larry Ray, who thankfully is now serving a jail sentence of 60 y...
Feb 22, 2023•51 min
This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Patrick Ryan is a graduate of Maharishi International University and a former Associate teacher of Transcendental Meditation who has been a cult intervention specialist thought reform consultant and exit counselor since leaving TM in 1984. Mr. Ryan is the founder and former head of TM-EX, the organization of ex-members of Transcendental Meditatio...
Feb 17, 2023•5 min
CONTENT WARNING: Child Abuse & Sex Trafficking Isami Daehn is a subject matter expert on anti-human trafficking and child safety. She grew up in Japan and was raised by professional con artists under the guise of “missionaries." Her home was an unsafe place for children, as her mother became her sex trafficker at the age of 9. Since leaving her abusive home as an adult, her mission has been to become a voice for the exploited and abused within religious settings and educate leadership on the...
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Meg Appelgate is the CEO of Unsilenced, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to stop institutional child abuse by empowering self-advocates to promote lasting social change. The organization envisions a world where youth are free from institutionalization and the voices of young people are respected in the development of their own mental, emotional, and physical well-being. At the age of 15, Meg was abducted by two strangers in the middle of the night from her California home and was told t...
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 10 min
This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Patrick Ryan is a graduate of Maharishi International University and a former Associate teacher of Transcendental Meditation who has been a cult intervention specialist thought reform consultant and exit counselor since leaving TM in 1984. Mr. Ryan is the founder and former head of TM-EX, the organization of ex-members of Transcendental Meditatio...
Feb 03, 2023•7 min
Steven Hassan, Ph.D. is a mental health professional and expert in undue influence tactics used by authoritarian leaders and destructive cults. His expertise includes harmful influence in cases of destructive religious and political cults, human trafficking, extremist and terrorist groups, one-on-one relationships, families, parental alienation, mini-cults, therapy and self-improvement groups, professional and institutional abuse, corporate and multi-level marketing programs, and harmful belief ...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Today's guests Joyce Short and Nina Lucas represent the organization known as The Consent Awareness Network, which is fighting for sexual abuse survivors by codifying consent in our penal codes as a freely given, knowledgeable, and informed agreement. Joyce is the founder and Chief Executive of the Consent Awareness Network, she's also an author, and a TEDx Talk Presenter. Joyce has been an expert witness and the architect of several legislative bills that can radically change how consent is dea...
Jan 25, 2023•1 hr 21 min
This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this first episode of our new Patreon exclusive tribute series, we are covering the highly knowledgeable, and often hilarious James Randi. James Randi was a Canadian-American stage magician, author, and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. He was the co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inq...
Jan 20, 2023•5 min
Kacey is the host and creator of The Cult Vault, an award-nominated long-form interview-based podcast focusing on the true testimonies of cult survivors. Kacey began her podcast during the COVID-19 lockdown, which coincided with her maternity leave. At first, it was intended to be focused on researching cult cases from history and presenting them to those who might be interested in listening. But as survivors began reaching out she realized her platform had turned into something more - a place f...
Jan 18, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Tracy Coenen has been investigating fraud for more than 25 years, but she didn’t always want to be a forensic accountant. She went to Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI to get a criminology degree. A class on financial crime investigations reminded her how much she loved Encyclopedia Brown books as a kid. She continued her criminology degree but added accounting and economics courses so she could sit for the CPA exam. Today, Tracy is finding money in cases of corporate fraud, high-net-worth d...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Ruwan Meepagala is a podcaster and coach. In his early twenties, he became involved in the matriarchal cult, known as One Taste, which was recently covered in the Netflix documentary Orgasm Inc. Ruwan describes his time with the group as one of the most formative experiences of his life, giving him a crash course in some of the darker parts of human nature. The memoir of his years in the cult, along with his other writing and podcasts can be found at: https://ruwando.substack.com/ In this reveal...
Jan 04, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Once again, this week we'd like to encourage everyone to allow themselves some grace and self-care during the upcoming holiday season. No matter your religious background or your family situation, these cold winter weeks can be very stressful for everyone for a variety of reasons and it's important to take a step back and give yourself a break whenever possible and in whatever way you can. So to follow our own advice, we are taking a moment to rejuvenate ourselves and make plans for all the amaz...
Dec 28, 2022•55 min
This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Frances Peters is a Certified Academic Coach/Counselor at her own practice FreeChoice in the Netherlands. She was born into a destructive group with a Christian background and left in 2004 with her husband and their two children. Frances has helped many former members to reclaim their lives. Frances has written magazine articles about the influen...
Dec 23, 2022•6 min
This week we'd like to encourage everyone to allow themselves some grace and self-care during the upcoming holiday season. No matter your religious background or your family situation, these cold winter weeks can be very stressful for everyone for a variety of reasons and it's important to take a step back and give yourself a break whenever possible and in whatever way you can. So to follow our own advice, we are taking a moment to rejuvenate ourselves and make plans for all the amazing shows we...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Sarah Landry is a Canadian jewelry artist who has made it her mission in life to expose the criminal activity of “Nithyananda,” a con artist whom she once called “guru. Sarah spent nine years in a destructive cult led by the fraudulent "swami" She fell into the trap of this dangerous organization in Vancouver in 2009, believing it to be a yoga and meditation academy. Once in, the group tightened control over her life to the point that she was pressured to take the vow of monasticism in 2015, at ...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 23 min
This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Frances Peters is a Certified Academic Coach/Counselor at her own practice FreeChoice in the Netherlands. She was born into a destructive group with a Christian background and left in 2004 with her husband and their two children. Frances has helped many former members to reclaim their lives. Frances has written magazine articles about the influen...
Dec 09, 2022•8 min
Lisa Guerci was raised, from the age of five, in a Connecticut-based doomsday cult known as "The Work", led by a man who called himself Brother Julius and eventually God. His message was that he was a sin-demonstrating Messiah sent to bring about the end of the world. The altered reality of this small but extremely toxic group was Lisa's entire life until she escaped at age 26, with her young daughter. In this illuminating and moving conversation, Lisa opens up to Rachel about the deep trauma sh...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Carol Merchasin brings her deep legal experience to McAllister Olivarius, heading up cases involving sexual misconduct in religious, faith-based, and spiritual communities. As an investigator, she has worked to uncover sexual misconduct within the Shambhala International lineage of Buddhism, the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers, and is currently assisting other spiritual communities in bringing allegations of sexual misconduct to light. She has worked with survivors of abuse and misconduct across ...
Nov 30, 2022•1 hr 18 min
This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Janja Lalich, Ph.D. is a researcher, author, and educator specializing in cults and extremist groups, with a particular focus on charismatic relationships, political and other social movements, ideology and social control, and issues of gender and sexuality. She has been a consultant to educational, mental health, business, media, and legal profe...
Nov 25, 2022•9 min
Jon Atack has been a consultant or expert witness in at least 150 court actions and worked on over 200 media pieces, he’s published more than 500 articles and papers, and over 300 videos. His history of Scientology, Let’s Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky, is a best-seller. He has spoken at conferences all over the world and led the five-day Getting Clear of Scientology seminar in Toronto. Jon has been a scholar-practitioner for almost 40 years and has helped more than 600 people in their re...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 42 min
Shannon Payton, known as Shanny Pants by many, is a content creator and podcaster living in Rocklin, California. Her podcast, The ShannyPants Show is currently in its second season. In her interview-style podcast, Shannon shares her struggles of growing up in a cult, battles through years of infertility that ended in a hysterectomy, and finally her journey to parenthood through foster care and adoption. Shannon has been a guest on The Kelly Clarkson show and has appeared on local TV show GoodDay...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 21 min
This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this exclusive Patreon bonus episode, Rachel provides her insights on the shifting language of cults, explaining the most common tactics of linguistic manipulation that leaders use to control their followers. This episode features clips from previous episodes with Amanda Montell and Emma Buchbinder which can be found below Amanda Montell: http...
Nov 11, 2022•6 min
Elizabeth Gilpin is an actress, activist, writer, and producer who also serves as an ambassador for Represent Justice, an organization using the power of media to demand real change in the justice system. Her first memoir, Stolen, is a gripping chronicle of psychological manipulation and abuse at a “therapeutic” boarding school for troubled teens and illustrates how one young woman fought to heal in the aftermath. Gilpin is passionate about raising awareness and encouraging the narratives of sur...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 10 min
This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this exclusive Patreon bonus episode, Rachel provides her insights on psychics and mediums drawing from her own personal experiences as well as what she's learned from clients of hers who were manipulated by fraudulent practitioners. Rachel points out some of the red flags to look out for and explains how manipulative "clairvoyants" observe an...
Oct 28, 2022•5 min
Mike Rinder was raised as a Scientologist from the age of 5 when his parents began attending the Scientology International Center in Australia in the early 1960s. He eventually went on to serve as Scientology’s international spokesperson. Mike was the head of OSA- Scientology's Office of Special Affairs and was a member of the Board of directors of the Church of Scientology International. Since denouncing Scientology, Rinder has become a prominent whistleblower against its abuses. He appeared in...
Oct 26, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Ashlen Hilliard is a cult intervention specialist helping families with loved ones in cultic or high-control groups or relationships and is the face behind People Leave Cults. She completed her MSc in the Psychology of Coercive Control in early 2022 and conducted research on the relationship between reproductive coercion, psychologically abusive environments, and the extent of group identity in a sample of those who have left cultic groups. Ashlen has previous experience working for multiple non...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 20 min
This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination As some of you may know Rachel has recently started a webinar series in order to further provide resources to those who have been harmed by cultic control as well as help their loved ones better understand their experiences. In this special bonus episode presentation, Rachel premieres her upcoming video lecture which will focus on explaining the ...
Oct 14, 2022•12 min
Renee Thomas holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, while also being a tattoo artist and human rights activist. She was born and raised in the Unification Church as a 2nd generation “blessed child". A decade after leaving and processing life outside the cult, she now speaks about the experience publicly with the hashtag #exmoonie. Renee is also the host of "Blessed Child", a podcast where people can come together and speak frankly on their vast range of experiences, within the moon cult and oth...
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Jaye Cole and Sonya Morris are survivors of "Believers House Worldwide Ministries" in Norfolk, VA. They are leading a campaign among others to share their stories of the horrific spiritual, physical, psychological, and sexual abuse they experienced and witnessed from Pastor Bernard Chaney. Survivors are seeking justice for the many children victimized at the church's school "Voice of Believers Academy." Bernard is under investigation but has not been charged with any crimes. Thanks to Jaye and S...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 30 min
