I recently posted a question in a cult survivor's FB group, specifically asking: Now that you've got out of one cult, what is your strategy for making sure you don't get indoctrinated into another one?
There were some good answers, and some concerning answers.
In this episode, I share my 2 cents on the topic.
Join me as I interview Scott Homan, the filmmaker responsible for creating Witness Underground.
Witness Underground is a feature documentary that reveals the insular DIY artist community that emerged within the high-control Jehovah's Witness religion in Minneapolis. Music, fame, and success are typically forbidden in the religion, which instructs its members to "beware of independent thinking." The artists at the heart of the music scene have their faith tested in deeply personal ways.
They battle for positive mental health and push the boundaries of their religion's norms, where leaving often means being banned from interacting with your entire family and social circle for life. Although severely restricted, they create the record label Nuclear Gopher and produce over 30 albums of earnest and personal music.
This episode is me reading a popular series of articles that I wrote some time ago.
Listen in as we explore the 7 principles of influence, how they were abused, and how we can wield influence ethically in our lives to cultivate greater levels of self-authorship and empowerment.
Stevie Noah helps religious trauma survivors go from being triggered, self-defeated and stuck in rut, to transforming their lives with mind-body, neural training techniques and consciousness education.
Check out her masterclass to learn precisely how your nervous system works in relation to how your religion (or cult) set you up to keep you in a fear and survival thinking-feeling-loop for life - and how you can choose to change it. https://www.stevienoah.com/triggerhacksmc
The Religion Rehab podcast features interviews with industry experts and former members of the organisation to discuss deprogramming, protecting yourself from manipulation, healing your self-esteem, negotiation, social skills, basic business skills, and exploring perspectives that give us an advantage in the journey of recovery.
We also hear life stories and learn how it's possible to not only "cope" with life outside of the organisation, but how to actually thrive and live a life you can be truly grateful for.
If you have any questions or topics you would like to hear us discuss, or you want to be interviewed to share your experiences or expertise, please apply using the button on this page: https://www.religionrehab.co.uk/podcast
This introductory episode is to clarify why I started this podcast, who I started it for, and what it’s about.
The reason I’m sharing this is because then you can make a fully informed choice about if you would like to subscribe, keep listening and continue to explore this conversation with me!
In this episode I share the 2 epiphanies that caused me to wake up (after I'd already been Disfellowshipped from the JW organisation), and the realisations I had after diving deep into exploring the world of "apostates" and post-religious activism.
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Tune into this interview to hear Joakim's inspiring story.
He was raised in the JW organisation and left at age 16, after which he was plunged into a world of substance addiction - all of which he has overcome and is now helping others heal from religious trauma with a powerful group therapy modality.
Check out the website below for more information about his project:
https://www.religiontherapycircles.com/
Financial intelligence is an area that many survivors of high-control religions struggle, after all - if you've been taught that the world is going to end "any day now" then what's the point of planning for the future!
Kassidy is doing incredible work in bringing financial education and resources to survivors of harmful religions, so be sure to check out this interview and find her on FB or LinkedIn by simply searching for Kassidy Beckstein.
James Tripp is an incredible trainer and coach from the UK who has extensive experience in supporting people in rehabilitating and rebuilding their lives after living in immersive situations of challenge.
If you are interested in gaining insights into practical psychology and behavioural change, be sure to check out James' YouTube Channel "James Tripp Chaos Wave" and dig into the Aladdin's cave of material he shares there.
Tune into this conversation with Wendi Renay who is doing incredible work in supporting survivors of religious abuse.
In this interview you will learn her story of how she personally navigated the process of waking up, leaving, and building a life outside the organisation, which has now brought her to the point of being able to give invaluable support and guidance to others who are in a similar position, including giving them a voice through her devOUT podcast.
I've recorded this short episode to answer some questions that were posted in response to my recent interview on Wendi Renay's devOut podcast.
(Here is the link if you haven't already watched it, definitely subscribe to her channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XlwqFZFQts
This episode answers the questions:
Tune in and feel free to contact me at jonam@religionrehab.co.uk if you have any further thoughts or questions you would like me to address in future episodes.
In this episode, Tiffani Cappello shares her personal journey of how she ended up first getting involved with a fundamentalist religion, to then waking up and leaving to then find her own path.
Tiffani combines her personal story with her experience as a hypnotherapist to share many invaluable gems which will be helpful to you if you're on the journey of recovering from any kind of authoritarian, oppressive structure.
Mark Bowden is a world-renowned body language expert, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. Voted Global Gurus’ #1 Body Language Professional in the world, Mark’s unique GesturePlane™ system of nonverbal communication helps audiences maximise the power of using their own body language to stand out, win trust, and gain credibility every time they communicate.
His bestselling books on body language and human behavior, translated into multiple languages, are: Winning Body Language; Winning Body Language for Sales Professionals; Tame the Primitive Brain; and Truth & Lies, What People are Really Thinking. Mark is a regular instructor for Canada’s #1-ranked EMBA program at Kellogg-Schulich School of Business, and he is President of the National Communication Coach Association of Canada.
In this conversation we gain the insights of one of the world's leading experts in human behaviour and gain practical advice that will help us to reclaim power and agency in our lives.
Check out Mark's work and his books at: https://truthplane.com/
In this episode we explore the mind control tactics used by toxic religions to keep people feeling stuck, lost, and hopeless about the future - and what you can do to overcome that.
Join me for this episode where I speak with the amazing power couple, Sherrie & Sacha D'Souza!
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Listen in and you'll learn how they went from being devout pioneers in the central hub of the congregation, to having one partner wake up to "the truth about the truth" before the other, all the way to today where they are spearheading the vital and lifesaving work at https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/ and providing support for survivors of religious indoctrination.
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I had such fun speaking with these wonderful humans and am very grateful to know they're out there doing this work for our extended community.
Tune into this conversation with Asher Candor, a powerful voice in the exJW activism world and the first direct-action activist I've ever interviewed on our podcast! You may recognise Asher from the recent VICE documentary, it was so great to be able to connect and dive deeper into many topics from personal experiences in and out of the org, the efforts and successes in his activism work, and how Asher has navigated the LGBTQ+ community.