Daniel Shaw, former member of a yoga cultic group, is a professional psychotherapist and author, who has researched extensively traumatic abuse from narcissistic systems of subjugation and control. He's a fascinating person to talk to with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Dan talks about his work into narcissistic abusers and cult leaders, the road to recovery for their victims, the common misuse of the word and responds to Stephen's controversial question about whether Jehovah's Witnesses have constructed their own narcissistic cult leader.

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

Daniel's Website 

https://danielshawlcsw.com/

In this week's bonus episode in the mini-series The Psychology of Cults, Stephen uses social psychological to explore the attraction of a cult and how these groups appeal to our basic psychological needs.

You can read the script of this podcast on Stephen's Medium Page. 

https://medium.com/@SteEvilSheep/why-people-join-cults-and-why-they-stay-fe23cb160e51

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

Leaving a high control group is difficult for everyone. Men and women have specific challenges, and today Celine and Stephen explore the challenges for men. 

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

In this bonus mini-series, Stephen talks about the psychology of cults. Today's episode is about the practice of shunning, its psychological effects, arguments some use to defend it and how society should view it. All of these episodes are available as blogs on Stephen Medium page. 

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

Stephen's Blog on Medium: https://medium.com/@SteEvilSheep/what-should-we-think-about-the-religious-practice-of-shunning-7e9cd5d0567

Abby was a 15 year old girl suffering from anxiety when she was taken against her will to a lockdown facility in Utah. Abby's story is shocking but not, unfortunately unique, where powerful organizations prey upon desperate parents and the misery of children. This is the first time Cult Hackers has spoken to a victim the so-called troubled teen industry. 

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

Information about the TTI from Abby

• Indicators of Abuse (Red Flags List)

In this bonus mini-series, Stephen talks about the psychology of cults. Today's episode is about how cults motivate members to carry out work for the group. All of these episodes are taken from Stephen Medium page. You can read the script here. https://medium.com/@SteEvilSheep/how-cults-keep-you-motivated-3d1eced8344c

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

Stephen's Blog on Medium: https://medium.com/@SteEvilSheep/how-cults-keep-you-motivated-3d1eced8344c

Today's special episode focuses on Stephen's endurance challenge as he trains for the Land's End to John o' Groats 970 mile cycle ride from the southern tip of England, through Wales to the northern point of Scotland. Celine and Stephen also preview some of the guests and events coming up on the show.

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

The original Bike and Psych: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuftwhR3Y4w

Susan Dones took on NXIVM before most of us had even heard about the cultic self-help group. Against the warning of the Judge, Susan defended herself in court against at the, then powerful and wealthy, self-improvement cult led by the now disgraced criminal Keith Ranieri. In this episode Stephen and Celine talk to Susan about her experience with the group, the coercive methods used to trap people and levels of accountability within the leadership. Susan is now an advocate for, and supporter of ex-members of cultic and coercive situations and seeks to provide useful information through her website and her appearances. 

Susan's Website:

https://susandones.com/

Support Stephen's Ride to Support the Family Survivor's Trust.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

Contact us

https://culthackers.com/

Become a patron

https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

Today's 'topic episode' is about grief, and Celine and Stephen explore the famous Kübler-Ross stages of grief and how they might apply to leaving a coercively controlling organization, relationship or cult. They also reflect upon the recent news items revealing the experiences of ex Jehovah's Witnesses and the Rebekah Vardy documentary, including the organization's responses.

If you'd like to sponsor Stephen's charity ride in aid of The Family Survival Trust you can do so here. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

If you'd like to contact us you can do so here:

https://culthackers.com/

Shunning videos 

https://avoidjw.org/news/jehovahs-witnesses-mysteriously-deleted-shunning-videos/

Papers

Ransom, H. J., Monk, R. L., & Heim, D. (2021). Grieving the living: The social death of former Jehovah’s Witnesses. Journal of religion and health, 1-23.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10943-020-01156-8

Ransom, H. J., Monk, R. L., Qureshi, A., & Heim, D. (2021). Life after social death: Leaving the jehovah’s witnesses, identity transition and recovery. Pastoral Psychology, 70, 53-69.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11089-020-00935-0

The Guardian Review of the Rebekah Vardy Documentary 

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/may/16/rebekah-vardy-jehovahs-witnesses-and-me-review-this-harrowing-documentary-will-totally-surprise-you

The Mail Online Piece About Dr Heather Ransom

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12097861/My-family-friends-rejected-fled-Jehovahs-Witnesses.html

Rebecca Woodward is a writer, published in the New York Times, Huffpost and Electric Literature. She was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and recently wrote a well received piece in the Electric Lit about Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare'. Rebecca talks about her experience growing up in and trying to be part of the religious group and her burning desire to write, her struggles to make her way in education and find a life of her own. Stephen, Celine and Rebecca also imagine the astonishing consequences of living forever in so-called perfection - can there be stories and drama when everyone and everything is perfect?

Stephen is raising Money for the Family Survival Trust with a ride from Lands End to John ò Groats. You can sponsor him here. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

If you's like to become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

If you'd like to contact us: https://culthackers.com/

Rebecca Woodward's Website: 

https://www.rebeccawoodward.com/