IndoctriNation

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 other systems of control. Blessed Child is a place for survivors to find community, deconstruct old belief systems, and share personal stories.

In this emotional and informative conversation, Renee offers Rachel her personal insights as a "Blessed Child" born into the Unification Church. She expertly encapsulates the sprawling authoritarian power and reach of the church as well as its narcissistic and destructive leaders. Together Renee and Rachel unpack the difficulties that are all too commonly experienced by second-generation members of high-control groups. Renee explains how she grounds herself through art and family and highlights the ways she works toward healing.

Before You Go: Rachel points out the importance of integrating into a connective and safe community in order to see yourself in the truest light, beyond the prejudices of the group's dogma, and examines Renee's powerful concept of leaving a thousand times.

More info on Renee's artwork and her Blessed Child podcast here:

linktr.ee/renrobot

Follow the link below for more information on Christiane Coste, the murdered missionary that Renee mentioned, who helped establish "The News World" which helped lay the foundation for the Washington Times:

howwelldoyouknowyourmoon.tumblr.com/post/18…-martyr

You can sign up for Rachel's webinar series LIVING IN FREEDOM here:

rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html

Thanks to all of our newest Patreon supporters:

Lynn Dorsett, Michelle Miller, Mary Wimberley, Clinton Bench, Jacob Richard!!

To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit:

www.patreon.com/indoctrination

Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link:

http://www.paypal.me/indoctrination

You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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 Sonya for sharing with us their inspiring story of survivorship and their passionate fight for justice.

In this heartbreaking but important conversation, Jaye and Sonya begin to reveal their traumatic experiences of coercive control and extreme abuse perpetrated at the Believer's House Worldwide Ministries led by "Pastor" Bernard Chaney. They break down their respective hardships and familial struggles as they attempted to seek faith in the church only to be deceived, abused, and taken advantage of by the congregation's sociopathic leader. Rachel offers what comfort she can by outlining the common tactics employed by sociopathic and narcissistic leaders of high control groups.

Before You Go: Rachel advises careful scrutiny of leaders who anoint themselves with lofty titles, warning that it's often simply an attempt to quell the questioning of their perceived infallible authority.

Please help to spread the word and learn more about Believers House and Bernard Chaney by visiting these links:

Sign the Petition:

https://chng.it/QpxRgxCXFN

Activist Campaign:

https://4ndrewpledger.mypixieset.com/expose-bernard-chaney/

Podcast Series: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5FctvSiGaH24eWmFG5AHmZ?si=ytHCnNBZTWKEn2mPMJu-hw

Website:

https://believershouseisacult.weebly.com/

You can sign up for Rachel's webinar series LIVING IN FREEDOM here:

rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html

Thanks to all of our newest Patreon supporters:

Wimberley, Daniela de Bruyn, Clinton Bench, Jacob Richard, veridianrian, Katy Sabayrac, Bakerzoo, and Micah!!

To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit:

www.patreon.com/indoctrination

Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link:

www.paypal.me/indoctrination

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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

For this bonus episode, we are presenting Rachel's full interview with Khalil Ekulona from a 2021 episode of his show "No More Normal" on New Mexico Public Radio. Only a short excerpt of this excellent and informative interview made it to air, so we wanted to present the full interview exclusively for our supporters. The episode titled "Walking Back Extremism" focused on the rise of Qanon and extremist politics in the wake of the pandemic. You can listen to that original radio broadcast here:

www.kunm.org/local-news/2021-05…ing-back-extremism

In addition to Khalil's pandemic-focused radio show on KUNM in Albuquerque. He's also served as the co-host of Good Day New Mexico and as a correspondent with New Mexico PBS. He is currently a correspondent for Nashville Public Radio

Thanks so much to our supporters for making this episode possible!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Gerette Buglion is a co-founder of the #igotout movement and a lifelong educator, who brings discernment, compassion, and understanding to the psycho-educational journey of cult recovery. She published her book An Everyday Cult in May 2021 and is currently working on a new project called Misunderstood. Gerette has a B.A. in Elementary Education and Special Education and earned her "Master's Degree" in cult awareness education from the school of life. This training occurred during her eighteen-year odyssey with Doug (fictitious name, real person) who was the leader of the ‘Center for Transformational Learning (fictitious name real group)

Gerette joins Rachel to express her passion for education and explain the events that led to her current work as a cult educator with the #igotout movement. Together Rachel and Gerette dive deep into the common difficulties cult survivors have as they leave their groups and discuss the best practices for alleviating the dizzying complexities of starting a new life outside of the high control they've become so accustomed to.

Find more info on Gerette's work here:

www.gerettebuglion.com/

More info on the #igotout organization here:

www.igotout.org/

Before You Go: Rachel expands on how sharing personal stories of survival does not have to include naming the group or perpetrators in order for survivors to gain autonomy and healing from the process, noting it's just as cathartic for the survivors and just as educational for others to hear.

You can sign up for Rachel's webinar series LIVING IN FREEDOM here:

rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html

Thanks to all of our newest Patreon supporters:

Stephanie Ellis, Marianne Fox, Stacey Bellows, Dr. Jo Eckler, Travis Bouwer, Julia C, Tom Harper, Ginger Sorbara, Dao Tindukasiri, Emily Adele Fletcher, Marie-Claude Hébert, Jessica, Maria, Matt Faucher, and, Juliana Zhou !!

Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link:

www.paypal.me/indoctrination

You can help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Heidi Thompson was born into the Seventh-Day Adventist apocalyptic religion. She escaped at age 19 to attend college at the University of North Texas where she completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. While in graduate school, she learned about a spiritual organization called the Rudra Center for Enlightened Awareness. She began attending their sweat lodges, meditation, and shamanic psychology classes. She soon became part of the inner circle and was eventually introduced to its parent organization called the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society. After her recruitment into the Deer Tribe, Heidi became actively involved in their sacred sexuality workshops called ‘Quodoushka.’ Quodoushka claims to teach people that sex is “natural, sacred and beautiful.” Heidi was told these workshops would help her heal from sexual trauma. However, while attending these workshops, she was manipulated into doing many perverse and corrupt sexual activities she did not want to do. These experiences left her deeply traumatized. In early 2022, Heidi decided to speak out to the community about her experiences. Immediately, former participants began writing to her about their own stories of sexual exploitation and manipulation at these Quodoushka sex workshops and other Deer Tribe events. She hopes that by speaking out publicly, it will help others avoid and walk away from destructive high-control groups. Today, she is recovering and rebuilding her life with her husband.

In this revealing and courageous conversation, Heidi shares her story of religious and sexual trauma for the very first time, explaining to Rachel the generational family dysfunction that primed her for seeking healing in a faux Native American organization, which turned out to be an abusive sex cult. Heidi succinctly articulates the complex emotional turmoil of her familial relationships as well as her yearning for healthy spiritual practice.

Before You Go: Rachel cautions against ascribing meaning to the often nebulous phrases of spiritual leaders' which can actually be bereft of any true depth when closely examined with critical thinking.

Heidi’s social handles and website:

www.instagram.com/theheidithompson/

www.linkedin.com/in/theheidithompson/

Deer Tribe and affiliate organization links:

dtmms.org/

www.amaracharles.com/

www.quodoushka.org/

rudracenter.org

You can sign up for Rachel's webinar series LIVING IN FREEDOM here:

rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html

Thanks to all of our newest Patreon supporters:

Stephanie Ellis, Marianne Fox, Stacey Bellows, Dr. Jo Eckler, Travis Bouwer, Julia C, Tom Harper, Ginger Sorbara, Dao Tindukasiri, Emily Adele Fletcher, Marie-Claude Hébert, Jessica, Maria, Matt Faucher, and, Juliana Zhou !!

To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit:

www.patreon.com/indoctrination

Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link:

www.paypal.me/indoctrination

You can help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode, you can hear the episode in its entirety by becoming a member at:

www.patreon.com/indoctrination

In this very special bonus episode, we revisit some of the material we've covered with regard to one of the most notorious cults of all time...Scientology.

We've released over 20 episodes on Scientology and spoken to some of the most important activists working to expose this criminal organization, including Tony Ortega, Claire Headley, Tory Christman, and many more who like Rachel have all been a target of their brutal "fair game" harassment policy.

In this episode, we aim to provide a concentrated look into the deeper and often more personal details we've uncovered over the years. So, we will revisit some of those emotionally revealing and humanizing stories in an attempt to further educate the public about this "church" which operates more like the mafia.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Sam Jahara is a UKCP Registered Psychotherapist and Tavistock certified Executive Coach with a private practice in Brighton, South-East England. She became a psychotherapist as a result of coming to terms with several aspects of her upbringing, mainly linked with cultural identity as well as being raised by parents who were involved in a cult. Sam grew up primarily in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil but moved around a lot because of her parent’s involvement with their guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later renamed Osho). From age 6 she lived in communes dotted across Europe, including the UK, and life was chaotic and unsettling. After leaving the cult in her late 20s, she spent many years trying to make sense of her profound experiences of lack of belonging and a sense of identity, stemming from being both an immigrant and an ex-cult member. As with many cults, children are usually seen as objects, a hindrance, or treated as little adults. Abuse and neglect are common through the encouragement of separation of parents and children. Now in her late 40s, she is still making sense of some of these experiences and using her training and knowledge to continue to understand cults, cult leaders, and what makes people follow them.

In this insightful conversation, the two therapists examine the impact that neglectful parents can have on the development of children through the lens of Sam's own perspective of being raised in an Osho commune as a young child. Together, Rachel and Sam go on to discuss the cultural identity issues that are often present in people who were raised in cults and how it relates also to those who had unstable living conditions as children. Sam offers a thoughtful analysis of her parents' motives in joining Osho's cultic community and opens up about the emotional complexities inherent in her relationships with her family today.

Before You Go: Rachel further examines her concept of a spiritual placebo, explaining it can decieve followers into sacrificing the power of their own autonomy and makes them vulnerable to dependence on a guru figure.

Links:

https://www.brightonandhovepsychotherapy.com

https://www.instagram.com/brightonhovepsychotherapy/

https://twitter.com/brightonpsych

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYz7Fl2DxxATFLmN-RFRIsQ

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samjahara/

You can sign up for Rachel's webinar series LIVING IN FREEDOM here:

rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html

Thanks to all of our newest Patreon supporters:

Eike, Kate Davison, Ingjerd Langnes, Carrie Jacobson, Katherine Walsh, Samantha Gee, Michael Call, Aleka, Emanuele Monica, Michele Yaddaw, Kateland Harte, Berit Anderson, SarahJane, Dawn Haltom, Jennifer Wright, Emma Buchbinder, and, Claire Pittman!

To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit:

www.patreon.com/indoctrination

Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link:

www.paypal.me/indoctrination

You can help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Andrew Jasko is a Princeton Seminary-educated former minister, who has a Master's Degree in Divinity, and in Counseling Psychology. Andrew had to leave his religious faith and community because of the severe psychological trauma he experienced. After spending years healing his trauma and helping hundreds of people transform their lives, he founded his organization Life After Dogma to continue his expertise in healing religious trauma, where Andrew’s clients hire him to assist them in healing and finding a healthy, authentic spiritual or secular connection that suits them.

Andrew shares his theological knowledge with Rachel helping her to understand the biblical origin of Christo-fascism and how it connects to today's right-wing-leaning Christianity. Together they discuss the nuances of counseling people suffering from religious trauma and the difficulties in finding healthier forms of spiritual connection.

Before You Go: Rachel explains why people who put their faith in the teachings of holy books should examine the interpretations they are given especially when they are presented as infallible or when the group preaches religious superiority.

Schedule a session with Andrew:

https://innerfreedomsession.as.me

Andrew's website:

https://www.lifeafterdogma.org

Andrew's Facebook Support Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/religioustrauma

You can sign up for Rachel's webinar series LIVING IN FREEDOM here:

rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html

Thanks to all of our newest Patreon supporters:

Kate Davison, Ingjerd Langnes, Carrie Jacobson, Katherine Walsh, Samantha Gee, Michael Call, Aleka, Emanuele Monica, Michele Yaddaw, Kateland Harte, Berit Anderson, SarahJane, Dawn Haltom, Jennifer Wright, Emma Buchbinder, and, Claire Pittman!

To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit:

www.patreon.com/indoctrination

Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link:

www.paypal.me/indoctrination

You can help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode, you can hear the episode in its entirety by becoming a member at:

www.patreon.com/indoctrination

In this very special bonus episode, Rachel speaks with her beloved friend and longtime Rabbi, Ed Feinstein.

Rabbi Ed Feinstein serves the Valley Beth Shalom community as a teacher and visionary leader. He serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), which was chosen for the American Library Association’s Top Ten Books on Religion for Young Readers and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award.

An engaging lecturer and storyteller, Rabbi Feinstein unites the ancient Jewish love of ideas with the warmth of Jewish humor. He takes this opportunity to discuss with Rachel the circumstances that allow the ideologies of violent hate groups to fester and the societal indoctrination that entraps so many people within its hateful grips.

Thanks to our Patrons for making this episode possible!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Esther Friedman is a licensed mental health counselor, expressive art therapist, songwriter, performer, author, and ex-cult member. In 2006, a cult took advantage of her uncertainty, open-mindedness & open-heartedness. It perpetrated what she now calls Cultic Identity Theft. In 2011, she left and found her voice by embracing, honoring, and protecting those core traits. She says that telling her story through writing saved her sanity. Those vulnerabilities are now her strengths.

Esther shares her journey of involvement in a secretive group that she knew simply as "School" but which has been known by many names, most popularly Odyssey Study Group. She explains how a seemingly innocuous and coincidental meeting in a grocery store was actually a premeditated plan of recruitment by this high-control and deceptive group. Along the way Esther and Rachel exchange insights, they've gained from treating clients who have recently left high control groups.

Before You Go: Rachel explains how ex-members of high control groups have a right to feel anger and how that intensity can be used as a positive motivator toward healing and self-reliance.

Find more about Esther and her work here: https://www.gsrhealingarts.com/

You can sign up for Rachel's webinar series LIVING IN FREEDOM here:

rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html

Thanks to all of our newest Patreon supporters!!

To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit:

www.patreon.com/indoctrination

Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link:

www.paypal.me/indoctrination

You can help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands