Lauren Passell, the founder of Tink Media, interviews Javier in celebration of PRETEND's 100th episode.

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In Season 2 of PRETEND, I covered the story of a serial killer who murdered at least five American ex-pats. Three years after the story aired, I received a message from a listener who said she could put me in touch with the killer.

I decided to turn my interviews with Wild Bill into an entire season of CRIMINAL CONDUCT.

Listen to part 1 of Criminal Conduct season 3 then subscribe to listen to the rest:

https://linktr.ee/criminalconduct

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Rebekah Sebastian and Javier Leiva visit businesses run by cults. Also, what happens when a cult leader dies or goes to prison? Can the cult go on without its leader? Find out which cults are trying to continue the organization without any clear leadership.

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Cults are businesses too. Like any company, cults recruit, have middle management, and some even have succession plans. 

Many of these religious sects are tax-exempt. Like Scientology, even some fringe religions are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. 

Not all cults are religious. At first glance, some cults don't seem culty at all. For example, take a closer look at businesses such as multi-level marketing companies. These companies are masquerading as a business, but in reality, they're run by narcissistic ego-maniacs. 

The Cult Startup 

Like businesses, cults go through different phases. First, there's a startup phase where an entrepreneurial cult leader leads a movement and brings new innovative and revolutionary ideas. Take, for example, Jim Jones, leader of the People's Temple. In the beginning, he integrated his congregation during the Civil Rights Movement. After that, he was heavily involved in politics and social activism. The allure was undeniable. But in the end, Jones ordered 909 commune members to end their lives.  

The Cult Franchise

Then, there comes the point where the cult needs to expand its Business and influence. Take, for example, The Twelve Tribes religious sect. This organization, widely considered a cult, operates several businesses worldwide. I visited one of their Yellow Deli restaurants for the second installment of this series. 

The Cult Exit Strategy

If you're not evolving, you're dying. And sometimes, literally dying. So, what happens when a cult becomes too big to fail? Some morally bankrupt cult leaders resort to mass suicide. Other cults grow so big and fast that they become worldwide institutional organizations. 

The Business of Cults 

The Business of Cults is a three-part series hosted by Rebekah Sebastian with the DIELAOGUE Podcast and Javier Leiva of PRETEND podcast. 

Part one focuses on The C Suite: Chief Cult Executives. Part two features an interview with former NXIVM member Sarah Edmondson. And Part three explores the question, can a cult survive without its leader?

Listen to part two now on Patreon.

Buy the t-shirt for this week's episode. Collage art by @kelletteworks

https://pretend-radio-3.creator-spring.com/

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Cults are businesses too. Like any company, cults recruit, have middle management, and some even have succession plans. 

Many of these religious sects are tax-exempt. Like Scientology, even some fringe religions are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. 

Not all cults are religious. At first glance, some cults don't seem culty at all. For example, take a closer look at businesses such as multi-level marketing companies. These companies are masquerading as a business, but in reality, they're run by narcissistic ego-maniacs. 

The Cult Startup 

Like businesses, cults go through different phases. First, there's a startup phase where an entrepreneurial cult leader leads a movement and brings new innovative and revolutionary ideas. Take, for example, Jim Jones, leader of the People's Temple. In the beginning, he integrated his congregation during the Civil Rights Movement. After that, he was heavily involved in politics and social activism. The allure was undeniable. But in the end, Jones ordered 909 commune members to end their lives.  

The Cult Franchise

Then, there comes the point where the cult needs to expand its Business and influence. Take, for example, The Twelve Tribes religious sect. This organization, widely considered a cult, operates several businesses worldwide. I visited one of their Yellow Deli restaurants for the second installment of this series. 

The Cult Exit Strategy

If you're not evolving, you're dying. And sometimes, literally dying. So, what happens when a cult becomes too big to fail? Some morally bankrupt cult leaders resort to mass suicide. Other cults grow so big and fast that they become worldwide institutional organizations. 

The Business of Cults 

The Business of Cults is a three-part series hosted by Rebekah Sebastian with the DIELAOGUE Podcast and Javier Leiva of PRETEND podcast. 

Part one focuses on The C Suite: Chief Cult Executives. Part two features an interview with former NXIVM member Sarah Edmondson. And Part three explores the question, can a cult survive without its leader?

Listen to part two now on Patreon.

Buy the t-shirt for this week's episode. Collage art by @kelletteworks

https://pretend-radio-3.creator-spring.com/

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I'm working on a new series on cults that's really exciting. While you wait, here's a fun little bonus episode for you.

Moxie LaBouche, host of the Your Brain on Facts podcast, and I talk about our favorite scams.

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In this podcast episode

For 10 years, Jack Barsky was a sleeper agent spying for the Soviet Union. His job was to obtain secret or confidential information from inside the United States any way he could.

The KGB Spy

Jack Barsky spied on the United States from 1978 to 1988. And that entire time, his primary mission was to become an American. And that's precisely what he did. He moved to New York City, got a job as a computer programmer, and lived an unremarkable life. He made friends and other relationships while being Moscow's eyes and ears. But his clandestine mission as a sleeper agent was bound to end.

"The KGB, for some reason, got spooked and thought my cover was blown," said Barsky.

The message was clear. Jack Barsky was exposed and needed to return to Moscow.

Double agent

Jack Barsky's birth name is Albrecht Dittrich. When he first joined the KGB, he didn't see himself as a spy. Instead, he and other recruits thought of themselves as scouts for peace. The spies are the enemies of the West.

The KGB spy living the American Dream

Jack Barsky never intended for his story to get out. So for 10 years, Barsky assumed the identity of a dead child. He took the boy's name, birth certificate, and social security number. The mission was to infiltrate, extract secrets and get out. But eventually, his years as a sleeper agent were exposed to the world.

Hear the true story of this KGB's spy career came to an end.

Special Thanks to

Kellette Elliott for the custom collage artwork. Purchase a t-shirt with this episode's artwork here.

Story idea?

If you have a story to share, email Javier at info [at] pretendradio [dot] org.

For more episodes like this, visit pretendradio.org.

To get early releases and bonus episodes, go to pretendradio.org/donate

Today's episode was written and edited by Javier Leiva

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WARNING: This episode contains details about Santa Claus that younger listeners will not appreciate. If you have little ones around, plugin your headphones. 

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Javier

Check out the Christmas Past podcast with Brian Earl for more magical fun listening.

https://christmaspast.media/

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Alien abductions and hypnosis

Like they say on the X-files, "the truth is out there." Throughout history, people claimed to have seen many unexplainable things. Some have tangible proof, like the leaked U.S. Navy cock pit videos chasing unidentified flying objects. Other experiencers don't have any evidence at all. The only thing they have are their memories. Maybe the answer is buried deep in our subconscious? 

In today's episode, we'll introduce you to a Harvard professor who used hypnosis to help people recover memories from possible alien abductions. Sure, there are people out there who claim they encountered beings from another planet just to seek attention. But, others carry these experiences in secret. 

John Mac and psychology of alien abductions

John Mack was a respected Harvard psychologist who became fixated with people claiming to have been abducted or encountered alien beings. Ralph Blumenthal recently wrote John Mack's biography titled, "Believer: Alien Encounters, hard science, and the passion of John Mack." 

Blumenthal says that at first, Dr. John Mack tried to explain these encounters through other means. First, are these people insane? Are they hucksters looking to make some money? But Dr. Mack found their stories to be credible. Most of his patients never came out publicly with their stories. Instead, they sought his help to grapple with their tormented past. In the 1990s, John Mack conducted hundreds of interviews with men and women of all ages who claimed they had not just one but recurring alien encounters. And one method he used during these interviews was hypnosis. 

Alien abductions or sleep paralysis?

Maybe there's a more straightforward medical explanation for all of this. What if some people weren't experiencing an abduction but sleep paralysis? Sleep paralysis is that feeling you get when you're in between sleep and being awake. You're awake, but you can't control or move your body. 

Studies have shown that Sleep paralysis is much more common than we think. Studies suggest at least 40 percent or 50 percent of all people experience sleep paralysis at least once. However, John Mack argues that his patients did not experience sleep. Instead, many of his patients experienced encounters in daylight and were wide awake.

Special Thanks to

Kellette Elliott for the custom collage artwork

You can purchase the Hypnotist t-shirt here

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Is hypnosis used in criminal investigations?

Believe it or not, law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the US routinely use hypnosis as a form of forensic evidence. And in some states, evidence gained from forensic hypnosis is admissible in court. Even the federal government allows hypnosis under certain circumstances. 

What is investigative hypnosis?

When law enforcement hits a dead end, they sometimes rely on investigative hypnosis to solve the case. Specially trained law enforcement officers guide witnesses into a hypnotic trance to better recall a crime. But are the memories they recall even accurate? Medical experts say memories recovered after hypnosis can't be considered fact. 

Texas leads the country in investigative hypnosis.

Many states ban the practice because its use leads to wrongful convictions. But one state leads the country in prosecuting citizens using hypnosis as a primary form of evidence. That state is Texas. 

The Dallas Daily News reports that at least 11 people in Texas were executed in cases where police used hypnosis. Today, 4 people are on Texas death row because of this practice. 

The Memory Room

Dave Boucher and Lauren Mcgaughy are investigative reporters who spent more than a year investigating the story you're about to listen to. Their two-part series is titled "The Memory Room." It's about the case of Helen Barbre, a Texas college student who was savagely attacked in the middle of the night. She couldn't recognize her attacker, so she used hypnosis to identify him. 

Here's a link to their series titled "The Memory Room":

https://interactives.dallasnews.com/2020/memory-room-dallas-texas-police-use-investigative-hypnosis-to-convict-life-death-row/

Featured Promo:

Caper - An Original Multilingual True Crime Series

Special Thanks to:

Kellette Elliott for the custom collage artwork

You can purchase the Hypnotist t-shirt here

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