IndoctriNation

Rachel Manija Brown's parents moved her to an ashram in India when she was seven years old to worship the guru Meher Baba. Rachel stayed there until she was twelve, but never considered herself a follower of him. She wrote a memoir about the experience, All the Fishes Come Home to Roost. Her mother still lives at the ashram. Rachel has an MA in clinical psychology, worked as a trauma therapist...

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, Andrew Pledger turns the tables and interviews Rachel, getting her to open up about her own religious background, her motivation for entering the cult education world as well as lessons she's learned...

Emma Buchbinder was raised in the high-control religious group Xenos Christian Fellowship, based in Columbus, Ohio. In 2020, Xenos changed its name to Dwell Community Church following years of negative press, and accusations of abuse and cult activity. Emma entered into leadership roles at Xenos/Dwell at age 16 and simultaneously moved into one of the communal-style housing arrangements called a “...

Julianne Bull is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist living in Los Angeles. She holds a masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Southern California and has been a practicing therapist for about seven years. She currently utilizes DBT work with adolescents, as well as being a Certified Animal Assisted Therapy Professional. At age 14, Julianne was sent away for a ye...

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 Jeremy Sherman is a Ph. D. in evolutionary epistemology. He describes himself as a cradle-to-grave science researcher studying the unbroken chain, from the origins of life to humankind's grave situation today. He has written over 1,000...

Sarah Edmundson and Anthony "Nippy" Ames are survivors of the NXIVM cult and hosts of the A Little Bit Culty Podcast. They are the married couple and whistleblowers documented in the critically-acclaimed HBO series “The Vow,” Sarah and Nippy have a lot to say about their experience, and burning questions to ask people with similar stories. They’re here to help people understand, heal from,...

N. Jamiyla Chisholm was born in New York City and grew up in Brooklyn. She graduated from City College in New York City, received her master of arts in teaching from the University of Southern California, and received her MFA from the Writer’s Foundry at St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn. As a journalist, Jamiyla has written countless articles focused on culture, race, and women, and she has worked...

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 Dr. Yuval Laor is a prominent behavioral and cultural scientist who studies evolutionary biology and religion. A graduate of Tel Aviv University and specializing in religious fever and awe, he is highly influential in the world of academic...

Sarah Rose is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. She received a BA in Judaic Studies from UC Berkeley, a Certificate in Environmental Restoration and Watershed Management from Merritt College, and most recently a Masters's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from New Mexico Highlands University. She is also a cult survivor and wrote about her harrowing experience in her book “Escape Throu...

Jeremy Sherman is a Ph. D. in evolutionary epistemology. He describes himself as a cradle-to-grave science researcher studying the unbroken chain, from the origins of life to humankind's grave situation today. He has written over 1,000 articles for Psychology Today’s 9 million readers on everyday practicalities. Jeremy also lived for 7 years in an eco-village commune in Tennessee known as “The...

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 Joseph Kelly is a cult interventionist and recipient of the lifetime achievement award from the International Cultic Studies Association(ICSA) Along with Pat Ryan, He is the co-founder of Intervention 101, where he has worked as a thought r...

Andrew Pledger is a religious trauma survivor who was raised in fundamentalist Christianity. He has been homeschooled his entire life for the purpose of indoctrination. His parents would only pay for a Christian university, and he chose Bob Jones University. Andrew kept his sexuality a secret until his mental health declined due to repressing emotions, sexuality, and religious trauma. For his last...

Zack Bonnie “graduated” from Rocky Mountain Academy at age sixteen, and then attended regular high school to fill the gaps in his education. He went on to college, an acting career in New York, tournament gambling, and adventures around the world. He is now an activist for the human rights of teens confined in residential facilities. Zack makes his home near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Central Vir...

This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive Bonus episode, you can hear the episode in its entirety by becoming a member at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination Tony Ortega is a journalist and former editor of The Village Voice. He is of course best known for his daily blog about the Church of Scientology called The Underground Bunker and is one of the most prominent and influential journal...

Zack Bonnie “graduated” from Rocky Mountain Academy at age sixteen, and then attended regular high school to fill the gaps in his education. He went on to college, an acting career in New York, tournament gambling, and adventures around the world. He is now an activist for the human rights of teens confined in residential facilities. Zack makes his home near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Central Vir...

Vanessa Reiser is a mother, entrepreneur, and groundbreaking psychotherapist specializing in narcissistic abuse using Therapist Self-Disclosure (TSD) Ms. Reiser graduated from the University of Southern California with a focus on Community Organizing, but soon realized that clients responded to her counseling techniques. Vanessa is also a founder of The Rockland County Pride Center and a Board Mem...

This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the episode in full by becoming a member at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination Returning guest, Olga Yurkova is a Ukrainian journalist and co-founder of StopFake.org, an independent Ukrainian organization that trains an international cohort of fact-checkers in an effort to curb propaganda and misinformation in the med...

This week's guests Brian and Troy used to be members and leaders in Pentecostal megachurches in Australia. Troy, a 21-year-old member of the Assemblies of God (AOG), the precursor to the Hillsong church was drawn in by Revival Centres International, Now known as the Revival Centres Church. Troy was on the path to becoming a minister before “years of questions, inconsistencies and manipulation”...

Lily Dunn is an author and mentor living in the UK. She has personal essays in Granta, Litro, Hinterland, MIRonline, The Real Story, and is a regular writer for Aeon magazine. She is in her final writing up year of her doctorate at Birkbeck, University of London. She is co-editor of A Wild and Precious Life: Recovery Anthology, with Zoe Gilbert, and co-runs London Lit Lab. Her latest book Sins of...

This is just a preview of our latest Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the show in its entirety by becoming a supporter at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination Daniel Shaw, LCSW, is a psychoanalyst in private practice in New York City and in Nyack, New York; and Faculty and Supervisor at The National Institute for the Psychotherapies in New York. His papers have appeared in Psychoan...

Daniella Mestyanek Young is an American author and speaker born into the religious cult The Children of God. Daniella served as an Intelligence Officer in the US Army for over six years, making the rank of Captain, and became one of the first women in US Army history to conduct deliberate ground combat operations when she volunteered to serve on a Female Engagement Team. She is a recipient of the...

CONTENT WARNING: Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking Megan Lundstrom is the Co-Founder and Director of Research at The Avery Center, an organization that creates trauma-informed services backed by survivor-led sex trafficking research. Megan has consulted for the Department of Homeland Security and Polaris Project and has created and delivered training and educational presentations in the ac...

This is just a sample of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the episode in full by becoming a member at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination Our returning guest for this Patreon exclusive Bonus episode is Award-winning author and journalist Kelly Weill. Kelly reports for the Daily Beast covering right-wing extremism and conspiracy culture. She has more than two decades of experie...

Sat Pavan Kaur was born into the 3HO community and Sikh Religion. She spent her childhood moving around to various 3HO communities. At the age of 8, she was sent to India with 120 other children to go to boarding school leaving her family back in the US. At 16, she would be taken out of school and join YBs personal staff. In the last couple of years, she has left the Cult but stayed within the gre...

Sat Pavan Kaur was born into the 3HO community and Sikh Religion. She spent her childhood moving around to various 3HO communities. At the age of 8, she was sent to India with 120 other children to go to boarding school leaving her family back in the US. At 16, she would be taken out of school and join Yogi Bajan's personal staff. In the last couple of years, she has left the Cult but stayed w...