IndoctriNation

Caroline Lorson is a survivor of the troubled teen industry. At the age of 14, she was forcibly removed from her home in Southern California by two transporters and was flown across the country to a lockdown behavior modification school in Upstate New York. Caroline stayed at this facility for 29 months and was stripped of all of her human rights and subjected to coercive thought reform techniques...

Caroline Lorson is a survivor of the troubled teen industry. At the age of 14, she was forcibly removed from her home in Southern California by two transporters and was flown across the country to a lockdown behavior modification school in Upstate New York. Caroline stayed at this facility for 29 months and was stripped of all of her human rights and subjected to coercive thought reform techniques...

Erin Aquarian is an artist and musician living in Portland, Oregon. Around the age of 26, she began to explore spirituality, particularly witchcraft, to try to heal herself and make her life better. In 2012 she became involved with a “mystery school” for four years. Though she thought this school was helping her become her true self living a life of meaning and purpose, the school was rife with dy...

After four successful years of working on TV shows and films in New York City, Jules Hartley thought it would be a good idea for her to move to LA. A couple of years into her Hollywood journey, she discovered Kundalini yoga as taught specifically by Yogi Bhajan and the Golden Bridge Yoga Studio in Hollywood. She was instantly hooked and began what turned into a seven and a half year stint as a har...

Returning guest Tammie Willis grew up in a cultic Christian fundamentalist church which was steeped in methods of control based on fear, coercion, guilt, and shame. Though she left the church more than 30 years ago she is still coming to terms with the effect it has had on her life. She describes to Rachel how seeing what's happening in the United States political system and the rise of Christ...

Chris Shelton is an author, podcaster, and former member of the Church of Scientology's upper echelon, the Sea Organization. Since leaving Scientology in 2013 he has been dedicated to exposing the abuses of destructive cults and high control groups through his YouTube channel, where he also promotes critical thinking and education as the solutions to the cult problem. Chris shares with Rachel...

Returning guest, Audrey Brewer, is a marketing manager who found herself in a beauty-based MLM until she realized how entangled her life had become. She reveals the difficulties she has struggled with since leaving the group as well as the tremendous growth she has since experienced. Rachel and Audrey go in-depth on the mechanics that can lead to manipulation in MLM groups. Before You Go: Rachel e...

Author Nat Gertler is the publisher of the About Comics line and a "professional peanuts nerd". He has written over a hundred comic book stories and has twice been nominated for Comic-Con's Eisner Award. He went on to publish The Negro Motorist Green Book - Jim Crow-era travel guides for African Americans, an important historical document previously out of print. Rachel and Nat discuss...

Tammie Willis grew up in a Christian fundamentalist church in Virginia that she now knows was a cult by the ways in which it abused and controlled its members. She explains how her church, school, and family life were all steeped in methods of control based on fear, abuse, dependency, coercion, and obedience at all costs. Tammie describes how although she's been away from fundamentalism for 30...

Mark Vicente is an author, speaker, and award-winning Writer/Director/Producer most well-known for directing the sleeper documentary hit "What The Bleep Do We Know?!" Being born in apartheid-era South Africa, and witnessing a number of atrocities, Mark found himself propelled to question certain fundamental assumptions at a very young age. He spent a good part of the late 80's and earl...

Mark Vicente is an author, speaker, and award-winning Writer/Director/Producer most well-known for directing the sleeper documentary hit "What The Bleep Do We Know?!" Being born in apartheid-era South Africa, and witnessing a number of atrocities, Mark found himself propelled to question certain fundamental assumptions at a very young age. He spent a good part of the late 80's and earl...

In this week's episode, Rachel gives her unique perspective on QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory whose dangerous and cult-like ideas are spreading at an alarming rate. She provides insights on what followers find appealing about the group and why it is so difficult for their loved ones to reason with them. To hear more of Rachel's insights on the group, listen to her recent interview on...

Todd Brown continues telling his story of recovery as an ex-member of the independent sect of Sufism called Sufi Dayemi Tariqat. He describes the abuse he endured from the guru who continually belittled Todd for not living up to binary gender norms. Todd speaks openly about how he struggled with his homosexuality within the group and explains what led him to finally leave the community just a few...

Todd Brown is an ex-member of an independent sect of Sufism called Sufi Dayemi Tariqat. He reclaimed his identity as a gay man after 23 years with the group. He is currently working towards his PhD and hopes to help people get out of coercive groups. Todd describes the life experiences and vulnerability that lead him to joining this manipulative and controlling group in their Southern Illinois cen...

Welcome to IndoctriNation: A weekly podcast covering cults, manipulators, and protecting yourself from systems of control. I’m Rachel Bernstein, LMFT. I’ve been working with victims of cults and emotional abusers for over 30 years. Given the right set of circumstances, it’s all too easy for anyone to fall prey to sociopaths and manipulators. I wanted to start a show that gives survivors a chance t...

Jonathan DePeyer is a professional counselor who grew up in an organization called The Process Church of The Final Judgment later known as The Foundation, a religious group established in the United Kingdom in 1966 that some scholars of religion have classified as a form of Satanism. His parents' marriage was arranged by the group's leaders in order to receive passports and citizenship to...

Author and Educator Maria Peregolise grew up as the daughter of a "spiritual prophet". A follower of The Urantia Book, her father used the theology of that religious text to justify his narcissistic abuse. Maria's father claimed to have channeled the voice of Jesus and acted as God's Prophet in order to exercise control over her. Rachel and Maria discuss the signs and symptoms of b...

Eric Navas is a graduate of Cal State Dominguez Hills. It is there where he got involved with the group University Bible Fellowship, an organization that started in South Korea in 1961 by Samuel Chang-Woo Lee and Sarah Barry. It was originally associated with the Presbyterian Church but when they moved to the U S in the mid-seventies, they broke off from the Presbyterian church and became involved...

Audrey Brewer lives in the Carolinas and is a resource for homeless women and girls. This week she continues telling her story about working in multi level marketing, how she chose to leave, and the loss, anger and fear she was left with. Audrey shares the ways that she taught her team to be successful salespeople through a process called "duplication". The idea is to foster several other...

Audrey was formerly a high-ranking member of a multi-level marketing scheme. She was drawn to the opportunity to start paying off her student debts. Because of personal safety concerns, we are keeping some details anonymous. However, many pyramid schemes have successfully marketed themselves as notable brands. It was a group that fostered positivity by pushing each team of hungry entrepreneurs lik...

Dr. Michelle Haslam offers her personal experience with a self-described 'modern Buddhist' group called The New Kadampa Tradition. She has produced lots of educational materials that explain the process of indoctrination within Buddhist cultic groups. She defines 'dissociation' and explains it within the context of her time at Nagarjuna Kadampa Meditation Centre in Northamptonshire...

Dr. Michelle Haslam is a clinical psychologist who became involved with The New Kadampa Tradition in 2016 while living in the Nagarjuna Kadampa Meditation Centre in Northamptonshire, England. Michelle experienced spiritual abuse within the group and despite her training as a psychologist, came to believe that she should be destroying her ego, instead of practicing self-care and self-compassion. No...

Rachel finishes part two of a conversation with the Peck family. Carey and Chris Peck continue to talk about social justice and intervention, the influence of the media on social issues, and the legacy of their Academy Award-winning forefather Gregory Peck. Chris Peck is currently a teacher of youth language arts. He talks about how modern history has been rewritten into an "us" vs. "t...

Two generations of social activists discuss the legacy of Gregory Peck, famously known for many films including his role as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. His son Carey and grandson Chris take us behind the scenes and talk about what inspired Gregory to take on Harper Lee's pivotal character, as well as powerful and controversial roles in other classic films dealing with antisemitism...

Scientology famously takes its members' best talents and passions and tries to make the most of them. For Lucas Catton, that came in the form of his recruitment as a program manager-- and his presidency of Scientology's front group rehabilitation facility. Narconon, located at the old Chilocco reservation in Oklahoma, is not just an isolated facility. The program is promoted in schools acr...