IndoctriNation

After her grandmother passed away, Claudine found peace in her new reality through her faith in Mormonism. Her oldest son, Ian, didn't find the same comfort and began distancing himself from her. When Claudine finally got him to open up, the two went on a journey to better understand their doctrine. Active in the church for 27 years after growing up without associating with a denomination, the...

CW: physical & sexual abuse Left without help from her family and friends, Megan had only her workplace to depend on. In part two, Rachel and Megan talk about how her financial and emotional dependence was taken advantage of by a couple running a popular Chicago theater company. Simultaneously targeted at home and work, Megan found the courage to leave behind an abusive husband and eventually...

CW: Domestic and sexual violence Megan spent ten years in Chicago's off-Loop DIY theatre scene as an actor, playwright, costume designer and choreographer. Rachel and Megan speak candidly about the lack of safeguards in the entertainment industry while walking through how she was pitted against other actresses by an invasive director. Jeremy, the director, urged his actors to form a deep kinsh...

Nitai Joseph was a part of a Hare Krishna offshoot sect called Audarya, led by Swami Tripurari in California. He currently studies the power of coercive control across contexts, and has found a scholarly way to understand his experience. Nitai currently works at nonprofits serving victims of coercive subjugation. Through his studies, he has been able to more fully understand cult dynamics. He spea...

Teddy Hose is a motion graphics artist and writer who grew up in the Unification Church, also known as the “Moonies”. He expands on the militaristic themes of the church, including gun violence and physical abuse. While its membership and businesses run worldwide, the Unification Church doctrine bases itself on parental abandonment, paranoia around sex and the outside world, and prioritizing loyal...

Teddy Hose is a motion graphics artist and writer who grew up in the Unification Church of self-proclaimed messiah, Sun Myung Moon—or the “Moonies”. While its membership and businesses run worldwide, Teddy’s family lived on church properties near the Moon family estate in Tarrytown, New York until he was 13. Life around the Moons was a mix of summer camps, banquets, and close bonds in an internati...

Samantha Manewitz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and educator, and AASECT certified social worker currently based in Massachusetts. Rachel and Samantha discuss harm reduction and the processes of restorative and transformative justice. Optimistically, survivors forming the pods believe that change is possible for their perpetrators. She elaborates on the transformative justice 'pods'...

Brie Loskota, from the University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture, explains 'capacity building' and how it empowers young leaders to advocate for themselves, for their communities, and for community peace building. Brie is a writer widely published and interviewed, with significant roles in many notable religious, public and governmental institutions, and...

Listen in on a discussion with cult expert Mike Kropveld from Quebec, and his organization InfoCult. Quebec has cults too. They just operate in French! Beginning as an effort to rescue a friend from the Unification Church, the knowledge and attention he has gathered over the 40 years of his program continue to spread awareness and resources to their community and to the rest of the world-- includi...

Body language and speech are the tools we need to use to express nuanced feelings. But in Scientology and other groups like it, those who express sadness, grief, or doubt are labeled as strictly negative or troubled and treated as outliers for unsuccessfully suppressing their natural emotions. April returns for part two of her episode; opening up about her brother who is still living in a fog of S...

IndoctriNation presents its first re-release from 10 months ago, when Rachel was joined by Catherine Oxenberg who had been fighting to pull her daughter away from the cult NXIVM. They discuss her book, Captive, and her daughter India's experience during and after leaving the group. Run by Keith Raniere, who was just convicted on all charges on June 19, 2019, the organization was heavily bankro...

April’s former fear of psychology, medication, therapy, and even yoga were ingrained from a young age as she grew up in the Church of Scientology. She was taught to view mental health specialists as people who only wanted to capitalize on other people’s problems, and issue brainwashing medications. Scientology auditing replaced programs that could be helpful, and instead used their power to take a...

This episode, titled after the Alexander Pope quote, is a small component to a deeply thought out response from Chanon Bloch and Rachel. After receiving large amounts of both positive and negative comments, the two respond to the backlash of their first episode (link below) by pointing out that this is precisely how a majority can continue to remain indoctrinated. Using South Africa's aparthei...

CW: racism Chanon Bloch takes our show in a new direction. Growing up in the peak of Apartheid (born 1957), he reflects on his childhood to unravel the embedded racism left behind by colonialism. He details, for the first time on this show, how racism is indoctrinated; through his experience growing up as a white man in South African society, with indentured servants. Dividing his own biases from...

Joey continues telling his story; presenting an internal system that is morally falling apart on itself. He shares details from the intense, intrusive Scientology auditing process. This included a mandatory HIV test -- even though he had no sexual history -- and being forced to read L. Ron Hubbard's deeply prejudiced science fiction novels, among other therapies, as punishment. This group has...

Joey Chait was born into Scientology-- but this belief system did not welcome him as is. Though his parents were high in the ranks and had crossed the "bridge to total freedom", he was interrogated in deliberations 8 hours a day, for two months, because he had shown signs of being gay. His interest in exploring and accepting his sexuality was suppressed; like many children who are finding...

The Gold Coast Covenant "Church" had 50,000 members at the time Ron Burks was among the congregation; and it still exists today by twisting beloved verses from the Bible. An organization that prioritizes leaders on charisma rather than content. After 10 years of doubting what he knew was right for himself-- and speaking in tongues for 8hrs a day-- Ron asked himself the questions he needed...

Working as a substance abuse and mental health counsellor, Ron Burks began to draw neurological connections between reactions to reward, addiction, and being a part of a group. He challenged the belief system of his "church" and discovered double standards between the rules made by his leaders and the Christian-leaning congregation. Before You Go: Rachel talks about the power of informatio...

Rachel answers questions from her frequent listeners and Patreon subscribers. She will be sharing tips on confronting manipulation in your relationship, in your support group, or even in your church. Learn how to define a cult and protect yourself from a group of people who could be destructive in your life. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands