Speaking of Cults

I really do apologize for the lateness in getting this posted. We went live mid-week to breakdown in one episode all the major science fiction beliefs that exist throughout Scientology's dogma and it's a lot. I hope you have as much fun with this as I did putting it together. Enjoy!

Sorry for the delay this week in posting this, but we did a live podcast this week to discuss the toll that it can take to challenge or try to expose your abuser, whether a cult, domestic partner, gang or something else. I hope you'll give this one a watch as it was really from the heart and I think there's something in here for every cult survivor. Enjoy!

This week we are very happy to feature Ashlen Hilliard, a fellow alumni of the Salford Coercive Control program and fellow cult fighter. She has a lot to share about her own motivations for doing this work, what our education did for our work, what ICSA is (and isn't) and forming support groups for ex-members. Enjoy! Ashlen's website: https://peopleleavecults.com

This week we are covering the topics of cyberstalking, cyber-harassment and digital coercive control, all very real and related activities that occur daily on the internet and especially in destructive cults. We're covering some of the key points of research and statistical information and what the problems are in dealing with these things in the real world. Enjoy!

This week I am joined by Chad Harris, a man who grew up under the religious homeschooling program of Bill Gothard and the IBLP, infamously connected to the Duggar family and featured on the recent documentary Shiny Happy People. Chad has quite a bit to share with us about how religious homeschooling can be done very wrong, how this can lead to other abuses and how he broke away. Enjoy! Chad Harris on TikTok: @archradish

This week I am joined by Cass Filetti, aka Theta Novis, a very recently escaped ex-Scientologist from Brisbane, Australia who has a lot of updates and an interesting story to share of her experience with Scientology in Australia and its connections to the US and Sea Org. Enjoy! Please consider supporting this podcast and helping me to offer more and better content. Venmo: @shelton1492 Patreon: https://patreon.com/chrisshelton PayPal: https://paypal.me/ChrisJShelton Click the blue Support button here: https://goo.gl/vHgSoE

This week I am joined by Dr. Jessica Schleider, a Harvard-trained clinical psychologist, to discuss her new book, "Little Treatments, Big Effects" and how single session interventions and recognizing the power of psychoeducation and epiphanies may help revolutionize mental health care. Enjoy! Dr. Schleider on Twitter: @jschleiderPhD Her book on Amazon: https://shorturl.at/itV69 Some of Dr. Schleider's work: https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcpp.12811 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890856716319335

This week I am joined by Dr. Yuval Laor to discuss in detail the symptoms and characteristics of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and why we believe that L. Ron Hubbard (as well as many other cult leaders and historical figures) suffered from this condition. We go deep in this one because this has more relevant and importance of cultic studies than most people realize. Enjoy! Yuval Laor: YuvalLaor(@)gmail.com Here are some academic research papers on TLE: Temporal lobe seizure https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/temporal-lobe-seizure/symptoms-causes/syc-20378214 Hypergraphia in temporal lobe epilepsy https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1525505004003671 TLE, Dostoyevsky and Irrational Significance https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/neurology-and-religion/temporal-lobe-epilepsy-dostoyevsky-and-irrational-significance/FD2F6D1B35BB2107FAFA3B8B4CBFCFA3 Specificity of psychopathology in temporal lobe epilepsy https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1525505012007846 Comparative study of personality characteristics https://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.11020039

This week I am joined by Emily Ragland, trauma facilitator and coach, to discuss how to recognize trauma in others, how to deal with that and help rather than make it worse. As part of this podcast, we go into detail about an incident of SA which is part of Emily's own story. This is a tough one but if you want to know more about these issues, this show is for you. Emily Ragland on social media: Instagram: (at)em_ragland LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyragland

In this week's episode, I am joined by Dr. Laura Anderson, a religious trauma specialist who has written When Religion Hurts You and who treats clients overcoming difficult experiences with religion. We discuss post-cult trauma and how this can affect ex-cult communities as well. Enjoy! Dr. Anderson's websites: https://drlauraeanderson.com/ https://www.traumaresolutionandrecovery.com/

For our second episode of Speaking of Cults, I am joined by Alexander Barnes-Ross aka @ApostateAlex, fellow YouTuber and former Scientologist for a deep dive discussion on how David Miscavige has been recycling the same "weird trick" for decades now and one way or another, things are going to come to a head with his most important supporters if something doesn't change. Enjoy! [We apologize for having uploaded the wrong audio file today. This is fixed now!]

Welcome to the first episode of the rebranded Sensibly Speaking podcast, now re-titled and re-purposed as the Speaking of Cults podcast. This podcast remains on the same website and RSS stream as the previous one, so you shouldn't have to change anything as an audio subscriber. This week we review all the basics of what a destructive cult is (and isn't) and how coercive control plays a part, plus we clear up common misconceptions about cults. Enjoy!

This week I am talking about the fact I'm taking a break for December on a bunch of my work, including this podcast and that when it comes back in January it will have a new name and branding. Details of this and a lot more personal stuff that's been going on recently are gone over. Enjoy!

This week I am joined by former Scientologist Mirriam Francis, whose story was featured on Scientology and the Aftermath, to discuss her experiences being raised in the Sea Org, escaping and what recovery has been like for her, including her involvement with the justice system for the abuse she endured at the hands of a family member. This is a tough but educational story about the lengths a cult will go to in hiding up its crimes.

This week I am joined by Dr. Darrel Ray - psychologist, researcher, author and President of the Recovering from Religion Foundation - to discuss childhood religious trauma, why it exists and why it can be so life destroying. This is not an anti-religious screed - it is a psychological fact and one that we have to deal with if we want happy, successful children. Enjoy!

We are posting a special bonus podcast episode this week as we didn't want to wait to get this interview out. Here we talk about the big protest staged by Apostate Alex with the help of Jeff Beaumont (PTS for Life) and others, what happened over the three days and why Scientology and David Miscavige definitely took notice. Enjoy!

This week I am joined by Jon Atack to finally have that talk about psychedelics, cult recovery and the drugs which can help bring about extremely altered states of consciousness. This was another wide-ranging discussion where we go deep on the dangers and potentials of drug therapy in moving on from an abusive/cultic experience. Enjoy!

This week I am joined by Jeff Beaumont, known in the SP TV community as PTS for Life, who has quite a story to tell as a second generation Scientologist raised in a broken home and in and out of the Sea Org more than once. We had an insightful time discussing his experiences and comparing notes on our time in the Sea Org. Enjoy!

This week I am joined by River Wood to discuss their upbringing in what is known as 2x2s but really is an extremist Christian cult with no official name and hiding in plain sight. We cover a lot of territory and I hope you find it as fascinating as I did. Enjoy!

This week I am joined by Jon Atack to discuss and debunk the conspiracy theories surrounding the Process Church, the Son of Sam and Scientology. And when we're done with that, we get into the real facts about Manson's involvement with Scientology. This is a wild one. Enjoy!

This week I welcome Dr. Laura Anderson, psychotherapist and religious trauma expert, to discuss how trauma works, how it is treated and what this has to do with cult members and everyday folks in our day to day life. We cover a lot of territory in this one. Enjoy! Find out more about Dr. Anderson at https://drlauraeanderson.com and check out her new book, When Religion Hurts You.

This week I am joined by former "tradcat" (Traditional Catholic) Anthony Spurgin to discuss his experiences and abuses growing up in a family practicing pre-Vatican II Catholicism. We cover what "tradcats" are, how sexual and child abuse is not dealt with in Catholicism and why this is absolutely unacceptable. Link to YouTube video of this podcast: https://youtu.be/5iKIszlTS4Y

This week I am joined by educator Melanie Trecek-King to discuss the real barriers and problems people have with engaging in critical thinking and we dived into cult thinking, belief and a bunch of other stuff. This was another fun and insightful conversation. Enjoy! aj6tr7m7 The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #405: Our Biggest Barriers to Critical Thinking appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Mark Vicente, NXIVM survivor and film maker who joins me to discuss our cult experiences and life beyond that, including his most recent project interviewing psychopaths and where that is going. This was a fun and insightful conversation. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #404: NXIVM, Scientology and Beyond w/Mark Vicente appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

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You're currently a free subscriber. Upgrade your subscription to get access to the rest of this post and other paid-subscriber only content. Upgrade subscription The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #402: Fighting Scientology in Europe appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by channel friend Jon Atack to discuss Charles Manson, his definite connections with Scientology and how this relates to mind control, Helter Skelter and popular belief. We covered a lot of ground in this podcast. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #401: Manson, Scientology and Mind Control appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

For our 400th episode of the Sensibly Speaking Podcast, we went live to discuss and breakdown the new cult documentary on Netflix, How to Become a Cult Leader. We had quite a bit to say and got some great feedback from the audience along the way. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #400: How to Become a Cult Leader – The Critical Review appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Anthony Magnabasco to discuss street epistemology, a method for inquiring into deeply held beliefs and what this has to do with bridging divides, helping people in cults, therapy and a lot more. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #399: How to Change Extreme Beliefs and Cultic Behavior appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined again by Scientology veteran and film maker Mitch Brisker to discuss something NO ONE has ever talked about before, at least not anywhere I could find: the confidential L. Ron Hubbard films on Scientology’s OT Levels. We go into some of the details of the films, what it took to restore them and a lot more from there. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #398: From Clear to Eternity – Scientology’s OT Films appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

Coercive control is not just isolated to cults. This week we go on a different tangent to explore coercive control in the adoption system and in unethical therapy – two areas that are hardly ever discussed but in which abuses happen daily. I am joined by Emma Stevens, who opens up about her experiences and shares why the coercion she had to grow up with have stayed with her to this day. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #397: When Therapists are Predators ft. Emma Stevens appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I have Mitch Brisker back to discuss more of his work for the Church of Scientology as a professional film director and creative. Today, we go deep into Church propaganda, psychiatry, working at Golden Era Productions and a lot more. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #396: The Art of Propaganda appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by pyschologist and author Dr. Robin Stern to discuss her specialty, gaslighting. We cover how this is done, how to spot it when it’s happening to you (even if it’s from someone you like and admire) and how gaslighting is used in cults like Scientology to literally rewrite one’s memories. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #395: Gaslighting In and Out of Cults ft. Dr. Robin Stern appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by long-time friend and researcher Jon Atack to discuss cancel culture, controversies, cult nonsense and science – a broad mix of topics about which Jon and I have many opinions. We hope you like our discussion as much as we did having it. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #374: Controversies, Cults and Science appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Mitch Brisker, a professional film maker who went to work as a non-Sea Org member back in the 1980s and worked for decades directly under David Miscavige. He has some very interesting things to say about his time, Scientology’s leader and the culture he observed. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #393: Sex, Lies and Scientology Films ft. Mitch Brisker appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Kate Amber, MSc educator and fellow graduate of the Salford Master’s program on the psychology of coercive control, to discuss what she has been doing to work with medical and law enforcement officials on coercive control and her unique model of that behavior. I hope you enjoy this one as much as we did putting it together. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #392: A New Look at Coercive Control appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Dr. Janja Lalich, sociologist and long-time cult warrior who has a great deal to say about her model of “bounded choice,” cultic influence in society, recovery from these groups and a lot more. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #391: Cult Influence and Recovery appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by show favorite Jon Atack to discuss a model of human behavior I’ve been formulating which has everything to do with cultic behavior and our thoughts on things related to emotion, reason and morality. This was a fun chat and I hope you find it as informative and entertaining as we did having it. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #390: Why Do People Act the Way They Do? appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Jason Horvatic, a second-generation and now ex-Scientologist turned academic who has taken on studying Scientology from an interesting perspective but who also has a horrifying story to tell about his treatment growing up in and working for Scientology in Australia, including as a Sea Org member there. This is a really long podcast and we covered a lot of territory. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #389: The Scientology Experience in Australia appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Barry Purcell, an Irish writer/blogger, and as you’ll see we had a pretty wide-ranging discussion from Irish politics and The Troubles to issues we have with atheism to a detailed look at Islam in Europe. This one was just a fun show to do and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #388: Religious and Atheist Conflicts ft. Barry Purcell appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by David Bunds, a former member of the Branch Davidians prior to the disastrous tragedy of 1993. In this conversation, David helps us understand who David Koresh was and where he came from, and what the Branch Davidians were all about. This remains a cautionary tale in how to deal with destructive cults and their psychotic leadership which everyone really needs to understand so we don’t repeat history. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #387: David Koresh and the Waco Tragedy appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by show favorite Jon Atack to discuss the psychological aspects and criticisms of AI development, a conversation that no one in the computer industry seems to be having or taking seriously. As always, Jon has some amazing insights to offer. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #386: What No One is Talking About with AI appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Liz LaPoint (“Godless Liz”), a fellow content creator and promoter of skepticism and critical thinking, to discuss tax exemption and whether churches/religions should have it. We offer some food for thought in arguments for and against, and I hope you’ll give it some consideration. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #385: Should Religions Have Tax Exemption w/Liz LaPoint appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by old friend and fellow podcaster Dr. Clint Heacock, a former Evangelical pastor, to discuss some disturbing religious/political issues surrounding a man named Doug Wilson, an untrained and uncertified religious leader who appears to check every cult leader box on the list and is running an extremist sect in Moscow, Idaho. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #384: Doug Wilson, Christian Cult Leader appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Katherine Spallino, a member of the Sea Organization’s “lost generation,” children raised in the 1980s and 90s within the confines of the Church of Scientology and were neglected, abused and even assaulted. In this show we discuss the new book Katherine wrote, The Bad Cadet, and her experiences in and out of Scientology. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #383: Katherine Spallino – The Bad Cadet appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Kacey from The Cult Vault to discuss, in detail, the online predations of Liana Shanti, a so-called internet guru who has been extracting money from hapless victims and encouraging familial disconnection (shunning) as a way of improving one’s life. It’s awful stuff but it’s only a sign of what’s already come in our internet age and the new wave of cults we have to beware of. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #382: Liana Shanti and Online Cults appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined once again by Jon Atack for an almost satirically long podcast ranging over such things as post-cult behavior in our various communities, to thought reform and exact methods of hypnotism all around us every day. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #381: Post-Cult Life, Hypnotism and Scientology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined once again by Alexander Barnes-Ross to discuss social media, Scientology rules and experiences and how this all relates to cultic thinking. Enjoy! Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@apostatealex The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #380: Social Media, Scientology and Cultic Thinking appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome educator Melanie Trecek-King to discuss her methods and philosophy behind teaching critical thinking not just as a set of ideas or things to be memorized, but skills to be utilized for the rest of one’s life. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #379: Why Knowledge is Not Enough appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Dodge Landesman, a TV news reporter who was fired from his job at an NBC affiliate in Arizona because he dared to report on Scientology and its connection with Lisa Marie Presley. We cover not only what happened to him but how and why Scientology deals with negative press the way that they do. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #378: Scientology and Bad Press with Dodge Landesman appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.