Speaking of Cults

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.

This week I am joined by Susan Dones, a former member of NXIVM and one of the first people to whistleblow to the authorities about the shady practices of Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman. We go deep into her story and what Keith and Nancy were like and how the coercion in that group worked. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #377: The NXIVM Experience with Susan Dones appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

I am joined again this week by Dr. Alex Wills to discuss how emotions are a key tool of manipulation by cult leaders and “gurus” and why understanding your own emotional life and dealing with your emotions is the only way to avoid being controlled by others. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #376: Emotional Intelligence and Cults appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week, I am again joined by Jon Atack so we can cut through all the nonsense out there about “brainwashing” and talk about how this really works, despite the claims of religious studies scholars and cult apologists that there’s no such thing. There is and it’s a very serious problem and in this podcast we break it all down. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #375: What Brainwashing Really is About appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I had the opportunity to interview cult survivor Daniel Barban-Levin and director Zach Heinzerling about the new documentary they produced called Stolen Youth which just dropped on Hulu. This is the story of how eight college students from Sarah Lawrence University were enthralled and trapped in a sex/abuse cult run by Larry Ray, the father of one of the eight. It’s a harrowing story and in this talk we discuss the story and its aftermath, including the very happy ending of Ray ending up in prison for the rest of his life and recovery for each of the victims. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #347: Stolen Youth – A Cult Story appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’m dropping the podcast a couple of days early, a special interview with journalist Tony Ortega about his bombshell conversations with Lisa Marie Presley. She was a fighter and she worked behind the scenes to help expose David Miscavige and Scientology’s abuses. We break it all down here. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #373: Lisa Marie Presley and Scientology ft. Tony Ortega appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’m offering something slightly different from usual in describing some valuable life lessons I’ve learned since leaving Scientology which I thought other people might appreciate as well. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #372: 10 Things I’ve Learned Since Leaving a Cult appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome Dr. Alex Wills, psychiatrist and author of the new book Give a F*ck Actually. We discuss emotional health, some science-based ideas on how one can deal with difficult emotions and delve into emotional manipulation as a coercive method. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #371: Emotional Health and Giving a F*ck appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week, Jon Atack and I do a follow-up discussion to our last podcast about L. Ron Hubbard and the occult origins of Dianetics and Scientology. This information sometimes makes ex-Scientologists uncomfortable because it’s basically so diabolical, no one wants to think they were part of something that bad. But Jon and I had a good time discussing some follow up thoughts on Hubbard and mysticism. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #370: Hubbard, Scientology and Mysticism appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

To kick off 2023, I’ve put together a no-nonsense podcast with my “collected wisdom” of the last 10 years on how to stay out of getting involved in a destructive cult or predatory relationship. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #369: How to Stay Out of a Cult appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am breaking tradition with our usual “year in review” episode because this month marks the 10-year anniversary of my leaving the Sea Org and embarking on what would become my escape from the destructive cult of Scientology. In this podcast, I offer some backstory and some of my best life lessons/recommendations for anyone else who has had to do the “hard reset” on their life. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #368: Cult Recovery After 10 Years appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back John P. Capitalist to cover in some detail how authoritarian governments around the world solve the “dictator problem” by adopting cultic methods to control their population and thereby stay in power. We especially detail China’s recent history and the way President Xi has adopted the Cult Leader Playbook to maintain his position. This is a deep dive into a very important subject and one I hope my viewers will enjoy and learn from. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #367: China’s CCP and Nation-State Cults appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back Christian Szurko, a practicing cult recovery specialist who helps me take perhaps our deepest dive yet on what it takes to help someone recover from a cult or coercive experience. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #366: Going Deep on Cult Recovery appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

Today I have a special, early podcast release of an interview Tony Ortega and I did with the jury foreman of the Danny Masterson rape trial. Last week this resulted in a deadlocked jury and mistrial, still awaiting determination as to whether there will be another go-round. The daughter of the jury foreman reached out and helped arrange this interview after the trial and I am thankful for her support. This interview gives real insight into what went on behind the scenes and a clear idea of how future legal efforts can be improved. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #365: The Danny Masterson Jury Foreman Speaks appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Alexander Barnes-Ross, a former Scientology staff member in London who has some things to say about his short but deep experience with Scientology getting in, being kicked out, returning and getting kicked out again. It’s another survivor story with a lot of lessons for all of us. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #364: Fear and Loathing in Scientology London appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Jon Atack to finally put in one place the explanation of how Scientology is based purely and wholly on L. Ron Hubbard’s occult beliefs and how Scientologists themselves not only have no idea this is true, but actively resist ever even finding out about it. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #363: The Occult Foundation of Scientology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by attorney, author and advocate Andrew Seidel to discuss his latest book, American Crusade, and how a minority religious extremist group known as Christian Nationalists are taking powerful and decisive steps to unduly influence our government and religious freedom. This is one of those topics that is controversial because people confuse our criticism of Christian Nationalists and extremists as somehow taking an anti-religion stance and become personally offended that anyone would be “against religion” when that has nothing to do with the dangers of what is going on. I hope you’ll give our chat a listen. We had a fun and enlightening discussion which I found quite enjoyable! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #362: Christian Nationalism and the Supreme Court appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back former Scientologist Ian Rafalko, a man who has fascinating stories to tell about growing up in a Scientology household that was anything but a pleasant experience. In this second interview, we discuss his time on staff and in training at Flag’s central headquarters and the lingering effects of Scientology to this day. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #361: Second Generation Scientology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome Spencer Schneider, a cult survivor, lawyer and life guard trainer from New York who wrote the fascinating book Manhattan Cult Story: My Unbelievable True Story of Sex, Crimes, Chaos and Survival.” This story demonstrates how some preconceived notions of how cults operate are totally wrong and the red flags are not always as obvious as you think. Spencer does a great job describing what his cult experience was like and how he got out. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #360: Sex, Lies and a Manhattan Cult appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’ve invited DC lawyer Ciprian Ivanof back to the show to discuss some ins and outs of what has happened in the first two weeks of the Danny Masterson trial in Los Angeles. Tony Ortega has been offering amazing on-the-ground reporting and much of our commentary looks at what he’s been reporting of the victim testimony and how the defense & prosecution have reacted. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #359: Some Comments on the Masterson Trial appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome guest John Christansen, the man who helped ex-Sea Org member Katherine Olson to escape Scientology and go to the Aftermath Foundation to create a new life for herself. We go into all the details of what this entailed and it’s not exactly a nail-biting account, but all the basics I’ve been talking about for years are covered and I hope this helps anyone out there struggling with how to help their friends or family who are trapped in a cult now. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #358: Helping a Scientologist Escape appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’m very happy to welcome Mike Rinder, former Sea Org executive and Emmy-award winning co-host of Scientology and the Aftermath, now doing media for his new memoir, A Billion Years. We had a great conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #357: A Billion Years with Mike Rinder appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back DC lawyer Ciprian Ivanof to help me dissect some legal points and predictions for the upcoming trial of Scientologist Danny Masterson, an event five years in the making that finally begins next week. We truly hope the victims get the justice they deserve. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #356: Scientology and the Masterson Trial appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

We all know Scientology is a really bad thing but what about growing up in a Scientology household? What’s that like? What happens to kids who never asked to be indoctrinated into an extremist, authoritarian belief system that seeks to control every second of their lives? In this podcast, Ian Rafalko and I discuss this in some detail and give a firsthand view of what the children of Scientologists have to go through. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #355: Being a Second Generation Scientologist with Ian Rafalko appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

Well it only took us a year, but educator Pat Hendrickson and I have put together a part two of our talks on how to go about getting an education after leaving a destructive/coercive situation. In this week’s show, we discuss my journey into higher education, what it entailed and how people can take advantage of resources all around them to learn, grow and recover. This podcast is mainly intended for cult survivors but anyone can take what we discuss here to help others with higher learning. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #354: Getting an Education After Leaving a Cult (Part 2) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

We’re back and with a bang – a 2-hour discussion with Jon Atack to talk turkey about narcissism, what it is and what it isn’t. This being a chat with Jon, we cover a wide range of topics beyond just narcissism, but all of it interesting. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #353: Deconstructing Narcissism appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back John P. Capitalist to discuss recent news about internet-based cults converting over into real-life activities and the opportunities which led to these destructive groups ensnaring unsuspecting victims into their insane ideologies and practices, including radicalized terrorism. We touch on a lot of topics in this one related to cults, economics and the current world situation. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #352: The Internet and Cults of Opportunity appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’m joined by my good friend and former Scientologist, Mark Turi, to discuss issues we’ve encountered in ex-cult or ex-religion groups, social media and personal interactions with ex-cult members who can still carry the effects of the trauma and abuse they suffered and the habits they developed to deal with that, ourselves included! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #351: Extremist Thinking and Ex-Cult Members appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back Sarah Landry to give us an update on her former guru, Nithyananda, and the fact that he’s currently on the run from the law yet boldly trying to start his own country with UN approval! We get into the details of this thanks to Sarah’s persistent endurance to expose this “god man” for the sexually abusive fraud that he is. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #350: The Hindu Cult of Nithyananda – An Update appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.