Avsnitt
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Dr Andre Jackson returns in this episode to finish his chat with Liz about the JWs, their doctrines and the methods they use to control members. Together the two examine different methods of control utilized by the JWs, particularly information control, use of propaganda, and justifications for misleading people for the benefit of the organisation. At the end of this episode Liz is joined by Lindy and Caz to dissect the interview, with a view to understanding how these themes apply to cults across NZ.
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Liz plumbs the depths of the JW’s with Dr Andre Jackson in this episode, to try to understand the control mechanisms within this organisation. What are the expectations of members of the JWs? How is the organisation structured? What are their key beliefs, and are any of these harmful? What are the impacts on witnesses when they ask questions or try to leave? With approximately 15,000 JWs in New Zealand (according to their website) plus others who have left, these are important questions to ask.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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What is happening at Gloriavale? Join Liz and two of the lawyers representing Gloriavale Leavers, Steve Patterson and Dennis Gates, as they give a comprehensive update on the long and arduous road to justice and holding the Gloriavale leaders to account.
The chat about the highlights and lowlights of 2024, and discuss the many investigations and court cases that are ongoing. They reveal some new actions that will get underway in 2025, and talk about a legal bill ordered by the courts that they don't want to pay. They chat about the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historic Abuse in Care and the recent apology Gloriavale made. Was it genuine? And what's happening with their Charity Status, the School, India and the Police Slavery investigation?
This episode is not to be missed.
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Today our co-hosts wrap-up the shunning mini-series, unpacking what they’ve learned from Craig, Lindy, Windy & Savin. This topic has been given four episodes because the costs for individuals, families and communities who experience this cruel tactic of control is devastating and poorly understood. Mandated shunning destroys lives, destroys communities, and there are no laws to protect people from falling victim to it. Join the Cult Chat team as they debrief for the final episode on this topic.
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In this 3rd episode on shunning, Craig Hoyle, author of “Excommunicated” shares about growing up in the Exclusive Brethren, aware that many members of his family have disappeared and been painted by the church as evil. Ultimately Craig faces his own sudden excommunication. This conversation shows powerfully the inter-generational impacts of shunning, both for those who are obliterated from the family tree, and those who are left behind. The interview was recorded at the Oct 24 Decult Conference.
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Listen in to the second half of Lindy’s interview with Drs Windy and Savin, who share findings from their research on shunning including the serious life-long impacts for both the individual and their communities. Savin says, “Shunning is not a one-off event,” - indeed it is a trauma that affects a whole life. Our guests share insights for those affected by shunning, and discuss ways to reframe and grow through the experience. This episode is the second of four in a mini series on shunning.
Show notes
Windy and Savins research study https://stopmandatedshunning.org/new-research-project-on-the-harmful-effects-of-mandated-shunning/
The Shunning is a Crime panel at ICSA conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ZSW3-MACM (you can watch their presentation on this link)
Windy Grendele - senior lecturer at Roehampton University
Savin Bapir-Tardy - psychologist and PhD
Experiencing Religious Shunning: Insights into the Journey From Being a Member to Leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses CommunityGrendele, W. A., Bapir-Tardy, S. & Flax, M., 12 Jun 2023, In: Pastoral Psychology.
Shunning from the Jehovah’s Witness Community: Is It Legal?Grendele, W. A., Flax, M. & Bapir-Tardy, S., 22 Aug 2023, In: Journal of Law and Religion.
“You’re Going to Go into Some Really Dark, Dark Places in Your Mind.” Loss and Disillusionment of Being Shunned From the Jehovah’s Witnesses Community and Its ImpactWindy A. Grendele, Flax, M. & Bapir-Tardy, S., 23 Aug 2023, In: International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation (IJCAM).
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Is shunning the most insidious of all cult practices? In today’s episode Lindy and our guests, researchers Windy and Savin from Roehampton University, define shunning and discuss how it's used deliberately as a tool by coercively controlling groups to threaten and impose social death for those who question the rules. Savin and Windy introduce listeners to their research, and the movement sweeping the world to make mandated shunning a crime. This episode is the first of four in a mini series on shunning.
Show notes
Windy and Savins research study https://stopmandatedshunning.org/new-research-project-on-the-harmful-effects-of-mandated-shunning/
The Shunning is a Crime panel at ICSA conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ZSW3-MACM (you can watch their presentation on this link)
Windy Grendele - senior lecturer at Roehampton University
Savin Bapir-Tardy - psychologist and PhD
Experiencing Religious Shunning: Insights into the Journey From Being a Member to Leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses CommunityGrendele, W. A., Bapir-Tardy, S. & Flax, M., 12 Jun 2023, In: Pastoral Psychology.
Shunning from the Jehovah’s Witness Community: Is It Legal?Grendele, W. A., Flax, M. & Bapir-Tardy, S., 22 Aug 2023, In: Journal of Law and Religion.
“You’re Going to Go into Some Really Dark, Dark Places in Your Mind.” Loss and Disillusionment of Being Shunned From the Jehovah’s Witnesses Community and Its ImpactWindy A. Grendele, Flax, M. & Bapir-Tardy, S., 23 Aug 2023, In: International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation (IJCAM). -
This is the second episode with Gina, who was raised in a cult which discourages members from seeking medical care. In episode two she describes how she slowly changed her view of health to the scientific world view, as she trained to be a medical professional. She shares stories of working as a clinician with people from cults, and some helpful tips for how medical professionals can gain the trust of people who have faulty health beliefs.
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Today Caz interviews Gina, a nurse practitioner & midwife from California. Gina grew up in a cult which discouraged mainstream evidence-based health treatments, in favour of non-scientific treatments. Gina talks about growing up in the group and watching people die to suicide, or suffering from treatable health conditions because the group did not allow Western medical care. This first episode of two starts the conversation about how cults can damage the body, as well as the mind.
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On 23 October Liz, Lindy and Caz hosted a dinner event at Parliament called "Unmasking Cults." We were delighted that a range of dignitaries, ministers, and representatives of key services in New Zealand were interested in hearing about, and hopefully take action to address, the harms that cults cause across New Zealand. Listen to our hosts - along with guest host Dr Janja Lalich - share some of their recollections of this event at the Beehive, outline some of the other presentations, and offer their hopes for future change driven from the center of power in New Zealand.
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Join Liz, Caz, Lindy and cult expert Dr Janja Lalich, as they talk about the highlights of the inaugural NZ Decult 2024 conference, and how this remarkable event has contributed to a critical conversation. In this episode Liz says, “The problem is more pervasive than your average kiwi recognises.” Too right, Liz! Let's keep the conversation going!
Notes
Website - Get access to Decult audio and video
Video - Interview with Ulricke Schiesser for Decult
Article - Andre Afamasaga in Samoan Observer
Website - Scott Homan and Witness Underground
Video - Interview with Dr Gillie Jenkinson for Cult Chat
Video - Interview with Dr Janja Lalich for Cult Chat
Article - Shincheonji - The Press
Article - Misa - Tantric yoga guru Gregorian Bivolaru charged with human trafficking
Podcast - Cults and healthcare neglect - Dr Caroline Ansley - Let’s Talk About Sects
Article - Laura McConnell-Conti and the Two by Twos
Podcast - Poia Alpha & the Branch Davidians - Let's Talk About Sects
Article - Rachel Lees, Bill Gothard & IBLP
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*Trigger warning for this episode’s content*. This episode we continue the second part of Caz’s interview with Mary Garden, talking about how her swami revealed himself to not be the benign, peaceful, celebate yogi that he appeared, but instead a violent, tantrum-throwing psychopath with sexually predatory intent. Mary talks about trauma, waking up, and the gift of writing her story, returning to herself and learning that she did not need a guru in the end afterall.
Show notes
Book - A Serpent Rises by Mary Garden
Book - My Father’s Suitcase by Mary Garden
Interview: Life with Sexy Sadie - The Newsroom
Website - Mary’s personal website
Website - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Foundation
Trailer - The Push - on Netflix
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Mary Garden was a seeker in her 20s, finding her way to India to three different gurus - Sai Baba, Swami Balyogi Premvarni, and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Mary tells her story, unpacking the historical context that left her longing for more, and the personal context which primed her for recruitment. Our hosts then chat about recruitment, the suppression of intellect and critical thinking required by gurus, and malignant teachers who gain enormously from the submission and supplication of seekers.
Show notes
Book - A Serpent Rises by Mary Garden
Book - Sundowner of the Skies by Mary Garden
Book - My Father’s Suitcase by Mary Garden
Book: Sue Kedgely - 50 years a Feminist
Interview: Life with Sexy Sadie - The Newsroom
Website - Mary’s personal website
Youtube - SBS documentary “The Secret Swami” -
Cults exposed in New Zealand. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Faith-Based & State-Based Care investigated what happened to children, young people and adults in NZ in these care settings during 1950 to 1999. The final report - Whanaketia - was released on 25 June. The extent of the findings are beyond imaginable. Lindy, Liz and Caz all have personal reasons to care about the findings of this report. In this discussion they talk about Whanaketia and how the findings relate to cults in New Zealand operating now.
Show Notes:
Royal Inquiry Report: https://www.abuseincare.org.nz/reports/whanaketia Royal Inquiry Faith-Based Institutions: https://www.abuseincare.org.nz/reports/whanaketia/summaries/survivors-experiences-of-abuse-and-neglect-in-faith-based-care/ Royal Inquiry Executive Summary: https://www.abuseincare.org.nz/reports/whanaketia/preliminaries/executive-summary/ Listener Article: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener/health/cults-often-neglect-vital-health-needs-how-an-nz-gp-wants-to-change-that/ILZYV466QFBA3HZ3R7BTM5ZMGM/ Let's Talk About Sects podcast: https://www.ltaspod.com/caroline-ansley -
Dr Janja Lalich, leading cult researcher and sociologist, author of several books about cults including “Take Back Your Life”, talks with Liz and shares her Bounded Choice Framework. They talk about moral injury and accountability, the way cults arrest the development of children, and the importance of support and psychological care after leaving a cult. This chat comes in the lead up to Dr Lalich’s October visit to New Zealand for multiple speaking engagements, including the Decult Conference, Parliamentary evening, University lecture and a visit to Timaru to engage with Gloriavale Leavers and supporters.
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If you’ve been wondering if your book club is actually a cult, then this episode is for you! Settle in as our hosts chat about the green flags for healthy groups - borrowing extensively from the work of Dr Janja Lalich, in her book “Escaping Utopia”. The girls try very hard to focus on the flourishing, nourishing and encouraging qualities present in a healthy group and how they are different from harmful groups, but of course, they definitely talk about cults! They can’t help themselves!
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Lindy chats with Dr Gillie Jenkinson, UK psychotherapist, trainer of therapists, and author of “Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse - A Workbook for Recovery and Growth.” Gillie talks about her personal history in a cult, her realization that the only way to get some decent resources for the cult recovery journey was to develop them herself, and the excitement she is feeling as she plans the last details for her trip to New Zealand in October 2024 . She will be speaking at Decult and running workshops for therapists. We can’t wait to see her!
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Liz & Caz learnt so much at the International Cultic Studies Association conference in Barcelona that they had to do another episode on it! Listen in as they tell Lindy all about the fascinating anti-cult activists and educators they met and the breaking research they learnt about. In this episode they chat about the process of waking up for cultists, the impacts on the second generation, and a dive into the very damaging impacts of mandated shunning - which so many cults enforce.
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What were Liz & Caz doing in Barcelona this month? Apart from chowing down on tapas and sipping on their drink of choice, the girls hob-knobbed with leading international authorities on cults & coercive control at the International Cultic Studies Association annual conference. In this episode Liz and Caz download all their new learnings to Lindy who sadly had to stay at home. Join us to hear them chat about up to date international research in the cultiverse and how their own presentations went.
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Do therapists have the skills needed to support the recovery of cult leavers? Yes! Do they understand the significance of the cult context? Hmmm, maybe not. In this episode, Lindy and Liz discuss the workshop they recently lead where they taught a room of mental health workers all about cult recovery. Listen in as they tell Caz all about it, share some tips for therapists working with cult-leavers, and explain why therapists should consider upskilling in cult recovery.
Show Notes:
Book: Cracking the Cult Code for Therapists by Bonnie Zieman
Book: Escaping Utopia by Janja Lalich and Karla McLaren
Education: Gillie Jenkinson training for therapists - Mental Health Professionals and Therapists Workshop October 21-22 2024
Education: Decult Conference October 19-20 2024
Service: Mind Health - mental health provider based in Christchurch
- Visa fler
