A podcast about cult hacking! Cracking the cult code to understand what they are, how they work, how people leave and how to make sense of the world after leaving. Father and daughter team, media graduate Celine, and former cult member now organizational psychologist Stephen, explore how cults work, why they are so dangerous and the experience of leaving and making sense of the world. They speak to cult hackers from all over the world, from ex members to academics, from writers to filmmakers, and from therapists to activists. https://pod.link/1540824671 https://www.patreon.com/culthackers https://culthackers.com/ Music is Snap by Purple Planet Music Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Episodes
Saturday Dec 16, 2023
Saturday Dec 16, 2023
In the late 70s Sharon and Tracey were attracted to "The Jesus People" and joined the Last Days Ministries, living on a cult commune as teenagers with rock star Keith Green and the community he built. As teenagers they believed Jesus return would happen in 1981 and that they would be saved if they stayed within the group that was following Jesus properly. Their story is fascinating and important and they are also great fun to talk to.
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Useful Links:
Feet of Clay Website
https://www.confessionsofthecultsisters.com/about
Saturday Dec 09, 2023
Saturday Dec 09, 2023
For this week's podcast Celine and Stephen discuss the "software bug" inherent in human beings that makes us vulnerable to cults and their leaders.
The article on Medium https://medium.com/
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Saturday Dec 02, 2023
Saturday Dec 02, 2023
This week Stephen talks to Spencer Watson from the Truth Unrestricted Podcast about the question of 'Magical Thinking'. What is it? How is it different from scientific thinking? Why is it attractive? Why do ex cult members have a special interest in it? and many more questions. It's a bumper discussion this week that gets into some deep stuff as well as Spencer asking Stephen about his experience of making sense of life after leaving his cult.
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Spencer's podcast
Truth Unrestricted : https://pod.link/1613105409
Saturday Nov 25, 2023
Saturday Nov 25, 2023
When you're a member of a fundamentalist religious group, you find comfort in the certain knowledge that you have "The Truth". Leaving is partly a journey of coming to terms with uncertainty. Olivia Jackson herself a former member of such a group, has created an impressive piece of work, where she has interviewed 140 former members at various stages of deconstruction from former fundamentalist beliefs. Olivia is thoughtful and eloquent and treats the topic with respectfulness and curiosity.
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
To Contact Olivia
Instagram @deconstructingwriter
https://www.oliviajacksonwriter.com/book/
Saturday Nov 18, 2023
Saturday Nov 18, 2023
Join the party to listen to some of our nearly 100 hundred different guests over the last three years. We chat over a glass of virtual bubbly to ex members of groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Children of God, NXIVM, Rajneeshpuram, Evangelicalism, Amish, Christian Fundamentalism and Conspiracism.
Guests featured:
Lizzie Ens, former Amish
Brent Lee, former Conspiracist
Daniella Mestyanek Young, Army Veteran and former member of the Children of God
Chris French, Emeritus Professor of Anomalistic Psychology Goldsmiths UOL
Susan Dones, ex NXIVM
Daniel Allen Cox, Author and Former Jehovah's Witness
Rachael Reign, Activist and Former UCKG
Clare Alison Hams, Therapist and Former Jehovah's Witness
JT and Lady Cee, YouTubers and ex Jehovah's Witnesses
Dr Heather Ransom, Academic and ex Jehovah's Witness
Alexander Millar, Artist and ex Jehovah's Witness
Ali Millar, Author and ex Jehovah's Witness
Kacey, Cult Vault Podcast
Dr Alexandra Stein, Academic
Daniel Stricker, Former Member KwaSizabantu
Erika Bornman, Former Member KwaSizabantu
Kendra Bryan, Former Evangelical
Nicola Ranson, Former Member Rajneeshpuram
Riley, YouTuber and Former Jehovah Witness
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Saturday Nov 11, 2023
Saturday Nov 11, 2023
Celine and Stephen speak to cult expert, therapist and podcaster, Rachel Bernstein about her introduction into the topic, her work as a therapist helping leavers and her thoughts on the anti-cult ecosystem. Such a thrill to speak to Rachel about her work, her experiences and her insights into cults.
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Links about today's guest
Indoctrination podcast: https://www.podpage.com/indoctrination/
Saturday Nov 04, 2023
Saturday Nov 04, 2023
Today we're joined by Cynane, a former member of a fundamentalist Christian group. Cynane is writing a book about the links between Fundamentalism, white Christian Nationalism and conspiracy theories. Cynane talks about her life as an evangelical Christian and how lizard people and space lasers led her out.
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Witness Underground Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/witnessunderground/431102735?ref=akkj92&token=3e50ed5a
Cynane's website https://takingoffthetinfoilhat.com/
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
It's perhaps the most famous psychological study ever but what does it really tell us? And what might it tell us about cults?
In the 1970s Professor Philip Zimbardo created a simulated prison in the basement of a college building, separating volunteer students into the roles of prisoners and guards to observe their behaviour. What happened next is disturbing, and led to a view that when it comes to behaviour, more important than the individual's ethics and morality, it's the situation that really matters. In addition to the obvious ethical issues raised by the study there have fairly recently been challenges to its claims and the scientific methodology. Stephen and Celine go deep into what it really tells us and it's not what was claimed.
Zimbardo article about cults
https://www.lucifereffect.com/guide_cults.htm
Recording of instructions to "prison guards"
https://purl.stanford.edu/wn708sg0050
Video recordings
https://exhibits.stanford.edu/spe/browse/video-recordings
British Psychological Society article
https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/time-change-story
Share this podcast with a friend https://pod.link/1540824671
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Witness Underground Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/witnessunderground/431102735?ref=akkj92&token=3e50ed5a
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Stephen speaks to Scott Homan, Ryan Sutter, Anthony Mathenia, Denise Wise and Micah Allen Losch from the Witness Underground team. In this special episode each former Jehovah's Witness speaks about their struggle to find creative expression while a member, and their journey of self discovery as they left, as well as updating us on the amazing documentary film Witness Underground, and their mission to get it on the streaming platforms for more people to see it who need to.
Share this podcast with a friend https://pod.link/1540824671
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Witness Underground Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/witnessunderground/431102735?ref=akkj92&token=3e50ed5a
Micah Allen Losh Website:
https://www.micahallenlosh.com/
Nuclear Gopher Website
https://www.nucleargopher.org/
Anthony Methenia books on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Anthony-Mathenia/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AAnthony+Mathenia
Denise Wise YouTube Channel
https://outofthebagradio.weebly.com/podcasts/podcast-sean-maguire-denise-wise-nino-rodriguez-michael-jaco-kerry-cassidy-ww3-rebellion-hour-25102023
Saturday Oct 21, 2023
Saturday Oct 21, 2023
Human rights lawyer, Stephen Patterson joins us today to talk about his work representing ex-members of the New Zealand based Gloriavale religious group. Stephen provides insights into life in the group thanks to his many conversations with former members. It's some of the worst exploitation we've heard about on this podcast with children being forced to work long hours from the age of six, very little freedom within a highly patriarchal and oppressive system. Stephen also provides some more general advice on how to use the law to hold high-control groups and cults accountable for their bad behaviour.
Share this podcast with a friend https://pod.link/1540824671
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Witness Underground Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/witnessunderground/431102735?ref=akkj92&token=3e50ed5a