VideosJon Atack, Family and Friends: If Scientology Ruled - Chapter Four: The Empress – Hubbard’s Holy Guardian Angel
Written by Jon Atack, author of the bestselling expose, Let's Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky, this book is a frightening look into an alarming possible
future – and a fascinating deep dive into the
history that could lead us there.
Newsxlive: Deepak Chopra Named In Newly Seen Epstein Emails | Will There Be Any Other American-Indians?
"New congressional records detailing Jeffrey Epstein’s communications reveal ongoing contact with Deepak Chopra long after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. The emails, ranging from lawsuit discussions to exchanges about public figures, have prompted widespread debate over ethical responsibility and the consequences for influencers who
BBC: Religious group members deny charges over raids
Twenty-four members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, based in Crewe, appeared at South Cheshire Magistrates Court yesterday [6/15/26] charged with a range of offenses, including obstructing police officers, failing to comply with police directions, and assaulting an officer. The cases follow a police raid on three addresses linked to the group in April this year, which the police said was part of an investigation into reports of sexual abuse, forced marriage, and modern slavery. All defendants pleaded not guilty and were granted unconditional bail until trial next April.
Newsweek: I Married a Photograph. Then I Met My Husband For the First Time
In this personal essay for *Newsweek*, Kiyomi Hawley recounts her experience growing up within the Unification Church and the traumatic reality of participating in one of the organization’s infamous mass weddings. Raised in the church, Hawley accepted the requirement to marry a stranger arranged by the faith, eventually finding herself standing in Madison Square Garden at age 20, holding a photograph of a man she had never met because he could not attend the ceremony.
The reality of the union proved devastating. While traveling to South Korea to meet her "husband," Hawley felt neither physical attraction nor emotional connection. Despite her deep-seated fear that leaving the church would mean losing her family and her community, the pressure of the artificial marriage—which included her husband threatening suicide when she tried to end the union—led her into a cycle of depression and despair.
Ultimately, Hawley chose to prioritize her own well-being over the church's dictates. By breaking the "blessing" and leaving the organization, she faced the terrifying possibility of being cast out by her family, though they ultimately supported her pursuit of happiness. Years later, after leaving the church and focusing on her passion for music, Hawley found genuine love on her own.
New Thought
The New Thought movement is an American spiritual and philosophical movement that emerged in the mid-to-late 19th century. Rather than developing into a single church with centralized authority, it grew into a loose network of thinkers, authors, and religious groups sharing a core conviction: the mind has direct creative power over physical reality, health, and circumstances.
It serves as the missing link between 19th-century metaphysics and today's multi-billion-dollar self-help industry.
1. The Historical Origins of New Thought
The roots of New Thought lie in a reaction against the harsh, Calvinist theology of early America (which emphasized human depravity and an angry God) and a simultaneous fascination with early psychology and alternative medicine.
Phineas Quimby: The Father of the Movement
The foundational figure of New Thought was Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802–1866), a New England clockmaker and mesmerist. Quimby noticed that when he "magnetized" patients, their physical symptoms often vanished based entirely on what they believed about their cure.
Quimby concluded that all disease is a mental construct—an error of the mind—and that the true teaching of Jesus was a science of mental healing. He called his philosophy "The Science of Health" or the "New Thought."
The Early Splinters and Foundations
Quimby never founded a church, but his patients and students took his ideas in radically different directions:
Mary Baker Eddy: One of Quimby’s most famous patients, she used his ideas as a launchpad to found Christian Science in 1879. However, Eddy fiercely broke away from the mainstream New Thought trajectory by claiming absolute divine revelation, establishing a strict hierarchy, and entirely rejecting the physical world and medical science.
The Mainstream New Thought Pioneers: Other students, such as Warren Felt Evans and Julius Dresser, advocated a more open, ecumenical approach. They blended Quimby's mental healing with Emersonian Transcendentalism (the belief in an immanent divine energy in nature) and Eastern philosophies such as Hinduism and Buddhism, which were just beginning to be translated into English.
By the late 1880s, independent ministries had begun to crystallize into formal denominations. The most prominent among these were Unity Church (founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in 1889), Divine Science (1888), and later, Religious Science / Science of Mind (founded by Ernest Holmes in 1927).
2. Core Philosophy: The Metaphysical Framework
While denominations differ, the historical New Thought movement is defined by a few unwavering philosophical tenets:
Pantheism/Panentheism: God is not a king on a throne, but "Divine Mind," "Infinite Intelligence," or "Source"—an omnipresent energy flowing through everything.
The Law of Attraction: Thoughts are literal things. They possess a magnetic frequency that attracts corresponding physical realities. Positive thoughts attract health and wealth; negative thoughts attract disease and poverty.
The Metaphysical Jesus: Jesus is viewed as a human who figured out the "spiritual laws" of the universe. The "Christ" is not a person, but a state of divine consciousness that anyone can achieve.
3. Influence on Modern Self-Help and Secular Spirituality
It is difficult to overstate how deeply New Thought has saturated modern secular culture. When people use terms like "manifesting," "vibrational frequency," "mindset shift," or "daily affirmations," they are speaking fluent, 19th-century New Thought.
The movement crossed over from a religious philosophy into secular self-help through three major historical waves:
Wave 1: The "Success Literature" of the Early 20th Century
In the early 1900s, authors stripped away the explicitly Christian terminology of Unity and Divine Science to market these principles directly to people in business and those seeking financial wealth.
[Phineas Quimby's Mental Healing]
▼
[William Walker Atkinson (Thought Vibration, 1906)]
▼
[Wallace Wattles (The Science of Getting Rich, 1910)]
▼
[Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich, 1937)]
Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich became one of the best-selling books of all time, arguing that "thoughts are things" and outlining a formula to transmute desire into gold.
Wave 2: Mid-Century Norman Vincent Peale
In 1952, minister Norman Vincent Peale published The Power of Positive Thinking. Peale combined New Thought metaphysics with traditional Christian psychology. Despite heavy criticism from theologians and psychiatrists who called it simplistic and dangerous, the book spent 186 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It normalized the idea that optimism is a practical tool for worldly success.
Wave 3: The New Age Movement and "The Secret"
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, New Thought underwent a massive rebranding under the umbrella of New Age spirituality.
Louise Hay: In 1984, she published You Can Heal Your Life, which directly mirrored Phineas Quimby’s 150-year-old premise: physical illnesses are caused by specific mental patterns and emotional blockages. Her company, Hay House, became the premier publisher of modern spiritual self-help.
Rhonda Byrne: In 2006, the book and film The Secret became a global phenomenon. It marketed the "Law of Attraction" as a forgotten esoteric mystery, though it drew heavily on Wallace Wattles' 1910 New Thought text, sometimes word-for-word.
Oprah Winfrey: By consistently platforming New Thought-aligned teachers like Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, and Eckhart Tolle, Oprah mainstreamed the language of intentional living and manifestation for tens of millions of viewers.
The Core Critique: A Double-Edged Sword
The primary legacy of the New Thought movement is the democratization of agency—it taught individuals that they were not passive victims of a capricious God or random fate, but active co-creators of their lives.
However, sociologists and philosophers note that its dark side has also deeply shaped modern Western culture. By telling people they have absolute control over their reality, New Thought implicitly suggests that structural poverty, systemic inequality, racism, or genetic illnesses are merely "failures of imagination" or "poor mindset alignment," fostering a hyper-individualistic culture that often struggles with systemic empathy.
AI Research Disclosure: To bring you the most relevant stories, parts of this newsletter utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools to search the web, source articles, and assist with content curation. This content is for informational purposes only; we recommend verifying critical facts independently.
The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan, Joseph Kelly, or Ashlen Hilliard endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.
Please forward articles you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.
New PublicationsIn a new book, Sarito Carroll describes how she traded sex for adult male affection as a young teen living communally with followers of this infamous Indian guru.
Legislative & LegalHigh-profile legal actions targeting fraudulent psychic operations, mass-mailing scams, and individuals using spiritual claims for extortion or defamation have led to several major rulings and lawsuits in federal and state courts over the past year.
The notable cases from 2025 and 2026 include:
1. United States v. Georg Ingenbleek (April 2026)
The Case: A federal judge in New Jersey sentenced German national Georg Ingenbleek to 70 months in prison and ordered a massive $`13.6 million forfeiture for orchestrating a multi-million dollar psychic mail fraud scheme.
The Fraud: Between 2011 and 2016, Ingenbleek ran a predatory mass-mailing operation targeting vulnerable individuals across the U.S. The letters claimed to be personalized insights from well-known psychics offering "free" services and items to bring good fortune. Once victims engaged, the operation sent aggressive follow-up billing notices demanding money and falsely threatening legal action and prosecution if they didn't pay. Ingenbleek was indicted in 2020, captured as a fugitive in Italy in 2024, and extradited to the U.S. in 2025.
2. Rebecca Scofield v. Ashley Guillard (February 2026)
The Case: A federal jury in Boise, Idaho, ordered a viral TikTok "tarot card reader" to pay `$10 million in damages to a University of Idaho history professor in a massive defamation lawsuit.
The Fraud: Self-proclaimed psychic Ashley Guillard posted over 100 videos to TikTok claiming her "spiritual intuition" and tarot readings proved the history department chair was responsible for ordering the tragic 2022 stabbings of four Idaho college students. Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco ruled the claims entirely defamatory, stating they relied purely on "spiritual intuition" with zero objective basis. The February 2026 trial ended with a unanimous jury awarding $`7.5 million in punitive damages alone to punish the behavior and deter similar online "psychic" accusations.
3. United States v. Gina Rita Russell (Late 2024 / Ongoing Impact)
The Case: Sentenced to over 10 years (125 months) in federal prison, self-purported psychic Gina Rita Russell was penalized for masterminding an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering ring.
The Fraud: Operating out of New York and Los Angeles, Russell weaponized her position as a spiritual advisor to psychologically coerce a Maryland man. Through extortionate spiritual threats and manipulation, she forced the victim to embezzle more than `$4 million from his Washington, D.C., employer to fund her lifestyle.
4. Pennsylvania Record Civil Filing: Spells & Blackmail Action (August 2025)
The Case: A civil lawsuit was filed against an individual operating as a psychic and spiritual practitioner, alleging severe financial exploitation.
The Fraud: The lawsuit outlines a classic multi-layered psychic fraud mechanism. It charges the defendant with civil RICO violations, extortion, unjust enrichment, "theft by fortune-telling," and practicing medicine without a license. The plaintiff alleges the psychic manipulated her into paying exorbitant fees for personalized spells, using emotional distress and eventual blackmail to extract funds.
Common Red Flags Identified in Recent Litigation
Civil and criminal court filings from these cases highlight a distinct pattern used by fraudulent spiritualists to exploit victims:
The "Personal Vision" Mass Mailer: Automated form letters sent to thousands of elderly or isolated individuals simultaneously, falsely claiming a famous psychic had a specific, individualized vision of their upcoming wealth or tragedy.
Karmic and Legal Extortion: Demanding escalating fees to "cleanse" a curse or prevent a tragedy, often shifting into aggressive legal threats or spiritual blackmail if the victim attempts to stop paying.
Unsubstantiated "Intuition" as Fact: Using spiritual tools (like tarot cards or mediumship) to publicly fabricate criminal allegations against innocent individuals for internet clout or financial gain via social media monetization.
Research & Academic
Researchers Need Your Input: A New Tool to Assess Religious and Spiritual Trauma
A graduate researcher at the University of Illinois Springfield is developing the first standardized assessment tool for religious and spiritual trauma — and is looking for participants to help validate it.
The Multidimensional Religious and Spiritual Trauma Assessment (MRSTA) is designed to measure how religious and spiritual experiences affect mental and emotional well-being, including intergenerational trauma, family and religious culture, and organizational harm. The goal is to give therapists and educators better tools for working with survivors of religious harm.
The study is conducted by Takouhie Jensen under the supervision of Dr. Huijuan Li, Assistant Professor of Counseling at the University of Illinois Springfield, and has been reviewed and approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Who can participate? Anyone 18 or older with current or past involvement in any religious or spiritual group.
What does it involve? An anonymous one-time online survey of approximately 130–150 items, taking 20–30 minutes. No personal identifiers are collected. You may skip any question.
Survey link: https://uisits.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3EkKLn3QtpOOJWm
Questions can be directed to Takouhie Jensen at tjens@uis.edu or Dr. Huijuan Li at hli254@uis.edu.
WRSP: Clearwater City Council approves giving street to Church of Scientology to build L. Ron Hubbard Hall
"Clearwater City Council gave the green light Thursday night for the Church of Scientology to take over a short city street that’s key to building L. Ron Hubbard Hall, a 3500-person venue named after its controversial founder.
The decision came after more than an hour of public comment that councilmembers cut short. Hundreds of Scientologists and dozens of their critics once again packed the downtown library where council meetings are held.
“My wife and I have personally contributed millions of dollars toward the L. Ron Hubbard Hall since the inception of this project because we believe in what it will mean for future generations of parishioners and for downtown Clearwater,” said Scientologist Stu Sjouwerman, the billionaire tech founder of KnowBe4, the world's largest integrated security awareness training and simulated phishing platform. “It's the completion of a vision that has been discussed for decades and the final piece to complete [Scientology’s] downtown campus.”
This is not the church's first attempt. In 2025, Scientology withdrew a similar application shortly before a final city vote, saying it intended to revise and resubmit the proposal. It did exactly that in 2026.
Critics argue that South Garden Avenue is public land and should remain open to everyone. They believe transferring the roadway would further consolidate Scientology's already extensive influence over downtown Clearwater. The church and affiliated entities own a large share of downtown property. Many former Scientologists who showed up at the meeting say the church commits human rights abuses and uses child labor."
"... In late 2025, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an opinion siding with Scientology's position that the church could pursue its planned development and that the city lacked certain grounds to block it. That opinion strengthened the church's case but did not automatically settle the matter politically.
Thursday night, three councilmembers, David Allbritton, Mike Mannino, and Ryan Cotton, said they were supporting the vacation request because they are routine and have never been rejected."
International Society of Divine Love (ISDL)
The International Society of Divine Love (ISDL), incorporated in 1975 by the Hindu guru Swami Prakashanand Saraswati (a disciple of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj), underwent a severe institutional collapse and complete rebranding following a major criminal scandal involving its founder.
The trajectory of the organization and its ultimate fate unfolded through several key developments:
Expansion and the Creation of Radha Madhav Dham
Originally founded in India, the ISDL expanded internationally to New Zealand and eventually to the United States. In 1990, the organization established its international headquarters on a massive 200-acre property in Austin, Texas, known as Barsana Dham (later renamed Radha Madhav Dham). The site became one of the largest Hindu temple complexes in the Western Hemisphere, attracting thousands of followers and visitors for religious festivals.
Criminal Charges and Conviction of the Founder
The organization's trajectory shifted abruptly between 2007 and 2011 due to severe criminal allegations against its founder, Prakashanand Saraswati:
2007–2008 Arrest: Three former residents of the Texas ashram came forward to law enforcement, reporting that they had been subjected to chronic sexual abuse by Saraswati when they were minors (ranging from ages 12 to 14) during the 1990s. Saraswati was subsequently arrested.
2011 Trial and Conviction: In March 2011, a Texas jury found Saraswati guilty on 20 counts of indecency with a child.
Flight and Fugitive Status: Following his conviction but before the sentencing phase, Saraswati fled the United States while out on a $10 million bond. He was sentenced in absentia to 280 years in prison and a $200,000 fine. Federal authorities later determined he had used a fraudulent passport to escape to India, where he remains a fugitive.
Reorganization and Rebranding
Following the founder's conviction and flight, the International Society of Divine Love faced immense legal, financial, and public relations crises. To survive the fallout, the organization systematically distanced itself from Prakashanand Saraswati and restructured its governance:
Institutional Scrubbing: The organization stripped Saraswati’s name, images, and writings from its official materials, websites, and temple gift shops.
The Rebrand: The U.S. nonprofit entity underwent a total rebranding. The Texas ashram officially changed its name from Barsana Dham to Radha Madhav Dham to signal a fresh start.
New Leadership Alignment: Globally, the broader movement shifted its primary alignment away from the disgraced founder and placed itself directly under the umbrella of its parent organization in India, Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), which is managed by Kripalu Maharaj's daughters.
Today, the physical infrastructure built by the International Society of Divine Love still operates in Texas as Radha Madhav Dham, a community temple and cultural center. However, it is now under a completely restructured local management designed to sever ties with its history of coercive control and abuse.
References
The Criminal Case and Conviction: The details surrounding the arrest and subsequent trial of the founder, Swami Prakashanand Saraswati (often referred to as "Shree Swamiji"), are extensively documented in Texas legal archives and in media outlets such as The Austin American-Statesman and KXAN-TV. In 2011, a Hays County jury convicted him on 20 counts of indecency with a child stemming from a pattern of abuse against minors at the Texas ashram during the 1990s.
Fugitive Status: Following his conviction, Saraswati skipped his $10 million bond and fled the country, an escape that led to appearances on law-enforcement broadcasts, including CNN’s The Hunt with John Walsh and Fox's America's Most Wanted.
Documentation regarding the transition from Barsana Dham to Radha Madhav Dham comes from the organization's corporate restructuring filings in Texas and official public relations statements. This shift placed the remaining physical complex directly under the administrative wing of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP) in India, an entity listed in repositories such as the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA).
International Society of Divine Love (ISDL)
Following the 2011 conviction and subsequent flight of its founder, Prakashanand Saraswati, the organization overseeing the 200-acre Texas ashram faced severe legal, financial, and existential crises. To survive the fallout and address lawsuits from victims, the management implemented a series of dramatic structural, legal, and leadership changes designed to stabilize the community and insulate it from its founder's criminal legacy.
The specific changes implemented include:
Reconstitution of the Board and Local Leadership
The organization dissolved the insular governance structure that had previously been controlled by or directly answered to Prakashanand Saraswati.
Appointment of New Leadership: The ashram appointed new, public-facing spiritual and administrative leaders who were distinct from the inner circle active during the 1990s abuse period. Sushree Diwakari Devi was appointed President of Radha Madhav Dham, overseeing administrative, organizational, and spiritual outreach alongside other Western-based preachers such as Swami Nikhilanand.
Separation of Management: Day-to-day operations and public relations were handed over to a restructured board of directors and a dedicated management team. Spokespersons (such as Vrinda Devi) were designated to explicitly communicate to the public and the media that the ashram was actively "moving forward" and severing historical ties.
Legal Restructuring and Incorporation Changes
To manage the immense financial liabilities stemming from civil litigation—including major vicarious liability and negligence lawsuits brought by survivors of the abuse—the entity underwent formal corporate restructuring.
Asset Insulation: The nonprofit entity stepped away from the "International Society of Divine Love" (ISDL) corporate identity in the United States.
The "Radha Madhav Dham" Rebrand: In addition to renaming the physical site from Barsana Dham to Radha Madhav Dham, the corporate entities were restructured to operate under this new moniker, aiming to separate the physical temple assets and community operations from the legal entity directly tied to Saraswati’s 1975 incorporation.
Direct Subordination to Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP)
Previously, the international branches of the ISDL operated with a high degree of autonomy under Saraswati's personal dictate. Following his flight, the Texas ashram shifted its organizational alignment to become a direct, subordinate international wing of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), the parent charitable trust headquartered in Mangarh, India.
Oversight by the "Pracharikas": JKP India was established by Kripalu Maharaj (Saraswati's own guru) and is explicitly administered by his daughters (Sushri Dr. Shyama Tripathi and Sushri Dr. Krishna Tripathi). By integrating tightly into JKP’s international governance, Radha Madhav Dham effectively placed its theological and structural oversight in the hands of the Indian parent trust's leadership, bypassing the authority of its fugitive founder.
Total Institutional Erasure of the Founder
From a structural policy standpoint, the new management enacted a strict "scrubbing" protocol across the entire organization to dismantle the cult of personality surrounding Saraswati:
Removal of Material: The board ordered the immediate removal of all photographs, portraits, and statues of Prakashanand Saraswati from the Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple and the surrounding grounds.
Literature and Media Sanctions: All books, audio recordings, and philosophical commentaries authored by Saraswati were permanently pulled from the ashram’s gift shops, libraries, and online distribution channels. The organization shifted entirely to using orthodox texts and materials produced directly by Kripalu Maharaj or the JKP trust.
AI Research Disclosure: To bring you the most relevant stories, parts of this newsletter utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools to search the web, source articles, and assist with content curation. This content is for informational purposes only; we recommend verifying critical facts independently.
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.
The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan, Joseph Kelly or Ashlen Hilliard endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.
New Events
Cheetah House: Buddhist Modernism and Meditation with Dr. Nathan Fisher
"Meditation is often presented in the West as a universal, scientific, and inherently beneficial practice capable of catalyzing therapeutic healing and profound psychological transformation. But where did these ideas come from, and why are they so compelling to so many of us? This talk explores the unique cultural movement known as “Buddhist modernism” and how it has indelibly shaped our default conceptions of this Asian religion and its rituals. We will examine how meditation came to be understood as a secular, therapeutic, and personal spiritual practice that is the essence of Buddhism, and how this diverse historical tradition came to be cast not as a religion at all but rather as an exceptional science of mind. Finally, we will explore how Buddhist modernist discourse and praxis can lead to a range of meditation-related challenges, and how even a basic appreciation of this cultural movement can help us make sense of important parts of many of our meditation journeys—indeed, the very water we have been swimming in without recognizing or even consenting to its assumptions, values, and norms."
Dr. Fisher recently received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Cognitive Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2011 before joining the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at Brown University, where he managed the 'Varieties of Contemplative Experience' (VCE) study from 2012-2015. Before starting graduate school, he was a visiting scholar at the Mind and Life Institute—where he organized a small conference on Abrahamic contemplative traditions—and lived in Jerusalem for 2 years to explore aspects of living Jewish mystical and meditative traditions.
Wednesday, June 24th, 2026, 12:00 PM
1 hour 30 minutes @ $40.00
Legislative & Legal
CNS: Zizian attempted murder suspects obtain new counsel and trial date
A Superior Court judge granted new representation for one of two Zizian defendants, while the other will be tried for competency in March.
Suri Dao and Alexander Jeffrey are members of the Zizians, a loosely organized, cult-like group of radical vegans who claim artificial intelligence poses a threat to humanity. The two are among about 10 known followers of blogger Jack “Ziz” LaSota, a 34-year-old transgender woman who moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2016.
The group has been linked to six killings nationwide, including Lind’s death. Fellow Zizian Maximilian Snyder is accused of fatally stabbing Lind in Vallejo on Jan. 17, 2025. Lind had been scheduled to testify in Dao and Leatham’s case. Snyder has pleaded not guilty, and his preliminary hearing is set for April 21.
LaSota, a former aspiring tech worker, moved to the Bay Area to study the risks posed by artificial intelligence and later built a following among AI theorists and tech bloggers for her extreme views on AI, veganism, and gender.
"Sarah Edmondson is a normal working mum. She spends her days rushing around after her sons, Troy, 11, and seven-year-old Ace, taking them to baseball games and working on her podcast with her husband.
However, a trace of her former life remains as a pale white line on her left hip, beneath her bikini line.
It appeared on Sarah’s body as part of an ‘initiation’ into a secret women’s circle, where she was blindfolded, told to strip naked, and branded with the logo of the controversial NXIVM cult.
Led there under false pretenses, she had been entrenched within the organization (pronounced “Nexium”) for 12 years while it consumed her career, relationships, and – crucially – her thought patterns.
Sarah’s ordeal began when she was 28. Working as an actor, she was at a film festival when she met a member of NXIVM, who told her that the group – founded by Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman – helped members reach their goals while living ethically and promoting world peace, through workshops on success and self-improvement."
"...Sarah was won over by the self-improvement aspects of the training and by day five admits she was a ‘zealot’.
‘I was inspired by what the group promised to be and was excited to meet so many people in personal growth, she explains.
With a price tag of $2,160 for Sarah and her then-boyfriend, it was more than a month’s rent at the time, but she threw herself in, implementing what she had learned, firing her agent, and getting new representation.
‘Everything that had been a sticking point in my life was flipped back as an opportunity for growth. I was told I had never pushed through my limitations, and that was true.’
Sarah began to feel more positive and motivated, and for the first time in years, weaned herself off sleeping pills. Feeling encouraged, she enrolled in further training and started to see more acting jobs roll in."
"...Over the years, she excelled at NXIVM, whose headquarters were in Albany, New York, and established her own branch – a thriving center in Vancouver. By 2009, it was bustling, with 80 students visiting a night.
Internationally, NXIVM was also booming, boasting celebrities such as Smallville actor Allison Mack and Battlestar Galactica's Nicki Clyne on its roster, and even hosting the Dalai Lama at one of its events.
However, behind the scenes, disturbing practices were emerging.
Some women in the inner circles were put on special diets or were criticized for eating, being told they were ‘indulgent’ if they were not under 100lb (just over seven stone). They were expected to practice daily acts of denial, forgoing sugar and caffeine, and told to take cold showers as a penance."
"Clearwater City Council and the Cleveland Street Alliance (the Church of Scientology and its real estate partners) discussed plans for the first time publicly at a workshop… for a $350,000,000 project to revitalize the downtown area.
“Instead of being just a pass-through to the beach, this will definitely be a stop. We want to make sure it’s more of a destination than just a stop,” said Al Battle, the Assistant City Manager of Clearwater.
Religious officials plan to take over 40 storefronts and 6 historic buildings already owned by the Church and convert them into restaurants, bars, and an entertainment district, among other uses, according to speakers at the meeting.
The Church will cover the entire cost of the renovations. Some of the properties have begun construction or demolition, while some are awaiting permits.
AI Research Disclosure: To bring you the most relevant stories, parts of this newsletter utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools to search the web, source articles, and assist with content curation. This content is for informational purposes only; we recommend verifying critical facts independently.
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.
The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan, Joseph Kelly or Ashlen Hilliard endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.
Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.