Newsletter: Finding Meaning in a Turbulent World
On Recovery, Innovation, and Purpose
This week’s episode of Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum, “Make it Meaningful: How to Find Purpose in Life and Work,” features an interview with Debbie Haski-Leventhal, PhD, a survivor of the Kabbalah Centre and a self-described “professor of purpose and impact,” who works with individuals and companies to make lives more meaningful. She is a remarkable example of someone who has exited an authoritarian group and not only survived - but thrived - and has become a beacon of hope for others. Her recent book is called Make it Meaningful: How to Find Purpose in Life and Work. The book is fantastic for all former cult members and anyone counseling ex-members. I think you’ll find her story fascinating and inspiring. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Next week’s episode, “The Time Cure: Overcoming PTSD with the New Psychology of Time Perspective Therapy by Dr. Philip Zimbardo,” will feature an interview with Rosemary Sword, the co-author of the renowned 2012 book by that title. She worked on the book with her husband, clinical psychologist Richard Sword, PhD, and Philip Zimbardo, PhD, the legendary psychologist and professor at Stanford University.
I am flying to California tomorrow to attend the BrainMind Science Collective, an invitation-only gathering of 150 scientists, innovators, and thought leaders working at the forefront of brain and mind sciences—alongside cross-disciplinary thinkers from AI, physics, and beyond. I have attended two previous conferences and have learned so much. I hope to network and develop new ideas for how to bring my work to the world.
I wasn’t sure that I would be able to do a livestream this week but they are so well received, that I decided to do one from my hotel on Thursday, March 20, from 3-4 pm EDT; I welcome everyone to tune in with questions and comments! We had two livestreams last week, one on Wednesday and one on Sunday.
Evaluate whether your group is a cult by using my BITE Model of Authoritarian Control™ survey! We’d love your input—not just on high-control groups but also on healthy ones! If you’ve been part of a positive, ethical group, please share its name. You can submit multiple entries if you’ve experienced more than one. Feel free to spread the word on Reddit, Facebook, or anywhere ex-members connect—the more data we gather, the stronger our research becomes. Our goal is to build a comprehensive, evidence-based database of both authoritarian and healthy groups. Thank you for contributing!
Power can be rapidly stripped away from individuals, or it can be taken away layer by layer. Not everyone makes it out of a cult, but life can become particularly meaningful when they do. A new purpose can arise for the person, more substantial than the grasp of mind control. Leaving an authoritarian cult is the experience that Dr. Debbie Haski-Leventhal, PhD, shared with us on this episode of Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum. She found this meaning after a period of healing and self-exploration when she left the Kabbalah Centre. Her parents brought her into it when she was only five years old.
Read the blog post or listen to the podcast below:
How can you tell if that group your family member has joined is safe? Is your relationship hitting a “rough patch,” or is there actual cause for concern? With this anonymous, easy-to-use diagnostic tool, you can answer simple questions and determine if any group or relationship is beneficial or destructive, ethical or unethical, healthy or unhealthy. And now, you can share your results on your social media if you wish!
As always, please let us know what you think about these pieces or what you’d like to see us discuss in the future. Thanks so much!
