Newsletter: Moving from Survivor to Thriver
Speaking Out and Protesting Heals Us and Helps Others
Your support makes this work possible, and without readers like you, I wouldn’t be able to produce the kind of timely, deeply researched insights I share here. Become a paid subscriber to get my real-time analysis on current events, plus full access to a rich archive of evergreen pieces that stay valuable long after the headlines fade, like:
Trump and the KGB: exploring how mainstream media and popular culture are beginning to catch on and report about Donald Trump’s history with Russia and the KGB.
Breaking Through Thought-Terminating Clichés: I discuss how authoritarian groups cultivate a whole lexicon of such clichés to shut down inquiry and discourage people from seeking alternative information.
Taking Off the Rose-Colored Glasses: I talk about how coercive control can manifest in romantic relationships and families just as powerfully as it does in prominent, well-known cults.
This upcoming Saturday, October 18th, is the No Kings Day 2 Protest. It is being observed all across America and also in other countries as well; I encourage everyone to get out there and join in - we must speak out against authoritarianism and let the world know we do not support Trump and his slow-moving coup!
In this week’s episode of my podcast, Cults, Culture & Coercion, UNRECONCILED: A SOLO PLAY That Empowers Survivors of Catholic Church Childhood Sexual Abuse, I spoke with Jay Sefton, an actor, playwright, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor living in Easthampton, Massachusetts. He is the co-author and performer of UNRECONCILED, an autobiographical story about an adolescent actor cast as Jesus in a school play directed by a parish priest. As a survivor of sexual abuse by a parish priest, he has dedicated himself to speaking out about the abuse and encouraging others to do the same. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Of course, the video of my interview with Jay is on our YouTube channel, and you can listen to it as a podcast, below:
In next week’s episode, “Body & Mind Cult: Dahn Yoga and High-Control Tactics,” I speak with Alisa Daniels, a survivor of Il Chi Lee’s Dahn Yoga cult who was drawn in by her son, along with the rest of their family. We talk about this destructive cult that preys on people’s wish for mindfulness but has extorted large amounts of cash from its members. The video of our talk is available in advance for our YouTube members, so now is an excellent time to become a member of our YouTube channel!
This week’s livestream on multiple platforms will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, October 15th, from 2-3 p.m. EDT. These give me a chance to respond in real time to events taking place and answer your questions. Last week’s livestream was a great success; you can see the recording here if you missed it.
Last Friday, I did a special livestream on my friend Lev Parnas’s Substack. We discussed the latest developments in the Epstein case, the proposed military incursions into American cities, and how to create unifying messaging to speak out more effectively against authoritarianism.
Also on Friday, I posted a video on my own former cult, the Moonies. Many young people are unaware of this cult, which remains a significant influence. The group is still active, wealthy, and politically connected, influencing right-wing movements like QAnon, gun culture, and U.S. as well as World politics to this day, with Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, and Donald Trump Jr., heavily involved. In this video, I explained that two of Sun Myung Moon’s sons, Sean Moon and Justin Moon, live in Pennsylvania and are deeply involved in right-wing extremism. I also made an Instagram short on this subject and the related topic of the Epstein files.
Yesterday, a historic ceasefire took place in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, and the living Israeli hostages were returned, and thousands of Palestinian prisoners were released. There are still major things that have yet to be negotiated, like the return of the bodies of deceased Israelis, as well as the fact that Hamas has not yet agreed to disarm.
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!
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