Women and Crime
Daniella Mestyanek Young - part 2
Mar 21, 2023
Daniella Mestyanek Young, author of the memoir 'Uncultured,' shares her harrowing journey from a notorious sex cult to the U.S. military. She opens up about the psychological struggles of confronting past traumas during basic training and deployment in Afghanistan. The conversation delves into her battle with PTSD, the pervasive threat of sexual violence, and the emotional complexities of her experiences. Daniella emphasizes the importance of storytelling for healing and advocates for the acknowledgment of victims' narratives in both cults and military environments.
45:12
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Quick takeaways
- Daniella Mestyanek Young highlights the alarming similarities between military indoctrination and cult practices, revealing shared psychological manipulation techniques.
- She emphasizes the complexity of healing from trauma, balancing pride in her military service with painful memories of sexual violence and discrimination.
Deep dives
Military Training and Cult Dynamics
Military basic training can resemble cult-like indoctrination processes, as noted by a veteran who recognized familiar patterns from her upbringing in a notorious cult. She observed that training methods aimed to break down individuals and rebuild them, drawing parallels to her experiences in the cult where similar psychological tactics were employed. Despite initially viewing her military experience as a positive challenge, the veteran reveals that she soon recognized the triggers and flashbacks to her traumatic childhood that began surfacing. The realization that the methods used in basic training mirrored those of her past left her grappling with complex emotions during her deployment.
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