Today we're joined by Demetria, survivor of an Oregon new age group called Twin Ray (not to be confused with Twin Flames). She describes the beginning of her spiritual journey including reading the works of Eckhart Tolle, how one specific online guru captured her imagination, and how this guru's partner made the claim that they were Twin Rays with access to special spiritual knowledge despite their questionable backgrounds. We discuss how they strictly controlled their followers' diets, made them take a mysterious elixir while on retreats, and how they made their sales pitch to them while they were under the influence. Check out our great sponsors! Shopify: Upgrade your business! Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/trustme  Prose: Be good to your hair! Get 50% off your first haircare subscription order at Prose.com/trust  BUY OUR MERCH!! bit.ly/trustmemerch Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at TrustMePod@gmail.com INSTAGRAM @TrustMePodcast @oohlalola @meaganelizabeth11 TWITTER @TrustMeCultPod @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK @TrustMeCultPodcast

This week is part two of a fascinating discussion with Joelle Tamraz, author of The Secret Practice: 18 Years on the Dark Side of Yoga. The story gets more wild! Joelle shares how her spiritual partner, Arun, became her husband, and how he brought her deeper into his world, including the strange visions he revealed to her. PLUS, the financial abuse, the cheating, the isolation from her family, and how Joelle eventually emerged from Arun's influence and moved on with her life. Check out our great sponsors!! Quince: Find your high-quality fall essentials! Go to Quince.com/trust for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! CBDistillery: Get CBD with CLEAN ingredient! Visit CBDistillery.com and use code TRUST for 20% off! BUY OUR MERCH!! bit.ly/trustmemerch   Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at TrustMePod@gmail.com INSTAGRAM @TrustMePodcast @oohlalola @meaganelizabeth11 TWITTER @TrustMeCultPod @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK @TrustMeCultPodcast

Today is part one of our interview with Joelle Tamraz, author of the book The Secret Practice: 18 Years on the Dark Side of Yoga. She will tell us about her introduction to different yoga practices at a young age including TM, or transcendental meditation, the hunger she felt for a deeper spirituality that landed her in India when she was fresh out of Harvard, and how she met Arun, the self-proclaimed swami who was 35 years older than her and quickly became her spiritual teacher--and she’ll explain a bit about swami culture in India and the yoga world. She will also talk to us about how Arun made her feel special and important, eventually revealing that he was in contact with a series of beings he called “elders” that gave him privileged access to the spiritual realm, some of the ways he began to work his magic on her and why she was the perfect target, and how she felt when he revealed they had been married in another life—and should be married in this one, too. Check out our great sponsors!! Trust Me is sponsored by BetterHelp! Visit BetterHelp.com/trustme to get 10% off your first month. Shopify: Upgrade your business! Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at shopify.com/trustme  BUY OUR MERCH!! bit.ly/trustmemerch  Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at TrustMePod@gmail.com INSTAGRAM @TrustMePodcast @oohlalola @meaganelizabeth11 TWITTER @TrustMeCultPod @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK @TrustMeCultPodcast

Today’s guest is Sara Teitelman, tech consultant and author of a forthcoming book about tech who’s going to talk to us about the culty elements of technology. While Sara’s specialty lies more in optimization of the nonprofit workplace, we’re going to have more of a philosophical discussion about how we’re expected to just trust in our tech overlords without questioning - both the CEOs and the algorithms themselves - how it’s a sort of coercion to be handed algorithms and apps with no say in or understanding of how they work, and how AI factors into all of it. We’ll talk about the difficulty of reining in tech fast enough, how social media is dulling our critical thinking skills, and what she sees as a better approach to tech - and life in general. Trust me is sponsored by ZocDoc! Find and book a top-rated doctor at Zocdoc.com/trustme and download the Zocdoc app for FREE! BUY OUR MERCH!! bit.ly/trustmemerch Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at TrustMePod@gmail.com INSTAGRAM @TrustMePodcast @oohlalola @meaganelizabeth11 TWITTER @TrustMeCultPod @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK @TrustMeCultPodcast

In this compelling discussion, Min Zhou, a survivor of the Cultural Revolution and UCLA professor, shares her harrowing personal experiences. She reveals how her father became a target of the Red Guards and the emotional toll of living in constant fear. Min recalls the chilling statistics of massacres and the devastating effects of Mao's propaganda. She also discusses her family's struggle for survival in labor camps and her eventual journey to becoming a dedicated educator in LA, highlighting the resilience in the face of trauma.

In this discussion, Min Zhou, a distinguished professor at UCLA who experienced the Cultural Revolution, shares her childhood memories of China under Mao Zedong's regime. She vividly describes the rise of Mao's cult of personality and the violent purges targeting dissenters. Min recounts the initially vibrant Red Guards, who morphed into tools of chaos. She also reveals the personal trauma inflicted on families, including her own, highlighting the heartbreaking betrayals children faced. Prepare for an eye-opening account of propaganda and fanaticism that shaped a generation.

Tia Levings, an author who escaped Christian patriarchy, shares her transformative journey in this insightful discussion. She reflects on how motherhood challenged her zealous beliefs, particularly during her time in a children's hospital. Tia delves into her experiences within authoritarian churches, the dangers of Christian nationalism, and her ongoing recovery process. She emphasizes the power of sisterhood and the complexity of faith, revealing how personal narratives intertwine with broader societal issues. Her candid storytelling inspires a reevaluation of community and personal identity.

In this engaging discussion, Tia Levings, an author known for her experiences depicted in the Amazon docuseries Shiny Happy People, shares her journey of escaping the Christian patriarchy. She reveals the chilling realities of domestic abuse within fundamentalist communities, including practices like wife spanking. Tia also explores the harmful influence of Bill Gothard's teachings and the lasting trauma experienced by members of such insular churches. Her courageous narrative highlights the complex struggle for autonomy and identity amidst oppressive beliefs.

In part two of our interview with Andrew Dunlop, sister of a perpetrator of Medical Child Abuse (aka Munchausen by Proxy) AND host of the podcast No One Should Believe Me, we discuss the red flags that made her family realize what was going on, why CPS showed up at her sister's door, the 73,000 pages of medical records she found for her five year old niece, and why it's extremely common for victims to NOT be separated from perpetrators. We also talk about the documenatry Take Care of Maya, why she believes the storytelling is misleading, how there are certain figures who claim that medical child abuse is NOT real, and the thing that still gives her hope. Check out our great sponsors! Shopify: Run a business? Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com/trustme  ZocDoc: Find and book a top-rated doctor at Zocdoc.com/trustme and download the Zocdoc app for FREE! Need a place? Check out Apartments.com - THE place to find a place!  BUY OUR MERCH!! bit.ly/trustmemerch Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at TrustMePod@gmail.com INSTAGRAM @TrustMePodcast @oohlalola @meaganelizabeth11 TWITTER @TrustMeCultPod @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK @TrustMeCultPodcast

Today our guest is Andrea Dunlop, novelist and host of the podcast Nobody Should Believe Me, which is all about Munchausen by Proxy. She talks about Munchausen by Proxy, or medical child abuse, from a new point of view: what it’s like being related to the perpetrator. She’ll tell us about what her sister was like growing up, how she had exhibited Munchausen behaviors from a very young age, making herself seem to be sick before she had children, and how common that and other forms of deception are among people who later develop Munchausen by Proxy. We discuss how her sister faked a pregnancy and miscarriage, how the discovery of that messed with Andrea’s reality, the overlap of characteristics with people who exhibit signs of narcissism and psychopathy, and how actual medical misogyny complicates the whole thing. Check out our amazing sponsors!!! Prose: Need better haircare? Get an exclusive trial offer of 50% off your first subscription at Prose.com/trust  CBDistillery: Reset your health! Visit CBDistillery.com and use code TRUST for 20% off! BUY OUR MERCH!! bit.ly/trustmemerch   Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at TrustMePod@gmail.com INSTAGRAM @TrustMePodcast @oohlalola @meaganelizabeth11 TWITTER @TrustMeCultPod @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK @TrustMeCultPodcast