IndoctriNation

Zachary Heinzerling is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director based in New York City. His latest docu-series entitled “Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult of Sarah Lawrence" about Larry Ray and his victims, premiered February 9th, 2023 on Hulu. The New York Times praised it as “a true-crime-coup,” The New Yorker called it "a remarkable work, advancing the prestige true-crime genre’s slow but steady reorientation toward centering victims" In this fascinating look behind the scenes of Heinzerling's critically acclaimed series on the cult of Larry Ray, Zach emphasizes the important insights he learned from Rachel in the conversations he had with her throughout the filmmaking process. Together they discuss the ethics of documenting survivor stories and the importance of creating not only an accurate depiction of the tragic events but an honest narrative that teaches the audience about the red flags that we're missed and why they were so hard to recognize. Before You Go: Rachel offers her insights on the sensitive nature of interviewing survivors of cultic abuse or coercive control in media or counseling and offers advice on how to tell survivor-led stories ethically and with conscious intentionality. Follow Zach on IG and Twitter: @haryheinz All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this very special bonus episode exclusively for our Patreon supporters, Rachel reflects on the recent 30th anniversary of the horrific massacre on April 19th, of the infamous compound belonging to the religious cult known as the Branch Davidians, Rachel shares her unique insights on what so often goes wrong in police raids and how the horrible outcomes in Waco can potentially be avoided. She offers insights from her own personal experiences working with survivors of government raids on isolated religious communes such as the raid of Warren Jeffs FLDS compound and the tragic Waco siege on the compound of David Koresh, where she worked alongside social workers offering support to survivors and family members. Listen to Rachel's interview on KLRD's Texas Wants To Know program on the Waco Siege here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-happened-30-years-ago-in-waco/id1633332210?i=1000609617938 Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this episode possible! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Brian Rush McDonald grew up in southern Alabama in the early 1970s, where he eventually gave up his dream of working as a professional musician to become what at the time was called a "Jesus freak". During his high school years, however, he unwittingly found himself involved in fundamentalist Christianity. Though he was troubled by his faith's teaching that the lost were damned to hell, he attended Bob Jones University where he was engulfed in the harsh doctrine and rigid views of fundamentalism. He was then ordained and began a life in the ministry, eventually having three children with his high school sweetheart. He went with his family to Taiwan where they were missionaries for seven years, immersing themselves in the culture and learning the Mandarin Language. But he continued to struggle with his faith's teachings, especially the fate of non-believers. When he returned to the U.S. he was a pastor for many years, all the while quietly wrestling with the harsh dogma of his chosen religion. He pursued graduate studies at The College of William & Mary, eventually earning a Ph.D. and gaining a deeper understanding of human development, particularly with regard to religious belief. Finally, after 30 years of preaching, McDonald walked away from the pulpit to pursue a different path. His recent book, The Long Surrender is a riveting memoir about losing religion to find freedom. Dr. McDonald has taught at Johns Hopkins University and George Mason University as an adjunct professor of counseling and is now a psychotherapist in private practice in Alexandria, Virginia where he resides with his wife Kathy and plays trombone in several local bands, Brian shares with Rachel insights he gained throughout his years as a devoted, but questioning Christian fundamentalist in the Southern Baptist church. He explains the uncomfortable feelings that he held throughout his time as both a minister and evangelist as he grappled with the hypocrisy of the racism and homophobia he encountered in the church culture and theology. Together Rachel and Brian unpack the similar callings of pastoral care and therapeutic counseling helping professionals share. Before You Go: Rachel addresses the problematic nature of religious evangelizing, sharing her own personal experiences as an example of the often arrogant and presumptuous acts of those attempting to convert people. All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Rachael and Molly are the hosts of the podcast Cheers to Leaving, where they share their journey of deconstruction from evangelicalism. The podcast has been a platform for Rachael and Molly to explore their thoughts and feelings about religion and spirituality, as well as connect with others who are going through similar experiences. Rachael is a deconstruction advocate, from Kansas City, Missouri, who was raised in a house church where she was surrounded by religious teachings her entire life. It wasn't until her 20s, while taking college classes, that she started questioning her faith, God, and the afterlife. Molly is a trauma-informed, licensed massage therapist who was raised Southern Baptist on the mission field in Mexico City, Mexico. After returning to the United States, Molly stopped attending church and found herself slowly deconstructing. Even though she no longer identifies as a Christian or a religious person, Molly holds a profound respect for the sacred and religious. Co-hosting Cheers to Leaving has been pivotal in her healing process and she hopes her listeners are able to find community and healing through the podcast and the community it offers. You can listen to Cheers to Leaving, including their upcoming episode with me which airs tomorrow April 20th on all podcast platforms. You can also connect with Rachael and Molly on Instagram by following @cheerstoleaving. In this special two-part crossover episode, the hosts of the Cheers To Leaving podcast, Molly and Rachael discuss the experiences that led them to leave their Christian Fundamentalist faiths and start deconstructing the theological contradictions they noticed during their time in the church. Throughout the conversation, they discuss the need for affirmation and acceptance when questioning faith and explain how the "ex-vangelical" community embraced them. Before You Go: Rachel offers advice on how to know when a high-control relationship is not a reciprocal one and explains how generosity and a giving nature should be mutual and equal in a healthy relationship with a partner or organization. All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Daniella Mestyanek Young is the author of UNCULTURED: A Memoir of Cults, War and Belonging which The New York Times calls “A painful and propulsive memoir delivered in the honest tones of a woman who didn’t always think she’d live to tell her story” She was born a third-generation member of the infamous Children of God religious cult and grew up being trafficked around the world, before escaping that life and moving to America at age 15. She put herself through high school and graduated as college valedictorian before commissioning into the US Army as an intelligence officer, where she really started to think about group behavior…and started to see it everywhere. Daniella deployed twice to Afghanistan and became a member of one of the Army’s first Female Engagement teams an experiment that put women into deliberate ground combat for the first time in Army history, and eventually led to the repeal of the sexist combat ban and the gender desegregation of the entire US military. She is a proud daughter of the 101st, (the unit portrayed in the Band of Brothers miniseries) Daniella is a recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award presented by President Obama and holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology from the Harvard Extension School where she focused her research on group behavior, social norms, culture, extremism, leadership demagoguery, and cults. She returns to the show to update us on what's happened since the release of her memoir Uncultured and offers a look into the topics of her next book tentatively titled "The Culting of America". Daniella and Rachel go on to discuss the parallels between military and cult indoctrination, pointing out the commonalities that exist in a variety of high-control groups. You can find out more about Daniella and her work here: https://www.uncultureyourself.com/ Thanks to all of our Patreon supporters for making this episode possible! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kathleen Oh is a Coach, writer, and safe drug use advocate and educator specializing in psychedelic integration. Her primary focus has become understanding her responsibility in anti-racist, capitalist, and colonial systems of oppression, especially in New Age Spirituality, Self-Help, and Wellness Coaching. She has been in and around areas of mental health work for 25 years, working in private practice since 2007. Her niche clients are online business owners, entrepreneurs, and medical and legal professionals. She has lost close friends and relationships with her community members to controversial conspiracy groups. In this very honest and forthright conversation, Kathleen shares about her experience in the coaching industry explaining how she came to notice the lack of guardrails in the training and practices of this unregulated trade. Kathleen opens up about her personal beliefs and relationships and how they related to her work as a coach and ultimately led her to make changes to become a safer practitioner. Before You Go: Rachel offers a few examples from her personal experiences that highlight the importance of safeguards and transparency in any type of counseling industry. You can find out more about Kathleen and her work at: https://coachkathleenoh.com/ You can request an appointment with Kathleen by sending an email to: info@lalichcenter.org All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In recognition of the recent one-year anniversary of the tragic Russian Invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, we wanted to share with our entire audience a very special bonus episode that was previously only available to our Patreon supporters. Last year we recorded this episode with Ukrainian journalist Olga Yurkova, who we spoke with from Ukraine while the initial brutal assaults were still being felt across the now war-torn country. In this episode, Rachel also shared a few of her own reflections as someone who has a family history in Ukraine. We hope this episode will give you the opportunity to reflect on both the devastating outcomes that can result from indoctrination, propaganda, and groupthink on such a mass level, as well as the courageous resilience of the human spirit and the awe-inspiring bravery of survivorship of those still resisting tyrannical systems of control. Olga Yurkova is a Ukrainian journalist and co-founder of StopFake.org, an independent Ukrainian organization that trains an international cohort of fact-checkers in an effort to curb propaganda and misinformation in the media. She spoke with us last July about her work fighting Russian propaganda campaigns in Ukraine with her projects Forbidden Facts and StopFake.org. Since then Vladimir Putin's violent invasion has ravaged the Ukrainian landscape displacing millions of people and causing thousands of civilian casualties in just a few months' time. Since internet connectivity is often unstable and services such as Zoom and Skype are currently inaccessible in Ukraine, we were only able to connect with Olga via cell phone. We are so grateful for her strength and insistence on continuing to inform people in real time of Russia's dangerous disinformation campaign even in the grips of wartime chaos. Olga spoke with us two weeks ago from the relative safety of central Ukraine. Watch Olga's Ted Talk here: www.ted.com/speakers/olga_yurkova Listen to our previous episode from July 2021 with Olga here: https://soundcloud.com/indoctrinationshow/weapons-of-information-wolga-yurkova You can support Olga's work fighting Russian disinformation at StopFake here: www.stopfake.org/en/donate-en/ Olga suggests donating to these organizations that directly support Ukrainian people on the ground: Voices of Children is a charity that focuses on helping children recover from the psychological trauma of war: voices.org.ua/en/ Come Back Alive is one of the most accountable and trustworthy charities working for the military in Ukraine since 2014. The charity has been providing the military with auxiliary equipment, specialized software, drones, personal body protection, training, and other supplies: savelife.in.ua/en/donate/ Hospitallers is a volunteer paramedic organization, that helps the wounded on the battlefield, evacuates the wounded to the hospitals, helps in the rehabilitation process, and transfers the deceased to the burial site in Ukraine. Their current focus is on supplying medicines that are in shortage: www.edvantis.com/blog/how-to-help-ukraine/ The Kyiv Independent, a Ukraine-based English-language newspaper: www.gofundme.com/f/kyivindependent-launch HelpUkraine.center is a volunteer hub for humanitarian and medical aid for Ukraine. It accepts medical supplies, food, and hygiene products for babies and moms. It also accepts donations for purchasing medications and other necessary humanitarian products in Europe: helpukraine.center/#donate. Sergiy Prytula’s foundations. Sergiy Prytula is a Ukrainian TV presenter and public figure. Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, he has been volunteering to provide military aid to Ukrainian Armed Forces and humanitarian and financial assistance to children with cancer: prytulafoundation.org/en You can gain access to all of our bonus episodes by becoming a supporter at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is just a preview of our exclusive Patreon bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Vanessa Reiser is a mother, entrepreneur, life coach, advocate, and a ground-breaking psychotherapist specializing in narcissistic abuse using Therapist Self-Disclosure (TSD); a form of therapy where therapist statements are shared that reveals something personal about the therapist when an opportunity to create validation exists. Ms. Reiser graduated from the University of Southern California with a focus on Community Organizing but soon realized that clients responded to her counseling techniques. Vanessa is dynamic and colorful in her engagements. This, coupled with her clinical expertise, is where her magic is. For many years, thousands of people have enjoyed the warmth, humor, and transformational power of her clinical and life-coaching skills. Her private practice is thriving and grows stronger every day. Vanessa is also a founder of The Rockland County Pride Center and a Board Member of The Center for Safety and Change. Her focus on helping the disenfranchised is a mission that she works tirelessly toward, especially when it is related to women’s issues. Ms. Reiser recently ran the entire state of New York in a wedding dress to raise awareness for narcissistic abuse and made international headlines. Her days are spent supporting those traumatized by this insidious form of domestic violence. She is featured in the upcoming film by Marc Vicente “Empathy Not Included” and has a forthcoming book with Serendipity Literary Agency Find out more about Vanessa's work here: www.tellatherapist.net Thanks to our supporters for making this episode possible! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tim Elliott is a senior writer at Good Weekend, the Saturday magazine for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, where he has won two Kennedy Awards and been nominated for a Walkley. His work has also appeared in London's The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, and The Australian. He has won multiple awards, including Best Feature at the Australian Magazine Awards and from the Australian Society of Magazine Editors. A 2014 Good Weekend story by Tim about his father’s suicide generated one of the largest reader responses in the history of The Sydney Morning Herald and led to his book, Farewell to the Father, in 2016. His first book, The Bolivian Times, is an account of six months he spent working on an English-language newspaper in South America. His latest project is a nine-part true crime podcast called Inside the Tribe, about a Christian fundamentalist sect called the Twelve Tribes. Tim shares his insights from having completed a comprehensive investigation into the worldwide Christian fundamentalist group the Twelve Tribes. He relays to Rachel the inherent dangers in this sect's patriarchal teachings toward women, their fraudulent financial practices, and their horrific neglect and abuse of young children. Before You Go: Rachel explains the long-term damage that can be caused to those raised in high-control groups that discourage development of the self or any forms of individualism. If you have any tips or comments in regard to Tim's podcast or the group it covers feel free to email him at: insidethetribepod@gmail.com Follow Tim on social media: Twitter: @TimElliottSMH Instagram: @timelliottsmh Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tim.elliott.927 Listen to Inside The Tribe here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/inside-the-tribe/id1533629268 All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kate Amber is the founder of End Coercive Control USA, an organization that helps survivors, leaders, advocates, attorneys, therapists & other professionals in domestic abuse, extremist groups, human trafficking, cults, and organizations detect and prevent coercive control. She is a domestic violence, domestic abuse, and coercive control expert certified in the Psychology of Coercive Control by the University of Salford. In addition, she is certified in Executive Leadership in Violence & Abuse Prevention by the University of Pennsylvania at The Ortner Center. Kate consults, trains, and offers expert witness testimony in cases that involve domestic violence, domestic abuse, coercive control, and child abuse. Kate is also the creator of The PsychoSocial Quicksand Model of Coercive Control which she continues to develop, using evidence-based research, simplifying the complex and nuanced nature of the malevolent strategy of coercive control, allowing organizations and communities to detect, intervene in, and prevent coercive control wherever it may arise. In this highly informative and moving discussion, Kate relates to Rachel the personal experiences that led to her current work with ECCUSA. together they point out the many problematic issues surrounding domestic abuse and coercive control currently plaguing the justice system in the U.S. and abroad. Before You Go: Rachel explains how people can get caught in repetitive cycles of exploitation and points out the ways one may recognize and break free of them. You can find out more about Kate's work here: https://endcoercivecontrolusa.com/ All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy