Blinded by the Light

Telling the stories of trauma, PTSD, and healing, from people who grew up in fundamentalist and high control/demand religious movements.

11 | Christianity and Covert Cults--They're Everywhere - with Christiana Herbert 07/16/2022

11 | Christianity and Covert Cults--They're Everywhere - with Christiana Herbert In this interview with Christiana Herbert, we discuss detoxing from evangelical Christianity and other cults. We also uncover other places in society where cult mentalities exist. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/23761505

Family, Fathers, and Forgiveness 06/19/2022

Family, Fathers, and Forgiveness In this conversation Justice and I explore how we can navigate forgiveness, boundaries, and holding people accountable to foster better relationships. We also discuss how our childhood experiences and parents (especially our dads) contributed to who we are today. Justice's website, Show website: /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/23472671

CUT in Los Angeles with Matt and Andy Lewis 03/22/2022

CUT in Los Angeles with Matt and Andy Lewis What did growing up in Church Universal and Triumphant look like in the late 70's in Los Angeles (before the church relocated to southwest Montana)? In this interview, Matt and Andy Lewis, two uncles of the co-host, describe what the church high school experience was like and how it affected their upbringing. We also explore why they left CUT and what remnants of the church's impression on their young minds still exist today. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/22525748

Sex and the Spirit World 02/26/2022

Sex and the Spirit World In this mini episode we explore several aspects of sex. How do connective or poor sexual relationships affect our lives and our expression of wholeness? How is sex multi-dimensional? Fundamentalist religion represses sexuality to an unhealthy extent. We look at how breaking free of sexual dogma can release shame surrounding healthy sexuality, and how embracing our full sexual selves can be life changing. Good sexual relationships can provide a platform to learn more about needs, express vulnerability, grow deeper with our partners, and access parts of ourselves that are otherwise shamed, subdued, or dormant. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/22266320

Parenting and Marriage After CUT with Joe Meyers 02/14/2022

Parenting and Marriage After CUT with Joe Meyers How does “ascension culture” potentially create stumbling blocks for marriage? We explore how one young parent saw multiple divorces while growing up in Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) and how he’s used his experiences to become a better parent and spouse. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/22122368

Spiritual Materialism 02/01/2022

Spiritual Materialism In this “mini” episode we discuss how Spiritual Materialism affected the outlook, behavior, and overarching beliefs of CUT church members and our parents. Topics include: -- Defining Spiritual Materialism -- How CUT has their own version of the Law of Attraction and why this is problematic -- Magical thinking and its influence / an infantile view of the world and how things are affecting you -- How Purism is linked to our topic -- How only putting out positive intentions and doing rhythmic chanting (decrees) has limited effects -- How the Hindu caste system is reflected in CUT hierarchy and their modified theology of karma -- How decrees (rhythmic chanting) are part of spiritual materialism -- Hierarchies of graduation -- How doing getting professional mental health support comes down to the willingness of the individual, and how some people were encouraged to do it -- How some mental health conditions are viewed as weakness and being caused by invisible evil spirits called “entities” -- Beliefs about if you are failing it is because you are failing spiritually -- In the last four minutes we give a summary and recap of what spiritual materialism is and why it’s harmful /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/21988952

Forging a New Philosophy with Leif Christian 12/17/2020

Forging a New Philosophy with Leif Christian Our guest Leif Christian has experienced the world of two fringe religions, Church Universal and Triumphant, and an offshoot organization, the Hearts Center. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/17229248

A Crisis of Health with Violet Corpron 12/03/2020

A Crisis of Health with Violet Corpron Our guest is Violet Corpron, a young woman with a Masters Degree in Community Health who has experienced the worlds of two fringe religions, Church Universal and Triumphant, and an offshoot group called The Hearts Center, both of which are headquartered in southwest Montana. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/17045783

Leaving Harmful Religion with Sean Prophet & Christophe Difo 11/24/2020

Leaving Harmful Religion with Sean Prophet & Christophe Difo Our guests Sean Prophet and Christophe Difo of the Radical Secular discuss the process of leaving cults and harmful religions. We dive into their personal stories of leaving Church Universal and Triumphant and how they came to terms with embracing a more healthy worldview. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/16932923

Education and Isolation with Annie Newhouse - Part 2 11/18/2020

Education and Isolation with Annie Newhouse - Part 2 In part 2 of our interview with Annie, we chat about food choices within Church Universal and Triumphant, boundary issues with parents, why it's hard and painful to leave a cult or religion, why people get sucked in QAnon, narcissistic parents, and how talking about our traumas can help foster healing and community. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/16855523

Education and Isolation with Annie Newhouse 11/17/2020

Education and Isolation with Annie Newhouse In part 1 of this interview we’re going to cover childhood education, higher education, isolation in rural Montana, facing political ideologies of devout CUT members, how Annie's experience parallels that of the author Tara Westover who wrote the book Educated, and mistrust of the medical world. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/16838555

Spiritual Trauma and Our Current Political Climate 10/29/2020

Spiritual Trauma and Our Current Political Climate Co-host Justice Bartlett and I both grew up in Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT), the largest fringe religion to ever establish a presence in Montana. /episode/index/show/blindedpodcast/id/16595024

Blinded by the Light

TOPICS