Hey, I’m on t.v.! Yay!

This video, comes from the Cable t.v. show, The Song. Songwriter & hostess, Mary Wheelan, interviewed me & Doug Kwartler, the producer of Cult Confessions, the CD. It is the sound track to my story, which is becoming Cult Confessions, The Presentation/one-woman show.

When I left “school” in 2011, I continued to obey “rules” and keep secrets at first; like a good cult cog, I didn’t Google the group or talk about my experience. But the memories constantly looped through my mind. I felt crazy and alone. I broke the “No Internet Research” rule to save my sanity. Various websites and blogs unearthed “school’s” clever insincerity and three things unfolded: 1) my ability to write returned. 2) my mind started reintegrating as uncovering “school’s” not-so-evolved past shed new light on my present-day experience. 3) my cult story wrote itself.

In 2012, I posted this blog, kicking off my personal policy: No More Secrets – cult secrets are a social cancer spreading isolation, depression and tension, damaging relationships and infecting psychology with skewed thinking. Releasing secrets has proven exponentially healing. If it were up to me, all ex-cult members would reclaim their voices, power and lives by speaking out. But victim blame and shame is so prevalent that very few do. Cults continue on luring in people who happens to be vulnerable for whatever reason. They damage and isolate members; the damage ripples out to friends, families, colleagues, jobs, courtrooms, etc.

Speaking out — exposing cults and their secrets — not only heals individuals, it is a public service. And speaking of speaking out, on this blog I’ve never tried to hide my identity; anyone who shared the classroom with me will be able to identify me through the story I’ve told, because it’s true; but I’ve never revealed my identity, either.

The time has come for me to take that risk, because I plan on expanding the public service; I’m trotting Cult Confessions out beyond the virtual world. I’ve piloted this presentation at various private events and — in the spirit of edu-tain-ment, public service and good old fashioned American Freedom of Speech — it’s time to widen the audience with whom I share my cautionary cult tale.

More to come …