Are you part of a cult?
You might be and not even know it – because cults don’t often have a big neon sign that reads: ‘We’re brainwashing you and stealing your money’. They’re subtle and come in many different guises.
In the case of this BBC podcast, it’s a life-coaching group called Lighthouse International and its founder Paul Waugh. Journalist Catrin Nye shares her in-depth investigation in an attempt to answer the question, ‘What happens when the person you entrust with fixing your life, ends up wrecking it?’
The Devastation of Manipulation
Episodes feature interviews with former members, experts and those most affected, providing a detailed look at the tactics and the devastation left in the group’s wake. Victims started small with a book club and Zoom calls, then were forced to separate from their friends, families and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
However, these people aren’t a bunch of gullible rubes, they’re often strong intelligent people who just want to improve themselves. After confiding in these so-called ‘mentors’, their personal stories are used to entrap and extort them, because if they try to leave, that’s when things get really nasty.
It’s worth sticking with all eight instalments, as the final episode involves an explosive confrontation with the leader.
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