SYNOPSIS
I lived in a cult for ten years. The cult leader controlled my life and dictated my thoughts, feelings and actions. Why did this happen to me? Why was it so difficult to break free? To try to understand these questions I went on a journey of self-discovery and spoke to experts and ex-members who suffered similar experiences.
Whilst the difficulty of understanding «why?» can never be fully resolved, the film offers a truly exceptional story of a personal struggle against one's past and the people in whom we place our trust. It is a film about the indomitable human spirit.
Broadcasted on: 
CULT WITNESSES
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SAMUEL STEFAN
Sam was 18 years old, when he was struggling with the basic questions in life: «Who am I and what is my purpose in life?». He then met a man who claimed to know the answers to those questions. |
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JILL MYTTON
Jill Mytton left a religious cult as a young adult, and now helps counsel people who are struggling with life after leaving cult environments. She currently lives in London, UK. One of her brothers still lives in the cult. Learn more at: www.richarddawkings.net |
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JIM BERGIN & JUDY GARVEY
Jim and Judy were the owners of a successful publishing company in Massachusetts. One of the authors in their company was a leader of a cult called Gentle Wind Project. In the course of being seduced and manipulated by the cult, Jim and Judy sold their company and turned over that money to the leaders. Learn more at: www.windofchange.org |
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LEA SASKIA LAASNER
Her parents joined a cult when she was 11 years old. From the age of 12 she was abused by the cult leader Benno. The group lived a secluded life in Belize (Central America). As a young adult she managed to escape and wrote the highly acclaimed German bestseller («Allein gegen die Seelenfaenger»). |
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CELESTE JONES
Born into the cult Children of God, Celeste Jones was abused from the age of three. Torn from her parents, her childhood was dominated by the warped cult leaders David David Berg and Queen Maria. At the age of 21, Celeste was given entrance into the inner circle where she lived and worked for Queen Maria. Learn more at: www.xfamily.org |
EXPERTS
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PROF. BETTY SUE FLOWERS
Prof. Flowers was a Professor of English and director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson presidential Library in Austin, Texas. She is also a poet, editor, and business consultant with publications on subjects ranging from poetry therapy to the economic myth, including four television tie-in books in collaboration with Bill Moyers, among them, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. |
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PROF. BENJAMIN ZABLOCKI
Ben Zablocki is a professor of sociology at Rutgers University and teaches sociology of religion and social psychology. |
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PROF. BERTRAM RAVEN
Bert Raven is a Professor Emeritus at University of California, Los Angeles. He is perhaps best known for his work about the bases of social power. |
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DR. MIGUEL PERLADO
Dr. Perlado is a psychotherapist from Barcelona, Spain. He has specialized in cult‐related problems, helping families, current members and ex members of cults. |
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DR. URS ESCHMANN
Dr. Eschmann is Sams lawyer and a specialist in legal issues related to cults. |
