Turns out the ‘cult’ure of new ageism isn’t really all that new, but it is positively alive and well; and its over-emphasis on love & light can blinding. In this episode, Candice speaks transparently about the decade she spent working and teaching in new-age wellness circles. She tells you how she extricated herself from a pseudoscientific yoga cult in 2002, and what it might’ve cost her had she stayed. She speaks transparently about the three years she spent working in the inner circle of an international mind-body fitness organization, and how she struggled mightily to leave despite growing physical discomfort and nonstop interpersonal dysfunction. An addiction to idealism & new age prosperity gospel only exacerbated her feelings of self-doubt and stuckness (because gaslighting is real, y’all). Toward the end of the episode, she describes the life-changing moment when the spiritual scaffolding she’d built her self-worth around finally came crashing to the ground and shares how it led to the most destructive relationship of her life. In between stories, Candice borrows wisdom from cult experts, sharing about about the mechanics of ‘culty’ cultures and how & why we get so damned enmeshed. You’ll learn about love bombing, milieu control, and moral injury; then the episode wraps with a critique of commercialized wellness and the problems inherent in a capitalist ‘cult’ure – where mental health and meaning are branded, packaged, and sold. It’s jam-packed with cautionary tales & educational content that will help you make meaning out of the relational messes in your life.
August 3, 2022
Referenced in this episode:
- We Can Do Hard Things Podcast – Ep. 86 w/ Jen Hatmaker
- BITE Model, by Steven Hassen
- Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, by Robert Jay Lifton
- Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships, by Janja Lalich
- Surviving R. Kelly, Docu-Series (Netflix)
