The ‘cult’ure series continues with a a two-part conversation with the co-founders of igotout.org. In Part 1, Candice shares how #igotout was a saving grace when she first released her story publicly. Lisa & Gerette join her to share about the origins of the movement, speaking about the hashtag’s conception and why it is so important for cult survivors to have safe spaces to share their stories. Gerette makes a distinction between recognizing and ‘reckoning with’ the harm we experience, and Lisa speaks to why anonymous activism is something she continually champions. Candice shares how the idealism that hooked her is also what enabled her to get out, and Lisa expands upon this with a potent declaration that bears repeating. The three discuss how involvement in cult communities and abusive relationships very often results in arrested development; how we stop thinking critically and our fears are leveraged and used against us. Carlos Castaneda’s influence is explored through a peek into Lisa’s childhood and family history, and she shares intimately how growing up in the hippie movement primed her for entry into a cult at age 19. And a fascinating dialogue about death leads Gerette toward a personal ah-ha around how grief shaped her exit from a a therapy-based cult. The episode wraps with a sneak peek at part two, which drops next week.
Gerette Buglion, co-founder of igotout.org, is a spokesperson for the #igotout movement, co-manages day to day operations and communications while also providing her expertise in Cult Recovery and Education. Gerette is creator and facilitator of Writing to Reckon – and offers free classes for people to write their #igotout statement in a supportive environment. Gerette’s educational memoir, An Everyday Cult was published in May 2021.
Lisa co-founded igotout.org as an anonymous cult-survivor activist with the intention of creating a space for victims of high control environments to safely share their stories…in whichever way supports their healing. Lisa co-manages communications and is the main point of contact for messaging on the igotout social media platforms. She is a generator of community building initiatives within the #igotout space.
March 1, 2023
Referenced In This Episode:
- An Everyday Cult, by Gerette Buglion
- HBO’s The Vow
- Holy Hell: a film by Will Allen
- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: My Life with Carlos Castaneda by Amy Wallace
- I’m Perfect, You’re Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah’s Witness Upbringing, by Kyria Abrahams
- The Denial of Death, by Ernest Becker
