Two survivors of a cult which got worldwide attention in recent years have started a podcast called A Little Bit Culty, hoping to help other people learn from their experience.
Vancouver couple Sarah Edmondson and Anthony B次元官网网址淣ippyB次元官网网址� Ames were members of NXIVM, which from the fringes seemed like a personal development program. It had leadership training, mentoring opportunities and a very charismatic leader.
It took them 12 years to hit a breaking point, when Edmondson was branded with what they later learned was the initials of that charismatic leader Keith Raniere. That incident brought all their doubts and questions to a head, and they left the cult in 2017.
NXIVM founder Keith Raniere was sentenced by a New York federal court in October 2020 to 120 years in jail for racketeering, sex trafficking and more. Several members of his inner circle were also convicted.
Edmondson and Ames told Black Press Media they didnB次元官网网址檛 know any of the criminal abuse that was going on at the top; they thought NXIVM was a personal development program, albeit with some admittedly unconventional methods. ItB次元官网网址檚 since been called a sex-cult.
RELATED:
Their podcast is grounded in what theyB次元官网网址檝e learned since leaving the cult through the help of therapists who have put a language to what happened. Some episodes will feature experts, others will interview survivors and some delve into the curriculum of NXIVMB次元官网网址檚 Executive Success Programs to examine what teachings drew them in and where things got B次元官网网址渃ulty.B次元官网网址�
The pair, now parents of two, have spent years B次元官网网址渄e-programmingB次元官网网址� their minds, and processing various reactions of shame, embarrassment and rage.
B次元官网网址淟ike, what did I miss? How did I think I was doing something good but ended up being aligned with someone who was abusing so many people? That was a really difficult,B次元官网网址� Ames said.
While they didnB次元官网网址檛 know RaniereB次元官网网址檚 abusive side, they were close friends with some who did and lied about who Raniere was.
That deception is the first red flag Ames thinks of when heB次元官网网址檚 asked how to identify a destructive cult.
Not all cults are destructive, but many are designed to abuse power.
B次元官网网址淭hat was the joke, we were like, yeah weB次元官网网址檙e in a cult, but were helping people. We were aware of the weird stuff, and we just thought it was funny and ridiculous. We didnB次元官网网址檛 know that the people closest to Keith were getting abused in the way they were,B次元官网网址� Ames said.
Their split with NXIVM came gradually. Ames felt the mission to bring joy to the world wasnB次元官网网址檛 working. Morale was low, and the monthly training sessions werenB次元官网网址檛 having the same reach.
The decision to leave culminated in a ceremony where Edmondson and other recruits to a secret sisterhood were branded with RaniereB次元官网网址檚 initials. They didnB次元官网网址檛 know it was his initials, or that it would be a brand instead of a type of bonding tattoo.
B次元官网网址淭here is no word to describe my rage,B次元官网网址� she said.
Since coming forward about being in NXIVM, the couple were interviewed on The Vow, an HBO documentary about the cult, and were involved in court cases that got Raniere and other top leaders behind bars.
They receive inquiries almost daily from people who think they may be in a cult. Some key indicators, the couple said, include if a person can leave the group without being harassed or hurt, if they can question the leader and their transparency.
To anyone concerned about a loved one who might be in a destructive cult, they say to approach with respect, curiosity and lots of questions.
B次元官网网址淪ay, IB次元官网网址檝e seen these allegations, tell me about them. Like, how is that for you? What do you think about it? Is any of it true? What would you do if it was true? Stuff like that,B次元官网网址� Edmondson said.
Do you have something to add to this story or something else we should report on? Email: zoe.ducklow@blackpress.ca
