Cult Media Content Endorsement 2: Truth, Trauma & Taking a Cult to Court, Living Cult Free's podcast

Esther Ruth Friedman
7 days ago
2 min read

Full disclosure, I volunteer on LCF's podcast committee & I'm endorsing it here because it spotlights only survivor voices: former members tell their stories - interviewers are edited out. In concert with the Living Cult Free mission, each episode demonstrates that reclamation, though painful, is rewarding and dare I say, sometimes even joyful! And possible! You can reclaim yourself and your life, or even claim it for the first time.

In Truth, Trauma & Taking a Cult to Court, Beth Granger shines as an example of claiming selfhood for the first time and thriving. Born and raised in the Community of Jesus(CoJ) she grew up a “staff kid” at Grenville “christian” College. The “christian” leaders ripped her family apart. At five, they put her on a diet to punish her “gluttony”. Academically and musically gifted, she wanted to teach, so (of course) leadership decided she was too “haughty” and must be “humbled”. They discouraged her from higher education and expected her to commit to the “sisterhood” for life.

Despite the fact that this community treated abuse as normal, Beth’s inner rebel took the wheel. She describes following her intuition, despite the indoctrination that caste trusting yourself as “sinful.” Spoiler alert, her intuition leads her out of CoJ, into a thriving life. (Two words that I won't spoil right now: Cowboy Bob - want to know? Must listen). Her triumphs include insisting on pursuing her education, cleverly maneuvering her way out of the group, earning a Master’s in Education and hired shortly after graduation, marrying and having a family, spearheading a victorious lawsuit, and publishing her memoir, Born and Razed, Surviving the Cult was Only Half the Battle.

I toast her triumphs. But what this she offers so beautifully is transparency and honesty about recovery. Despite her successful integration to Cult-Free Life, "I was falling apart ...trauma,” she says, “It turns out that you can’t out run it.” The disappointments: loneliness motivated her to seek community in church, only to conclude that, “Church is not a safe place to go.” Her outer triumphs didn’t heal the inner pain, made evident by her not-so-shocking eating disorder. The surprises: the eating disorder saved her: “that’s what got me into therapy…” She reveals how admitting and accepting her anger, catalyzed her recovery. And, maybe most importantly, she acknowledges that recovery, or reclamation (I prefer reclamation) continues.

She offers this advice: Intuition is your best guide; “As long as you’re still in survival mode, you can’t do the deep work of healing… You must feel safe with the basics of life.” Key elements include: The right people. The right supports. Forgiving yourself. So, does it meet my criteria for recommending: is it helping? Am I learning something new? Am I deepening my understanding? Yes, yes and yes!

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