Making sense of life after leaving a cult. Dad left a high control religious group, often called a cult, when he was 30... more
Does it matter what cults believe? Or is it only what they do that matters? Should we respect beliefs that... more
What function do heroes serve? Why were we not allowed to have posters of our heroes on our bedroom walls?... more
On this special episode, author Ali Millar talks about the release of her wonderful new book 'The Last Days' and... more
How many core emotions are there? How do we understand them? How do they come into play when people leave... more
Kat Wallace is a 4th generation ex Jehovah's Witness and speaker at the recent ICSA conference, who struggled growing up... more
Did Google just create a conscious A.I.? If it has, what would that mean? Today Celine and Stephen explore the... more
Two conference speakers, the winner of an award, and the conference attendee first-prize winner! Today's special episode welcomes Daniel O'Brien,... more
This week's episode looks at the question of abortion and the recent Supreme Court decision in the USA. It's a... more
Ex Jehovah's Witness Alisha tried to simply leave the religion she was raised in and build her own life. The... more
The promise that you can be transformed into the person you've always wanted to be is a tempting one. This... more
One of the most emotional interviews ever on our podcast, author Kimberley L Miller talks movingly about her life as... more
In today’s episode I spend a very pleasant afternoon having a walk and a chat with a friend of the... more
When you are a fundamentalist Christian, Theocracy sounds like a great idea but when you leave, the reality becomes clear.... more
The 'What should I think about..?' podcast goes 'sight & sound' this week on this special edition of the show,... more
High control religious groups often discourage games, warning about the 'dangers' of being influenced by Satan or the world. But... more
I (Stephen) had an online conversation recently with a friend who had recently experienced a family loss. We chatted and... more
Ex Jehovah's Witness Poet and Podcaster Leon Helsby tells his story of leaving the organization, why he finds poetry so... more
Celine and Stephen get into some pop psychology to see what we know, what we think we know but don't,... more
Today we interview Marcia and Riley (AKA Jexit) about falling in love with someone who was a member of a... more
This week Celine and Stephen review, and do a cult reading of the 1999 movie, Fight Club, directed by David... more
Author, Mary Mahoney talks about her 31 years in the Children of God. She tells Celine and Stephen about her... more
As if this world isn't confusing enough, today Celine and Stephen explore virtual worlds and our seemingly unavoidable destiny with... more
Becky Armstrong-Corbett is a qualified psychotherapist and solution focused clinical hypnotherapist. Raised as a Jehovah's Witness she was sexually abused... more
Today Celine and Stephen decide to take a sober and even-handed approach to the question of how we should research... more
Daniel O'Brien is an educator, musician and ex Jehovah's Witness elder. He talks to Stephen about his experience being recruited... more
As it's Stephen's birthday today , 'birthdays' is the theme of this week's chat. As a Jehovah's Witness child, birthday... more
Ashlen talks about her experience as a born-in member of a small Christian Fundamentalist group called the Churches of Christ,... more
Riley from the Jexit YouTube channel joins Stephen today to analyse the 2002 movie Equilibrium, directed by Kurt Wimmer, starring... more
Today Celine and Stephen are joined by Jordan Robertson from the Shunned Experience to talk about the history of atheism.... more
We manage risk every day but how we calculate it is often difficult to understand. Our attitude towards risk is... more
Producer Bob joins us to talk about the use of signs and symbols in religions, cults and the social world... more
As a member of totalistic group or cult, morals and ethics are to a large degree determined by the Group.... more
Daniel Schricker grew up in the Kwasizabantu Mission and since leaving has written a number of blogs about the psychological... more
This emergency podcast comes out on the day Russia launches an attack upon Ukraine. It's natural to feel some anxiety... more
Celine and Stephen review Midsommer, a movie released in 2019, directed by Ari Aster and starring Florence Pugh. There are... more
Jake Vaughn from the Alt Worldly YouTube Channel talks about his waking up process from the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the... more
Do some born-in cult members experience greater harm than others because they happen to have certain personality traits? Psychology suggests that... more
Erika Bornman, author of Mission of Malice talks to us about her life growing up in Kwasizabantu, a non-denominational Christian... more
Two completely different topics today on the podcast. Time Stamp 00:00: Segment 1. The medical condition and psychological impact of serious... more
The guest today is Min Grob from CCChat Magazine. Min experienced a coercively controlling relationship and talks about the behaviours... more
The 1940's film Gaslight about the systematic attack by a man on his wife's psychological wellbeing, provided us with the... more
Darren Slade has a fascinating story. Although not raised in a religious household as a young person he loved religious... more
What is science? How does it work? Can we trust it? Who does it? And can we trust the scientists?... more
Today's guest is Brent Lee who describes himself as a recovering conspiracist of 15 years. Brent explains how he became... more
The Milgram experiments of the 1960s tried to answer the question of how seemingly normal people can do the most... more
Sapphire Phoenix was raised as an 'exemplary' Jehovah's Witness until he found himself disfellowshipped and outside the organisation and his... more
Today Celine and Stephen talk about being wrong and why it's so often hard to accept. They look at the... more
Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness or other fundamentalist religious group members are taught a particular view about the role... more
Does the 2014 movie Whiplash starring Miles Teller and JK Simmons depict a cultic relationship? One of our favourite movies... more
It's a fascinating and emotional episode this week, as Lizzie tells us about her life being raised within an Amish... more
Recorded just before Christmas Day, Stephen's favourite podcasts of the year plus other recommendations to help make sense of a... more
As a Jehovah's Witness dad didn't really 'do' New Year, but upon leaving he observed the common tradition of the... more
Early in 2021 Stephen talked to his daughter, Celine about his life as a Jehovah's Witness, being raised in the... more
Sarah, joins Stephen for our Christmas Special as we think about the joys and 'tricky bits' of celebrating Christmas after... more
Clint Heacock was raised in a Fundamentalist Christian group. As a young man he studied theology and Bible studies in various... more
The term 'Self Efficacy' describes the amount of belief an individual has that they can achieve something. In study after... more
This week in the series of Cults as Organizations Stephen explores Herzberg's Two Factors, and Expectancy Theory, often used in... more
Patrick Ryan found himself deeply involved in Transcendental Meditation during the 1970s until he started to believe he was part... more
Today Celine and Stephen explore dreams. Religion, psychoanalysis, neuroscience and psychology all attempt to explain what happens when we dream... more
Today is a very personal episode with a very special guest because it's Sarah, Celine's mum and Stephen's wife. Warning... more
Today Celine and Stephen argue! Is there such thing as free will? Is everything predetermined at the moment of the... more
This week's interview is with filmmaker Scott Homan, Writer, Cinematographer and Director of the documentary movie Witness Underground about a... more
To celebrate the 100th episode of the 'What should I think about..?' podcast and the 1 year birthday, Celine and... more
Donna Stevenson was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and describes herself as a "happy Witness", but her experiences as a... more
As a Jehovah's Witness Stephen was raised to be a pacifist. Upon leaving the group ex members find themselves trying... more
In organisational studies, "Wicked problems" are a type of problem that's hard to define and wickedly difficult to solve. In... more
Gillie Jenkinson PhD is a leading accredited psychotherapist, specialising in cult recovery and recovery from spiritual abuse. She shares with... more
Producer Bob and Stephen review the Voltaire lecture given by Nichola Raihani about how deeply embedded is the instinct to... more
Angela Lathwell was raised in the Children of God cult. She describes speaking out about the cult as the last... more
In 1605 Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In 2005 the Wachowskis adapted V for Vendetta... more
This week's interview is with filmmaker Scott Homan, Writer, Cinematographer and Director of the documentary movie Witness Underground about a group of... more