Show Notes
Laura was recruited into Shincheonji, a Korean Christian cult, in Auckland at the age of 27 and was a member for 5 years, giving up her job, savings and distancing herself from friends and family. She has been out for over 5 years now and has slowly rebuilt her life, rediscovering who she is, from running a marathon to taking hip hop classes, dipping her toes into the world of dating apps, travelling and moving back to her hometown of Christchurch. She has spoken out about her experience over the past few years including the Decult Conference in 2024 in the hope that others can avoid being recruited, and so current members know there is life after leaving.
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Today Alisa asks Jaya about what it was like to write his upcoming memoir "Saving Sentient Beings".
For 10 years Nicola Ranson was a disciple of the guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (AKA Osho) from India to Oregon until the commune collapsed amid criminal activity. She became a somatic psychotherapist specialising in trauma and has worked with many cult survivors. Nicola taught Counselling Psychology for 17 years on the adjunct faculty at National University. Her memoir, A Slice of Orange: loving and leaving the Osho/Rajneesh cult will be published by Unsolicited Press this December.
Decult 2026 will be here next month. We are lucky enough to talk to the conference's very first speaker Aaron Sharp. Aaron Sharp is a psychologist and former member of high-control Pentecostal churches. He became involved with the Potter’s House Christian Fellowship at around 15 years of age and remained within high-control Pentecostal environments for approximately 25 years. After leaving in his early 40s, he began the difficult process of rebuilding his identity, beliefs and direction in life. In 2016, he began studying psychology at university and went on to complete postgraduate training in professional and clinical psychology. He is now a registered psychologist completing the Clinical Psychology Registrar Program in Australia. His professional interests include religious trauma, coercive control and recovery from high-control groups. Aaron also speaks publicly about his own experience of indoctrination, leaving, and rebuilding a life after religion. In 2026, he is speaking at the DECULT Conference in Christchurch, New Zealand, about his journey into, through and out of high-control religion. DECULT 2026 speaker profile: https://decult.net/speaker/aaron-sharp/ New Directions Psychology: https://www.newdirectionspsychology.com.au/
For 10 years Nicola Ranson was a disciple of the guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (AKA Osho) from India to Oregon until the commune collapsed amid criminal activity. She became a somatic psychotherapist specialising in trauma and has worked with many cult survivors. Nicola taught Counselling Psychology for 17 years on the adjunct faculty at National University. Her memoir, A Slice of Orange: loving and leaving the Osho/Rajneesh cult will be published by Unsolicited Press this December
Bec Sonkkila survived six years in the MISA yoga cult. Rebuilding her dismantled identity became her life's work. Today, she is an international recovery and relationship coach specialising in coercive control and post-cult identity. Using somatic practices, hypnotherapy and lived experience, Bec helps clients distinguish genuine connection from compliance. She splits her time between New Zealand, Australia and Finland, and is writing a book about finding a self you can trust.