Trauma therapist writes about her cult experience
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My father was a flower fairy, (really, look at the Michaelmas Daisy). My mother, Violette, (a flower in her own right), claimed to be a descendant of Rob Roy MacGregor. Because of (or despite) this illustrious ancestry, I left home early with a yen for the mystical and the feistiness to survive the consequences. My spiritual meanderings are the topic of my upcoming memoir, “A Slice of Orange.” read more about Nicola
For ten years of my life I wore orange as a member of the notorious Rajneesh community featured in Netflix’s hit series, “Wild Wild Country.” My memoir addresses what leads someone to join a cult, how to recover from the psychological devastation – and the many joyful times in between. My journey there and back led to a career as a trauma therapist and years of teaching how we can each become blinded by our cultural beliefs. I’ve learned that the appeal of a guru is not so different from the allegiance to political leaders that is currently dividing our society; and that recovery from the damage of an “us versus them” mentality offers healing that extends far beyond one cult.
