For this pilot episode, I'm joined by co-host Justice Bartlett of Playfully Conscious in Montana.  She and I both grew up in Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT), the largest fringe religion to ever establish a presence in Montana.  In the late 1980's their leader Elizabeth Prophet warned of possible nuclear war and the members entered bomb shelters in 1990 for two days to prepare for a nuclear holocaust. She was nine years old when her family went underground to prepare for the end of the world.

Episode topics include:

- Her experience when the members entered the bomb shelters with CUT- How does a person find their identity after leaving a cult or religion- What coping mechanisms do people have surrounding religious dogma- How do people heal from PTSD experienced in childhood surrounding spirituality?- How cognitive dissonance allows people to stay in harmful religions - How Toxic Positivity plays into the belief system- Her article in the Elephant Journal: Narcissism: Unraveling the Link between Trump, Trauma & Cult Mentality - The adoration for Trump inside the CUT membership- Why people bond to Trump as a leaderRead more of Justice’s deep writing at: https://www.elephantjournal.com/profile/justice-bartlett/ Or connect with her at: illuminationwithjustice.com