I Was Raised in a Family Cult... Here's How I Escaped

About this episode

Peggy shares her experience of growing up in a family cult and the psychological impact it had on her life.

A mother tells her child that one “impure” thought could mean eternal fire and she claims she can read minds. That fear becomes the fuel for a family-run, high-control religious group where confession lasts until 3 a.m., “demons” explain every human impulse, and doubt is treated like a moral failure. Peggy, author of *Surviving the Family Kingdom* and a psychotherapist, unpacks what it’s like when the cult leader is also your parent. Peggy walks us through the early chaos that made her...

People in this episode

Host: Jennica Sadhwani

Guest: Peggy

Topics covered

• family cult
• psychotherapy
• religious groups
• childhood trauma
• high-control groups

Keywords

• cult
• family
• psychotherapy
• religion
• trauma
• mind control
• confession

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Surviving the Family Kingdom

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