Interview with former cult member Isabella Young

Interview with former cult member Isabella Young

From Unforbidden Truth by Unforbidden Truth

April 1, 2026 · 1h 21m

About this episode

Isabella Young shares her journey of escaping a cult and the ongoing process of healing and rebuilding her life.

Isabella Young is a cult survivor who has rebuilt her life after escaping from a high-control, religious group that she joined with the belief it was a spiritual community under the guidance of a spiritual teacher. What began as a search for healing, purpose, and belonging became a fight for sanity, truth, and freedom from years of mind control, emotional abuse, and strict obedience to a charismatic and deranged leader. Over time, she recognized that emotional, psychological, and spiritual tactics were being used to control cult members, including cutting off contact with family, brainwashing, and punishments for independent thinking and disobedience. Leaving required great courage because the cult leader threatened everyone who wanted to leave with endless suffering and personal tragedies. After her escape, Young faced the difficult process of creating a new life with new relationships, stable housing, employment, and the process of healing from the trauma of the cult. Recovery is ongoing: she has spoken about struggling with guilt, shame, fear, trust, and the challenge of making decisions after years of being told what to think and how to live. A range of healing modalities and…

People in this episode

Guest: Isabella Young

Topics covered

  • cult survival
  • mental health
  • emotional abuse
  • personal growth
  • healing
  • spirituality

Keywords

  • cult
  • survivor
  • mind control
  • emotional abuse
  • healing
  • identity
  • spiritual community

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