Speaking of Cults
A podcast about cults, coercive control and recovery. Formerly called the Sensibly Speaking podcast, in this weekly show host Chris Shelton interviews cult survivors, psychologists and other professionals and specialists about the topics of cult recruitment, retention and recovery.
Episodes
Episodes
Saturday Nov 14, 2020
Sensibly Speaking Podcast #271: Connecting Brains and Machines ft. Dr. Jonas Kaplan
Saturday Nov 14, 2020
Saturday Nov 14, 2020
This week I welcome back Dr. Jonas Kaplan to discuss the possibilities of neuralink or the melding of our brains with electronics, potentially launching us into a whole new sphere of existence in a digital world or using digital tools to assist every aspect of our thinking and our life. Sound like a transhumanist’s wet dream? Well, maybe we can temper all that with some reality. Enjoy!
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Saturday Nov 07, 2020
Truth, Lies, Politics and Cults ft. Tim Ward
Saturday Nov 07, 2020
Saturday Nov 07, 2020
This week I welcome Tim Ward, co-author of Pro-Truth, to discuss a grassroots social movement towards objective truth in politics, media and social forums. We discuss what this book and movement are designed to do, why this is more than necessary at this point in American culture and we even get pretty deep into the psychology driving so much of the divisiveness these days. I hope you’ll give this one a listen. Enjoy!
Pro-Truth Pledge website
What is the Pro-Truth Pledge? Click here.
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #270: Truth, Lies, Politics and Cults ft. Tim Ward appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Oct 31, 2020
I Have Legal Questions about Cults ft. Ciprian Ivanof
Saturday Oct 31, 2020
Saturday Oct 31, 2020
This week I welcome back Ciprian Ivanof, an attorney practicing in Washington DC, who helps me breakdown and understand some of the legal hurdles and difficulties that former Scientologists and other ex-cult trauma survivors experience in trying to bring their former abusers to justice. This is an incredibly frustrating topic for many and I tried this week to share some of your frustrations and see what do we need to change in how legal cases have been brought against destructive cults. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #269: I Have Legal Questions about Cults ft. Ciprian Ivanof appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Oct 24, 2020
Recovering from Religious Trauma ft. Janice Selbie
Saturday Oct 24, 2020
Saturday Oct 24, 2020
This week I welcome Janice Selbie, a Canadian counsellor who specializes in religious trauma. We discuss a number of points about recovering from religious trauma, including Janice’s own story as a deeply devout believer and her journey out of religion and current views on the matter. Enjoy!
Janice Selbie: @Wise_Counsellor
Website: https://Divorcing-religion.com
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #268: Recovering from Religious Trauma ft. Janice Selbie appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Oct 17, 2020
Hashtag Cults and MGTOW ft. Mike Fallek
Saturday Oct 17, 2020
Saturday Oct 17, 2020
This week I welcome Mike Fallek, a journalist/documentarian who has been investigating the online or what he refers to as “hashtag” cult of MGTOW (“Men Going Their Own Way”), a men’s rights group that exists pretty much exclusively on the internet. We talk in detail about this, the cultic elements of it and even how to reach people in these kinds of groups. Enjoy!
Mike Fallek
My earlier podcast on MRAs
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #267: Hashtag Cults and MGTOW appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Sensibly Speaking Podcast #266: Scientology Q&A with Kat
Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Two weeks ago I posted a podcast with Kat, a woman who had “infiltrated” the Church of Scientology of Austin and ended up having a bit more of a personal journey than she thought she would. We covered a lot of ground in her story but we wanted to give you an opportunity to ask her about the experience and what happened. We did a live stream this morning and got some great questions and feedback from viewers direct to me and Kat and had a great time responding. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #266: Scientology Q&A with Kat appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Oct 03, 2020
Sensibly Speaking Podcast #265: The History and Ethics of Operation Paperclip
Saturday Oct 03, 2020
Saturday Oct 03, 2020
This week I welcome back Dr. Jeff Wasel to discuss the detailed and necessary backstory to what could conceivably be thought of as one of the most heinous acts of the US government. We take a stab at explaining this in a different light, while understanding that this is a sensitive topic and we make no efforts to “apologize” for anyone or any group then or now. We are merely reflecting in this podcast on history as it happened, not how we might have wanted it to happen and in what light should or could we think about it now. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #265: The History and Ethics of Operation Paperclip appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Sep 26, 2020
The Scientology Experience with Kat
Saturday Sep 26, 2020
Saturday Sep 26, 2020
This week I welcome Kat, a woman who purposefully became involved with Scientology in Austin three years ago but came away with a story vastly different from the one she thought she would tell. This is not a victim story and yet we see from this exactly how Scientology negatively influences almost everything it comes into contact with. This story is a good one. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #264: The Scientology Experience with Kat appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Your Host
Hello, my name is Chris Shelton and I am an author, consultant, podcaster, videographer, and former cult member. Welcome to my podcast!
Who is Chris Shelton?
Chris started a YouTube channel which has over 45,000 subscribers, produces the Sensibly Speaking podcast each week and has produced hundreds of videos laying out the scam of Scientology, educating on critical thinking and interviewing former members of Scientology and other destructive cults, as well as a range of therapists, cult exit counselors, educators and media personalities. Chris has also given talks and presentations around the United States about his experiences and has been featured on numerous podcasts and television shows. He was featured on Leah Remini’s Scientology and the Aftermath on A&E and served as a consultant to the show for its first two seasons. He has also written a critical analysis of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard called Scientology: A to Xenu – An Insider’s Guide to What Scientology is Really All About, available on Amazon in printed form, e-book format and as an audio book.