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. This also includes non-religious cults and extreme political movements including the more divisive elements of MAGA and left-wing culture war issues. There is nothing off-limits but we always try to be respectful of the people involved even if we do not respect the beliefs or actions involved.
Episodes
Episodes



Saturday Mar 07, 2020
NKT vs. Scientology ft. Dr. Michelle Haslam
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
This week I am very happy to be joined by Dr. Michelle Haslam, a licensed psychologist in the UK and a cult survivor. She has a fascinating story to tell, which of course we compare with Scientology along the way since the parallels between her former group, the New Kamapa Tradition, and Scientology are legion. As a psychologist, Michelle is also in a good position to now comment on the psychological manipulations and control techniques which she experienced first-hand. I think you’ll find this podcast very informative. Enjoy!
Jon’s first interview with Dr. Haslam
Recovery from The New Kadampa Tradition
Michelle’s YouTube channel
Be Scofields article
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #237: NKT vs. Scientology ft. Dr. Michelle Haslam appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.



Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
BONUS: An Impossible Conversation about Politics and Healthcare
Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
BONUS: Today I’m posting a bonus episode of my podcast for this week. Brandon Estrella, a conservative podcaster friend and I (I’m liberal) have done this style of conversation before, finding common ground on issues despite have differing or even contentious views on many things. This podcast isn’t for everyone, as some people hate to hear me talk about politics. Well, if that’s you then don’t listen. Otherwise, I hope you do and enjoy! I look forward to your feedback.
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #236: BONUS – An Impossible Conversation about Politics and Healthcare appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.



Saturday Feb 29, 2020
Jon Atack vs. Scientology (Part 2)
Saturday Feb 29, 2020
Saturday Feb 29, 2020
I am joined again this week by former Scientologist, artist and historian Jon Atack to continue our discussion of his full story in and out of Scientology. Like my own, it’s a long and detailed tale and one that will require multiple podcasts to tell all the way through. In this episode, we cover a bit more of the time period right after Jon left Scientology and got involved with the “independent Scientology” movement with Captain Bill Roberts, a very unique individual, to say the least. Enjoy!
Jon’s YouTube channel is here.
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #235: Jon Atack vs. Scientology (Part 2) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.



Saturday Feb 22, 2020
Cultic Behavior in Social Activism ft. Dr James Lindsay
Saturday Feb 22, 2020
Saturday Feb 22, 2020
This week I am honored to host Dr. James Lindsay, who holds degrees in mathematics and physics and the author of five books with a sixth on its way. He has spent years studying acdemia and specifically the rise of various movements within social activist groups over the past couple decades. In this talk we discuss not only some of the ways these activist groups have taken on cultic characteristics, but why the underlying theories driving some of these movements are based on bad or pseudoscience. This of course does not mean that the drive for equality of opportunity or human rights for every single person should not be pushed hard and with ferocity. It simply means that there are deeper elements to some of these movements which need to be understood. Enjoy!
James Lindsay’s article on social justice as a religion
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #234: Cultic Behavior in Social Activism ft. Dr. James Lindsay appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.



Saturday Feb 15, 2020
Sensibly Speaking Podcast #233: Jon Atack vs. Scientology (Part 1)
Saturday Feb 15, 2020
Saturday Feb 15, 2020
This week I am joined by former Scientologist, artist and historian Jon Atack to finally discuss his own story in and out of Scientology. Like my own, it’s a long and detailed tale and one that will require multiple podcasts to tell all the way through, but in this episode we managed to squeeze in how Jon got involved with Scientology in the first place, what services he did through the OT levels and his thoughts about them and how he finally got out. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #233: Jon Atack vs. Scientology (Part 1) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.



Saturday Feb 08, 2020
Reckless Ben and Mike vs. Scientology
Saturday Feb 08, 2020
Saturday Feb 08, 2020
This week I got a chance to interview Reckless Ben and Mike, the two men who have most recently infiltrated Scientology, recorded what happened inside the church walls and lived to post about it. We cover their whole journey and what drove them to do this in the first place as well as some future plans. Enjoy!
Ben’s GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/infiltrating-scientology-series-finale-stunt
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #232: Reckless Ben and Mike vs. Scientology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.



Saturday Feb 01, 2020
The Three Apostates on How Cults Use Fear to Control Their Members
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
This week we bring you another Three Apostates, this time taking on the topic of phobia induction, or as Lloyd aptly describes it, fear mongering. All of our past groups and many other high control groups out there purposefully instill fear as a means of controlling their members: fear of death, fear of God, fear of the consequences of leaving and many others. We go into some detail about all of this and why this is one of the more despicable things that cult leaders do because it is actually very effective.
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Saturday Jan 25, 2020
What is Dominionism and Why Should You Care? ft. Dr. Clint Heacock
Saturday Jan 25, 2020
Saturday Jan 25, 2020
This week I am joined once again by Dr. Clint Heacock, a former evangelical minister, who has a great deal of personal and professional experience in and out of the evangelical world. He and I discuss in detail the topic of dominionism, a movement within the US Christian world to gain political and social power exclusively for Christians so as to take over government, law, education, art, etc. We go over what this movement is about, who is involved and why we as citizens should know and care about this. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #230: What is Dominionism and Why Should You Care? ft. Dr. Clint Heacock 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.