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Hidden Cults

Hidden Cults

Nik Hunter 65 Episodes Jul 26, 2026

Hidden Cults is a documentary-style podcast that investigates the world's most extreme and secretive fringe groups. Each episode offers an in-depth look at a different cult, covering its origins, ideology, rise to power, and eventual collapse. The show aims to explain how ordinary people become drawn into extreme belief systems and what happens when those systems fail. With a focus on truth rather than sensationalism, it presents detailed timelines and gripping storytelling. New episodes are released weekly, and listener stories are welcomed with guaranteed anonymity.

Episodes

Ep.63 The Saints
Ep.63 The Saints Jul 26, 2026 3173 In Toowoomba, Australia, a small Christian sect led by Brendan Stevens rejected medicine in favour of divine healing. In January 2022, those beliefs ended in tragedy when nine-year-old Elizabeth Struhs died after her insulin was withheld. This episode examines the rise of The Saints, life inside the group, Elizabeth's death, and the extraordinary trial that saw all fourteen adult members convicted
Ep.62 Lev Tahor
Ep.62 Lev Tahor Jul 12, 2026 2389 Founded in Israel in 1988, Lev Tahor presented itself as a return to pure Judaism under the leadership of Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans. Over the following decades, the group crossed continents, relocating from Israel to the United States, Canada, Guatemala and beyond as legal pressure and child welfare investigations followed. Members described a world of extreme isolation, rigid religious rules, arrange
Ep.61 The Superior Universal Alignment
Ep.61 The Superior Universal Alignment Jul 5, 2026 2048 The Superior Universal Alignment began in Brazil in 1981 as a small UFO-inspired religious movement led by the self-proclaimed prophet Valentina de Andrade. Promising spiritual enlightenment, extraterrestrial salvation, and escape from an approaching apocalypse, the group rejected traditional Christianity and embraced increasingly extreme beliefs that isolated its followers from the outside world.
Ep.60 Colonia Dignidad
Ep.60 Colonia Dignidad Jun 28, 2026 2609 Colonia Dignidad began as a secluded German religious settlement in rural Chile, promising faith, hard work, and a better future. Behind its fences, however, Paul Schäfer built one of the most abusive cults of the twentieth century. Families were separated, children were systematically abused, members endured forced labor and psychological control, and the colony became a fortress ruled through fe
Ep.59 The Sullivanians
Ep.59 The Sullivanians Jun 21, 2026 2512 The Sullivan Institute began in New York during the 1950s as an unconventional psychotherapy movement that promised personal liberation, emotional growth, and freedom from traditional social constraints. Under the leadership of Saul Newton and Jane Pearce, it attracted artists, intellectuals, therapists, and idealistic young people searching for a new way of life. Over time, however, the movement
Ep.58 The Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult
Ep.58 The Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult Jun 14, 2026 2835 In 2010, a recently released ex-convict named Larry Ray moved into his daughter’s dormitory at Sarah Lawrence College. What began as friendly dinners, life advice, and mentorship slowly evolved into one of the most shocking cult cases in modern American history. Over the next decade, Ray manipulated a group of students through psychological coercion, isolation, humiliation, forced confessions, fin
Ep.57 3HO The Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization
Ep.57 3HO The Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization Jun 7, 2026 3029 Tonight on Hidden Cults, we explore 3HO, the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization, the spiritual movement founded in 1969 by Yogi Bhajan. What began as a counterculture yoga movement promising a path to be healthy, happy, and holy grew into a worldwide network of ashrams, businesses, schools, and spiritual communities centered around Kundalini Yoga and Sikh-inspired practices. For many followers, 3HO
Ep.56 Japa Meditation Ireland
Ep.56 Japa Meditation Ireland May 31, 2026 2328 Tonight on Hidden Cults, we examine Japa Meditation Ireland and the rise of Irish spiritual teacher Dennis Curran. What began as meditation groups built around mantra practice, healing, and personal growth expanded into a nationwide movement attracting hundreds, and possibly thousands, of followers. Supporters described life-changing spiritual experiences and a strong sense of community. Former me
Ep.55 Desteni
Ep.55 Desteni May 24, 2026 2267 Tonight on Hidden Cults, we explore Desteni, the bizarre internet-era movement founded by Bernard Poolman in South Africa. Blending channeling, reptilian conspiracies, self-forgiveness rituals, and extreme mind-control ideology, Desteni attracted followers searching for truth, transformation, and freedom from the “programmed mind.” But behind the online videos and spiritual promises, former member
Ep.54 Nation of Yahweh
Ep.54 Nation of Yahweh May 17, 2026 1932 The Nation of Yahweh began in Miami in the late 1970s under the leadership of Yahweh ben Yahweh, born Hulon Mitchell Jr., who preached that Black Americans were the true Israelites of the Bible and that he was the chosen son of God sent to lead them. What started as a movement focused on identity, discipline, and community rebuilding grew into a tightly controlled organization built around fear, o
Ep.53 Aggressive Christianity Missionary Training Corps
Ep.53 Aggressive Christianity Missionary Training Corps May 10, 2026 1494 The Aggressive Christianity Missionary Training Corps began as a small communal group led by James Green and Deborah Green, who moved from counterculture living into a rigid, militant form of religious control. What followed was the creation of a closed compound in New Mexico, where daily life was dictated by rank, obedience, and a belief system built around spiritual warfare. This episode follows
Ep.52 Gloriavale Christian Community
Ep.52 Gloriavale Christian Community May 3, 2026 1782 Gloriavale is a remote Christian community in New Zealand, built on strict belief, total commitment, and a system that controls daily life from work to family structure. Founded by Neville Cooper, it grew into a self-contained society where obedience, isolation, and shared labour became the foundation of everything. Behind that structure, former members describe abuse, exploitation, and a system t

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