Cults

By: Quiet. Please
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  • Summary

  • "Cults" is a captivating audio series hosted by Ava Thorne, a British former cult member with dual PhDs in Anthropology and Psychology. Each episode explores notorious cult groups, examining their psychological manipulation tactics, recruitment methods, and the societal contexts that allowed them to flourish. With her distinctive heterochromatic eyes and mysterious crescent scar, Ava brings both academic rigor and personal insight to these dark chapters of human behavior. Her refined British accent lends an authoritative quality to her analysis as she goes beyond sensationalism to reveal the universal psychological vulnerabilities that make anyone susceptible to dangerous group dynamics in both historical and digital contexts.


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    2025 Quiet. Please
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Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences True Crime
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Episodes
  • NXIVM

    NXIVM
    Mar 27 2025
    In this revealing episode of "Cults," British host Ava Thorne investigates NXIVM (Nexium), the self-improvement organization that masked a criminal enterprise led by Keith Raniere. Through her penetrating heterochromatic gaze and academic expertise, Ava deconstructs how legitimate personal development techniques became tools for manipulation, leading to the secret "DOS" society where women were branded and coerced. Unlike traditional isolated cults, Nexium operated within mainstream society, attracting successful professionals and celebrities who found themselves gradually drawn into exploitation and abuse disguised as empowerment and growth.

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    11 mins
  • Aum Shinriky

    Aum Shinriky
    Mar 27 2025
    Cults - Episode 2: "Aum Shinrikyo"In this gripping episode, British host Ava Thorne examines Aum Shinrikyo's evolution from a Japanese yoga school to a terrorist organization responsible for the deadly 1995 Tokyo subway attack. With her distinctive heterochromatic eyes and analytical approach, Ava reveals how legitimate meditation practices were corrupted under Shoko Asahara's leadership, transforming scientists and professionals into perpetrators of violence. Drawing on her dual academic background, she demonstrates how apocalyptic beliefs and technical expertise combined with isolation to create a lethal capability that continues to influence extremist groups today.

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    10 mins
  • Heaven's Gate

    Heaven's Gate
    Mar 27 2025
    In this premiere episode of "Cults," British host Ava Thorne examines the Heaven's Gate group that conducted a mass suicide in 1997, believing they would board an alien spacecraft hiding behind the Hale Bopp comet. With her heterochromatic eyes and distinctive scar, Ava draws on her dual PhDs to analyze how Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles transformed normal people into devoted followers through incremental belief changes. Through her analytical framework and hints of personal experience, Ava reveals how the group pioneered digital recruitment techniques still used today, demonstrating why intelligent, educated people abandoned their lives for an otherworldly promise.

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    15 mins

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