Hidden Cults
From silent compounds to subway attacks, from charismatic prophets to catastrophic ends, Hidden Cults is a documentary-style podcast that digs deep into the world's most extreme, elusive, and explosive fringe groups. Each episode unpacks a different cult with investigative depth, emotional clarity, and gripping storytelling. You'll hear the full timeline: from the origins and ideology, to the rise of control, to the final descent into chaos. We're not here for the sensational. We're here for the truth. If you've ever wondered how ordinary people fall into extraordinary belief systems, and what happens when those systems implode, you're in the right place. New episodes weekly. Listener stories always welcome. Anonymity guaranteed.
Listener stories: [email protected]
International Resources
United Kingdom
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hidden-cults--6633392/support.
Listener stories: [email protected]
International Resources
- International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA)
https://www.icsahome.com
Provides information, recovery support, referrals, and events for survivors and concerned families. - Open Minds Foundation
https://www.openmindsfoundation.org
Offers education and support about undue influence and manipulative organizations. - The Hotline (USA – Domestic Abuse)
https://www.thehotline.org
📞 1-800-799-7233 — 24/7 support for victims of domestic, emotional, and religious abuse. - Freedom of Mind Resource Center (Steven Hassan)
https://freedomofmind.com
Resources on cult recovery, exit counseling, and mind control education. - FaithTrust Institute
https://www.faithtrustinstitute.org
Support and resources for survivors of religious abuse, especially within faith communities.
- Cult Recovery Hotline (ICSA)
📞 1-239-514-3081
Referral and support line for ex-members, families, and researchers. - RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
https://www.rainn.org
📞 1-800-656-4673 — Confidential support for trauma survivors.
- Cult & Trauma Support Resources 🧠
- Info-Cult / Info-Secte (Montreal-based, Canada-wide) Website: https://infosecte.org
- Phone: 📞 514-274-2333
- Email: [email protected]
- Canada’s leading organization for individuals and families affected by cults, coercive groups, and spiritual abuse.
- Offers confidential support, referrals, and information in English and French.
United Kingdom
- The Family Survival Trust
https://familysurvivaltrust.org
Support and advocacy for those affected by cults and coercive control. - Cults Information Centre and Family Support
https://cults.org.uk
UK-based information and guidance for cult survivors and families. - Mind UK (Mental Health Support)
https://www.mind.org.uk
📞 0300 123 3393 — Non-judgmental mental health advice and support.
- Cult Information and Family Support (CIFS)
https://www.cifs.org.au
National support for individuals and families affected by cults.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hidden-cults--6633392/support.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 46 minutes
- Episodes
- 19
- Years Active
- 2025
Ep.18 Synanon
It began in 1958 as a radical experiment in recovery: a storefront in Santa Monica, a handful of addicts, and a tough-talking ex-alcoholic named Charles Dederich. What started as a lifeline for peopl…
01:06:00 |
Sun 07 Sep 2025
Ep.17 The Unification Church (The Moonies)
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we turn our attention to the Unification Church, more commonly known as “The Moonies.” Founded in Korea in the 1950s by Sun Myung Moon, the group grew into a global m…
00:44:43 |
Sun 31 Aug 2025
Ep.16 Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, is one of the most secretive and controversial offshoots of Mormonism. Built on the practice of polygamy long after the mainst…
00:47:15 |
Sun 24 Aug 2025
Ep.15 The 7M TikTok Cult
What looks like a dance collective on TikTok is, according to former members and family, something much darker. Behind the viral choreography and millions of views lies 7M Films, a management company…
00:42:28 |
Sun 17 Aug 2025
Ep.14 The Process Church of the Final Judgment
In the 1960s, a strange and secretive movement emerged from the fringes of Scientology and began preaching an apocalyptic message unlike anything the world had heard before. The Process Church of the…
01:16:36 |
Sun 10 Aug 2025
Ep.13 The Narcosatanists (The Matamoros Cult)
In 1989, a quiet ranch outside Matamoros, Mexico, revealed a nightmare. Police unearthed ritual altars, human remains, and evidence of a cult led by Adolfo Constanzo, a man who fused drug trafficking…
00:44:24 |
Sun 03 Aug 2025
Ep.12 NXIVM
NXIVM promised empowerment. What it delivered was control, abuse, and branding. In this episode of Hidden Cults, we explore how a self-improvement group led by Keith Raniere transformed into a secret…
00:41:32 |
Sun 27 Jul 2025
Ep.11 The Rajneesh movement
They came to rural Oregon dressed in shades of orange and red, following a spiritual guru who rarely spoke and a powerful woman who did all the talking. What began as an ambitious attempt to build a …
00:41:58 |
Sun 20 Jul 2025
Ep.10 The Family International
Once known as the Children of God, The Family International began as a 1960s counterculture movement promising love, freedom, and a new way of life. But behind the music and missionary work was a dar…
00:44:49 |
Sun 13 Jul 2025
Ep.9 The Raëlian Movement
A French racecar driver walks into a volcano and comes out a prophet. That’s how the story begins. What follows is one of the most unusual and controversial new religions of the modern era. In this e…
00:44:59 |
Sun 06 Jul 2025
Ep.8 The Nuwaubian Nation
It started in Brooklyn as a small religious group focused on Black identity and spiritual truth. Over time, it grew into something stranger. The Nuwaubian Nation built pyramids in Georgia, talked abo…
00:47:22 |
Sun 29 Jun 2025
Ep.7 The Manson Family
In the heat and haze of the 1960s, Charles Manson didn’t look like a cult leader. He looked like a drifter with a guitar and some big ideas. But behind the music and the talk of love was something da…
00:49:17 |
Wed 25 Jun 2025
Ep.6 The Peoples Temple
Long before the tragedy in the jungle, the Peoples Temple looked like something good. Jim Jones preached equality. He fed the poor, welcomed the outcast, and promised a better world. But behind the s…
00:49:27 |
Sun 22 Jun 2025
Ep.5 The Order of the Solar Temple
It began as a secret society chasing spiritual enlightenment, and ended in ritual murder and mass death. In this episode of Hidden Cults, we uncover the chilling rise and fall of The Order of the Sol…
00:52:55 |
Wed 18 Jun 2025
Ep.4 Heaven’s Gate
In this episode of Hidden Cults, we dive deep into the haunting story of Heaven’s Gate, the first digital-age cult to orchestrate a mass suicide in the name of transcendence. Led by Marshall Applewhi…
00:47:50 |
Sun 15 Jun 2025
Ep.3 Aum Shinrikyo
In this harrowing episode of Hidden Cults, we dive into the chilling rise and catastrophic fall of Aum Shinrikyo, a doomsday cult that began as a fringe yoga group in Japan and evolved into a domesti…
00:45:51 |
Sun 08 Jun 2025
Ep.2 The Branch Davidians
What began as a fringe religious movement ended in a fiery siege that shocked the world. This episode of Hidden Cults explores the rise of the Branch Davidians, the power of David Koresh, and the dea…
00:48:03 |
Sun 01 Jun 2025
Ep.1 Scientology
It began with a science fiction writer and a self-help book. Today, it's a billion-dollar religious empire with tax-exempt status, celebrity ambassadors, secret doctrines, and a reputation built on f…
00:49:12 |
Sun 25 May 2025
Introduction to Hidden Cults
From silent compounds to subway attacks, from charismatic prophets to catastrophic ends, Hidden Cults is a documentary-style podcast that digs deep into the world's most extreme, elusive, and explosi…
00:01:27 |
Sat 24 May 2025
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