JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Cult intervention specialist and Founder of PeopleLeaveCults.com, Ashlen Hilliard, MSc, PSS, will be performing at the Florida Theatre on October 8. Hilliard sat down with WOKV’s Chase Bunker to talk about what’s considered a cult, helping people get out, and what people can expect from the show.
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“I really dig into the show to help people understand, from less of an academic sort of framework because we think of “The Psychology of Cults,” and we kind of think of a psychology lecture. It’s going to be a much more immersive experience than I think people would think,” says Hilliard, talking about her show. “I want people to not just understand and walk away from the show more about the psychology of how people end up in cults, but how to protect themselves. This is sort of prevention work, and how to better support someone who’s been in a cult.” Hilliard later adds, “what’s really cool about this live show that’s really different than like a podcast or anything like that, is you will have the chance to ask me a direct question. There will be a QR code that you can scan and submit a live question during the show, and I’m really excited to see what questions people have.”
Hilliard has been working with cult survivors for seven years, and says she’s worked with survivors of various groups. “My work began in Utah, I was a case manager in the Salt Lake City Valley, many years ago, working with people who were exiting diverse, Mormon fundamentalist polygamist groups all across the Western U.S. [...]Many people have heard of the FLDS [Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints], Warren Jeffs’ group for example, or have seen the show on TLC ‘Sister Wives,’ that’s the Apostolic United Brethren Community that they were apart of at one time. And so, I was helping people who were raised in polygamist groups, and there was underage marriage going on, sometimes sex trafficking, domestic violence, and I was front lines in that community. I had to build rapport and trust with very isolated communities, people who...their kids weren’t allowed to access media, weren’t allowed to play, and help integrate them into, I guess, sort of the modern world. And it taught me a lot about what I know with cult survivors, working with people from such extreme environments.”
Tickets for “The Psychology of Cults” are on sale now. You can hear more about Ashlen Hilliard’s work with cult survivors in the full interview.
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