River Donaghey grew up in a cult. Or at least that’s what some people called it. His parents called it a “personal-growth seminar group.” Its ... Voir plus
River Donaghey grew up in a cult. Or at least that’s what some people called it. His parents called it a “personal-growth seminar group.” Its ... Voir plus
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6 of 6: So What? Now What?
"Your idea of how this came about ain't at all how it came about."
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12/10/2022
36:40
5 of 6: The Red-Black Game
"I see the value in transformation, but I also see its shortcomings."
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05/10/2022
39:00
4 of 6: Casualties
"We were never a cult and we wanted to remove everything that gave the appearance of being a cult."
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28/09/2022
37:12
3 of 6: This is About the Rest of Your Life
"He was like a rockstar. He was a very attractive man. He was the Lifespring celebrity."
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21/09/2022
33:54
2 of 6: The Leader
"He thought being put in that casket was the best thing that ever happened to him."
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River Donaghey grew up in a cult. Or at least that’s what some people called it. His parents called it a “personal-growth seminar group.” Its leader called it “one big happy family.” But there was a dark side to the world River grew up in. One he never heard about as a kid.
In the 1970s and 80s, a self-help company called Lifespring took America by storm. Hundreds of thousands of people walked out of Lifespring as true believers, convinced that the seminars had the power to change the world. But dozens of trainees claimed that after taking a seminar, they had a psychotic break. Some spent months in the hospital. Others attempted suicide. And at least four people died.
River spent the past year digging into the bizarre, untold story of Lifespring and its controversial leader: a convicted felon turned New Age guru named John Hanley. What he uncovered made him question everything he thought he knew about his childhood. And about the seminars that are still changing lives—and ruining them—to this day.