20. Psychedelic Nightmare Pt. 4: Lovebomber Supreme

Explicit content warning

10/05/22 • 151 min

CULT: Charles Manson

Segment 4 of Psychedelic Nightmare brings us to one of the most well known cult murders in American history. We’re talking about Charles Manson’s racist, LSD fueled doomsday conspiracy and the young people he convinced to execute what we know now as the Tate Murders. Join us as we unpack the evolution of this cult, historical context of the time, the dynamics of grooming, and how mainstream media consistently positions the murder of these Hollywood elite above the horror of Manson's white supremacist agenda. We also take some time to uplift the legacy of the Black Panther Party (who the cult unsuccessfully framed for these murders).
CW: grooming, abuse, murder, sexual assault, anti-Black racism
Sources

Outro last updated April 2023
FYI: we've recently unpublished older episodes as we are in process of re-editing for a smoother flow & audio experience. they will be available again as we finish.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to our passion project <3 You can find us on social media here! We're a team of 2 people & have always been ad-free. If you are enjoying, please consider supporting our sustainability on Patreon or by making a one-time contribution via CashApp $unpacktheeerie.
- your grateful hosts

Send us a text

Outro last updated April 2023
FYI: we've recently unpublished older episodes as we are in process of re-editing for a smoother flow & audio experience. they will be available again as we finish.

Support the show

Previous Episode

19. Psychedelic Nightmare Pt. 3: Unseen, Unknown, Unheard

Send us a text

CULT: The Family/The Great White Brotherhood/Anne Hamilton Byrne
cw: sexual assault, suicide, child abuse, ritual abuse

In Part 3 of this series, we travel away from MKUltra, to the other side of the globe to unpack Australia’s most notorious cult – “The Family” (aka The Great White Brotherhood). In mid 1960’s Australia, this doomsday cult was formed by Anne Hamilton Byrne, a yoga teacher-turned-cult leader, who believed she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. This story has eerie ties that link to MK-Ultra and its LSD abuses, as well as Jim Jones. Join us as we learn how several children were drawn into this cult via bogus adoptions and subjected to years of physical, verbal, psychological and emotional abuse at the hands of Anne & her followers. Through dissecting this shocking story, we also explore yoga as a philosophy, white supremacy in wellness communities & the impacts of betrayal trauma.
References

Outro last updated April 2023
FYI: we've recently unpublished older episodes as we are in process of re-editing for a smoother flow & audio experience. they will be available again as we finish.

Support the show

Next Episode

21.Psychedelic Nightmare Pt. 5: Tokyo's Christ

Send us a text

CULT: Aum Shinrikyo/Shoko Asahara
cw: abuse, terrorism, sexual violence, death
Our fifth and final segment of our Psychedelic Nightmare series examines the story of a lesser-known Japanese cult that was responsible for the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack in March 1995 that killed 14 and injured over 5,000 innocent civilians. Aum Shinrikyo was a cult led by - you guessed it - a malignant narcissist, Shoko Asahara. This episode, we explore Shoko's childhood, the development of his cult while also delving deep into its doomsday philosophies that combined a hodge-podge of religious philosophies with Nostradamus-esque beliefs. This story is a wild one with lots of twists and turns tied to religion, Japanese culture, chemical weapons development and more. We touch upon concepts of Shiva, Shakti, & karma in Hinduism, malignant narcissism in cult leaders, and highlight survivor stories and PTSD from the subway attack. You'll see how this story links back to all four others, creating an unlikely and disturbing tie that spans four decades, three cults and three countries while involving multiple government agencies and of course Albert Hoffman's Problem Child -- LSD.
References

Outro last updated April 2023
FYI: we've recently unpublished older episodes as we are in process of re-editing for a smoother flow & audio experience. they will be available again as we finish.

Support the show