Are You in a Cult? Recognizing the Subtle Signs of Manipulation
Harmony Slater and Russell Case sit down with Tonya Ridings, a trauma therapist and Kundalini yoga teacher, to explore the often-overlooked dynamics of high-control groups, cult-like communities, and spiritual bypassing. Tonya shares her deep knowledge of somatic psychotherapy, religious trauma, and the subtle ways manipulation can creep into even well-meaning spiritual spaces.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ How trauma leads people into high-control environments
✅ The subtle manipulation tactics used in spiritual communities
✅ The fine line between dedication and coercion
✅ Red flags that indicate a group may be controlling or cult-adjacent
✅ How to reclaim personal autonomy after leaving a high-control environment
✅ The role of somatic healing in processing trauma
About Our Guest:
Tonya Ridings is a therapist specializing in trauma healing, particularly in the context of high-control religious and spiritual environments. With over 35 years of experience, she integrates somatic therapy, psychology, and yoga to help individuals reclaim their autonomy and inner wisdom.
Connect with Tonya:
🌍 Website: TonyaRidings.com
📸 Instagram: @TonyaRidings
Connect with Harmony:
Book a Clarity Call with Harmony: https://harmonyslater.as.me/Clarity-Session
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somatic psychotherapist
I have been helping folks with trauma heal for over 35 years now. My interests are religious trauma, developmental trauma, and I also love working with creatives who feel stuck. I co-teach a pre and perinatal class as well as classes for therapists to learn to work somatically with the polyvagal system.
More recently, I have been reading and writing about religious trauma. I've almost completed a religious trauma training for therapists. Currently I co-facilitate Recovering from Religious Trauma groups with two colleagues.
I teach Kundalini Yoga and have had to work through my own religious trauma when the accusations against Yogi Bhajan surfaced and were determined to be true. I was also raised in an evangelical Christian family.
