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That window is where
it happened.
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I was the first woman
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in my group of slaves
to be branded.
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The smell that came
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from the cauterizing pen
burning my flesh
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was so intense
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that it filled up
the entire townhouse.
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It was torture,
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but I still went through
with it.
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How do you even begin
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to explain something like this?
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Now, to the new allegations
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against a mysterious
self-help group called NXIVM.
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According to their website,
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more than 16,000 people
worldwide
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have taken NXIVM courses.
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The purported self-help group,
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many now say, is a cult
that sexually victimized women.
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The organization
included a secret sex society
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where the slaves were branded,
brainwashed,
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and forced to have sex
with the group's founder,
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Keith Raniere.
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- Okay.
- Give me one second.
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Um, Nancy, could you help me?
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Keith's a little bit shiny.
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Keith, can you take your glasses off?
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Take off
your glasses for a second.
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Close your eyes.
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If we want the world
to be less violent,
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we need to change our values
and principles.
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You can see that if people
are devoted to materialism,
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it takes away from compassion.
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It increases objectification
of people.
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It leads to more violence,
n-leads to more war.
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It doesn't have to be that way.
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We're starting a revolution.
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Like, understanding these ideas
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00:02:09,497 --> 00:02:12,900
and then living them
is so noble.
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We're changing the world.
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One people, one nation,
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one body, one soul,
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and rise above violence,
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poverty, and crime.
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The three words
I would use to describe NXIVM
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are magnificence times infinity.
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We are very thankful
to Keith Raniere.
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He created
a wonderful opportunity
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for women to grow
to the next level,
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and we didn't even realize
that we could go this far.
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I went into this looking
for a more purposeful life,
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and I thought that
these people wanted that, too.
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I thought that I found
a real deep sense of community.
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I felt like someone
cared about me.
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00:03:01,215 --> 00:03:04,485
At first, NXIVM
seemed to be a safe space
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00:03:04,518 --> 00:03:07,621
where we were surrounded
by, like, really good people,
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because for so long, like,
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I just-it w-it felt-
sorry, it...
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Sorry.
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There have been
a number of dangerous cults
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00:03:18,465 --> 00:03:19,700
in American history:
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00:03:19,733 --> 00:03:21,502
the Waco Davidians,
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00:03:21,535 --> 00:03:22,736
Jonestown,
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00:03:22,770 --> 00:03:24,772
the Unification Church,
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00:03:24,805 --> 00:03:27,441
Scientology, and Heaven's Gate.
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00:03:27,474 --> 00:03:31,245
And we've seen some of those
end catastrophically.
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But NXIVM will go down
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as one of the most
destructive cults in history.
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Do you understand
how you could rape a baby?
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I can make it a baby
that's very rapable.
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Keith Raniere
is the most horrific,
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abusive cult leader
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that I've ever heard of
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in my 30-some years
of doing this work.
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The predatory nature,
the cruelty...
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It's beyond the pale.
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He was the wolf.
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We were the sheep's clothing,
unknowingly.
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00:04:03,944 --> 00:04:06,614
Why didn't these women see
what was happening to them?
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Were you involved in a sex cult?
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00:04:08,682 --> 00:04:10,250
Actress Allison Mack,
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who played Chloe Sullivan
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in the Supermanprequel series Smallville,
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led the recruitment
for the group.
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Allison, did you help brand
India Oxenberg?
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Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg
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is Hollywood and actual royalty.
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She's also a mother who has
been fighting night and day
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00:04:28,602 --> 00:04:31,872
to get her daughter India out
of an alleged sex-slave group.
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You say they hijacked
your daughter.
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00:04:34,642 --> 00:04:36,744
My-my daughter
is a victim of this man.
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I did not see it like that.
92
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No.
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These people were my friends.
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I said, "You're brainwashed,"
and she said, "I'm not."
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00:04:43,917 --> 00:04:46,620
I just thought that maybe
she lost her mind.
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00:04:46,654 --> 00:04:48,455
My daughter is not
in her right mind,
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and that is what Keith Raniere
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and this NXIVM cult
has done to her.
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At that point, it was just,
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00:04:55,763 --> 00:04:57,931
"No matter what,
I have to save India."
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00:04:57,965 --> 00:05:00,401
I didn't want to be saved.
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My name is India.
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00:05:14,481 --> 00:05:18,052
I was in NXIVM
from 2011 to 2018.
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00:05:19,420 --> 00:05:21,055
For seven years.
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00:05:21,822 --> 00:05:25,359
I went through something
I don't wish upon anybody,
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00:05:25,392 --> 00:05:27,461
and I'm still trying
to figure it out.
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How could I have ended up
in a cult
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where I was sex trafficked
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or involved in crimes
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that could have put me
in prison?
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00:05:36,370 --> 00:05:38,839
I'm trying to figure out
what happened
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00:05:38,872 --> 00:05:41,709
versus what I wanted
to believe happened.
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I, uh, Google myself
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00:06:03,363 --> 00:06:05,866
every once in a while,
just to...
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00:06:05,899 --> 00:06:07,935
check on what's being said
about me.
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Try not to read everything,
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00:06:11,538 --> 00:06:13,049
because it can be
a little bit overwhelming,
118
00:06:13,073 --> 00:06:16,443
but sometimes it's better
to know than to not know.
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Typically,
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00:06:20,147 --> 00:06:22,583
anything associated
with my name nowadays
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is "branded sex slave,"
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"Allison's slave,"
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"slave of Keith Raniere."
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Like...
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00:06:30,991 --> 00:06:33,060
it can't get that much worse,
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besides "murderer," maybe.
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00:06:37,498 --> 00:06:40,701
I mean, it just keeps going
and going and going,
128
00:06:40,734 --> 00:06:43,971
and it's hard
for people who don't know
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00:06:44,004 --> 00:06:46,940
to distinguish
what's true and untrue.
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00:06:52,946 --> 00:06:55,816
This all started in 2011,
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when I heard about this thing
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called
"executive success programs,"
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or ESP.
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00:07:01,188 --> 00:07:02,799
It was supposed to be
this training course
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00:07:02,823 --> 00:07:05,192
for business
and communication skills
136
00:07:05,425 --> 00:07:06,794
that you could then apply
137
00:07:06,827 --> 00:07:10,063
to whatever it was that
you wanted to do in your life.
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00:07:10,097 --> 00:07:11,865
The truth is,
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unwittingly,
I introduced her to ESP,
140
00:07:15,202 --> 00:07:17,204
which I believed
was a self-help group.
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00:07:18,572 --> 00:07:19,907
I feel horrible.
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00:07:23,143 --> 00:07:25,112
I first heard about the program
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from a friend who I trusted,
144
00:07:27,047 --> 00:07:30,717
who reached out to me and said,
"I have just done this class.
145
00:07:30,751 --> 00:07:32,920
"It is the best thing
that I've ever done.
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00:07:32,953 --> 00:07:34,988
"My business has grown
exponentially.
147
00:07:35,022 --> 00:07:36,623
You've got to do it."
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And India happened to be
at the house that evening.
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And I said,
"Hey, I'm going to this intro.
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Do you want to come with me?"
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00:07:43,030 --> 00:07:44,198
And she's like, "Sure."
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So innocently, casually,
we get into my car.
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We do the 30-minute drive
to the program.
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00:07:50,804 --> 00:07:52,005
Looking back at it,
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00:07:52,039 --> 00:07:55,042
I think a lot about
what would have happened
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00:07:55,075 --> 00:07:57,077
if we just didn't go
to the intro.
157
00:08:02,983 --> 00:08:07,554
At that time in my life,
I was 19.
158
00:08:07,588 --> 00:08:10,524
I had spent a year in Boston,
going to school,
159
00:08:10,557 --> 00:08:13,527
and decided that college
wasn't for me
160
00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:14,795
and that I wanted to work.
161
00:08:14,828 --> 00:08:17,764
So I moved back home
with my mom in Malibu
162
00:08:17,798 --> 00:08:19,967
and started to build
a catering business.
163
00:08:22,069 --> 00:08:24,104
I always looked
at the culinary arts
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as sort of a... just a passion,
165
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but I never really saw it
as something
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that I would turn into a career.
167
00:08:30,077 --> 00:08:32,913
So when I came across ESP,
I thought,
168
00:08:32,946 --> 00:08:35,716
"Well, maybe there are certain
skills that I'm missing
169
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"that if I acquired,
170
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"I could take my natural talents
171
00:08:40,087 --> 00:08:43,056
and hone them into something
more professional."
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So when we arrived
at the introduction to ESP,
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the room was full,
and there were several people
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00:08:50,230 --> 00:08:52,599
that I recognized from
the entertainment industry.
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00:08:55,302 --> 00:08:57,070
There were entrepreneurs
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00:08:57,104 --> 00:09:00,674
and strong, powerful women
like Rosario Dawson,
177
00:09:00,707 --> 00:09:02,709
who I just got to strike up
a conversation with.
178
00:09:02,743 --> 00:09:04,278
I was impressed.
179
00:09:04,311 --> 00:09:07,714
They said they had had people
like Gerard Butler,
180
00:09:07,748 --> 00:09:10,217
Jennifer Aniston
take the courses.
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00:09:10,250 --> 00:09:11,652
Mark Vicente,
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00:09:11,685 --> 00:09:13,096
who was the director
of a documentary called
183
00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:14,988
What the Bleep Do We Know,
184
00:09:15,022 --> 00:09:18,659
was hosting the event
with Sarah Edmondson,
185
00:09:18,692 --> 00:09:20,894
a Canadian actress
from Vancouver.
186
00:09:20,928 --> 00:09:22,105
I'm happier in my life.
187
00:09:22,129 --> 00:09:23,630
I'm really joyful in my essence.
188
00:09:23,664 --> 00:09:26,066
I'm more successful
in my relationships.
189
00:09:26,099 --> 00:09:27,634
I got that
because of these talks,
190
00:09:27,668 --> 00:09:29,770
and you can have it too.
191
00:09:29,803 --> 00:09:32,272
Sarah Edmondson
said that the program
192
00:09:32,306 --> 00:09:34,241
would give you
the tools to conquer
193
00:09:34,274 --> 00:09:36,710
whatever might be standing
in the way of your success...
194
00:09:36,743 --> 00:09:39,346
Physical, emotional,
whatever it might be.
195
00:09:39,579 --> 00:09:41,581
It was presented as a way
196
00:09:41,615 --> 00:09:44,751
to upgrade
people's operating systems
197
00:09:44,785 --> 00:09:46,954
so that they could be
more successful
198
00:09:46,987 --> 00:09:48,188
in all areas of life.
199
00:09:48,221 --> 00:09:50,123
When I first came to ESP,
200
00:09:50,157 --> 00:09:52,025
I had, on the surface,
201
00:09:52,059 --> 00:09:54,795
something that seemed
to be like the perfect life.
202
00:09:54,828 --> 00:09:56,129
I had the job. I had the dog.
203
00:09:56,163 --> 00:09:57,340
I had the car.
I had the boyfriend.
204
00:09:57,364 --> 00:09:58,632
I had the clothes.
205
00:09:58,665 --> 00:09:59,800
And yet,
206
00:09:59,833 --> 00:10:02,369
when I started to do
the work in the classes,
207
00:10:02,602 --> 00:10:04,171
I started to transform.
208
00:10:04,204 --> 00:10:06,807
At my introduction for ESP, um,
209
00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:08,208
we all met someone
210
00:10:08,241 --> 00:10:11,178
who conquered his Tourette's
through this program,
211
00:10:11,211 --> 00:10:13,146
which definitely got
my attention.
212
00:10:13,180 --> 00:10:14,748
They said it was connected
213
00:10:14,781 --> 00:10:16,717
to the Dalai Lama somehow.
214
00:10:16,750 --> 00:10:18,952
They also said that they had
taught the curriculum
215
00:10:18,986 --> 00:10:21,321
to a head of state,
to a president.
216
00:10:22,656 --> 00:10:24,224
NXIVM used the Dalai Lama
217
00:10:24,257 --> 00:10:25,692
and other celebrities
218
00:10:25,726 --> 00:10:27,761
and wealthy individuals
who were there
219
00:10:27,794 --> 00:10:29,796
or who they alleged to be there
220
00:10:29,830 --> 00:10:32,799
as a way to lure people in.
221
00:10:32,833 --> 00:10:35,736
Because of the kinds of people
who were taking the courses,
222
00:10:35,769 --> 00:10:38,105
they were able to show
223
00:10:38,138 --> 00:10:40,073
that this was
the really cool thing to do.
224
00:10:40,107 --> 00:10:41,375
When you see people
225
00:10:41,408 --> 00:10:43,076
like Richard Branson
226
00:10:43,110 --> 00:10:46,179
and the first family of Mexico
involved in this,
227
00:10:46,213 --> 00:10:47,781
it tells the brain,
228
00:10:47,814 --> 00:10:50,050
"You don't have to
really dig into this.
229
00:10:50,083 --> 00:10:52,786
"These brilliant people
already did that for you.
230
00:10:52,819 --> 00:10:53,887
It's all endorsed,"
231
00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,957
and it makes
the buy-in stronger.
232
00:10:56,990 --> 00:11:00,060
Towards the end
of the introduction,
233
00:11:00,093 --> 00:11:01,862
uh, they announced that
234
00:11:01,895 --> 00:11:04,398
the actual first five-day class
235
00:11:04,431 --> 00:11:07,367
would be $3,000 per person.
236
00:11:07,401 --> 00:11:10,103
That got my attention,
and I was thinking,
237
00:11:10,137 --> 00:11:13,106
"Well, what exactly
are we paying for?"
238
00:11:13,140 --> 00:11:15,075
They had a limited-time offer,
239
00:11:15,108 --> 00:11:17,677
a reduced price of,
I think, 2,100.
240
00:11:18,945 --> 00:11:21,081
You know, it was a lot.
241
00:11:21,114 --> 00:11:23,884
I was an aspiring actress,
242
00:11:23,917 --> 00:11:25,719
and Mark Vicente kind of said
243
00:11:25,752 --> 00:11:26,720
that being around
244
00:11:26,753 --> 00:11:28,955
these other, uh, actors
245
00:11:28,989 --> 00:11:32,059
or these successful people
will help me get there.
246
00:11:32,092 --> 00:11:33,260
I did not have
247
00:11:33,293 --> 00:11:35,228
that kind of money
laying around to do it.
248
00:11:35,262 --> 00:11:39,066
So Allison Mack offered to pay
for the intensive ahead of time
249
00:11:39,099 --> 00:11:41,134
in exchange for the work
that I did for her.
250
00:11:42,769 --> 00:11:44,313
It was
a substantial amount of money
251
00:11:44,337 --> 00:11:46,373
to just put down on faith.
252
00:11:46,406 --> 00:11:47,707
I asked my mom... was like,
253
00:11:47,741 --> 00:11:49,076
"Can you put your
credit card down
254
00:11:49,109 --> 00:11:51,745
and I'll figure out
how to pay you back?"
255
00:11:51,778 --> 00:11:53,380
She goes, "Really?" Like...
256
00:11:53,413 --> 00:11:55,048
"Are you sure
you wanna do this?"
257
00:11:55,082 --> 00:11:58,418
And I said, "Yeah, I do,
and I wanna do it with you."
258
00:11:58,452 --> 00:12:01,755
I'm thinking, "Okay,
this is expensive, number one,
259
00:12:01,788 --> 00:12:04,191
"but how often does
your 19-year-old daughter
260
00:12:04,224 --> 00:12:07,861
want to spend five days
with her mom?"
261
00:12:07,894 --> 00:12:11,264
Like, that trumped
any misgivings
262
00:12:11,298 --> 00:12:13,967
that I might have had
about what this was.
263
00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,836
And I went, "Okay,"
264
00:12:15,869 --> 00:12:17,404
and I signed us up.
265
00:12:19,473 --> 00:12:22,008
Unfortunately,
as I found out later,
266
00:12:22,042 --> 00:12:24,344
it was probably
the worst decision
267
00:12:24,377 --> 00:12:26,079
of my entire life.
268
00:12:28,782 --> 00:12:31,118
Did you buy more food?
269
00:12:31,151 --> 00:12:33,520
Food, darling?
What would you like?
270
00:12:35,055 --> 00:12:36,790
I love Jell-O a lot.
271
00:12:37,791 --> 00:12:38,992
When I was a child,
272
00:12:39,025 --> 00:12:40,760
I felt very special
and very cared for
273
00:12:40,794 --> 00:12:42,162
and always very loved.
274
00:12:42,195 --> 00:12:44,865
I had a pretty active,
like, fantasy world.
275
00:12:45,866 --> 00:12:47,534
I thought that I could talk
to animals.
276
00:12:47,767 --> 00:12:50,170
So that took up
a lot of my time.
277
00:12:51,338 --> 00:12:54,908
But I grew up
here in Los Angeles
278
00:12:54,941 --> 00:12:57,210
with, uh, a single mom.
279
00:12:57,244 --> 00:12:59,446
My dad was really not
in the picture,
280
00:12:59,479 --> 00:13:01,781
and I had a mom
281
00:13:01,815 --> 00:13:04,451
who really
just let me experience things
282
00:13:04,484 --> 00:13:06,553
without being
a helicopter parent.
283
00:13:09,122 --> 00:13:12,526
I would define my mom
as a seeker.
284
00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:14,327
My whole life,
285
00:13:14,361 --> 00:13:17,564
I saw her as someone
who is looking for answers,
286
00:13:17,797 --> 00:13:21,234
looking for something
greater and deeper.
287
00:13:21,268 --> 00:13:23,270
And I was always sort of like
288
00:13:23,303 --> 00:13:24,871
her partner in crime in things,
289
00:13:24,905 --> 00:13:28,275
whether it was joining her
on movie sets
290
00:13:28,308 --> 00:13:30,810
or exploring,
291
00:13:30,844 --> 00:13:32,388
I don't know,
monks in your house one day
292
00:13:32,412 --> 00:13:33,847
when you come home from school.
293
00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:35,582
Like, I had
a pretty unusual lifestyle.
294
00:13:38,818 --> 00:13:41,221
Eventually,
my mom got remarried...
295
00:13:41,254 --> 00:13:42,556
Casper!
296
00:13:42,589 --> 00:13:44,233
...and our little
family grew quickly.
297
00:13:46,927 --> 00:13:49,829
My mom and I
had always been close,
298
00:13:49,863 --> 00:13:51,264
but in my teenage years,
299
00:13:51,298 --> 00:13:54,201
I had less one-on-one time
with just her.
300
00:13:56,303 --> 00:13:58,271
So I was really excited
301
00:13:58,305 --> 00:14:00,340
to take
the five-day course with her,
302
00:14:00,373 --> 00:14:03,476
and I thought this could be
an opportunity for us to bond.
303
00:14:05,946 --> 00:14:07,581
We ended up taking
the first class
304
00:14:07,614 --> 00:14:09,015
in May of that year.
305
00:14:10,383 --> 00:14:13,520
So we drove to
this beautiful house in Venice
306
00:14:13,553 --> 00:14:15,989
that apparently was owned
by Eric Clapton,
307
00:14:16,022 --> 00:14:18,858
and it was a modern home
with a big, open living room.
308
00:14:18,892 --> 00:14:23,563
How do we, as human beings,
better ourselves?
309
00:14:23,597 --> 00:14:25,265
The way that it was set up
310
00:14:25,298 --> 00:14:26,399
was that we would watch
311
00:14:26,433 --> 00:14:28,435
this woman called Nancy Salzman
312
00:14:28,468 --> 00:14:31,104
teach us these concepts
via video.
313
00:14:31,137 --> 00:14:34,474
When we see a sign
of human excellence,
314
00:14:34,507 --> 00:14:36,876
we seek to better ourselves.
315
00:14:36,910 --> 00:14:39,980
Then we would break
into these groups
316
00:14:40,013 --> 00:14:43,049
where we would discuss
a question set,
317
00:14:43,083 --> 00:14:44,551
and that's when,
all of a sudden,
318
00:14:44,584 --> 00:14:47,120
they separated India... from me.
319
00:14:48,888 --> 00:14:52,125
At the time, I didn't
think about it as a big deal.
320
00:14:52,158 --> 00:14:55,328
They told us they always
separate family members.
321
00:14:57,197 --> 00:14:59,566
The very first thing that
a predatory group will do
322
00:14:59,599 --> 00:15:02,435
is to separate someone
from her friends and family,
323
00:15:02,469 --> 00:15:04,070
because once she's deprived
324
00:15:04,104 --> 00:15:06,673
of that frame of reference
of that perspective,
325
00:15:06,906 --> 00:15:09,509
then the manipulation
becomes easier.
326
00:15:10,577 --> 00:15:11,578
Each class
327
00:15:11,611 --> 00:15:12,946
was called a module,
328
00:15:12,979 --> 00:15:14,914
and some of them
were really intriguing,
329
00:15:14,948 --> 00:15:17,617
especially "Communication
and Being At Cause."
330
00:15:17,651 --> 00:15:19,586
When we're really at cause,
331
00:15:19,619 --> 00:15:20,587
we understand that we're the one
332
00:15:20,620 --> 00:15:22,088
choosing to have the emotion.
333
00:15:22,122 --> 00:15:23,957
I remember when I heard that,
334
00:15:23,990 --> 00:15:26,192
I was like, "Wow,
that's really incredible.
335
00:15:26,226 --> 00:15:29,462
Like, I get to choose
how I wanna feel."
336
00:15:29,496 --> 00:15:32,499
And...
that was kind of liberating.
337
00:15:32,532 --> 00:15:35,035
So one of the core concepts
in NXIVM,
338
00:15:35,068 --> 00:15:37,137
which comes
from the New Age movement,
339
00:15:37,170 --> 00:15:39,439
is that you create
your own reality.
340
00:15:39,472 --> 00:15:41,141
And so the follow-up from that
341
00:15:41,174 --> 00:15:44,077
is that you're to blame
for whatever happens to you.
342
00:15:44,978 --> 00:15:46,579
They actually had to recite,
343
00:15:46,613 --> 00:15:48,615
"I will not choose
to be a victim."
344
00:15:49,716 --> 00:15:52,519
And eventually, this was a way
to make the women believe
345
00:15:52,552 --> 00:15:55,355
it was their own doing
if they were victimized.
346
00:15:55,388 --> 00:15:59,392
Somebody with low self-esteem
is a total victim.
347
00:15:59,426 --> 00:16:01,061
After a few of these modules...
348
00:16:01,094 --> 00:16:02,629
Everybody following me?
349
00:16:02,662 --> 00:16:05,041
...it feels like you're
getting your brain scrambled,
350
00:16:05,065 --> 00:16:07,367
and part of that
is kind of exciting.
351
00:16:08,601 --> 00:16:12,038
This was one of the first
learning experiences for me
352
00:16:12,072 --> 00:16:14,274
where I actually enjoyed it.
353
00:16:14,307 --> 00:16:15,508
It was very different
354
00:16:15,542 --> 00:16:18,144
from what I had just
experienced in college.
355
00:16:18,745 --> 00:16:20,480
I have quite a bit of insecurity
356
00:16:20,513 --> 00:16:23,083
around traditional education
in general
357
00:16:23,116 --> 00:16:24,984
because I have dyslexia.
358
00:16:25,018 --> 00:16:27,620
But I really do like to learn.
359
00:16:27,654 --> 00:16:29,522
And with ESP,
360
00:16:29,556 --> 00:16:32,292
I felt enthusiastic
about the curriculum.
361
00:16:32,325 --> 00:16:35,328
There were things
that I noticed that were weird.
362
00:16:35,362 --> 00:16:37,163
Everyone wore sashes.
363
00:16:37,197 --> 00:16:39,008
We were supposed to bow
when we enter the room.
364
00:16:39,032 --> 00:16:41,735
We were supposed to clap
and say,
365
00:16:41,768 --> 00:16:43,069
"Thank you, Prefect,"
366
00:16:43,103 --> 00:16:45,271
who was Nancy Salzman,
367
00:16:45,305 --> 00:16:47,140
and "Thank you, Vanguard."
368
00:16:47,173 --> 00:16:49,743
Vanguard was this guy,
Keith Raniere, he was...
369
00:16:49,776 --> 00:16:51,144
we didn't get to meet.
370
00:16:52,011 --> 00:16:53,413
The way that he was promoted
371
00:16:53,446 --> 00:16:56,116
was that he was
the smartest man in the world,
372
00:16:56,149 --> 00:17:00,086
a judo champion, a scientist,
a concert pianist.
373
00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,556
All of these
sort of grandiose things
374
00:17:03,590 --> 00:17:05,759
were Vanguard.
375
00:17:05,792 --> 00:17:08,461
I asked them, "Why do we have
to call him Vanguard?"
376
00:17:08,495 --> 00:17:09,696
It's to give him tribute...
377
00:17:09,729 --> 00:17:12,399
To give him tribute
and to pay respects to him
378
00:17:12,432 --> 00:17:14,033
for giving us the curriculum.
379
00:17:14,067 --> 00:17:15,502
I mean, that's what they said.
380
00:17:16,603 --> 00:17:18,304
Most cult leaders
381
00:17:18,338 --> 00:17:20,507
ascribe special titles
to themselves
382
00:17:20,540 --> 00:17:23,643
to give themselves
superior status
383
00:17:23,676 --> 00:17:25,345
compared to the others
in the group
384
00:17:25,378 --> 00:17:27,046
and to the rest of the world.
385
00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:31,651
Every time I had an issue
with any one of their rituals
386
00:17:31,684 --> 00:17:33,787
and brought it up in class,
387
00:17:33,820 --> 00:17:36,589
they accused me
of being defiant.
388
00:17:36,623 --> 00:17:38,625
So they would throw it
back in my face.
389
00:17:38,658 --> 00:17:42,362
We all have
certain suppressive strategies.
390
00:17:42,395 --> 00:17:44,564
They had modules to address
391
00:17:44,597 --> 00:17:47,066
all of the thoughts that
someone might have, like,
392
00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:49,469
"Oh, this makes me feel
a little uncomfortable."
393
00:17:49,502 --> 00:17:52,305
And it was one step at a time,
394
00:17:52,338 --> 00:17:54,674
down and down
and down the rabbit hole.
395
00:17:54,707 --> 00:17:57,143
They were trying
to normalize things
396
00:17:57,177 --> 00:17:58,578
that seemed a little strange
397
00:17:58,611 --> 00:18:00,680
so that, later on down the road,
398
00:18:00,713 --> 00:18:02,549
they could have
horrifying curriculum
399
00:18:02,582 --> 00:18:03,817
concerning, you know,
400
00:18:03,850 --> 00:18:06,085
"Why is it wrong
to have sex with children?"
401
00:18:07,587 --> 00:18:10,457
They even had a module
"Why We Are Not a Cult."
402
00:18:12,091 --> 00:18:13,436
There was a morning
that India and I got up,
403
00:18:13,460 --> 00:18:15,195
and we were dressed
almost identically,
404
00:18:15,228 --> 00:18:16,696
same color scheme, everything.
405
00:18:16,729 --> 00:18:18,498
And I remember being teased
406
00:18:18,531 --> 00:18:21,835
for how similar I was to my mom
407
00:18:21,868 --> 00:18:24,571
and, like,
how "enmeshed" we were
408
00:18:24,604 --> 00:18:27,240
and all of these
sort of specific terms,
409
00:18:27,273 --> 00:18:29,175
and I actually remember
feeling embarrassed.
410
00:18:29,209 --> 00:18:33,112
They were already actively
engaged in separating us
411
00:18:33,146 --> 00:18:36,316
and making her feel ashamed
of any closeness with me.
412
00:18:36,349 --> 00:18:39,319
They were already planting
the seeds of shame.
413
00:18:41,254 --> 00:18:42,889
Throughout the whole five-day,
414
00:18:43,122 --> 00:18:45,225
you're being told
that you're gonna have
415
00:18:45,258 --> 00:18:48,428
this amazing
one-on-one experience
416
00:18:48,461 --> 00:18:49,863
on day five,
417
00:18:49,896 --> 00:18:53,666
called
an exploration of meaning, EM.
418
00:18:53,700 --> 00:18:55,335
You have to do this process,
419
00:18:55,368 --> 00:18:57,704
this exploration of meaning,
in front of the whole class
420
00:18:57,737 --> 00:19:00,507
for, like, the grand finale
of the program.
421
00:19:02,642 --> 00:19:04,210
One by one,
422
00:19:04,244 --> 00:19:07,614
the students went
to have EMs with the coaches.
423
00:19:07,647 --> 00:19:09,916
Someone worked
on their fear of heights.
424
00:19:10,149 --> 00:19:12,385
Another person worked
on their stuttering.
425
00:19:14,621 --> 00:19:18,224
Almost everyone had a profound
emotional experience
426
00:19:18,258 --> 00:19:19,893
and breakthroughs.
427
00:19:24,497 --> 00:19:27,467
All of a sudden,
right before my mom's EM...
428
00:19:27,500 --> 00:19:29,269
Nancy Salzman!
429
00:19:29,302 --> 00:19:31,871
...Nancy Salzman
shows up in person,
430
00:19:31,905 --> 00:19:35,675
and apparently,
this was really unusual.
431
00:19:35,708 --> 00:19:38,645
All the coaches went berserk.
432
00:19:38,678 --> 00:19:41,381
Like, they're like,
"Wow, it's Nancy.
433
00:19:41,414 --> 00:19:43,249
"You have no idea
how special this is.
434
00:19:43,283 --> 00:19:45,618
She never teaches level one."
435
00:19:45,652 --> 00:19:47,320
I remember just thinking,
436
00:19:47,353 --> 00:19:49,489
"Whoa,
it's the lady from the TV."
437
00:19:49,522 --> 00:19:50,623
Like...
438
00:19:50,657 --> 00:19:51,858
An EM is
439
00:19:51,891 --> 00:19:53,793
a stimulus-response
disconnection.
440
00:19:53,826 --> 00:19:56,829
Are you committed to breaking
your stimulus-response chain
441
00:19:56,863 --> 00:19:57,964
with me?
442
00:19:58,197 --> 00:19:59,766
The fact that Nancy Salzman
443
00:19:59,799 --> 00:20:02,936
turned up
for Catherine Oxenberg's EM...
444
00:20:02,969 --> 00:20:05,471
That certainly wasn't
a coincidence.
445
00:20:05,505 --> 00:20:07,707
Catherine Oxenberg
and her daughter India
446
00:20:07,740 --> 00:20:09,976
would be considered
high-value recruits.
447
00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:12,612
And when cults like NXIVM
find those people,
448
00:20:12,645 --> 00:20:14,480
they'll turn hell to high water
449
00:20:14,514 --> 00:20:16,950
to try to get that person
to join
450
00:20:16,983 --> 00:20:18,952
or go further into the group.
451
00:20:20,687 --> 00:20:24,257
Okay, so tell me
what upsets you.
452
00:20:24,290 --> 00:20:26,359
For my EM, I chose to work
453
00:20:26,392 --> 00:20:28,394
on my anxiety
around auditioning.
454
00:20:29,829 --> 00:20:31,831
So Nancy had me close
my eyes, and she said,
455
00:20:31,864 --> 00:20:33,232
"Go back to the first time
456
00:20:33,266 --> 00:20:34,801
you remember feeling
that anxiety."
457
00:20:34,834 --> 00:20:36,536
Can you bring
that feeling up now?
458
00:20:36,569 --> 00:20:38,347
And what I flashed
on immediately was
459
00:20:38,371 --> 00:20:40,440
I was four years old
460
00:20:40,473 --> 00:20:42,508
and I was sitting on a man's lap
461
00:20:42,542 --> 00:20:44,877
and he was sexually
inappropriate with me.
462
00:20:44,911 --> 00:20:46,346
And what does it feel like?
463
00:20:46,379 --> 00:20:47,890
Is it a pressure,
or is there movement?
464
00:20:47,914 --> 00:20:49,458
And then, almost immediately,
465
00:20:49,482 --> 00:20:50,917
I flashed on another situation,
466
00:20:50,950 --> 00:20:53,987
which was I was with a director
467
00:20:54,020 --> 00:20:56,356
and he sexually harassed me.
468
00:20:56,389 --> 00:20:58,601
And what do you say
to yourself when they do this?
469
00:20:58,625 --> 00:21:02,462
It occurred to me
that there was a link
470
00:21:02,495 --> 00:21:04,263
of being hurt by men in power.
471
00:21:04,297 --> 00:21:05,808
Does it change
your understanding
472
00:21:05,832 --> 00:21:07,367
of the situation?
473
00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:09,736
And once I made that connection,
474
00:21:09,769 --> 00:21:13,339
it seemed as if the fear lifted.
475
00:21:13,373 --> 00:21:14,907
Does it feel better?
476
00:21:14,941 --> 00:21:17,043
Okay, we're done. Thank you.
477
00:21:19,879 --> 00:21:21,881
It was very cathartic,
478
00:21:21,914 --> 00:21:24,550
and I felt like
I had made a breakthrough
479
00:21:24,584 --> 00:21:26,285
and the feedback
from the coaches
480
00:21:26,319 --> 00:21:28,354
was that this was the equivalent
481
00:21:28,388 --> 00:21:30,757
of ten years of therapy
in ten minutes.
482
00:21:31,658 --> 00:21:33,426
I said to myself...
483
00:21:33,459 --> 00:21:35,061
The practice of the EMs,
484
00:21:35,294 --> 00:21:37,397
where they would have people
think back
485
00:21:37,430 --> 00:21:40,533
to some traumatic experience
in their life and relive it...
486
00:21:40,566 --> 00:21:42,068
It's very scary,
487
00:21:42,301 --> 00:21:44,003
because the people in leadership
488
00:21:44,037 --> 00:21:46,305
are not professional therapists.
489
00:21:47,507 --> 00:21:51,544
They were using the EM
to basically tear people down,
490
00:21:51,577 --> 00:21:53,479
to find out their secrets,
491
00:21:53,513 --> 00:21:56,082
to find out
what their Achilles' heel,
492
00:21:56,315 --> 00:21:57,917
their pain was,
493
00:21:57,950 --> 00:21:59,619
and then drilling down into it
494
00:21:59,652 --> 00:22:03,389
and leveraging it to gain
control over that individual.
495
00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:06,325
Having Nancy Salzman in person
496
00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:08,094
did feel good.
497
00:22:08,327 --> 00:22:11,030
You're left with
these incredible breakthroughs
498
00:22:11,064 --> 00:22:12,398
at the end
499
00:22:12,432 --> 00:22:14,467
and you're so enthusiastic,
500
00:22:14,500 --> 00:22:18,071
and that's when they push you
to take the next level,
501
00:22:18,104 --> 00:22:20,106
because you're on a high,
basically.
502
00:22:23,342 --> 00:22:26,746
My first EM was not
a huge breakthrough.
503
00:22:26,779 --> 00:22:29,849
So, at the end of the intensive,
504
00:22:29,882 --> 00:22:31,718
I just thought, like,
"That was pretty cool.
505
00:22:31,751 --> 00:22:32,985
I learned something."
506
00:22:33,019 --> 00:22:34,697
And then I actually thought
that after the five-day,
507
00:22:34,721 --> 00:22:36,055
I would be done.
508
00:22:36,989 --> 00:22:38,825
I had no idea that she might
have been willing
509
00:22:38,858 --> 00:22:41,060
to walk away
after the first five days,
510
00:22:41,094 --> 00:22:44,831
because she seemed
so enthusiastic.
511
00:22:44,864 --> 00:22:45,898
I wish I had known.
512
00:22:47,834 --> 00:22:51,471
My whole family got
really into it at the time,
513
00:22:51,504 --> 00:22:53,506
and so I kept going
down the path
514
00:22:53,539 --> 00:22:55,541
where I would
eventually meet Keith,
515
00:22:55,575 --> 00:22:58,845
but we didn't know anything
about his past.
516
00:23:02,749 --> 00:23:03,950
Without further ado,
517
00:23:03,983 --> 00:23:05,618
I'd like to introduce
Keith Raniere.
518
00:23:05,651 --> 00:23:06,919
Let's give him a big hand.
519
00:23:10,022 --> 00:23:11,958
How many people here are new?
520
00:23:11,991 --> 00:23:13,926
Some? Okay, a few.
521
00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:16,462
For those of you
who are not new,
522
00:23:16,496 --> 00:23:18,164
you are all new,
523
00:23:18,397 --> 00:23:19,632
because some of the things...
524
00:23:19,665 --> 00:23:21,734
Prior to ESP and NXIVM,
525
00:23:21,768 --> 00:23:24,570
Keith Raniere
had been known in the '90s
526
00:23:24,604 --> 00:23:26,405
for being a leader
527
00:23:26,439 --> 00:23:28,574
of this
Consumer Buyline operation,
528
00:23:28,608 --> 00:23:30,510
which was a pyramid scheme.
529
00:23:30,543 --> 00:23:32,178
You want me to spin numbers
on the board?
530
00:23:32,411 --> 00:23:34,447
I'll dazzle you. I'm good at it.
531
00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:35,815
I've sort of always marveled
532
00:23:35,848 --> 00:23:40,520
about why anyone
gave Keith credit
533
00:23:40,553 --> 00:23:42,722
for being
kind of a business genius,
534
00:23:42,755 --> 00:23:43,990
because, in fact,
535
00:23:44,023 --> 00:23:47,894
every business
he created was a failure.
536
00:23:47,927 --> 00:23:50,029
So far, Consumers' Buyline's
537
00:23:50,062 --> 00:23:51,764
facing four state investigations
538
00:23:51,798 --> 00:23:53,800
and several state lawsuits.
539
00:23:53,833 --> 00:23:56,035
After Consumers' Buyline closed,
540
00:23:56,068 --> 00:23:59,038
Keith Raniere met Nancy Salzman.
541
00:23:59,071 --> 00:24:01,707
Keith was looking
for his next business,
542
00:24:01,741 --> 00:24:02,742
his next venture,
543
00:24:02,775 --> 00:24:04,177
and this was also a time period
544
00:24:04,210 --> 00:24:06,813
where self-improvement
was really popular.
545
00:24:06,846 --> 00:24:08,447
Hi, I'm Tony Robbins.
546
00:24:08,481 --> 00:24:10,159
For over 10 years now, I've helped
over a million people
547
00:24:10,183 --> 00:24:12,151
to take control of their life.
548
00:24:12,185 --> 00:24:15,121
Keith kind of seized
on that opportunity
549
00:24:15,154 --> 00:24:17,123
with Nancy, and they created
550
00:24:17,156 --> 00:24:20,026
what was Executive
Success Programs, ESP,
551
00:24:20,059 --> 00:24:23,029
and that became NXIVM.
552
00:24:23,062 --> 00:24:24,897
Raniere saw himself
553
00:24:24,931 --> 00:24:29,602
as the vanguard
of a new era of world history.
554
00:24:29,635 --> 00:24:32,672
But actually,
what you see in NXIVM
555
00:24:32,705 --> 00:24:35,007
is what I have seen
in many cults.
556
00:24:35,041 --> 00:24:37,977
The leader cobbles
together ideas,
557
00:24:38,010 --> 00:24:41,147
copying from other sources.
558
00:24:41,180 --> 00:24:43,883
A lot of NXIVM is
multilevel marketing
559
00:24:43,916 --> 00:24:45,184
borrowed from Amway.
560
00:24:45,218 --> 00:24:47,587
A company
that offered all people
561
00:24:47,620 --> 00:24:50,056
a chance to be in business
for themselves.
562
00:24:50,089 --> 00:24:51,724
The structure of the seminars
563
00:24:51,757 --> 00:24:54,260
was copied
from Erhard Seminars Training.
564
00:24:54,493 --> 00:24:56,896
The center's network
proceeds from the assumption
565
00:24:56,929 --> 00:25:00,533
that people are up to
the right things in the world.
566
00:25:00,566 --> 00:25:04,170
A lot of it is
the philosophy of objectivism,
567
00:25:04,203 --> 00:25:05,738
which is Ayn Rand.
568
00:25:05,771 --> 00:25:08,541
It's the things that we
admire or want that enslave us,
569
00:25:08,574 --> 00:25:10,152
and I'm not easy
to bring into submission.
570
00:25:10,176 --> 00:25:12,078
Some of it is Scientology.
571
00:25:12,111 --> 00:25:13,546
For example,
572
00:25:13,579 --> 00:25:16,015
Scientology has what
they call auditing.
573
00:25:16,048 --> 00:25:17,617
Reexperience the incident
574
00:25:17,650 --> 00:25:18,918
from beginning to end.
575
00:25:18,951 --> 00:25:20,019
Okay.
576
00:25:20,052 --> 00:25:21,020
And that's the same thing
577
00:25:21,053 --> 00:25:23,890
as the EM exercises in NXIVM.
578
00:25:23,923 --> 00:25:25,591
So Keith Raniere
579
00:25:25,625 --> 00:25:28,027
was not at all
an original thinker.
580
00:25:28,060 --> 00:25:31,097
That's what Nancy Salzman
helped him with.
581
00:25:31,130 --> 00:25:32,899
Way back in a previous life,
582
00:25:32,932 --> 00:25:34,567
before I met Keith Raniere,
583
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:37,069
I used to teach
neurolinguistic programming
584
00:25:37,103 --> 00:25:39,705
and... hypnosis.
585
00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:42,308
Hyp-hypnosis.
586
00:25:43,676 --> 00:25:45,311
Shh; you know what they'll say
587
00:25:45,544 --> 00:25:47,780
if they know
that I used to teach that.
588
00:25:48,781 --> 00:25:50,016
Neurolinguistic programing,
589
00:25:50,049 --> 00:25:54,287
or commonly called NLP,
was created in the '70s,
590
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:55,788
and they talked...
591
00:25:55,821 --> 00:25:58,858
...in a very special way
592
00:25:58,891 --> 00:26:01,661
that would
elicit certain feelings,
593
00:26:01,694 --> 00:26:04,864
and make people feel
really special.
594
00:26:04,897 --> 00:26:06,899
You feel really good.
595
00:26:06,933 --> 00:26:09,068
You want to spend time
with someone
596
00:26:09,101 --> 00:26:10,836
with high self-esteem because...
597
00:26:10,870 --> 00:26:13,940
NLP is a very deliberate way
598
00:26:13,973 --> 00:26:17,977
of conducting conversation
and interacting with someone.
599
00:26:18,010 --> 00:26:20,112
You're matching
their body language.
600
00:26:20,146 --> 00:26:22,682
You might even be matching
their breathing.
601
00:26:22,715 --> 00:26:26,786
Your goal is to make your words
penetrate more
602
00:26:26,819 --> 00:26:31,057
without the other person's
knowledge or consent.
603
00:26:31,090 --> 00:26:34,593
In many cases, NLP is amoral.
604
00:26:34,627 --> 00:26:37,830
It completely depends on
the ethics of the practitioner.
605
00:26:37,863 --> 00:26:40,933
Most folk, even-even people
that you call sociopaths,
606
00:26:40,967 --> 00:26:42,201
are well-intended folk.
607
00:26:42,234 --> 00:26:43,602
You know, we-we...
608
00:26:43,636 --> 00:26:46,639
we all pretty much come out
the same way.
609
00:26:49,308 --> 00:26:52,378
NXIVM began growing
in the early 2000s,
610
00:26:52,611 --> 00:26:55,181
and it no longer was just ESP.
611
00:26:55,214 --> 00:26:57,116
Keith and Nancy started creating
612
00:26:57,149 --> 00:26:58,784
more and more programs
613
00:26:58,818 --> 00:27:00,753
underneath the NXIVM umbrella.
614
00:27:00,786 --> 00:27:02,722
All of them
were based out of Albany,
615
00:27:02,755 --> 00:27:05,858
but eventually, NXIVM
created satellite centers
616
00:27:05,891 --> 00:27:08,260
that were all over the globe
617
00:27:08,294 --> 00:27:09,996
where they offered introductory
618
00:27:10,029 --> 00:27:13,065
and also advanced
self-development courses.
619
00:27:13,099 --> 00:27:16,635
If you looked at NXIVM
from a business perspective,
620
00:27:16,669 --> 00:27:19,005
it just didn't generate
much money.
621
00:27:19,038 --> 00:27:23,009
It was basically
a horseshit organization.
622
00:27:23,042 --> 00:27:25,911
It was only able
to sustain and thrive
623
00:27:25,945 --> 00:27:29,715
because it had millions
and millions of dollars
624
00:27:29,749 --> 00:27:31,384
coming into its coffers.
625
00:27:31,417 --> 00:27:32,852
Millions which came
626
00:27:32,885 --> 00:27:35,187
from the Seagram's
liquor empire.
627
00:27:35,221 --> 00:27:36,922
Much of the money for NXIVM
628
00:27:36,956 --> 00:27:39,191
came from
Clare and Sara Bronfman,
629
00:27:39,225 --> 00:27:42,261
who were the daughters
of multibillionaire
630
00:27:42,294 --> 00:27:45,097
Edgar Bronfman
of Seagram's Corporation.
631
00:27:45,131 --> 00:27:47,933
Everything that
you've experienced this week
632
00:27:47,967 --> 00:27:50,069
has been Clare.
633
00:27:50,102 --> 00:27:52,104
When the Bronfman
sisters came on board,
634
00:27:52,138 --> 00:27:54,673
NXIVM became
infinitely more powerful.
635
00:27:54,707 --> 00:27:55,941
When you have money,
636
00:27:55,975 --> 00:27:57,710
you're able to do things like,
you know,
637
00:27:57,743 --> 00:27:59,678
bring the Dalai Lama
to the Palace in Albany.
638
00:27:59,712 --> 00:28:00,952
No one's ever done that before.
639
00:28:00,980 --> 00:28:03,015
A significant cultural event
640
00:28:03,049 --> 00:28:04,450
for the capital region.
641
00:28:04,683 --> 00:28:05,785
The Dalai Lama's appearance
642
00:28:05,818 --> 00:28:07,353
was the result of an invitation
643
00:28:07,386 --> 00:28:09,288
from the World Ethical
Foundation,
644
00:28:09,321 --> 00:28:11,223
which is founded by two sisters,
645
00:28:11,257 --> 00:28:12,992
heiresses
of the Seagram's Liquor cor...
646
00:28:13,025 --> 00:28:14,727
The Dalai Lama was really
647
00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:16,162
an important coup for them,
648
00:28:16,195 --> 00:28:18,130
and they actually paid
the Dalai Lama
649
00:28:18,164 --> 00:28:19,832
something like a million dollars
650
00:28:19,865 --> 00:28:20,900
to agree to meet
651
00:28:20,933 --> 00:28:23,169
and have his picture
taken with Keith
652
00:28:23,202 --> 00:28:25,104
and then use that for publicity
653
00:28:25,137 --> 00:28:28,074
and to lend legitimacy.
654
00:28:28,107 --> 00:28:30,476
Clare and Sara Bronfman
probably spent
655
00:28:30,709 --> 00:28:33,279
at least $200,000 million
656
00:28:33,312 --> 00:28:37,316
bankrolling Keith Raniere
and his crazy ideas.
657
00:28:38,150 --> 00:28:40,052
It was not a coincidence
658
00:28:40,086 --> 00:28:42,855
that many children
of prominent families
659
00:28:42,888 --> 00:28:44,790
were in NXIVM.
660
00:28:44,824 --> 00:28:46,325
Raniere targeted them
661
00:28:46,358 --> 00:28:51,097
to feed his desire for access
to more power and control
662
00:28:51,130 --> 00:28:56,102
by really appealing
to their idea of individuating
663
00:28:56,135 --> 00:28:58,804
and not living
in their parent's shadow.
664
00:29:00,206 --> 00:29:03,008
And they were convinced
that this was a good thing,
665
00:29:03,042 --> 00:29:06,445
that Keith was helping them
to be strong individuals
666
00:29:06,479 --> 00:29:08,481
with their own identity.
667
00:29:08,514 --> 00:29:11,083
And he did that
with India Oxenberg.
668
00:29:12,218 --> 00:29:15,788
Not only was India's mother,
Catherine Oxenberg,
669
00:29:15,821 --> 00:29:17,423
a famous actress,
670
00:29:17,456 --> 00:29:21,160
she was also descendant
of European royalty,
671
00:29:21,193 --> 00:29:24,163
related to the English crown
672
00:29:24,196 --> 00:29:26,532
and descendant of a king.
673
00:29:38,944 --> 00:29:41,380
Princess Elizabeth's life began here.
674
00:29:41,413 --> 00:29:44,216
As the only daughter of Prince Paul of
Yugoslavia.
675
00:29:44,250 --> 00:29:46,452
And Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark.
676
00:29:47,419 --> 00:29:49,431
My name
is Elizabeth Karadjordjevic.
677
00:29:49,455 --> 00:29:50,532
When I was born, I was known
678
00:29:50,556 --> 00:29:52,258
as Princess Elizabeth
of Yugoslavia
679
00:29:52,291 --> 00:29:53,926
because in those days,
680
00:29:53,959 --> 00:29:55,394
Serbia was part of Yugoslavia,
681
00:29:55,427 --> 00:29:57,096
which no longer exists.
682
00:29:57,129 --> 00:29:59,832
This is a celebration
of Elizabeth's biography.
683
00:29:59,865 --> 00:30:01,033
Today...
684
00:30:01,066 --> 00:30:02,210
It was very difficult
685
00:30:02,234 --> 00:30:04,937
to see my granddaughter
in the cult.
686
00:30:04,970 --> 00:30:07,406
Of course, India was a baby
when she joined the cult.
687
00:30:07,439 --> 00:30:10,876
I mean, she was barely 20,
terribly vulnerable,
688
00:30:10,910 --> 00:30:12,378
and it was so painful to see.
689
00:30:16,549 --> 00:30:18,951
That's the grandmother,
and that's her sister Maria.
690
00:30:18,984 --> 00:30:20,920
Katherine had first
introduced India
691
00:30:20,953 --> 00:30:22,121
to these people.
692
00:30:22,154 --> 00:30:24,023
She was the one
who took her there.
693
00:30:24,056 --> 00:30:27,026
I think she feels awful
about it, of course.
694
00:30:27,059 --> 00:30:28,594
Who wouldn't?
695
00:30:29,862 --> 00:30:32,531
One of the hardest
things for me to reconcile
696
00:30:32,565 --> 00:30:36,268
is that I was the one
who introduced India to NXIVM
697
00:30:36,302 --> 00:30:40,005
and that I did not recognize
the warning signs,
698
00:30:40,039 --> 00:30:42,007
the red flags.
699
00:30:42,041 --> 00:30:47,046
I can't tell you how much guilt
I feel about that.
700
00:30:55,888 --> 00:30:58,991
After that first
five-day intensive and ESP,
701
00:30:59,024 --> 00:31:01,594
I didn't think
that I needed to take
702
00:31:01,627 --> 00:31:03,495
more and more curriculum.
703
00:31:03,529 --> 00:31:05,464
I think the thing that
was more intriguing to me
704
00:31:05,497 --> 00:31:07,900
wasn't about what I was
learning for my business,
705
00:31:07,933 --> 00:31:10,236
but about having friendships
706
00:31:10,269 --> 00:31:13,172
and relationships with people
who I thought got me
707
00:31:13,205 --> 00:31:14,473
on a personal level.
708
00:31:14,506 --> 00:31:17,009
I ended the first five-day
on a high.
709
00:31:17,042 --> 00:31:20,045
I ended up taking
the rest of level one.
710
00:31:20,079 --> 00:31:21,313
During that period,
711
00:31:21,347 --> 00:31:23,024
Nancy Salzman reached out
to me, and she said,
712
00:31:23,048 --> 00:31:26,051
would I be interested
in hosting a Jness weekend?
713
00:31:26,085 --> 00:31:28,254
So Jness was a curriculum
I was not familiar with.
714
00:31:28,287 --> 00:31:30,990
And she described it as
a female empowerment program,
715
00:31:31,023 --> 00:31:32,324
women's only program.
716
00:31:32,358 --> 00:31:34,593
And I thought, "Great.
I'm totally... I'm a feminist."
717
00:31:34,627 --> 00:31:37,496
I often opened up my home
for gatherings and events.
718
00:31:37,529 --> 00:31:40,199
And so I said, "Why not?"
719
00:31:40,232 --> 00:31:43,302
Jness offers an answer
or a solution
720
00:31:43,335 --> 00:31:45,437
to a problem that I think
721
00:31:45,471 --> 00:31:47,473
every woman and every man
struggles with.
722
00:31:47,506 --> 00:31:52,077
The whole concept
of Jness is understanding
723
00:31:52,111 --> 00:31:53,479
what it means to be a woman,
724
00:31:53,512 --> 00:31:55,314
and it's so hard to do that
725
00:31:55,347 --> 00:31:57,349
because so much of our culture
726
00:31:57,383 --> 00:32:01,687
is dominated by male think,
male speak, male talk.
727
00:32:03,188 --> 00:32:08,127
Jness was described as
a women's educational program
728
00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:10,596
that would help women
understand women,
729
00:32:10,629 --> 00:32:12,398
women understand men,
730
00:32:12,431 --> 00:32:14,099
and a lot of the emphasis
731
00:32:14,133 --> 00:32:17,436
was on relationships
and sexuality.
732
00:32:17,469 --> 00:32:19,371
My first exposure to Jness
733
00:32:19,405 --> 00:32:22,274
was a Jness weekend
that my mom hosted in Malibu.
734
00:32:22,308 --> 00:32:26,011
My grandma actually attended
that Jness weekend.
735
00:32:26,045 --> 00:32:27,422
Catherine said, "I'm going
to have a meeting
736
00:32:27,446 --> 00:32:28,580
"for women this afternoon.
737
00:32:28,614 --> 00:32:30,082
"It's called Jness.
738
00:32:30,115 --> 00:32:33,552
A lot of girls are coming in
from Mexico and from LA,"
739
00:32:33,585 --> 00:32:36,322
and I happened to be in
Los Angeles, staying with her.
740
00:32:36,355 --> 00:32:39,625
There were around 50 women
who showed up at my house,
741
00:32:39,658 --> 00:32:41,193
many of them from Mexico.
742
00:32:41,226 --> 00:32:43,729
It seems like they had
a large following in Mexico.
743
00:32:43,962 --> 00:32:45,240
They all arrived that afternoon.
744
00:32:45,264 --> 00:32:47,199
We draped ourselves
all over the furniture
745
00:32:47,232 --> 00:32:48,567
in the living room.
746
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:50,703
And there was somebody there
called Nancy Salzman
747
00:32:50,736 --> 00:32:53,339
who was going to give
the spiel about Jness.
748
00:32:53,372 --> 00:32:55,040
What makes Jness different
749
00:32:55,074 --> 00:32:59,311
than any other women's movement
or organization out there?
750
00:32:59,345 --> 00:33:00,612
I always say
751
00:33:00,646 --> 00:33:03,282
when I introduce people
to the education...
752
00:33:03,315 --> 00:33:04,592
Because I still teach
the weekends
753
00:33:04,616 --> 00:33:06,085
from time to time, you know...
754
00:33:06,118 --> 00:33:07,429
"Welcome to the first women's
movement
755
00:33:07,453 --> 00:33:09,321
that was created by a man."
756
00:33:09,355 --> 00:33:10,723
And it is.
757
00:33:10,756 --> 00:33:14,159
It's the first women's movement
that was created by a man.
758
00:33:14,193 --> 00:33:15,561
A very unique man,
759
00:33:15,594 --> 00:33:20,566
a very amazing man
in many, many, many ways,
760
00:33:20,599 --> 00:33:23,502
but a man who has thought
very deeply
761
00:33:23,535 --> 00:33:27,206
about what it would take
to change the world.
762
00:33:27,239 --> 00:33:29,742
And I just hope people
will come and take it,
763
00:33:29,775 --> 00:33:33,145
because it's the most amazing
thing I think I've ever done.
764
00:33:34,012 --> 00:33:35,390
I thought it
was complete rubbish.
765
00:33:35,414 --> 00:33:38,183
They said she was
very important, Nancy Salzman,
766
00:33:38,217 --> 00:33:40,352
but I thought she was an idiot.
767
00:33:40,386 --> 00:33:41,620
Men have to grow up,
768
00:33:41,653 --> 00:33:43,198
and they have
to be responsible in the world.
769
00:33:43,222 --> 00:33:45,023
And men are responsible
for women,
770
00:33:45,057 --> 00:33:48,494
and women don't really get
that that's the case.
771
00:33:48,527 --> 00:33:50,162
However,
772
00:33:50,195 --> 00:33:51,163
I was trying to be polite
773
00:33:51,196 --> 00:33:52,164
and not be the rude mother,
774
00:33:52,197 --> 00:33:53,399
sitting there complaining.
775
00:33:53,432 --> 00:33:54,666
They spoke a lot
776
00:33:54,700 --> 00:33:56,368
about how men were linear
and logical,
777
00:33:56,402 --> 00:33:59,171
and that women were
more organic thinkers
778
00:33:59,204 --> 00:34:02,775
who lack structure
and character.
779
00:34:02,808 --> 00:34:06,545
It was nothing like
the original ESP class.
780
00:34:06,578 --> 00:34:08,380
My mom, I think, hated it,
781
00:34:08,414 --> 00:34:10,048
and she couldn't even...
782
00:34:10,082 --> 00:34:11,784
my-my mom has zero poker face.
783
00:34:11,817 --> 00:34:13,457
I knew there was
something fishy going on,
784
00:34:13,485 --> 00:34:15,087
and I thought it was stupid
785
00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:17,756
and I didn't want to irritate
Catherine because, after all,
786
00:34:17,790 --> 00:34:20,092
you know, she'd put
this whole thing together.
787
00:34:20,125 --> 00:34:21,794
But looking back on it,
788
00:34:21,827 --> 00:34:24,430
I should have been, maybe,
more-more rude.
789
00:34:25,731 --> 00:34:29,168
Keith Raniere
taking feminist terms
790
00:34:29,201 --> 00:34:30,569
and giving them new meanings
791
00:34:30,602 --> 00:34:33,605
is using something
that's familiar to people
792
00:34:33,639 --> 00:34:37,509
but twisting it in a way that's
actually tearing them down.
793
00:34:37,543 --> 00:34:40,646
Jness was pure misogyny,
794
00:34:40,679 --> 00:34:42,548
and yet women were led
to believe
795
00:34:42,581 --> 00:34:45,350
that this was really gonna
help them become better women.
796
00:34:47,653 --> 00:34:49,087
After the Jness weekend,
797
00:34:49,121 --> 00:34:52,424
I signed up for
an ongoing Jness curriculum,
798
00:34:52,458 --> 00:34:55,227
and I met with this group
of women once a week,
799
00:34:55,260 --> 00:34:57,095
and we really started
to become friends.
800
00:34:59,264 --> 00:35:00,599
This was just a community
801
00:35:00,632 --> 00:35:02,768
of women of all ages,
802
00:35:02,801 --> 00:35:05,838
all walks of life,
that supported each other.
803
00:35:05,871 --> 00:35:08,607
I felt like I was
in the right place.
804
00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:12,377
I was networking
with women of status.
805
00:35:13,645 --> 00:35:15,180
I thought Jness was really cool.
806
00:35:15,214 --> 00:35:16,548
It was positive.
807
00:35:16,582 --> 00:35:19,518
I felt like I was building
strong bonds with women
808
00:35:19,551 --> 00:35:21,887
based off of like-mindedness.
809
00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:23,565
Who do women feel
are their opponents,
810
00:35:23,589 --> 00:35:25,290
and who do men think
are their opponents?
811
00:35:25,324 --> 00:35:27,268
- 'Cause men think, women feel.
- Ah, yeah.
812
00:35:27,292 --> 00:35:31,296
It wasn't so much
about the discussion topics
813
00:35:31,330 --> 00:35:33,131
as it was about the people
814
00:35:33,165 --> 00:35:35,167
that I was starting
to relate with.
815
00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,369
We were sharing
so many personal things
816
00:35:37,402 --> 00:35:38,604
about our own lives
817
00:35:38,637 --> 00:35:41,206
that we were building
a bond and a community.
818
00:35:43,275 --> 00:35:46,211
And at this point,
India seems to be flourishing.
819
00:35:46,245 --> 00:35:49,214
She seems happier.
She seems more motivated.
820
00:35:49,248 --> 00:35:51,817
She seems enthusiastic
and passionate.
821
00:35:51,850 --> 00:35:53,819
She loves the people
she's spending time with.
822
00:35:53,852 --> 00:35:56,388
She feels
that they have mutual goals
823
00:35:56,421 --> 00:35:57,723
and shared a vision.
824
00:35:57,756 --> 00:36:01,560
Cut to "Mom, I'm going
to become a coach."
825
00:36:02,928 --> 00:36:05,531
At a gut level,
I knew this was a bad thing.
826
00:36:08,267 --> 00:36:10,903
When I began going
down the coaching path,
827
00:36:10,936 --> 00:36:12,170
I started to feel
828
00:36:12,204 --> 00:36:13,539
a little separation from my mom,
829
00:36:13,572 --> 00:36:15,841
like, "Oh, this is my thing."
830
00:36:15,874 --> 00:36:16,875
And that felt good...
831
00:36:16,909 --> 00:36:18,644
To have something
832
00:36:18,677 --> 00:36:20,612
that I felt like I was good at.
833
00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:24,883
They told me the main issue
that I had to work on
834
00:36:24,917 --> 00:36:27,286
was that
I was too dependent on my mom.
835
00:36:28,453 --> 00:36:32,457
As far as I was
concerned, ESP was a tool.
836
00:36:32,491 --> 00:36:34,459
But once you became a coach,
837
00:36:34,493 --> 00:36:35,894
it was your life,
838
00:36:35,928 --> 00:36:38,196
keeping you very busy
and very distracted
839
00:36:38,230 --> 00:36:40,766
and not having time
for any other commitments.
840
00:36:40,799 --> 00:36:44,670
People were working 24/7.
841
00:36:44,703 --> 00:36:47,906
Your commitment had to be
absolute to the program.
842
00:36:49,608 --> 00:36:51,843
And that's what happened
with India.
843
00:36:51,877 --> 00:36:53,645
Cults are very good
844
00:36:53,679 --> 00:36:56,214
at ritualizing so much behavior,
845
00:36:56,248 --> 00:36:58,317
and that's part
of the hamster wheel...
846
00:36:58,350 --> 00:36:59,785
Doing a lot of activities,
847
00:36:59,818 --> 00:37:02,654
doing a lot of things
that everyone has to do
848
00:37:02,688 --> 00:37:03,989
on a regular basis.
849
00:37:04,222 --> 00:37:06,358
And it keeps people so involved,
850
00:37:06,391 --> 00:37:09,761
so busy, and also usually
quite exhausted.
851
00:37:11,396 --> 00:37:14,900
India was devoting
a lot more time to ESP,
852
00:37:14,933 --> 00:37:17,569
and her behavior
with me changed.
853
00:37:17,603 --> 00:37:20,472
Um, there was
a lot more pushback.
854
00:37:20,505 --> 00:37:22,674
Naively, I reached out
to Nancy Salzman
855
00:37:22,708 --> 00:37:24,843
and asked her for her advice,
856
00:37:24,876 --> 00:37:26,311
and she said, "Oh, don't worry.
857
00:37:26,345 --> 00:37:28,981
It's completely natural.
India's individuating."
858
00:37:29,014 --> 00:37:31,450
Well, in hindsight,
859
00:37:31,483 --> 00:37:36,288
I can see that this was
all part of the cult strategy
860
00:37:36,321 --> 00:37:38,323
to suck her in.
861
00:37:39,958 --> 00:37:41,827
It's straight out
of the playbook
862
00:37:41,860 --> 00:37:45,597
for how to manipulate
people's emotions,
863
00:37:45,631 --> 00:37:48,734
their minds, get them
to turn against themselves
864
00:37:48,767 --> 00:37:52,004
and their true self as well
as their family and friends.
865
00:37:54,473 --> 00:37:55,874
Slowly but surely,
866
00:37:55,907 --> 00:37:59,611
I became more and more
disgruntled with ESP,
867
00:37:59,645 --> 00:38:01,713
but I had paid so much money
in advance
868
00:38:01,747 --> 00:38:03,615
for these level-two classes,
869
00:38:03,649 --> 00:38:06,852
and there was a part of me
that-I just hate wasting money.
870
00:38:06,885 --> 00:38:09,588
So I wanted
to finish the program.
871
00:38:11,323 --> 00:38:13,025
In January of 2012,
872
00:38:13,058 --> 00:38:15,861
my husband, Casper, and I
were taking an advanced class
873
00:38:15,894 --> 00:38:17,596
that was only offered in Albany.
874
00:38:19,297 --> 00:38:22,367
We were staying with coaches
in the program,
875
00:38:22,401 --> 00:38:24,302
and I happened to notice one day
876
00:38:24,336 --> 00:38:26,805
that the wife was sleeping
on the floor
877
00:38:26,838 --> 00:38:29,841
and the husband
was sleeping in the bed.
878
00:38:29,875 --> 00:38:32,477
I-and I asked her, I said,
"What's up?"
879
00:38:32,511 --> 00:38:33,788
And she said,
"Oh, I'm doing a penance,"
880
00:38:33,812 --> 00:38:36,014
and she seemed
quite happy about it.
881
00:38:36,048 --> 00:38:38,750
That, to me, was, like,
a-a giant red flag.
882
00:38:39,818 --> 00:38:42,654
Then there was
a very disturbing exposé
883
00:38:42,688 --> 00:38:44,656
in the Albany Times Union
884
00:38:44,690 --> 00:38:47,959
alleging that Keith was
a child molester, a pedophile.
885
00:38:50,462 --> 00:38:51,997
That was...
886
00:38:52,030 --> 00:38:53,741
the moment that I decided
I could never take
887
00:38:53,765 --> 00:38:56,401
another class with NXIVM ever.
888
00:38:59,771 --> 00:39:02,474
When I tried to tell India
about this article,
889
00:39:02,507 --> 00:39:03,508
she dismissed it.
890
00:39:05,110 --> 00:39:07,112
She said that this
was a smear campaign,
891
00:39:07,345 --> 00:39:08,890
Keith would never
do anything like this.
892
00:39:08,914 --> 00:39:11,583
And I backed off,
because the truth is...
893
00:39:12,951 --> 00:39:14,486
...I thought to myself,
894
00:39:14,519 --> 00:39:16,354
"If he really was
a child molester,
895
00:39:16,388 --> 00:39:18,457
"why were there no charges
brought against him?
896
00:39:18,490 --> 00:39:21,426
Why was he not facing...
why was he not in jail?"
897
00:39:22,461 --> 00:39:23,604
They would always say,
898
00:39:23,628 --> 00:39:25,030
"Just trust your own experience.
899
00:39:25,063 --> 00:39:27,466
"You know us.
You know this curriculum.
900
00:39:27,499 --> 00:39:29,868
"All those people
that are putting out stories
901
00:39:29,901 --> 00:39:31,103
"about Keith and NXIVM
902
00:39:31,136 --> 00:39:33,405
"just have a vendetta
against him
903
00:39:33,438 --> 00:39:35,941
because of all the great things
that he's doing."
904
00:39:35,974 --> 00:39:38,443
And at the time,
905
00:39:38,477 --> 00:39:40,078
I believed that...
906
00:39:40,112 --> 00:39:43,849
because I was experiencing
what I thought was really good.
907
00:39:45,484 --> 00:39:48,386
Cult leaders like
Keith Raniere are very used to
908
00:39:48,420 --> 00:39:50,789
that kind of bad publicity,
909
00:39:50,822 --> 00:39:53,058
and so they will have
a whole PR program
910
00:39:53,091 --> 00:39:54,659
to fight against it.
911
00:39:54,693 --> 00:39:56,661
They'll say it's fake news.
912
00:39:56,695 --> 00:39:58,997
They'll um, have people come out
913
00:39:59,030 --> 00:40:02,067
and make statements
about what a great man he is
914
00:40:02,100 --> 00:40:03,802
and that he's actually
like a monk
915
00:40:03,835 --> 00:40:05,403
and he doesn't even have sex.
916
00:40:05,437 --> 00:40:07,472
And then eventually
the story fades,
917
00:40:07,506 --> 00:40:09,040
and they've won.
918
00:40:18,083 --> 00:40:20,485
After I started
training to be a coach,
919
00:40:20,519 --> 00:40:23,054
I was told that I had
to attend Vanguard Week,
920
00:40:23,088 --> 00:40:24,656
which was a corporate retreat
921
00:40:24,689 --> 00:40:27,926
that they held every summer
in upstate New York.
922
00:40:27,959 --> 00:40:29,239
It was kind of like summer camp,
923
00:40:29,427 --> 00:40:31,163
but for adults,
924
00:40:31,196 --> 00:40:34,166
that also gave tribute
925
00:40:34,199 --> 00:40:36,968
to Vanguard for his birthday.
926
00:40:37,936 --> 00:40:40,071
It's an extraordinary
experience.
927
00:40:40,105 --> 00:40:42,440
The philosophical founder
of this company
928
00:40:42,474 --> 00:40:43,842
who created all of this...
929
00:40:43,875 --> 00:40:45,944
You get to hang out
with that guy.
930
00:40:45,977 --> 00:40:48,947
I mean, it's like
the curriculum come to life.
931
00:40:57,722 --> 00:41:00,926
The first time
that I ever went to V-Week
932
00:41:00,959 --> 00:41:04,029
was August of 2012.
933
00:41:10,602 --> 00:41:12,037
I could consider this a place
934
00:41:12,070 --> 00:41:14,840
where I might never visit again,
935
00:41:14,873 --> 00:41:16,875
but I don't want to have things
936
00:41:16,908 --> 00:41:18,743
that are totally
off-limits to me
937
00:41:18,777 --> 00:41:21,847
because I had
a bad experience there.
938
00:41:28,253 --> 00:41:31,556
For me, going to V-Week
in Silver Bay
939
00:41:31,590 --> 00:41:33,158
always felt like an obligation,
940
00:41:33,191 --> 00:41:34,960
but coming back
941
00:41:34,993 --> 00:41:37,696
and choosing to confront a place
942
00:41:37,729 --> 00:41:39,231
that I could spend
the rest of my life
943
00:41:39,264 --> 00:41:40,999
feeling afraid of
944
00:41:41,032 --> 00:41:43,735
is part of what I have to do
to feel whole
945
00:41:43,768 --> 00:41:45,570
and make sense of what happened.
946
00:41:52,010 --> 00:41:53,778
She loves cameras.
947
00:41:56,681 --> 00:41:58,083
Hmm.
948
00:42:03,788 --> 00:42:04,990
It's super weird.
949
00:42:05,023 --> 00:42:07,259
I feel like I'm looking
for familiar faces,
950
00:42:07,292 --> 00:42:09,127
but they're not here.
951
00:42:11,863 --> 00:42:13,040
'Cause that's what you would do.
952
00:42:13,064 --> 00:42:14,242
- Like, you would show up...
- Yeah.
953
00:42:14,266 --> 00:42:15,276
And then...
954
00:42:15,300 --> 00:42:17,936
...people would start to
trickle in,
955
00:42:17,969 --> 00:42:19,738
and you'd be like, "Oh, hi,"
956
00:42:19,771 --> 00:42:22,941
like, "I haven't seen you
for so long."
957
00:42:22,974 --> 00:42:25,310
Each center would have
their own admin table,
958
00:42:25,543 --> 00:42:29,214
so you would have, like,
Albany, Guadalajara,
959
00:42:29,247 --> 00:42:31,883
León, Vancouver.
960
00:42:31,917 --> 00:42:36,121
And everyone would register
and get their little badges.
961
00:42:40,191 --> 00:42:45,130
How do I do something
that makes the world better
962
00:42:45,163 --> 00:42:47,032
beyond what I need today?
963
00:42:48,333 --> 00:42:50,969
That's what coming together
for V-Week is.
964
00:42:51,002 --> 00:42:51,970
It is a vision.
965
00:42:52,003 --> 00:42:53,605
It is an understanding that
966
00:42:53,638 --> 00:42:57,609
here is something that
I want to see in the world
967
00:42:57,642 --> 00:43:01,046
and extend-extend this joy
to your lives,
968
00:43:01,079 --> 00:43:02,948
to your families,
to your communities,
969
00:43:02,981 --> 00:43:04,616
anywhere you can.
970
00:43:04,649 --> 00:43:07,585
It moves the world up a bit.
971
00:43:14,225 --> 00:43:17,295
I signed up for V-Week
after watching the video
972
00:43:17,329 --> 00:43:18,630
because, you know,
973
00:43:18,663 --> 00:43:20,165
everyone was smiling and happy.
974
00:43:24,069 --> 00:43:25,837
After seeing the promo video,
975
00:43:25,870 --> 00:43:27,872
I was like, "Man,
I am gonna figure out
976
00:43:27,906 --> 00:43:29,808
how to get the money
to go to Vanguard Week,"
977
00:43:29,841 --> 00:43:31,052
'cause it's all kinds
of wonderful,
978
00:43:31,076 --> 00:43:32,944
like,
summer camp-type activities.
979
00:43:35,246 --> 00:43:37,124
These activities were
called "objectives,"
980
00:43:37,148 --> 00:43:40,185
and you could join an objective
981
00:43:40,218 --> 00:43:43,254
like drumming or chess playing.
982
00:43:43,288 --> 00:43:45,790
There was writing and singing,
and they would put on a play.
983
00:43:45,824 --> 00:43:47,659
They had, you know,
water sports,
984
00:43:47,692 --> 00:43:49,294
kayaking, um, hiking.
985
00:43:49,327 --> 00:43:52,731
In all of the activities the
intention was to push your limits,
986
00:43:52,764 --> 00:43:54,966
push your boundaries.
987
00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:56,777
There was
a triathlon, which I did.
988
00:43:56,801 --> 00:43:57,769
I'm not a very good runner.
989
00:43:57,802 --> 00:43:59,804
It was exhausting, to be honest.
990
00:44:00,739 --> 00:44:02,383
V-Week was pretty overwhelming
991
00:44:02,407 --> 00:44:05,043
and incredibly exhausting,
992
00:44:05,076 --> 00:44:06,778
but it felt like
993
00:44:06,811 --> 00:44:08,980
we were building something
bigger than ourselves.
994
00:44:10,248 --> 00:44:12,017
V-Week was what we call
995
00:44:12,050 --> 00:44:13,785
"high-arousal techniques."
996
00:44:13,818 --> 00:44:16,121
Basically,
create a lot of high energy
997
00:44:16,154 --> 00:44:17,889
and also keep them busy
all the time,
998
00:44:17,922 --> 00:44:20,358
all the time, so they have
no time to themselves.
999
00:44:20,392 --> 00:44:22,694
So when they're in
this high-arousal state,
1000
00:44:22,727 --> 00:44:24,262
it feels really good.
1001
00:44:24,295 --> 00:44:26,340
There's almost an addiction
mechanism that clicks in.
1002
00:44:26,364 --> 00:44:28,366
It adds to the vulnerability
1003
00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:29,834
and the susceptibility
1004
00:44:29,868 --> 00:44:31,703
to then sign on
for the next thing
1005
00:44:31,736 --> 00:44:33,338
because,
"Wow, this was so great.
1006
00:44:33,371 --> 00:44:35,340
I-I wanna come back
and have more of this."
1007
00:44:35,373 --> 00:44:37,208
V-Week is something
where people come here,
1008
00:44:37,242 --> 00:44:39,177
sometimes when
they don't wanna come here,
1009
00:44:39,210 --> 00:44:41,179
because it means something.
1010
00:44:41,212 --> 00:44:43,090
And I just... can you just give
me an establishing shot
1011
00:44:43,114 --> 00:44:44,682
where we just hang here
for a moment?
1012
00:44:44,716 --> 00:44:45,926
- Yeah, yeah.
- There's a reason.
1013
00:44:45,950 --> 00:44:47,830
- Okay.
- There's always a reason.
1014
00:44:48,420 --> 00:44:51,689
When you came to V-Week
as a participant,
1015
00:44:51,723 --> 00:44:54,359
you were not allowed
to take any pictures,
1016
00:44:54,392 --> 00:44:56,461
but they had
their own video team.
1017
00:44:58,430 --> 00:44:59,831
They have a professional,
1018
00:44:59,864 --> 00:45:00,965
like, camera team
1019
00:45:00,999 --> 00:45:02,233
who documents everything.
1020
00:45:02,267 --> 00:45:03,301
Like, I don't know why
1021
00:45:03,334 --> 00:45:04,769
we recorded
everyth-that's weird.
1022
00:45:04,803 --> 00:45:06,004
We're starting...
1023
00:45:06,037 --> 00:45:07,181
Keith Raniere truly believed
1024
00:45:07,205 --> 00:45:09,074
he was actually
some special master
1025
00:45:09,107 --> 00:45:12,243
who was going to make
some amazing mark on history,
1026
00:45:12,277 --> 00:45:14,012
and so these were the archives
1027
00:45:14,045 --> 00:45:16,948
of this most brilliant
genius man in the world.
1028
00:45:16,981 --> 00:45:19,451
Every word that came out
of his mouth was precious,
1029
00:45:19,484 --> 00:45:21,119
so, there, you know,
1030
00:45:21,152 --> 00:45:23,054
were hours and hours
and hours of these tapes.
1031
00:45:27,859 --> 00:45:29,227
This is the auditorium.
1032
00:45:30,829 --> 00:45:32,430
And a majority
of the performances
1033
00:45:32,464 --> 00:45:34,933
and the forums
were held right here.
1034
00:45:40,872 --> 00:45:44,142
It is, of course,
V-Day of V-Week.
1035
00:45:44,175 --> 00:45:45,810
Happy birthday, Vanguard.
1036
00:45:50,882 --> 00:45:53,918
The birthday part of it
for... Keith
1037
00:45:53,952 --> 00:45:55,954
was at the very end,
1038
00:45:55,987 --> 00:45:57,822
and for some people,
it was the first time
1039
00:45:57,856 --> 00:45:59,858
that they had ever met him
in person.
1040
00:45:59,891 --> 00:46:02,093
There was a lot of hype
and a lot of buildup.
1041
00:46:02,127 --> 00:46:03,237
Thanks, Vanguard,
1042
00:46:03,261 --> 00:46:05,230
and happy birthday
from all of us.
1043
00:46:08,166 --> 00:46:10,301
The first time I met Keith,
1044
00:46:10,335 --> 00:46:13,538
I wasn't awestruck, but I mean,
1045
00:46:13,771 --> 00:46:16,941
you kind of just go with
the flow of the environment
1046
00:46:16,975 --> 00:46:18,309
that you're entering...
1047
00:46:18,343 --> 00:46:19,811
or at least, I did.
1048
00:46:26,851 --> 00:46:28,419
On V-Day,
1049
00:46:28,453 --> 00:46:30,088
we had what was called
Tribute Night.
1050
00:46:38,329 --> 00:46:41,266
All the centers
would practice for months,
1051
00:46:41,299 --> 00:46:43,234
and they would perform for Keith
1052
00:46:43,268 --> 00:46:45,403
as a gift for his birthday.
1053
00:46:53,211 --> 00:46:55,813
Because he was...
1054
00:46:55,847 --> 00:46:57,582
this great genius
1055
00:46:57,815 --> 00:47:00,885
who was here
to make people's lives better.
1056
00:47:02,387 --> 00:47:04,055
I mean...
1057
00:47:04,088 --> 00:47:05,332
Happy birthday, Vanguard!
1058
00:47:05,356 --> 00:47:06,636
Happy birthday, Vanguard.
1059
00:47:10,028 --> 00:47:12,063
I don't remember
feeling freaked out
1060
00:47:12,096 --> 00:47:14,332
by all the tribute.
1061
00:47:14,365 --> 00:47:15,967
I think I just remember
thinking,
1062
00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:18,603
"Wow, they must
really like this guy."
1063
00:47:20,171 --> 00:47:21,482
Vanguard, there's a question
1064
00:47:21,506 --> 00:47:23,007
that you ask me frequently,
1065
00:47:23,041 --> 00:47:24,175
which is,
1066
00:47:24,209 --> 00:47:27,178
has your being a part of my life
1067
00:47:27,212 --> 00:47:29,280
enhanced my life for the better?
1068
00:47:30,381 --> 00:47:32,517
And I don't have words
1069
00:47:32,550 --> 00:47:35,220
to tell you how much it has.
1070
00:47:36,254 --> 00:47:38,489
And I don't stand alone in that.
1071
00:47:38,523 --> 00:47:40,425
A heartfelt tribute to Vanguard.
1072
00:47:40,458 --> 00:47:43,194
You make it possible for us
to grow ourselves, every day,
1073
00:47:43,228 --> 00:47:45,330
into the people
that we want to be.
1074
00:47:45,363 --> 00:47:49,267
None of this would be
possible at all without...
1075
00:47:51,035 --> 00:47:52,437
Without you, Keith.
1076
00:47:55,473 --> 00:47:58,142
So many people had
put a lot of emphasis
1077
00:47:58,176 --> 00:48:00,345
on meeting Keith
for the first time.
1078
00:48:00,378 --> 00:48:02,247
People used to say,
"We're surprised
1079
00:48:02,280 --> 00:48:04,449
by how normal and human he is."
1080
00:48:04,482 --> 00:48:06,384
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
1081
00:48:06,417 --> 00:48:08,386
So...
1082
00:48:08,419 --> 00:48:09,988
let-let's eat cake.
1083
00:48:14,125 --> 00:48:17,295
I actually met Keith
at the end of V-Week.
1084
00:48:17,328 --> 00:48:20,098
He was very soft-spoken, and,
1085
00:48:20,131 --> 00:48:22,100
in a weird way, it's very
intimate very quickly...
1086
00:48:22,133 --> 00:48:23,334
Like, emotionally.
1087
00:48:23,368 --> 00:48:25,370
He was, like, about this close.
His face.
1088
00:48:25,403 --> 00:48:27,305
It was really-it's close, um...
1089
00:48:28,239 --> 00:48:30,642
It wasn't so much
about what we talked about
1090
00:48:30,675 --> 00:48:34,345
than the feeling
of the encounter.
1091
00:48:34,379 --> 00:48:36,180
And it felt very...
1092
00:48:36,214 --> 00:48:38,449
in-you know,
connected and intimate.
1093
00:48:38,483 --> 00:48:40,285
It's weird.
1094
00:48:40,318 --> 00:48:41,386
How are you?
1095
00:48:41,419 --> 00:48:44,522
I love you. Happy birthday.
1096
00:48:44,555 --> 00:48:47,058
- ...birthday!
- Yes.
1097
00:48:47,091 --> 00:48:48,459
But I wanted to say
happy birthday.
1098
00:48:48,493 --> 00:48:49,594
Thank you.
1099
00:48:49,627 --> 00:48:52,130
- How are you?
- Good.
1100
00:48:52,163 --> 00:48:53,965
He kissed everyone on the lips.
1101
00:48:53,998 --> 00:48:55,667
Yeah, he was definitely
a kisser.
1102
00:48:55,700 --> 00:48:57,935
- How are you?
- I'm very good.
1103
00:48:57,969 --> 00:49:01,406
I love you very, very,
very, very much.
1104
00:49:01,439 --> 00:49:02,483
For me, I would be more inclined
1105
00:49:02,507 --> 00:49:05,209
to kind of move
to the-the cheek,
1106
00:49:05,243 --> 00:49:07,211
and it became a little awkward
1107
00:49:07,245 --> 00:49:08,689
because you're like,
"Okay, where am I going?
1108
00:49:08,713 --> 00:49:10,315
I'm going here. Okay."
1109
00:49:10,348 --> 00:49:11,449
And I owe you a walk.
1110
00:49:11,482 --> 00:49:14,018
Yes, you do.
1111
00:49:14,052 --> 00:49:17,255
I was trying to figure
out, like, what is that?
1112
00:49:17,288 --> 00:49:19,724
And so then I would ask,
you know, around.
1113
00:49:19,957 --> 00:49:21,602
I'm like, "Well, is Keith-
who's Keith with?"
1114
00:49:21,626 --> 00:49:23,637
You know, they would be like,
"Oh, well, he's a renunciate.
1115
00:49:23,661 --> 00:49:26,164
You know, he's like a monk.
He doesn't have sex."
1116
00:49:26,197 --> 00:49:27,432
Hi. How are you?
1117
00:49:27,465 --> 00:49:29,143
- You're back.
- Happy birthday. Yes, I'm here.
1118
00:49:29,167 --> 00:49:31,736
It was as if...
1119
00:49:31,969 --> 00:49:33,338
here's this man
1120
00:49:33,371 --> 00:49:36,174
who is so elevated,
1121
00:49:36,207 --> 00:49:38,476
emotionally and spiritually,
1122
00:49:38,509 --> 00:49:41,112
that it doesn't mean
what you think it means.
1123
00:49:45,416 --> 00:49:48,353
To me, I found that quite odd,
1124
00:49:48,386 --> 00:49:50,555
but when everyone is doing it,
1125
00:49:50,588 --> 00:49:53,091
you're more inclined to be like,
1126
00:49:53,124 --> 00:49:55,126
"Oh, well,
I-what's wrong with me?
1127
00:49:55,159 --> 00:49:57,729
Why do I found-find an issue
with this?"
1128
00:49:57,762 --> 00:50:00,131
Especially when
the whole thing is, like,
1129
00:50:00,164 --> 00:50:02,667
figuring out your issues,
figuring out who you are.
1130
00:50:02,700 --> 00:50:06,137
And this is my issue,
the lip kissing.
1131
00:50:06,170 --> 00:50:09,173
- How'd it go?
- Very well.
1132
00:50:09,207 --> 00:50:10,742
If you question those things,
1133
00:50:10,775 --> 00:50:15,146
they start telling you that
you're not self-aware enough,
1134
00:50:15,179 --> 00:50:17,682
and that once you get
to a certain level
1135
00:50:17,715 --> 00:50:20,151
of proficiency
in the curriculum,
1136
00:50:20,184 --> 00:50:22,520
that you'll be able to evolve.
1137
00:50:22,553 --> 00:50:24,522
You know,
i-in many civilizations...
1138
00:50:24,555 --> 00:50:26,424
Rome, Greece, whatever...
1139
00:50:26,457 --> 00:50:30,161
It was often where they had
older adults with children...
1140
00:50:30,194 --> 00:50:31,295
You know, six years old,
1141
00:50:31,329 --> 00:50:32,730
seven years old,
eight years old...
1142
00:50:32,764 --> 00:50:36,567
Having a type
of sexual apprenticeship.
1143
00:50:39,437 --> 00:50:40,772
This was common.
1144
00:50:40,805 --> 00:50:44,642
You know, uh, often you'll have
a person who, um, was,
1145
00:50:44,675 --> 00:50:47,445
we'll call it "abused"
by a-a-a father.
1146
00:50:47,478 --> 00:50:49,680
There's one instance
I-I know in particular,
1147
00:50:49,714 --> 00:50:52,183
and the girl really loved it...
1148
00:50:52,216 --> 00:50:53,451
enjoyed it.
1149
00:50:53,484 --> 00:50:56,087
There wasn't a single part
of it she didn't like
1150
00:50:56,120 --> 00:51:00,725
until she recognized
by society that it was abuse.
1151
00:51:02,093 --> 00:51:03,561
So who abused who?
1152
00:51:06,597 --> 00:51:08,666
Keith Raniere is a psychopathic,
1153
00:51:08,699 --> 00:51:10,435
narcissistic man
1154
00:51:10,468 --> 00:51:12,637
who wanted
his own personal harem
1155
00:51:12,670 --> 00:51:14,605
of sex slaves.
1156
00:51:14,639 --> 00:51:17,675
He really knew
how to desensitize people
1157
00:51:17,708 --> 00:51:19,377
so that they will be willing
to do
1158
00:51:19,410 --> 00:51:23,147
increasingly horrific things
without feeling anything.
1159
00:51:23,181 --> 00:51:24,549
Thank you.
1160
00:51:24,582 --> 00:51:28,386
I can't believe that I get to participate
in this kind of community.
1161
00:51:28,820 --> 00:51:32,256
My daughter had been in
the presence of so much evil.
1162
00:51:32,290 --> 00:51:34,192
Like, he's so evil, this man.
1163
00:51:36,093 --> 00:51:38,396
It's taken me over 50 hours
1164
00:51:38,429 --> 00:51:40,531
of working with a therapist
1165
00:51:40,565 --> 00:51:42,733
to even be able to say the words
1166
00:51:42,767 --> 00:51:45,837
that something sexual did happen
1167
00:51:45,870 --> 00:51:47,872
between Keith and I.
1168
00:52:21,706 --> 00:52:24,709
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