By Vashti Initiative Staff
The Vashti Initiative offers support for spiritual abuse survivors. We know that the troubled teen industry affects many survivors of religious and spiritual abuse.
The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping is a new three-part documentary directed by Katherine Kubler that exposes how evangelical parents were conned into believing troubled teen homes would “fix” their children despite the rampant abuse and educational neglect in World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASP) schools.
The stories in the documentary are told by adult survivors of the WWASP program.
The Program has been in Netflix’s Global Top 10 for three weeks after releasing March 5.
We understand that processing religious trauma experiences, including abuses within the troubled teen industry, can be difficult and triggering.
The systematic brainwashing meant to break teenagers into submission and absolute obedience described in the documentary may be triggering to survivors of spiritual abuse and sexual assault.
Get Support
If you are seeking a community to process with, The Vashti Initiative hosts spiritual trauma peer support groups. Anyone who has experienced religious or spiritual abuse is welcome to attend. You can find the latest details and our event info on our website and social media pages.
How You Can Help
Visit our website at vashtiinitiative.org to see how you can be involved in supporting survivors. You can donate to our victims fund to help survivors or apply to volunteer with us.
The Vashti Initiative also publishes survivor stories on our blog. You can find stories shared by other survivors or submit your own.
About Us
The Vashti Initiative is a volunteer-driven organization primarily led by fellow survivors of religious or spiritual abuse. We provide support to those experiencing the effects of spiritual or religious-based trauma, including those harmed by religious cults, abusive religious institutes, or other adverse spiritual settings. Our mission is to empower and assist those fleeing and transitioning out of religious and spiritual abuse.
The Vashti Initiative 