Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for Welcome to the World
Religion & SpiritualityScienceSocial Sciences

Welcome to the World

Ryan Lee

This podcast is dedicated to all things related to the process of waking up, walking out and moving on from life in a Christian cult or high control religion.

Its host, Dr Ryan Lee, is a former Jehovah's Witness with a doctorate in clinical psychology and a practicing therapist, specializing in helping former JWs and other cult survivors move through the recovery and rebuilding process

Dr Lee covers a range of topics relating to coming to terms and healing from religious trauma and rebuilding a life after leaving a cult

Play
Open in
  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 31 min
  • English

Episodes 20

NewestOldestLongest
All20Unplayed20In progress0Played0
  • S2 · E47
    Thursday · 57 min

    #47 No Victims Here

    Another straight up banger of a guest! (no hype) Michaela is not only charismatic and deeply fascinating, but after hearing the 9 levels of hell she crawled through to break free, you'll be left with the same question I had: How the hell did she turn out so great?! We're gonna try to suss out the answer to that question, and explore some remaining wounds that have yet to fully close Along the way we'll touch on: what we mean by the word victim why we still care what the people from the cult think of us and why sometimes, when you're not ready to climb out of the hole, your best bet might be to dig yourself deeper

  • S2 · E46
    October 5 · 46 min

    #46 Burning Bridges & Building Boundaries

    After working with over a thousand ex-cult members, I thought I'd heard it all. I was wrong... On today's episode, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to "Manon"—a ferocious, badass mother (literally & figuratively) and the owner of the best cult-quitting story I've ever heard. We also go deep on what it means to have parents who are still in the cult. Parents who don't see you. Maybe never have. Probably never will. And yet, somehow, we still hold onto the fantasy that one day they might. You're not gonna wanna skip this one. It does not disappoint.

  • S2 · E45
    September 17 · 47 min

    #45 What if they were right?

    If you're reading this, chances are you're already fairly certain that the cult you escaped from was a flaming pile of fecal matter. Well... fairly certain Because knowing the failed prophecies, the abuse scandals, and the sheer absurdity of the story they're selling still doesn't quite squash that annoyingly persistent voice asking: "Yeah... but what if though? What if they were right?" Given that absolute certainty isn't really on the menu in this plane of existence, I can't promise to get you too 100%. But if you're hovering around 80%, give me an hour. Let's see if we can't bump that number into the high 90s by the end of this episode.

  • S2 · E44
    June 8 · 30 min

    #44 Socializing Without a Script

    In this episode, I explore the strange social vertigo that can follow life in a high-control group, why authentic connection often feels riskier than performance, and how we can shift from to less theater, more improv. Along the way, I share a few stories from my own attempts to navigate life without a script—some insightful, some awkward, and at least one involving psychedelics and questionable decision-making. If you've ever wondered whether you're doing relationships correctly, this episode is for you.

  • #43
    May 22 · 44 min

    #43 From Certainty to Discernment

    Another underdeveloped muscle in former cult members: Discernment The cult taught us that every thought and action falls into a neat little black and white category of right and wrong, regardless of the situation. And what a shock... turns out that's not actually the way the world works, and it can be quite difficult to leave that warm snuggly feeling of certainty behind. Fear not my friends, because letting go of certainty is the start of developing discernment, which is an infinitely more useful way of approaching the inherent instabilities of life.

  • S2 · E42
    January 19 · 33 min

    #42 You are NOT normal

    We start by confirming what you already suspect: If you were raised in a cult or high control religion, you are most certainly not normal, and will most likely never achieve the status of such. We follow up with all the reasons "normal" is a shit thing to aim for, and why the road less traveled is often the most alive

  • Jul 28, 2025 · 33 min

    #41 BOOM! Ghosted!

    A whole episode devoted to the feeling of being ghosted (transitive style) and how to sort through that grief

  • S1 · E40
    May 9, 2025 · 35 min

    #40 The Virtue of Selfishness

    One of the worst things you could be in a cult is selfish. Pursue a career? Selfish. Go to college? Selfish. Skip a meeting because you're too exhausted to feign interest? Selfish. When you're handed the grandiose mission of saving the human race from Armageddon, even a tiny spark of personal joy starts to feel like a moral failure. But now you're out. You survived. And for the first time, you can do anything you want. The only problem? You've never been allowed to want anything for yourself. It feels weird. It feels wrong. You feel guilty. (Which, of course, is by design.) In this episode, we're going to deconstruct and recalibrate the idea of "selfish"—and explore why taking care of your own needs isn't just okay… it's essential. For your healing, and for the people you love. We'll cover: How high-control religion weaponizes "selflessness" to keep you obedient Why everything we do—including "selfless" acts—is actually motivated by self-interest (and that's not a bad thing) The beautiful irony: how prioritizing your joy makes you more generous, more grounded, and more whole This is your permission slip to want things, try things, and be a little gloriously selfish—for your own sanity, healing, and yes, the joy of eventually giving back from a full cup. DrRyanLee.com/beyondbelief

  • S1 · E39
    May 2, 2025 · 48 min

    #39 Digging out of Depression

    From time to time we all get sucked into the sunken place of depression, and some of us sink deeper than others. Until recent year, I'd been in and out of the clinical depression hole most of my life. Today, I walk you through the fool proof blueprint I mapped out myself to climb out of that hole every single time, one I have walked many clients through successfully. If you're struggle-bussing, this blueprint will get you out of the hole, and if you're not, it'll keep you out

  • S1 · E38
    Apr 24, 2025 · 44 min

    #38 Crash Course in Dating for Cult Survivors

    Today we're going to take the first of many stabs at the wonderfully awkward world of post-cult dating. Essentially, the challenge of learning things most people learned in high school at the age of 35. Here's the thing, you can't skip the mess. The mess builds the muscles. But we've put together some of the most common lessons learned for all you late bloomers that will hopefully make the leveling up process just a little bit easier. In this episode, we'll be starting, as usual, with the mess left to us by the cult, then moving on to the shame of feeling inexperienced, the most common pitfalls we'll likely fall into, and why it might be a good idea to fall into them anyway

  • S1 · E37
    Apr 17, 2025 · 48 min

    #37 Narcissism and Cults

    Prior to my work with ex-JWs, I would generally encounter clients with parents on the narcissistic spectrum maybe around 20% of the time. Once I started working with ex-JWs, that number went up to about 80%. This is no cute coincidence. There's a pattern here, and we spend this entire episode exploring that pattern in more detail, not only in how it presents in those on this spectrum, but also in the way the same characteristics can be seen in the organization itself, as a narcissistic entity.

  • S1 · E36
    Apr 9, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min

    #36 Personal Lessons (Broadly Applicable) From The Ex-JW Ayahuasca Retreat

    Fresh off the tail of our very first ex-JW ayahuasca retreat, I'm thrilled to report that it surpassed all expectations. Today we're going to give you a breakdown of all the joy, surprises, and personal lessons learned in the process. Through the retelling, we'll be touching on themes of connection, nuances of forgiveness, and something called "the caretakers dillemma".

  • S1 · E35
    Mar 13, 2025 · 31 min

    #35 How Do You Like Your Pain? Dirty or Neat?

    Today, we're talking about pain; more specifically Clean Pain vs. Dirty Pain: Clean pain is the sharp but necessary pain of ripping off the Band-Aid. It heals you. Dirty pain is the slow, grinding misery of avoidance. It traps you. Ex-JWs know all about dirty pain—it's what keeps people stuck in the cult, chasing after shunning family, or waiting for an apology that's never coming. So today, we're breaking it all down: 🔹 How avoiding pain makes everything worse 🔹 Why the short-term hurt is the only way to long-term freedom 🔹 And why clinging to something dead is NOT in your best interest

  • Jan 20, 2025 · 35 min

    #34 All About Ayahuasca

    Hey guys, Sorry for the fake out, but for reasons I explain in this episode we decided to skip the episode on my worst psychedelic experience (for now) and instead focus an entire episode on ayahuasca. We focus on the benefits of ayahuasca, some explanation around what an experience is like, and of course I share a little about my own encounters with the medicine (plus a more-than-you-asked-for helping of adolescent toilet humor)

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes