My experience with the cult spans the first 30 years of my life, and like most of you leaving meant coping with great loss. Perhaps we've shared some of the same experiences, so I'll tell you about some of them. I regular pioneered at 16 and was a young MS at 17. At 19 I went to Bethel, Brooklyn mostly 1995-2006, and was appointed a young elder at 24. I woke up while at Bethel, and left disassociating myself. I lost my family, friends, work & home. Life was hell on earth for a bit, but later the struggle eased. I went to college and became a pediatric RN, got married, and we now have 2 year old twins. I like long walks in nature, Spring flowers, Autumn leaves, and a nice scotch. I still live in the metropolitan area of NYC; never made it far from Bethel, but mentally we're worlds apart :-) Look forward to meeting you soon!