The COSMIC Bridge
In a world of social media polarisation, The COSMIC Bridge wants to close the gap and help build a bridge between extremes, ultimately creating more balance in the world.
Sharing inspiring stories weekly from cult survivors, pro footballers, death row psychiatrists, and more.
The COSMIC Bridge
Growing Up in The Children of God Cult! Ep 68 Petra Velzeboer
Petra Velzeboer is a renowned author, psychotherapist, TedX speaker, and CEO of mental health consultancy PVL.
Born into a notorious cult ‘’The Children of God’’, Petra was raised in a strict environment where individuality and self expression were discouraged. Travelling the globe, she learned firsthand about cultures and people but was sheltered from education, books or friendships outside of the community.
Raised to believe the world was going to end, she took her birthright as god's endtime soldier seriously, turning a blind eye to cruel and unusual punishments, abuse and the fact that the world never did in fact, end.
Leading a double life for many years, she knows firsthand the toll it takes to wear a mask of conformity on one side while leading a hedonistic escapist life on the other.
Eventually the cracks started to show, falling pregnant at 22 and moving to London to start a new life with a boyfriend outside of the community. Life had enabled her to escape and offered up a new path.
In this episode of the show we take a deep look into Petra’s journey, from her time in the cult, to her life afterwards and the struggles she faced along the way, eventually leading her to a life of service and leadership.
Enjoy the show, subscribe and let us know what you think!
To get in touch with Petra or to find out more about a few of the things we discussed:
- Petra’s Website: https://www.petravelzeboer.com/
- Petra’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-velzeboer/
- Petra’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petra.velzeboer/
- An Apple Documentary on the Cult: https://tinyurl.com/3ux67sjw
- An Amazon Documentary on the Cult: https://tinyurl.com/5n8b8ft4
- A Podcast on the Cult: https://tinyurl.com/2b7hcj6t
- A Second Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/3p5886rw
Podcast Chapters:
0.00 - Trailer
0.51 - Intro
1.34 - Petra’s Childhood and Upbringing
3.44 - The Children of God Cult
5.35 - The Cult’s Beliefs
7.45 - The Tyranny of the Majority
13.11 - Looking into the Abyss
16.40 - Petra’s Problems After the Cult
19.05 - Victim Mentality
23.15 - Working with Fear
28.17 - Think About Other People!
31.25 - Petra’s Relationship with Religion and Spirituality Now
34.40 - Psychedelics and Mental Health
37.36 - The Importance of Creativity!
40.45 - Some Actionable Takeaways
48.57 - Setting Boundaries
51.02 - What Advice Would You Give to Yourself as a Teenager?
53.12 - Outro
(Michael Hanson is the host of the COSMIC Bridge podcast that inspires its listeners to find their higher purpose and connect their material and spiritual life through stories of breathwork teachers, shamans and stroke survivors. He is also the CEO of Growth Genie, an international B2B sales consultancy)
