In the 1980s, nearly half a million people went through controversial self-help seminars,

put on by a company called Life Spring.

Life Spring pushed participants to relive their most traumatic experiences,

to scream and cry together, to break them down and make them face who they truly were.

Thousands walked out of those seminars as true believers,

preaching the gospel of Life Spring's founder, John Hanley.

But behind the scenes, Life Spring faced dozens of lawsuits,

claiming that Hanley's seminars caused psychotic breaks,

sent trainees to the hospital, and left at least three people dead.

Good Cult, a new podcast from Cast Media is a deep dive investigation into Life Spring,

and John Hanley, a convicted felon who seminars are still changing lives to this day,

but not always for the better. I'm about to play you a clip of episode one.

But first, be sure to subscribe to Cast Media's new series, Good Cult,

on Apple podcasts, or wherever you like to listen.

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My parents met in a wing seminar.

That's where they met all their friends, and just about everybody I knew growing up.

My childhood was constant processing and rebirthing,

...