A WORD FROM JANJA

In late 2020, I was contacted by Beth Matenaer and Sally Martin. They had seen me on the docu-series, Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult, and knew they wanted to speak with me. Both Sally and Beth had been sent to one of those abusive teen boarding schools when they were young and as they watched Seduced, they had sudden realizations about the cultic nature of their experiences. Both are now licensed mental-health professionals and experienced trauma therapists. Sally is also well-versed in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and has a toolbox full of helpful exercises to alleviate anxiety, panic, and so on.

Before long, it became apparent that we were a match made in “recovery heaven.” I have 30+ years of experience working with survivors of cults and/or narcissistic and abusive relationships, as well as authoring several books on the subject, including for those born in a cultic group or family. Beth and Sally have years of therapy experience. And all three of us have personal backgrounds having been in a cult and/or cultic relationship that lends us useful insights into these experiences and recovery from them.

In July 2021, we formed Take Back Your Life Recovery, LLC. Through this venue, we offer individual consultations and interactive recovery courses (learning series) on a variety of topics for survivors, plus CE-certified trainings for helping professionals to become more adept at working with clients who have Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (cPTSD). Our primary mission is to offer this much-needed psychoeducation to the survivor community so that individuals get the knowledge and skills that will help them lead a trauma-free life.