Blinded by what appeared to be special psychic gifts and years of professional accreditation, Lauren Geertsen fell hard for an energy worker who manipulated her emotionally, financially and spiritually. A predator who had many other victims simultaneously. This is the story of a whistleblower who risked it all and lost almost everything to expose him. Check out Lauren's book: The Scorpion and the Lion Find and support Lauren: YT: @LaurenGeertsen IG: @body_connection_coach Our Merch! Patreon: Patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness Venmo @sheliseann Website CultsToConsciousness.com Find Shelise on Social media! Instagram @cultstoconsciousness Host Instagram @sheliseann TikTok @cults.to.consciousness Twitter @cultstocon Chapter Marks 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:34 Spiritual truth paradox 00:05:30 Defining grooming 00:09:11 When someone is unable to give informed consent 00:11:32 Lauren's upbringing and how it laid the groundwork for future ab*se 00:16:16 How religious and purity culture prevents awareness of signs of a predator 00:22:14 S*xual repression in Purity Culture 00:26:06 Going from one end of the spectrum to the other 00:28:04 A divine pathway and higher purpose 00:31:26 The signs of grooming 00:36:50 Spiritual gaslighting 00:40:54 Using spiritual power as a manipulation tactic 00:45:20 Figuring out the truth 01:00:20 Using trauma as an excuse for toxic and bad behavior 01:04:13 Having to dissolve the business 01:08:17 Friendships during the healing journey 01:12:37 Being an example for others on the same journey 01:18:19 How Lauren is doing today 01:22:25 Linda, listen 01:23:07 Outro Theme Song Produced and Composed by Christian Guevara **Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.** --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cults-to-consciousness/support