Liz Shaw
Cult Expert
At this time there are very few people in the world who have personally spoken with over 3,000 cult victims. Liz Shaw has done that and more. In her nine years as Cult Survivor Advocate and three years as COO at Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center, Liz fielded dozens of calls from around the globe on a weekly basis from cultists wanting to leave their groups, cult survivors desperate for help, and families of cult members trying to extract their loved ones from the clutches of abusive groups.
During those conversations Liz listened to stories of atrocities, pleas for relief, and cries for justice, often helping callers to find immediate safety from the cult and to gather resources for their survival and recovery.
Liz was a key player in generating over four million dollars in funds that led to cult victims receiving psychological and medical treatment as well as emergency transportation, food, clothing, and housing in some extreme cases.
On more than one occasion she has opened her home to ex-cult members on the run from dangerous groups and in need of a place to stay for the night. Two abandoned teenagers with a price on their heads spent two years under her care.
"I don't regret hiding people out, in fact my home was an actual stop on the Underground Railway before the Civil War. I am not in the mindset to do it anymore for a number of reasons, but I am glad my husband and son were willing to stand by me in those days. Maybe some of those folks who got a helping hand from our family will extend theirs to help someone else."
Those who have benefited from Liz's tireless advocacy have also been deeply touched by her own story of recovery from a cult.
Speaking from experience as a former cult member Liz never meant to join a cult at age 32. In fact anyone who knew Liz would have described her as the last person on earth to become recruited into an abusive group. She was just too smart for such foolishness.
Born the middle of four daughters, Liz grew up in a well-respected family in beautiful Western North Carolina. She was entrusted with a five generation legacy of traditional Appalachian music and eventually made a very good living on the road performing on fiddle, banjo, dulcimer, guitar, and singing with her husband Lynn. Their big break came when they were signed on to produce a 12 part internationally distributed public television series about American folk music.
That's also about the time Liz became very sick with an intractable disease, interstitial cystitis.
"It was horrific. The pain was relentless. I would perform before thousands, and then come off stage and go to the van and cry in agony. I was a very good performer; no one in the audience knew how bad I was suffering as I just kept smiling and singing."
Doctors were mystified, diagnoses were wrong, and Liz became desperate for relief.
"To make a very long story short, I eventually sought medical treatment from someone who had been kicked out of a cult in college because he had acquired his own following. I knew nothing about cults, recruitment, brainwashing, etc. All I knew was that I suffered excruciating pain and would have burned peacock feathers by the light of the moon if it would have helped. In fact, maybe I did do that?"
In 11 months, Liz's life was a shambles. The cult had exacted a very high price - her health had deteriorated, she was unable to perform, and her marriage was on the verge of dissolution. And she was also the victim of sexual abuse by the cult leader.
Fast Forward to Today That was in 1989. Today Liz has become one of the world's leading experts on the impact cults have on not only members, but the families and friends of members as well. She is a popular speaker at universities, churches, and schools and has appeared on international television, radio, and film, as well as written for websites and instructional materials.
An integral part of Join Us, Liz facilitated interviews with ex-members of Mountain Rock Church, appears in the film in her capacity as Cult Survivor Advocate at Wellspring, and recorded some of the soundtrack with Lynn.
Liz will be blogging and contributing articles on a regular basis about a variety of topics: her own story of healing, cult warning signs, getting a loved one out of a cult, recovery issues and more. She looks forward to sharing her intimate and informed knowledge of the cult phenomenon and welcomes your posts on the community forum.