Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode of IndoctriNation, Rachel Bernstein, LMFT, MSEd, welcomes back Andrew Jasko, psychotherapist and comparative religion scholar, for a deep and honest conversation about growing up inside evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity — and the long road to recovery from religious trauma.
Andrew grew up as a minister's son, immersed in a world of intense devotion, purity culture, missionary ambitions, and fear of eternal punishment. What he didn't yet have language for were the lasting psychological effects: shame, anxiety, religious OCD, sexual repression, thought policing, and hell trauma. Through therapy, he came to understand these not as personal failings, but as predictable outcomes of a high-control, fear-based system — one that functions much like narcissistic abuse.
Rachel and Andrew also explore the broader cultural forces that sustain spiritual abuse, including biblical mistranslations, harmful theological ideologies, and evangelism as a guilt-driven form of religious imperialism. Their conversation closes on the themes at the heart of cult recovery: reclaiming agency, rebuilding self-trust, learning to set boundaries, and finding wholeness within lived experience.
Andrew’s Links
Website: lifeafterdogma.org (lifeafterdogma.org/)
Connect with us on social media:
https://linktr.ee/indoctrination (https://linktr.ee/indoctrination)
Support IndoctriNation on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes and more:
patreon.com/indoctrination (patreon.com/indoctrination)
Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link:
https://www.paypal.biz/indoctriNATION (https://www.paypal.biz/indoctriNATIO)
Watch full video episodes of IndoctriNation here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNAi0T2hzH9dM029dkTfj635PzuXl67jS (youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNAi0T2hzH9dM029dkTfj635PzuXl67jS)
Restart and Restore: A Journal for Survivors of Manipulation:
https://a.co/d/1ssz4Rm (https://a.co/d/1ssz4Rm)
Restart and Restore: Companion Notebook:
amazon.com/dp/B0FSCLTZN4 (amazon.com/dp/B0FSCLTZN4)
Download a Free Chapter from Restart and Restore:
education.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/restart-and-restore-campaign (education.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/restart-and-restore-campaign)
Journal App:
rachelbernsteintherapy.com/restore-journal-app.html (rachelbernsteintherapy.com/restore-journal-app.html)
Download Rachel’s Video Lectures and Webinars here:
rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html (rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html)
IndoctriNation is edited by The Podcast Consultant:
thepodcastconsultant.com/about (thepodcastconsultant.com/about)
Advertising Inquiries: redcircle.com/brands (redcircle.com/brands)
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/34076853?utm_source=youtube
In this episode of IndoctriNation, Rachel Bernstein, LMFT, MSEd, welcomes back Andrew Jasko, psychotherapist and comparative religion scholar, for a deep and honest conversation about growing up inside evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity — and the long road to recovery from religious trauma.
Andrew grew up as a minister's son, immersed in a world of intense devotion, purity culture, missionary ambitions, and fear of eternal punishment. What he didn't yet have language for were the lasting psychological effects: shame, anxiety, religious OCD, sexual repression, thought policing, and hell trauma. Through therapy, he came to understand these not as personal failings, but as predictable outcomes of a high-control, fear-based system — one that functions much like narcissistic abuse.
Rachel and Andrew also explore the broader cultural forces that sustain spiritual abuse, including biblical mistranslations, harmful theological ideologies, and evangelism as a guilt-driven form of religious imperialism. Their conversation closes on the themes at the heart of cult recovery: reclaiming agency, rebuilding self-trust, learning to set boundaries, and finding wholeness within lived experience.
Andrew’s Links
Website: lifeafterdogma.org (lifeafterdogma.org/)
Connect with us on social media:
https://linktr.ee/indoctrination (https://linktr.ee/indoctrination)
Support IndoctriNation on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes and more:
patreon.com/indoctrination (patreon.com/indoctrination)
Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link:
https://www.paypal.biz/indoctriNATION (https://www.paypal.biz/indoctriNATIO)
Watch full video episodes of IndoctriNation here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNAi0T2hzH9dM029dkTfj635PzuXl67jS (youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNAi0T2hzH9dM029dkTfj635PzuXl67jS)
Restart and Restore: A Journal for Survivors of Manipulation:
https://a.co/d/1ssz4Rm (https://a.co/d/1ssz4Rm)
Restart and Restore: Companion Notebook:
amazon.com/dp/B0FSCLTZN4 (amazon.com/dp/B0FSCLTZN4)
Download a Free Chapter from Restart and Restore:
education.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/restart-and-restore-campaign (education.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/restart-and-restore-campaign)
Journal App:
rachelbernsteintherapy.com/restore-journal-app.html (rachelbernsteintherapy.com/restore-journal-app.html)
Download Rachel’s Video Lectures and Webinars here:
rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html (rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html)
IndoctriNation is edited by The Podcast Consultant:
thepodcastconsultant.com/about (thepodcastconsultant.com/about)
Advertising Inquiries: redcircle.com/brands (redcircle.com/brands)
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/34076853?utm_source=youtube
