Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode, Rachel Bernstein interviews Elise Heerde, a certified coach and mental health practitioner specializing in religious trauma, cult recovery, and coercive control. Elise recounts being raised in fundamentalist Pentecostalism with fear-based teachings about hell and the rapture, leading to anxiety, depression, and insomnia. While on staff at a high-control Pentecostal megachurch, she sought pastoral care and experienced grooming and assault, followed by silencing, threats, and blame. She describes the challenges of leaving and explains her trauma-informed coaching approach versus unqualified “spiritual counseling.” Elise also discusses co-founding the Religious Trauma Collective Australia & New Zealand to connect survivors with resources and practitioners, and advocates for behavior-focused reforms such as group-based coercive control through Victoria’s parliamentary inquiry.
Elise’s Links
Website: (eliseheerde.com/)https://www.eliseheerde.com (eliseheerde.com/)
Book: (eliseheerde.com/books)https://www.eliseheerde.com/books (eliseheerde.com/books)
Connect with us on social media:
https://linktr.ee/indoctrination (https://linktr.ee/indoctrination)
Watch full video episodes of IndoctriNation here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNAi0T2hzH9dM029dkTfj635PzuXl67jS (youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNAi0T2hzH9dM029dkTfj635PzuXl67jS)
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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)
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/31866241?utm_source=youtube
In this episode, Rachel Bernstein interviews Elise Heerde, a certified coach and mental health practitioner specializing in religious trauma, cult recovery, and coercive control. Elise recounts being raised in fundamentalist Pentecostalism with fear-based teachings about hell and the rapture, leading to anxiety, depression, and insomnia. While on staff at a high-control Pentecostal megachurch, she sought pastoral care and experienced grooming and assault, followed by silencing, threats, and blame. She describes the challenges of leaving and explains her trauma-informed coaching approach versus unqualified “spiritual counseling.” Elise also discusses co-founding the Religious Trauma Collective Australia & New Zealand to connect survivors with resources and practitioners, and advocates for behavior-focused reforms such as group-based coercive control through Victoria’s parliamentary inquiry.
Elise’s Links
Website: (eliseheerde.com/)https://www.eliseheerde.com (eliseheerde.com/)
Book: (eliseheerde.com/books)https://www.eliseheerde.com/books (eliseheerde.com/books)
Connect with us on social media:
https://linktr.ee/indoctrination (https://linktr.ee/indoctrination)
Watch full video episodes of IndoctriNation here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNAi0T2hzH9dM029dkTfj635PzuXl67jS (youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNAi0T2hzH9dM029dkTfj635PzuXl67jS)
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)
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)
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/31866241?utm_source=youtube
