The psychology of Bad Vegan: Sarma Melngailis on narcissistic abuse and life after

The psychology of Bad Vegan: Sarma Melngailis on narcissistic abuse and life after

The documentary "Bad Vegan" was about Sarma Melngailis’s nightmarish journey from successful New York City restaurant owner to Rikers inmate jailed for stealing millions. How did this happen? Sarma was the victim of a narcissistic con man named Anthony Strangis, who manipulated her into believing (or semi-believing) a number of wild, delusional ideas (like that he might be a non-human being with immense, other-worldly powers). He used this strange hold over her to persuade her to give him large amounts of money (much of which he blew at casinos). I talk to Sarma about her experiences. We talk about: what led to her being so emotionally vulnerable that someone like Strangis could manipulate her; the factors that can lead someone to believe things that most people see as clearly ridiculous lies; why she dislikes the “Bad Vegan” documentary maker for his editing choices; the huge emotional challenge of trying to rebuild and stay positive after such nightmarish, debilitating events; her new book "The Girl With the Duck Tattoo." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episoder(205)

MK Ultra fact vs. fiction: Exaggerated claims of mind control and Manchurian candidates | with Stephen Kinzer

MK Ultra fact vs. fiction: Exaggerated claims of mind control and Manchurian candidates | with Stephen Kinzer

Did MK Ultra actually accomplish anything impressive in brainwashing- and mind-control-related areas? Did the US government, as some people claim, create "Manchurian candidates," who would kill on com...

31 Mar 51min

From body language bullshit to behavior science, with Vincent Denault

From body language bullshit to behavior science, with Vincent Denault

Vincent Denault once believed he was learning how to read people’s hidden thoughts through analyzing body language. As a young lawyer in Quebec, he attended behavior analysis and “synergology” trainin...

12 Mar 1h 6min

Con man Chase Hughes' military record versus his grandiose claims

Con man Chase Hughes' military record versus his grandiose claims

How does someone who makes wildly grandiose claims about mind control, interrogation mastery, neuroscience credentials, and secret military psychology operations gain more than 1.5 million YouTube sub...

3 Mar 1h 29min

Epstein Hysteria! Moral panic and dumb overreactions from Kyle Kulinski, others

Epstein Hysteria! Moral panic and dumb overreactions from Kyle Kulinski, others

The Epstein files release has resulted in many people seeming to lose their minds: engaging in moral panic, having hysterical overreactions, filtering for worst-case interpretations of ambiguous data,...

26 Feb 29min

Is your existence improbable? Or inevitable? Exploring universalism with Arnold Zuboff

Is your existence improbable? Or inevitable? Exploring universalism with Arnold Zuboff

Many view the fact that they are here, experiencing the world, as something insanely improbable... but what if it were instead entirely inevitable? The philosopher Arnold Zuboff walks us through a min...

21 Feb 1h 27min

Waco negotiator Gary Noesner shares tips on de-escalation and reading behavior

Waco negotiator Gary Noesner shares tips on de-escalation and reading behavior

What actually works to avoid violent outcomes when someone is armed, emotional, and on the edge? I talk with former FBI chief hostage negotiator Gary Noesner, author of Stalling for Time, about the ps...

13 Feb 1h 3min

Pro negotiator discusses the “power of nice” and reading body language | with Andres Lares

Pro negotiator discusses the “power of nice” and reading body language | with Andres Lares

What actually makes negotiations work—and why do so many “tough” tactics backfire? In this episode, Zach talks with professional negotiator Andres Lares about why the most effective deals rarely come ...

9 Feb 1h 6min

FBI agent discusses interrogation tactics, body language, the lie detector, and more

FBI agent discusses interrogation tactics, body language, the lie detector, and more

A talk with Eric Robinson, a recently retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and former pastor, about what actually works in real-world interrogations—and what doesn’t. Drawing on 24 years in t...

31 Jan 1h 24min

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