37. Rachael Reign on Coercive Control Beyond the Home: Protecting Cult Survivors

“Surviving isn’t just about leaving — it’s about learning to trust yourself again after someone else’s voice has lived in your head for years.” — Rachael Reign In this powerful episode of Humanism Now, Rachael Reign, survivor and founder of Surviving Universal UK, shares her deeply personal story of escaping spiritual abuse and coercive control and her ongoing campaign to protect others. As founder of Surviving Universal UK, Rachael supports other survivors of high-control groups and leads a growing campaign to amend Section 76 of the UK Serious Crime Act. In this episode Rachael's journey into, and out of, UCKG What draws vulnerable young people into high-control groups How unpaid labour and spiritual obedience become normalised What led Rachael to walk away and how she supports other survivors The warning signs of cultic or coercively controlling groups Where UK law falls short in protecting against coercive control outside domestic settings How we can hold abusive systems accountable The role the public and policymakers can play in driving survivor-led legal reform Surviving Universal UK 🔗Surviving Universal UK📧 info@survivinguniversaluk.org📸 @survivinguniversaluk🎵 @survivinguniversaluk Contact Rachael 🌳linktr.ee 🎤Speaker bookings - Rachael Reign📸 @MsrachaelreignResources BBC Panorama The Guardian The Londoner Need support?If you or someone you know has been affected by the topics discussed in this episode, Faith to Faithless are here to help. Faith to Faithless Helpline (UK): 0800 448 0748 Email: helpline@faithtofaithless.com Send us Fan Mail Support the show Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.liveMusic: Blossom by Light Prism Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices