Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of childhood sexual abuse, religious trauma, suicide attempts, and domestic violence. Please listen with care.
In this powerful episode of Dysfunctional, Karinne shares her story of surviving a childhood shaped by the Jehovah’s Witnesses — a group she now calls a cult — and parents who were both abusive and narcissistic.
Kicked out at 16 after being groomed and blamed for it, Karinne found herself completely alone in the world, trauma-bonded to the very people who harmed her, and struggling to make sense of a reality she was never prepared for.
What follows is a conversation about real healing — not the Instagram version with matcha and mantras, but the messy, angry, beautiful kind that happens when you start telling the truth.
Together we explore:
What it’s like growing up in a high-control religious cult
The impact of narcissistic parenting and spiritual abuse
Purity culture, fear-based control, and enforced submission
The trauma bond and why it’s so hard to break
What healing actually looks like — day-to-day, years on
Karinne is funny, fierce, and real. She’s not here to sugarcoat anything. This is what healing sounds like in real life.
📲 Connect with Karinne on insta - @girl_inshambles
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