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Cults to Consciousness
3 Year Old Bride to Cult Leader Speaks Out
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CW: CSA, SA, Mentions of drug use- From the ages of 6 to 12, up to when the cult leader, Berg, died, Serena Kelley hid her identity. She was born as a chiId celebrity in the notorious The Children of God cult, known for their extreme abuse practices of polygamy, pedophilia, forced chiId marriages, religious prostitution, and chiId trafficking. Daughter to Sara Kelley— part of leadership, and writer of “The Davidito Book”(CSA manuscript)— when Serena left the compound she continued to lie about who she was. As she had been brainwashed to lie, it was hard for her to track when she should tell the truth, which created a warped sense of identity.
Serena describes how she worked her way back into the cult to retrieve a boy that she liked, what it was like escaping for a second time, and what it was like being out in the world, on her own, free to do whatever she wanted for the first time. Going from the sex cult to now a fully sexually charged environment in a club, she explains her methods at the time of processing the horrific things she went through as a child, involving numbing with drug use, and dancing away the trauma.
Serena also recounts what it was like when just months before his murder-suicide, an adult Ricky Rodriguez, whom “The Davidito Book" was written about, contacted her wanting to know where the author (her mother) was.
Serena reveals her journey with healing from the trauma, dealing with ill-equipped therapists, to ultimately finding plant medicine. Serena is now a writer and Trauma Recovery Specialist, helping others heal past traumas using methods to connect the mind, body, and soul to find peace and purpose in life.
Click here to watch on YouTube
Watch pt 1 of Serena’s interview
Serena dives further, answering your questions LIVE
Find Serena:
IG: @serkelley
Substack: https://substack.com/@serenakelley
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@serkelley
Website: https://serenakelley.com/
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**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**
Chapter Marks
00:08:15 CW: CSA, ChiId Traff*cking, CA, the Moment Serena Knew She Wanted to Leave the Cult
00:11:55 CW: ChiId Marriage, Serena Rebelling & Engagement to Berg
00:24:02 CW: CSA, Serena Realizing How Much Better Things Were Outside the Cult
00:32:50 CW: SA, Serena Finds Freedom in the Club Scene
00:37:20 CW: SA, Serena Takes Positive Lessons About Her Worth from Her Negative Cult Programming
01:21:03 CW: CSA, SA, Closing Thoughts
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