Recommended documentaries, investigative series and films on cults, coercive control and recovery.
The BBC Radio 4 and World Service investigative series that brought the MISA story to a global audience. Journalist Cat McShane documented the experiences of women inside the MISA network over several years. Waypoint Within's founder Bec Sonkkila is a named contributor in this series.
The definitive investigative audio documentary on MISA, Gregorian Bivolaru and the international Tara Yoga, Natha and Atman network.
Three-part docuseries following former members of the MISA network. Directed by Rowan Deacon with deliberate restraint — allowing survivors to tell their own stories with intelligence and clarity. Required watching for understanding what MISA actually does to people.
The most recent major documentary on MISA and the Atman yoga network, released March 2026.
The landmark documentary series on NXIVM featuring whistleblowers Sarah Edmondson and Anthony Ames — hosts of the A Little Bit Culty podcast. Essential for understanding how high-control groups operate at scale and how people with integrity and intelligence become embedded in them. Available on HBO Max.
The Vow is one of the most thorough documentary explorations of a cult available, examining NXIVM through the eyes of those who helped expose it.
The story of the Rajneesh movement and its establishment of a commune in rural Oregon in the 1980s. Extraordinary archive footage and complex, multi-perspective storytelling. A masterclass in how charismatic authority, community belonging and gradual escalation create conditions for coercive control.
Wild Wild Country examines the psychology of cult formation, charismatic leadership and group coercion through one of the most documented cult histories in the United States.
Recordings from Australasia's inaugural cult awareness conference, October 2024, Christchurch. Featuring Dr Janja Lalich, Dr Gillie Jenkinson and 40 speakers including Waypoint Within's founder Bec Sonkkila. A significant archive of survivor testimony and professional expertise.