Inside Australia’s Dangerous Hippie Cult | Illegal Adoptions & Forced LSD

Motive & Method

Anne Hamilton Byrne was a former yoga instructor who deludedly believed herself to be the reincarnation of Christ.

Under her malevolent influence, up to 28 children were subjected to a nightmarish existence. Their hair was bleached and cropped uniformly, while they endured beatings and even were administered LSD.

The cult would be later publicly referred to as "The Family" where many of the child victims continue to bear lifelong psychological scars.

But what are perplexing motivations that drive cult leaders like Anne Hamilton Byrne to exert control, manipulate, and inflict abuse upon vulnerable individuals?

What can be said about the differences between male and female cult leaders?

And is rehabilitation truly possible for the victims of cults like Byrne’s?

Read Chris Johnston’s book “The Family”

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