The Deep End

[luckyroll3]

Quote

A look inside the world of one of today's most controversial spiritual teachers and her dedicated followers.

Is anyone else besides me watching this??? It's only 4 episodes and they're currently on episode 3. 

This Teal person reminds me so much of the narcissistic bosses that I've had, who want to be seen as thought provoking leaders who spend their time philosophizing (but not doing any actual work) and have the answers for everything. All the while, they're making most of the shit they say up and tend not to have any experience in the field they are currently in. And of course, no one can have a different opinion, or god-forbid, challenge them. 

It's also very telling that when people attending the retreats question whether it's actually working for them, especially because when they get back out to the real world none of what they've learned actually helps them to navigate the environments, situations, and people they have to deal with, and then the response they get from Teal and her team is that they need to do (i.e. pay for) another retreat. 

Is she a cult leader? I don't know. But it all comes across as very manipulative. Which is also interesting because she invited the cameras to document everything. 

[Madding crowd]

I watched the first three episodes and this woman is incredibly narcissistic. I think it is cult like when people aren’t allowed to see family, travel or have relationships without her approval. It seems like she tells everyone they were sexually abused by their parents and becomes angry when people don’t believe her. She claims to read minds but it only seems related to someone’s parents . She also seems very unlikable and combative to people paying her. I never heard of her before this but find these kind of stories fascinating. 
A little off topic but I used to belong to a women’s spirituality group and I liked a lot of it but left when I realized the leader was always playing favorites and she became angry when questions were asked. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I watched a portion of one episode about Teal. She’s a big turnoff for me.  She acts incredibly entitled and is easily threatened.  That’s how leaders get into trouble and are major warning signs for me.  The way she described her psychic powers as a child would have been funny, if it wasn’t so alarming.  I couldn’t watch more of her, but it’s good the public is being warned, though, I suppose some might find her enticing.  ☹️ I grew up with my parents who attended a Fundie Baptist church, which I refer to as a cult.  So, I suspect I’m more sensitive to things like this.  

[luckyroll3]

8 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

The way she described her psychic powers as a child would have been funny, if it wasn’t so alarming.

Can you say more about what was alarming? I kinda glossed over her talking about her psychic powers.

[SunnyBeBe]

1 hour ago, luckyroll3 said:

Can you say more about what was alarming? I kinda glossed over her talking about her psychic powers.

She is convinced that she had extraordinary powers as a child so that she saw things, knew things, felt things as a super human.  To me, that’s how scary leaders see and portray themselves.  In later childhood, she claims she was diagnosed with multiple mental health disorders and subsequently sent to live with a man who abused her.  I certainly hate that happened to her.  I find it difficult to believe that she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder as a child, because professionals hesitate to do that until someone is an adult, as it’s a very serious condition with lifelong ramifications.   Idk.  It sounds like she had a lot of issues.  If her way of doing things works for her, that’s great, but I don’t see her as being a leader for others, based on what I saw. 
 

I didn’t see much about her stance on repressed memories, but I don’t think much of it and it is quite controversial in the field of psychiatry now.  
 

I wasn’t impressed with way she addressed the student who questioned her as a leader.  It really ruffled her feathers and she went overboard in defending her position.  That response is exactly why she doesn’t appear to be genuine.  An appropriate response would have been to assure the student that people have the freedom to follow any program, teacher or philosophy they choose.  If they have issues with it, it might not be for them.  To me, it seems Ms. Teal is her own biggest fan.  

Edited June 3, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[Madding crowd]

If you look into her there are numerous articles that say she not only lied about her background but copies most of her videos and blogs from Wayne Dyer and Louise Hay. She has been married five times and whenever she broke up with someone she wrote false things about them and they had to sue her to get them taken down.

Some of the things she says about her abuse ring false. She claims to have been a prisoner of two separate satanic cults, was sewn into a corpse for days, was hunted as she ran through mountains in Idaho when she gave birth to twins In the snow and she was strapped to a table with electrodes and forced to look at pictures of road kill. There  is zero proof these things occurred and many people have said she was home with her family and attending school when she said she was held prisoner for years. She is a fraud with severe mental illness. I can’t believe that woman married Blake knowing he is Teal’s slave.

[luckyroll3]

4 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

She is convinced that she had extraordinary powers as a child so that she saw things, knew things, felt things as a super human.  To me, that’s how scary leaders see and portray themselves.  In later childhood, she claims she was diagnosed with multiple mental health disorders and subsequently sent to live with a man who abused her.  I certainly hate that happened to her.  I find it difficult to believe that she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder as a child, because professionals hesitate to do that until someone is an adult, as it’s a very serious condition with lifelong ramifications.   Idk.  It sounds like she had a lot of issues.  If her way of doing things works for her, that’s great, but I don’t see her as being a leader for others, based on what I saw. 

Thanks for sharing. Yeah, she definitely had a lot of "I was sensitive to loud sounds as a kid so that meant i had psychic powers," which of course raised my eyebrow.

4 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I didn’t see much about her stance on repressed memories, but I don’t think much of it and it is quite controversial in the field of psychiatry now.  

It was so bizarre when they were doing those repressed memories exercises and they people role play the parents. And of course the "parents" conveniently "sensed" that there was abuse. 

25 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

Some of the things she says about her abuse ring false. She claims to have been a prisoner of two separate satanic cults, was sewn into a corpse for days, was hunted as she ran through mountains in Idaho when she gave birth to twins In the snow and she was strapped to a table with electrodes and forced to look at pictures of road kill.

This shit is wild!

26 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I can’t believe that woman married Blake knowing he is Teal’s slave.

It's interesting to watch her shift from somewhat excited to being extremely concerned by what she's seeing and experiencing. I'm just surprised it's taken her this long.

[Kiss my mutt]

This is so crazy. I used to watch her on YouTube when I was going through a searching phase in my life but after awhile, it just started to get weirder than I could stand, and I quit altogether. I think she’s fake and harmful and her defensiveness in a clear sign that she isn’t real. She has an immense amount of rage in her and it’s all about money. 
So, I was pretty intrigued when I saw this dock series was being made, because I had put her out of my mind. I’ve seen two episodes so far and I remember her promoting those astral drawings or whatever and thinking they were pretty hokey. 

Edited June 4, 2022 by Kiss my mutt

[calliope1975]

Thanks for starting this thread, I've been wanting to see what others think. Other than Teal is narcissistic and abusive because whoa, if she thought this was going to show how amazing she is, her psychic abilities should have shown her it was not to be. I'm sure she has trauma in her life, but it wasn't satanic cults, and she may want to work on the anger that vibrates off of her before she advises others.

6 hours ago, luckyroll3 said:

It was so bizarre when they were doing those repressed memories exercises and they people role play the parents. And of course the "parents" conveniently "sensed" that there was abuse. 

I worked at a camp for kids who had trauma/difficulties (abuse, adoption, ADHD, deceased parent, etc.) and there was an activity where we'd have the kids play out a typical scene from their life using the other people in our group. So a kid would basically make a live diorama. One instance showed a kid with his dog in front of a TV while his dad and new stepmom were off in their room. But the stand-ins used would have NEVER made comments back or make assumptions of what was happening. I was straight up appalled that lady said she "sensed" there had been abuse. 

I'm kinda suprised she didn't already have some routine garbage to say to Sabrina when she questioned her. I felt so bad for her. She's in such pain, and when her instincts are right in telling her this environment is unhealthy, her cult leader waterboards her and tells her she loves her. That's fucked up. 

[SlovakPrincess]

Oh good, I’m not the only one who will apparently watch anything Hulu puts in front of me!  This series is some weird stuff.

I had never heard of this Teal character before, and hoo boy … she claims to have these hypersensitive or clairvoyant powers and yet she’s got her employees doing the “channeling” and counseling??  C’mon now.  Even if I believed in any of these methods, once clueless newbie Juliana was tasked with “channeling” someone’s dead mom — well, I’d be asking for my money back.

Is Blake seriously going to spend the rest of his life giving Teal control over him?  This is craziness.  I don’t see this marriage with Juliana lasting once there’s friction between her and Teal.

Run away Sabrina!  

I like the private investigator but I don’t understand what her goal is here — I guess produce a report to Teal’s manager saying “good news, you aren’t a cult!”  Although she seems to be freaked out at this point that it is, in fact, cult-y.

[hiisa]

Y'all. Seriously. Since episode one I have come here like, why is no one talking about this but all?! So I'm glad this forum has been made because OH MY GOSH.  Seriously. What on earth?! I can't even tell you what Teal believes or why people are steadily forking over big bucks to her  (5k a SESSION?!) because nothing makes sense here. Did y'all know that every week she does a YouTube video disputing everything the docuseries says? It's all 20 minutes of "it was edited to make me look bad!!!" 

I don't know if Teal is a cult. But she gives off seriously bad vibes.

[luckyroll3]

3 hours ago, hiisa said:

Did y'all know that every week she does a YouTube video disputing everything the docuseries says? It's all 20 minutes of "it was edited to make me look bad!!!" 

Which is hilarious, especially since SHE invited the cameras there to document everything AND hired the PI. She's a disaster.

[hiisa]

45 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

Which is hilarious, especially since SHE invited the cameras there to document everything AND hired the PI. She's a disaster.

At first I thought the families of one of the suicide victims and then she (or Blake?) said she hired the P.I to prove she wasn't a cult and it was like....girl....shouldn't you be able to. I'm sorry, what? If you can't provide your own evidence to interested parties that you are indeed not a cult then you know what? Maybe you are.  All I know is they ended the first ep with her saying she had more spiritual importance than the Pope and I thought to myself, whooweee child we've got a live one here.

[Girl in a Cardigan]

I'd seen a ton of commercials for this show, so I just watched the first episode and wow, that was WILD! I'd never heard of this person before and I wish I could unhear of her now.

Two things really stuck out to me - when she was arguing with the one guy who asked if anyone can challenge her, which she continued to deliberately misunderstand and reframe, so that she's right, as soon as he finally gave up "arguing with her," her eyebrow had a little "gotcha" twitch while she smirked, which made me crazy.

And then, when her platonic life partner apparently wants to actually get a life for the first time, she's freaking out because this woman is going to be in TEAL's orbit and use that for fame somehow. Like, not even really covering that she wants this dude at her beck and call always, even if she actually kicked him to the curb for sex more than a decade ago.

Like, I'm sorry that she was abused as a child and I'm glad she found a way to somehow deal with that, but man, I didn't see a lot of substance in that first episode. That one girl was reliving her childhood abuse in front of that other girl who could only just sit there and hold her hand? Like what? Teal doesn't even do the listening? Is there any discussion of vicarious trauma - like all of these people all have trauma and are now expected to not just relive their own trauma, but someone else's too? And that's supposed to be healing? WTAF?

I'm not sure I'll continue the series because while I find this woman absolutely wild, she's not very compelling to me. If it gets "better" in the subsequent episodes let me know, but that was a lot.

[SunnyBeBe]

I can’t make myself watch more either.  I have a suspicion that eventually stories are going to surface and this thing may be in the news for serious reasons.  I haven’t watched enough to know if there are already civil suits.  

[SlovakPrincess]

On 6/8/2022 at 3:20 AM, hiisa said:

 Did y'all know that every week she does a YouTube video disputing everything the docuseries says? It's all 20 minutes of "it was edited to make me look bad!!!" 

Yeah, I have to call bullshit that it's the editing making her look bad.  Or, if the show isn't quite real, she willingly participated in that unreality.  Just based on the amount of camera angles in the scenes where Teal is at her most combative with people ... it seems partly directed and semi-scripted (like a lot of these candid reality shows are -- the basic "plot" is true to life but the people are encouraged - and agreeing! - to re-enact a conversation or be more dramatic for the camera).   

I would watch an entire show about Molly the P.I.  

But Teal doesn't need a P.I.  She needs a dang lawyer to get her straightened out on wage and overtime laws and hostile workplace environment ... and to make sure she's not crossing the line into holding herself out as a psychologist without any of the required-by-law licensure or training.  

I'm pleasantly surprised Blake grew a spine and got himself and his wife out of there once Teal started attacking Juliana.  

I LOL'd during the sad montage of Teal having to dye her own hair because she'd finally pushed Blake too far ...  like, lady, what did you think would happen?  Not that she learned anything.  "Non-negotiables ... rules of fame ... make your partners sign contracts .... yes, forgo having children ..."  Good grief!  

[Darian]

8 minutes ago, SlovakPrincess said:

Yeah, I have to call bullshit that it's the editing making her look bad.  Or, if the show isn't quite real, she willingly participated in that unreality.  Just based on the amount of camera angles in the scenes where Teal is at her most combative with people ... it seems partly directed and semi-scripted (like a lot of these candid reality shows are -- the basic "plot" is true to life but the people are encouraged - and agreeing! - to re-enact a conversation or be more dramatic for the camera).   

I would watch an entire show about Molly the P.I.  

But Teal doesn't need a P.I.  She needs a dang lawyer to get her straightened out on wage and overtime laws and hostile workplace environment ... and to make sure she's not crossing the line into holding herself out as a psychologist without any of the required-by-law licensure or training.  

I'm pleasantly surprised Blake grew a spine and got himself and his wife out of there once Teal started attacking Juliana.  

I LOL'd during the sad montage of Teal having to dye her own hair because she'd finally pushed Blake too far ...  like, lady, what did you think would happen?  Not that she learned anything.  "Non-negotiables ... rules of fame ... make your partners sign contracts .... yes, forgo having children ..."  Good grief!  

Oh, my gosh! I'd watch more Molly, too.

What I found one of the most chilling and damning scenes (one of many) was her smirking, knowing she was going to be filmed and it would probably be aired, was saying if people knew what Juliana had done, they'd want to kill her, and they showed her true believers either nodding, not reacting, or, as one was doing, grinning and nodding like a bobblehead, eyes full zealot. She weaponized her cultists against that poor woman. I wondered as Blake was reading posts if we'd start seeing some really ugly ones. When Teal got her inner circle to go after Juliana, honestly, I think some or all of them were parroting what Teal had been saying, but maybe a few were unconsciously saying what they felt but had buried deep so they could stay in Teal's good graces and not be punted. 

Yeah, if someone tells you you can have a partner, if they meet her standards (go full cultist), but no children, and you don't even question it, you're damaged and need to be deprogrammed.      

Poor fishy. One more of Teal's victim. 

[luckyroll3]

52 minutes ago, SlovakPrincess said:

I would watch an entire show about Molly the P.I.  

Same! I absolutely adore Molly and want to know more about how she got into the PI life and see her walk through other cases. She's fascinating. I also loved when she was questioning Teal saying back to her what she had just said seconds before and Teal was all "Do you get it now?:, Molly was like, "I guess. [internal eyeroll] Next question." So great. Especially because it pissed Teal off because she knew this lady had her number. 

38 minutes ago, Darian said:

When Teal got her inner circle to go after Juliana, honestly, I think some or all of them were parroting what Teal had been saying, but maybe a few were unconsciously saying what they felt but had buried deep so they could stay in Teal's good graces and not be punted. 

I haven't finished the episode yet, but this is pure Mean Girl tactics 101! I'm going to project all my venom at you, but then let my team take you down, so you can see that it's not just me that has an issue with you. It was clear that the couple was very uncomfortable when Teal started going in on Juliana based on their body language. But I agree that the woman parroted Teal and the guy just made up a lot of stuff that kinda sounded bad, like Blake pointed out.

I have to say, Juliana is a woman of strong character because if Teal had pulled that shit on me, and then had the nerve to tell me I was smirking when I wasn't, when all the while it was her that was smirking sitting there looking overly pleased with herself? This would be me: 

[SlovakPrincess]

I will say from Teal's videos responding to the docu-series, it appears she puts "this is not medical advice" and other disclaimers at the beginning of all her content.  And she states that she does have licensed therapists on site when she does her retreats.  Apparently her company does have a lawyer, so that's something at least!  

Teal does point out that the series makes it look like they all lived in one big house, but that everyone actually had their own home (including Blake, who she says got his own place right before Juliana arrived).  I do think the docu-series has an angle and tried to create a simple dramatic storyline ... but that's an excellent reason not to agree to be filmed like this in the first place, especially if your position is that what you do is complex and nuanced and likely to be misunderstood!  I think her company thought this might be great publicity for them, and now it turns out to have been a bad gamble.  

Oh, and Teal claims the ex-Teal squad guy they kept interviewing, Jared, is a bitter ex-boyfriend ... more drama!  🤯

Anyway, I'm still extremely skeptical of her company and still think her working environment is  dysfunctional.  I'm certainly not surprised that someone who's endured so much abuse and trauma has a lot of trouble with trusting others and reacts strongly to their best friend pulling away.  Hopefully she and Blake had a better conversation about everything offscreen.   

[Madding crowd]

The way Teal talked to Blake and Juliana made me despise her. Blake seems very damaged and needs therapy. He was used by her as a lackey for years. Teal comes across as so unlikable, most cult leaders start out with some charisma. I liked the PI too.

[luckyroll3]

The responses Blake got from his facebook post about stepping away is a testament to what a good dude he is. And she's big time mad that everyone is wishing him well on his journey away from her.

If they're aren't all living in the same house, why is she worrying about screaming babies at 3am in the morning? And it's very telling how she has her team come up with the rules/non-negotiables, you know, after she brow-beated into them that how problematic them having partners, families, kids, etc is for her. 

[Madding crowd]

I loved the ending where she talks about loneliness being one of the problems of humanity; she herself must be lonely as she treats everyone as being below her so she will never really have a partner or friend. I assume the boy we saw jumping on the trampoline is her son. I feel sorry for him as I’m sure he gets no love from this cold, narcissistic woman. I don’t have much sympathy for people who agree to no partners, kids or family cause that is a crazy thing to agree to I didn’t even see Juliana do anything bad to her but she attacked her even to having others decide what Juliana thought. I hope Blake doesn’t go back to her and finds some happiness with his wife but he was pretty brainwashed.

Edited June 9, 2022 by Madding crowd

[calliope1975]

I'm sure the editing will be blamed again, but when she was so condescending to Juliana, I wanted to punch her. Guess what, girlfriend, you're whole demeanor is one giant smirk at the world. These dumdums really thought the PI was going to sing their praises. And you know she only said "maybe" to the cult question because Teal would have hung up otherwise. She was so mad, and this actually may have been the result of editing, but it appears she immediately pivoted her anger about the PI truth telling onto Juliana. Encouraging her group to turn on Juliana was gross. 

I went to look at Blake's FB page but found Teal's instead. She's posting comic sans memes and talking about gaslighting. Oh hon, so you DO know what you're doing to others. 

[Pachengala]

On 6/8/2022 at 12:20 AM, hiisa said:

Y'all. Seriously. Since episode one I have come here like, why is no one talking about this but all?! 

Are you me? I kept checking like why is no one talking about this?? but I guess I could have made the forum myself so that’s on me. 

18 hours ago, Girl in a Cardigan said:

That one girl was reliving her childhood abuse in front of that other girl who could only just sit there and hold her hand? Like what? Teal doesn't even do the listening? 

That scene stressed me out so much. Imagine you’re at this retreat for your own trauma, and being put in that position, no warning, no training, just taking that all on. Yikes. All other criticism of Swan aside, this is super unethical and problematic. 
 

I’ve listened to both the “Ross and Carrie” and the Gizmodo podcasts about Teal Swan so I’d say I’m pretty familiar with her whole shtick, and I have to say, I am SHOCKED she agreed to this series. She’s obviously a narcissist, but she’s also shrewd and cunning and I can’t believe she didn’t see this turning out so badly for her. Maybe she’s gotten complacent, given how she’s completely surrounded by toadies and enablers, but man. What a backfire. 
 

(Also no therapist in the entire world would say something like, “you need to stop *not* trusting this person [Blake].” That is literally the opposite of how therapy works. Just one more lie to make yourself the victim, huh Teal?)

[Darian]

7 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

The way Teal talked to Blake and Juliana made me despise her. Blake seems very damaged and needs therapy. He was used by her as a lackey for years. Teal comes across as so unlikable, most cult leaders start out with some charisma. I liked the PI too.

Because I was responding to someone on Twitter, I rewatched a couple of parts (ugh) just to make sure I have it right, and I really hope Blake and Julianna (closed captioning spelled it that way) are well and happy and safe. Because I saw the part where Julianna is sitting like a stone and finally says she feels afraid and Teal says "you should," and then when Blake's getting supportive responses to his social media post, she said if people knew whatever garbage she made up in her deeply troubled mind about Julianna "they'd want her dead." She knew this would air, she knows how devoted her cultists are...I just keep thinking about that. Teal is a terrible person. 

  

[hiisa]

Ok, I agree with everyone saying Mary the PI. needs her own show. With her tiny frog sidekick. 

Mary: so, going down the list of what makes a cult a cult....you're totally a cult dude.

Teal: that pisses me off. 

Me:.....then don't be a cult anymore? I dunno. Seems pretty clear cut to me. 

Oh my gosh the way she treats Juliana and Blake this episode is insane. I keep thinking about when Blake tells Teal that he's marrying Juliana and Teal stretches out on the bed, "do you still want to f*ck me?" and then this episode she keeps.telling him he'll never be a match for greatness (her) because he's weak. But Teal...he doesn't want your brand of greatness anymore?

The "meeting" with Juliana was so freaking messed up though! The way no one was looking at her as they accused her of all of this crap towards Teal. They were all looking at Teal, reading Teal to see if this is what she wants and Teals smirk when she says Juliana should be afraid? Maaaaaaan.

I kept thinking about how the signs of a cult list where like you can't have relationships outside of the cult leader and Teal is all, "that's not me!" But also watch me turn this entire house against Juliana right quick! And then the whole scene about how you have to be aligned with her house (and her YouTube video where she says everyone lives in their own homes) followed by Blake dramatically packing all of his stuff and moving out and having fish funerals. 

It's all so.awful and MEAN. Yall it's just all so mean. 

Meanwhile Teal is standing there smirking at everyone in the background looking like a legit cartoon villain. Crying that she's being abandoned. Mattias..how are you going to fix it, buddy?  She literally makes my skin crawl and now I need more. Where are the podcasts about this lunatic? 

I'm glad that Blake got to sit and read all of this love and support flooding the page for *him* (as Teal sits there pouting that MEN are applauding Blake "abandoning" her. Child. Please. 

[ChelleGame]

What in the fresh hell am I watching?

This woman is horrid.

[calliope1975]

11 hours ago, hiisa said:

It's all so.awful and MEAN. Yall it's just all so mean. 

Cosign! When she was calling Blake a loser for leaving to live an independent life, it was so cruel. I kept thinking you think THIS is appropriate dialogue? As a self professed healer? She feeds off pain and it's so hard to watch. Her followers are all over the internet defending her, but I really hope a few can finally see through her grift and find healthier ways to heal. 

[NoWhammies]

12 hours ago, hiisa said:

Where are the podcasts about this lunatic? 

The Gizmodo podcast is called The Gateway, and it's pretty compelling. I've seen other stuff about her here and there as well. She's an absolute trip. In a horrifying way.  I can't remember where I saw it, but there was an episode of some anthology TV series that featured Teal Swan on one of the episodes, and it went deep with interviews with people who believed Swan was responsible for a loved one's suicide. I wish I could remember the name of the series, but I can't. The series featured several different cult type things; one per episode. One was some yogi guy. 

To me, it looks like she is implanting "repressed memories" of abuse, which is very likely at least part of what happened to her when she was a teen and seeking care from the "Satanic panic" therapist in SLC. So, she's essentially continuing the cycle of abuse where the abused becomes the abuser. It's disturbing and very sad. 

[Darian]

On 6/10/2022 at 1:48 PM, NoWhammies said:

The Gizmodo podcast is called The Gateway, and it's pretty compelling. 

 For some reason (seems to be a neuro thing) I can't stand listening to podcasts (and some I really, really tried) but I am going to get through this one. I am still following the show's hashtag and even that is wild. Thank you so much for the info! 

 

[SlovakPrincess]

In the latest Teal Swan response video, she claims the scene where she berates Blake had to do with some irresponsible thing he did that allegedly put him and Juliana in the ER (??? she does not further explain this) and was not about him quitting.   She also claims the fish died because Blake allegedly left them out in the sun for hours ... which is weird, and I have no idea how or why that would happen?  

She also makes a big deal about Molly working for her ... but it's already clear in the documentary that Molly was hired by Teal's manager to do an honest review of the company and provide a report to them.  "She worked for me!"  Yes?  We know?  And she told you your company was problematic?  What is your point?

She offers no explanation for the scene where she and others in the company pile on Juliana and accuse her of things.  Which ... is pretty darn damning.  Because that was one of the most alarming scenes in the whole thing.  

Edited June 13, 2022 by SlovakPrincess

[luckyroll3]

20 hours ago, SlovakPrincess said:

She offers no explanation for the scene where she and others in the company pile on Juliana and accuse her of things.  Which ... is pretty darn damning.  Because that was one of the most alarming scenes in the whole thing.  

It certainly would have been interesting to hear her try to rationalize that moment.

[ShawnaLanne]

On 6/3/2022 at 6:51 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

I wasn’t impressed with way she addressed the student who questioned her as a leader.  It really ruffled her feathers and she went overboard in defending her position.  That response is exactly why she doesn’t appear to be genuine.  An appropriate response would have been to assure the student that people have the freedom to follow any program, teacher or philosophy they choose.  If they have issues with it, it might not be for them.  To me, it seems Ms. Teal is her own biggest fan.  

Her response was exactly when I was like, yup, like every other cult leader I have learned about she is absolutely incapable of admitting that she may be less than perfect in any way that will effect her bottom line. And the narcissism . Can you imagine having to be around her? Her immediate reaction to her life partner, but not boyfriend, having a relationship was very telling as well. So combative. On the one hand I can get what she is saying about bringing people into her inner circle, on the other hand she has said she's had 12-13 relationships since they broke up and has been married 5 times, so apparently - it's all right for her to have an outside life and bring it in.

*One and a half episodes in. I don't know if I will be able to continue watching this. She creeps me out with her measured, cult approved speech cadence. I viscerally don't like her. Which could lead to a complete hate watch.

So I am on the fourth one now and I admit to skimming through these after the first one and a half, but in one scene Teal asks Blake's wife what it would take to get her to go back to Germany and the other woman says, feeling alone, and in the next scene Teal sets up a situation where the entire group goes at her - actually calling her an adversary - I mean such cultish behavior - thereby isolating her to the extent she can. 

The complete lack of self-awareness on Teal's part is staggering. My birth father died a couple of years ago, he was awful. Abusive in every way except sexual and he had weird boundaries there too. From physical to verbal to withholding food for days at a time, to emotional. Just awful. So when he died my mom told me that the psychiatrist she went to told her, from what he had gleaned during their talks was that my dad was a psychopath. It suddenly clicked, that missing piece of what it was that I didn't understand about him. I was at extremely low contact with him when he died and had done years off and on with no contact but always to some extent hoped, my mom called it my everlasting hope, that he would change. So I read up on what a psychopath is and it explained so much about him. I see Teal exhibiting a lot of those traits. Specifically her lack of empathy, real empathy for anything that exists outside of her and her need to stir up stuff. In the book I read, "The Psychopathy Next Door" one of the thing that was mentioned was that psychopaths' do a lot to try to relieve the boredom they feel from not connecting with other people. So they create drama and trauma to amuse themselves. It is interesting to see it play out in different ways on this docu drama - whatever the heck it is. 

Edited June 15, 2022 by ShawnaLanne

[WaltersHair]

Stumbled on this series and I'm sorry I did. This woman is dangerous in a way that won't be stopped until someone else dies. All the emotion her followers feel are just their own reflected back to them.

If the world is lucky, she'll just pass out of fashion like the self help gurus on Oprah in the 80's. She promoted one that used made up words to sound professional. I was a kid and could see he was a charlatan. Wish I could remember his name; he was part of the same era as Tony Robbins and he moved to Montana or Wyoming.

Guru was John Bradshaw and he was all about  reclaiming your inner child.

Edited June 17, 2022 by WaltersHair

[DanaK]

Is this streaming anywhere? I thought it was going to be on Hulu, but it’s not there now

[Sara2009]

4 hours ago, DanaK said:

Is this streaming anywhere? I thought it was going to be on Hulu, but it’s not there now

It’s still on Hulu. I just checked.

[luckyroll3]

14 hours ago, DanaK said:

Is this streaming anywhere? I thought it was going to be on Hulu, but it’s not there now

Hulu or Freeform

[DanaK]

13 hours ago, Sara2009 said:

It’s still on Hulu. I just checked.

It definitely is; I must have been thinking of another program I couldn't find and got confused. Thanks

[Rlb8031]

Okay, so Teal is a nut-job whack-a-doodle. Let's start with the fact that she refers to her followers as "toys". My guess is that she was the kid who broke and discarded her toys - or worse, everyone else's toys. Then let's move to the obvious "do as I say, not as I do" aspect of all her relationships. "I can have a significant other but you can't", "I can have a child, but not you", "you must be at my beck and call 24/7 - but how can I be expected to be here for everyone all the time". The blatant contradictions were head scratching.

Then how is it possible that every single follower of yours has a story that mirrors your own? Really? There isn't one person who had parents who loved them and their trauma came from some other source? Not one???

I also wished they would have talked/shared more about Teal's son. Other than him bouncing on that trampoline outside of the house interminably, he seemed to have no impact or involvement in how Teal's life got structured. Does the kid go to school? Who cares for him while Teal is jetting across the world bilking suckers out of their hard earned money? Does he travel with Teal? Stay with his dad? Or one of his four (4??!!!) stepdads? It sounded like Blake was the primary caregiver, but hard to tell. Speaking of Blake, that whole conversation with Molly, Blake and Juliana was super uncomfortable. It's like "You two jackasses are two weeks away from tying the knot and neither of you knows whether the other wants kids or not?" Ridiculous.

And I'm calling bullshit on Teal's utter horror at hearing that a follower found her sexually attractive. What she was horrified at was the fact he wasn't some wispy, thin, blonde new age dude. Clearly, she has a type. She had no problem weaponizing her sexuality against Blake, and I'm sure that she plays that particular card whenever it benefits her. 

All in all - she is right on brand with Anna Delvey and Sarma Melngailis - relatively well-off white women who aren't geniuses, but are good at manipulating others...

[TigerLily20]

I am always intrigued by these type of series and documentaries .  I agree with all that was said above.  I feel for the "followers" most seem to be hurting and just trying to find something to help.

I did however get a good laugh when she was walking around in that wolf jumpsuit with matching pants.....like really......

[Kerrey92]

You guys...this documentary was bonkers.  Why oh why would Teal agree to be filmed?  She's really lacking in self-awareness.  

So was Juliana faking it when she acted like she was channeling that poor man's dead mother?  Did Juliana know that she'd need to be grifting to be in the inner circle?  I found that scene so strange from a Juliana perspective and I felt like it needed more explanation.

Those sycophants at the Juliana burning were just letting their own feelings about Teal out under the guise of it being Juliana's thoughts.  It really made me laugh and reminded me of Gretchen Weiner's and her Caesar speech in Mean Girls.

Molly needs a show and if it's dramatized Margo Martindale needs to play her!  Perfect casting!!!

[Andyourlittledog2]

On 6/10/2022 at 10:48 AM, NoWhammies said:

I can't remember where I saw it, but there was an episode of some anthology TV series that featured Teal Swan on one of the episodes, and it went deep with interviews with people who believed Swan was responsible for a loved one's suicide. I wish I could remember the name of the series, but I can't. The series featured several different cult type things; one per episode. One was some yogi guy.

It was True Believers on Vice channel and that's where I first heard about her. I don't believe in reptile people (different cult) but she looks so reptilian to me. She's so smooth and spiritual but challenge her in any way at all and she turns on you like a rattlesnake.

I had to laugh when she ran through that entire list of things she decided Julianna really thought about her in that confrontational meeting because it was literally everything I was thinking about Teal herself.  Yes Teal, you are a narcissistic bitch. I was so glad when Blake got up and crossed the room to sit by Julianna's side during that ridiculous meeting.

At the end of the series when she had everyone hold up their hand if they were genuinely suffering right now and then she smiled her creepy smile at all the hands -- exactly. Terrible woman.