***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Author to be Featured in National Documentary
Watch The Secret Lives of Women Promo Video at Out of the Cocoon
Author Brenda Lee, Out of the Cocoon: A Young Woman’s Courageous Flight from the Grip of a Religious Cult (ISBN: 1931741654), will be one of four women affected by cults to be featured in an episode of the documentary television series produced by Pangolin Pictures entitled The Secret Lives of Women. The episode will air on September 1, 2009, on WEtv (Women’s Entertainment). Read bios of Cult Survivors.

“In our shaky global economy, people are poised today for involvement with any supportive group, especially where there is pervasive skepticism that government can create positive change. No one ever thinks they are joining a cult but there are millions walking among us and thousands more joining destructive groups every single day. If I can help keep one family from splintering as mine did 35 years ago, every trauma I’ve endured will be worth it,” observes Lee.

Imagine for a moment that you are a child again. Think what it would be like to:

*Have your mom tell you that suffering abuse “proves we’re in the right religion”
*Lose all contact with life-long friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins
*Have all birthdays and holidays forbidden
*Watch your developing pre-teen identity shatter
*Have your mom tell you that if you leave the group, you will become a prostitute and thief
*Say good-bye to a family at the vulnerable age of eighteen, knowing they will never speak to you again

This is just some of what Lee experienced as a youngster after her family joined the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society in rural Pennsylvania in the early 1970’s. The group, Jehovah’s Witnesses, instructed Lee’s own mother to shun her and she has obediently done so for the last 29 years.

Lee concludes: “My ongoing goal is to raise awareness about how a simple encounter with someone who deceives and manipulates can and often does turn into something from which you can’t escape without emotional and/or financial ruin. Our relationship with family is irreplaceable. Unfortunately, any toxic cult can steal our loved ones from us and that’s why we need to understand how to spot a destructive group when it comes recruiting. Remember, people don’t join cults; cults recruit people.”

Lee has made a lasting impact on countless lives with her cult awareness seminars. Additionally, her book and newsletters have been read around the world and she has appeared on numerous national and international radio programs.

For more information, please visit Brenda Lee’s website:
Out of the Cocoon