Unspun

An incredible conversation with Alisa Woodruff and Jaya Mangalam Gibson. We’re really excited for you to hear this one.Alisa Woodruff is a counsellor, artist, based in Christchurch, New Zealand. She recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Arts Therapy and is interested in how creativity, storytelling, and reflection can help people make sense of complex life experiences. As a second-generation cult member of Subud herself, Alisa brings both personal insight and professional curiosity to conversations about leaving high-control groups. On Unspun, she helps create thoughtful spaces where people can share their stories and explore what rebuilding life beyond those systems can look like.Having grown up within high-control environments, including Subud, Alisa brings lived experience to the conversations Unspun exists for — life after, recovery, and rebuilding on the outside. Unravelling cult narratives, thread by thread.

A survivor of both the Fourth Way and Falun Gong, Jaya Mangalam Gibson has spent over a decade deconstructing the complexities of high-control environments. As a volunteer organiser for Uncult Ōtautahi survivors group and a key member of the Decult team, Jaya is dedicated to building peer-led support systems for those navigating the aftermath of spiritual and psychological abuse. Through Unspun, he brings a blend of raw lived experience and a passion for helping others reclaim their autonomy. Based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Jaya is committed to untangling the threads of the past to help survivors weave a future defined by their own voices.