NXIVM is a multi-level marketing scam with a spiritual, save-the-world twist that brought together pseudointellectuals, individuals with enhanced narcissistic traits, and anyone willing to spend money on their so-called personal development programs.
The leaders, Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman, employed a multitude of deceptive tactics to exploit the vulnerabilities of the group’s members.
All would’ve remained in the fraud category were it not for a disturbing development in the community’s activity: The creation of a secondary, smaller group called Dominus Obsequious Sororium or DOS, now regarded as an abusive sex cult.
“The Vow”, an HBO Original docuseries tells the story of NXIVM through the perspective of former leading members Mark Vincent, Sarah Edmonson, and several others who decided to make things right by exposing the cult’s activity and bringing those responsible to justice.
I analyze the first season of the documentary in a new article, SKEPTIC’s REVIEW: “The Vow” (2020) | HBO Original Series | Movie Analysis, now live on my main website, Psychology Corner.
You can also listen to the audio version of the post, by clicking here.
—
This article was originally published on Medium on September 11, 2022.