Transformative Stories – Lily DunnWhat was the impact of the Osho / Rajneesh cult on the families of members? Why might some people struggle to heal old wounds? To what extent is abuse of children still unacknowledged? How can telling one’s story facilitate recovery?
Lily Dunn is an author, teacher and mentor of literary memoir. She explores its potential in her new book, Into Being, which cites many writers including herself – Lily’s last book, Sins of My Father, describes her enchantment with an absent parent, who joined the Rajneeshees and later drank himself to death.
Examining this tangled relationship revealed her father’s narcissistic avoidance of responsibility. This was common in communes, with painful effects on the children raised there – sex with minors was widespread, as Lily noted in an article that brought her into contact with survivors of abuse.
One was Maroesja Perizonius, a Dutch director with whom Lily worked to develop a film titled Children of the Cult – available here if you’re in the UK, with a trailer here. Their stories were ignored by the Netflix series, Wild Wild Country, which focused instead on other cult transgressions, such as bioterrorism.
Our conversation explores all these topics, along with some practical guidance on writing, and the value of external help – from editors, mentors and therapists – in reducing the risk of self-deception. In the process, we consider what distinguishes creative non-fiction from making things up.
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