Escaping Twin Flames is a Netflix documentary created by Cecilia Peck and Inbal B. Lessner, the team behind Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult. There are three episodes in the series with a runtime of about 50-60 minutes and is released soon after a Prime Video documentary released last month on the same subject.
The documentary features ex-members of the Twin Flames Universe group and family members of currently active members including Keely, Marlee, Shanice, Arcelia, Sara, Louise, Angie, Elle, Jessi, Lenae, Dr Janja Lalich, Victoria, Dr Cassius Adair, Maxine, Debbie and Sarah Berman.
Escaping Twin Flames Review
While the previous Prime Video documentary – Desperately Seeking Soulmate Escaping Twin Flames Universe Review: Never Trust Self-Proclaimed Jesus’ Online is majorly based on Alice Hines’ Vanity Fair article and the people she met in her research process. The current Netflix documentary takes the help of Vice reporter, Sarah Berman and the group of people who helped her understand the workings of the group. Having watched both documentaries, I would say this brings out ex-coaches from the inner circle of the notorious group and Prime Video sheds light more on the founder’s past and their atrocious teachings that harmed many.
For those who aren’t clear on what it’s about, then Twin Flames Universe is a spiritual group started by couple duo Jeff Ayan and Shaleia. They claim to help others find their divine partner as they did but at a very hefty price. To be a part of the group, you have to buy the online courses/classes of the ascension school, costing at least $100 per month. Most people come across them through YouTube videos or some Facebook post and the promise of true love urges them to find more. Once you do, the instant love-bombing and welcoming environment would make anyone come back for more until it becomes a habit they can’t get rid of.
And if through some stroke of luck, you do find love and they also become a part of the group – you are in for a long haul. The group works like any MLM scheme, once any of their followers get into a relationship that they helped seek, they are promoted to become coaches in helping other people in their journey. They keep on turning their ardent followers into preachers and luring in hundreds of people. These followers would end up leaving jobs to work full-time on all sorts of things like designing ads, graphics, editing videos etc but with no pay. They would only get paid for the one-on-one coaching they provided to other members of the group.
Escaping Twin Flames starts off with Paula calling up a detective to submit evidence about the group and help get her sister, Stephanie out of it. As the series progresses, it looks like a regular tactic used by Jeff and Shaleia to exercise complete control over their followers. They would make it seem like other people are their enemies or a hindrance in their journey. Making most of their followers leave their families, friends and essentially isolating themselves completely. This makes them vulnerable to falling for the manipulation and doing whatever the duo preach since that’s all they have – the so-called ‘Twin Flame Soul family’ – consisting of people just like them.
One could turn a blind eye if the duo were just giving harmless relationship advice. However, what they preach is nothing more than a toxic culture which encourages people to pursue individuals, who wouldn’t even want to have any relationship with them. Even if the couple had broken up and one partner hadn’t moved on, they would still instruct them to keep on contacting, stalking, and harassing their exes, because they are ‘twin flames’ and are meant to be together. They would give the same advice even when any member would get infatuated with a random stranger.
They feed into these delusions which makes their follower feel better. But when the initial advice doesn’t work or worse they end up in jail, the duo blames the person for failures and makes them buy more coaching sessions etc to heal the ‘blocks’. After deluding people for years, the duo has even reached a point where they have deluded themselves into believing that Jeff is the new-age-incarnation of Jesus. Shaleia, who doesn’t really speak much, other than repeating her husband’s words or laughing at his stupid jokes, portrays herself as the medium between Earth & the higher being.
Watching numerous cult documentaries in the past few years, one would think how can someone fall for these self-proclaimed prophets, in this day and age? But TFU shows how the internet can become the perfect place to harbour such cults, without any repercussions. The group mostly functions online, with some rare meet-ups. Thus, they cannot be held accountable for anything that their followers do, since they are doing it of their free will. Despite not being in the vicinity of the individuals, they hold such power that their followers even undergo gender-changing surgeries, if that means being closer to their twin flame divinity.
Initially, they would encourage the members to pursue whoever they fancied but when they didn’t get any positive results and people started questioning; the duo would pair up the members within. Regardless of your sexuality, if Jeff and Shaleia say that you are divine masculine (even if you have been a biological female & don’t have any doubts about it) – you are needed to play the part. First, it would be through hairstyle, dressing and behaviour then it would eventually lead to surgical transformation.
Some of the parents of currently active members shared their ordeal and how their children transformed despite not inherently feeling that way. It’s not unusual for someone to become trans as they learn more about themselves. But it’s coercion when you change genders just because someone on the internet told you so. And it’s not like they are even queer-friendly. They are essentially assigning the binary gender roles and perpetuating the same patriarchal values, by telling the ‘divine feminine’ to do all the house chores etc and feel obliged to sexually satisfy their ‘divine masculine’ partner whenever they want.
This documentary could be a good wake-up call for the current members when they see their ex-soul family, sharing what they went through and lost. And at this point, there should be something that holds the duo accountable for what they have been doing over the years. I personally hoped that the Prime Video documentary would bring attention to the notorious group, maybe they will feel some repercussions. But Jeff and Shaleia continue to thrive, scrounging off their followers and spending on their lavish lifestyle that they show off on social media actively. Alas, this documentary could contribute some significant efforts in a good direction.
Rating: 3/5
Escaping Twin Flames is available for streaming on Netflix.
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