5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY REWIND - Psychedelic Nightmare Pt. 5

Welcome to our 5 year anniversary, 5-part series re-release! This month, we're bringing back Psychedelic Nightmare, a podcast series on the impact of the CIA's LSD-fueled experiments on mind control, MKUltra, & the domino effect it (in)directly created worldwide. 

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Part 5: Tokyo's Christ

cw: abuse, terrorism, sexual violence, death

Our 5th and final part of this series covers Aum Shinrikyo, the cult responsible for the Tokyo Sarin Gas attacks of 1995 & it’s leader, Shoko Asahara. Here, we explore Shoko's childhood, the development of Aum Shinrinkyo while also delving deep into its doomsday conspiracies that combined a hodge-podge of religious philosophies with Nostradamus-esque beliefs. We touch Hinduism, malignant narcissism in cult leaders, and highlight survivor stories and PTSD from the subway attack which ended up killing 14 civilians and injuring over 5,000.

You'll see how this story links back to all four others, creating an unlikely and disturbing tie that spans four decades, three cults and three countries while involving multiple government agencies and of course Albert Hoffman's Problem Child -- LSD. 

References

NOTE FOR SPOTIFY LISTENERS: Starting 03/01/2026 we will no longer be on Spotify. Not only has Spotify had a poor track record with pay transparency and just compensation for artists, the CEO recently invested $700 million in AI military warfare technology. Articles and alternatives to Spotify for podcasts and more can be found here. 

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak