AfriPrime App link:  FREE to download...

https://www.amazon.com/Africircle-AfriPrime/dp/B0D2M3F2JT

She discusses his use of fear, humiliation, and isolation in meshing the minds of those he captured. All incoming and outgoing mail was censored making it near impossible to connect with the outside world. Yulanda shares that people would be led into a "kind of giving up, a loss of spirit or desire."

As well, her words also detail horrific physical abuse, including depriving people of basic needs, contamination of food, and drugs.

As Yulanda speaks, I am shocked yet subtly reminded of a less severe version of these dynamics in abuse that many individuals I have worked with have reported. For example, in homes of child abuse, there is often a message that no one would believe the child, and that if they were to share, they would be betraying the family.

Similarly, in domestic violence, a common thread is that a person is criticized to the point of ultra-low self-worth while simultaneously being separated from individuals who care for them and who might inspire them to challenge their abuser.

Yulanda shares that a message was given repeatedly to the members of Jonestown: "Your family doesn't love you or want you. I'm providing for you." She discusses this and hierarchy in the making of a terror, that Jones had a way of "disconnecting people from their roots."

Peace of Mind

Even across our call, I can sense Yulanda's strength. How does someone make it through something like this? She shares that "it took years of survivor's guilt to use what I learned for good."

Yulanda did not experience the traditional American growing-up experiences of teenage proms and dances. Still, upon walking again on U.S. soil, she took every step to celebrate her independence and move toward those things that mattered to her.

She shares having to learn life skills not taught in Jonestown, like writing a check. And, somehow, she did, progressing to a 32-year career with the San Fransisco police department that ended with her serving as a police captain.

I can only imagine Yulanda's appreciation for her freedom after her experiences. I have often been in awe of the strength of individuals I work with who, like her, have gone through traumas of all kinds.

The more time goes forward, the more I am convinced that if someone is curious and determined enough they can figure out a path to almost anything. When put to the test, I believe that a person's integrity to make whatever choices they have is one last right that is indestructible.

Fortitude of Family

I asked Yulanda directly how she kept her integrity through everything. She answers immediately: "Family." Yulanda discusses that Jones divided many families; however, hers was one of the few that remained united. She credits this for their endurance through the nightmare.

Yulanda shares, "I want people to know that when someone loves you unconditionally, that protects you." She emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with people who allow us to be ourselves and shares stories of many who have provided her with encouragement and acceptance.

Maintaining Individuality and Telling a Story

Abuse, cults, and severe oppression have ways of confining a person. Yulanda shares that upon returning to the United States, "I found peace of mind in being who I wanted to be, going where I wanted to go." She shares that this individual choice is crucial.

Yulanda shares that it has been meaningful not only for her but also for her daughters, her family, and those more than 900 people who never left Jonestown. She shares that she is not just living for herself but for all these people. "Neither mine nor my daughters’ spirit and soul resonate with Jim Jones."

Initially, upon her homecoming, Yulanda kept her time in The People’s Temple secret. She feared that individuals would judge her as foolish despite the reality that her family had been preyed on by the organization beginning when Yulanda was incredibly young. Yet, she has since found that telling her story has been empowering, meaningful, and healing. She will appear in an upcoming National Geographic docuseries, "Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown," this August.

Yulanda emphasizes that this story “can only be told by those who were there,” again striking a theme that survivors of severe situations have declared repeatedly—namely, the power of narrative. Through reclaiming one’s account and sharing it through words, arts, or other means, many gain an increased sense of agency followed by healing.

Indeed, many trauma-focused therapies rely on a narrative component in the therapy process where one can repossess their autonomy over their own story and receive validation that had been denied.

In Closing

I am immensely appreciative of Yulanda's willingness to talk to me and of the beautiful advocacy she has done since leaving Jonestown. She is a living portrait of resilience whose story can teach us volumes about the human ability to recover after severe trauma and all our opportunities to make meaning in life regardless of circumstances. While her experience is extreme, she shows us that healing is possible after even the most dire of events.

AfriPrime App link:  FREE to download...

https://www.amazon.com/Africircle-AfriPrime/dp/B0D2M3F2JT