'One Tree Hill' star Bethany Joy Lenz names 'sinister' cult she allegedly spent a decade in
Bethany Joy Lenz is sharing more details about the years she spent in a cult.
The actress announced on Instagram that her memoir, "Dinner for Vampires," will include memories from her time "spent in an abusive, high-demand group (aka, cult)."
"Being a writer has been a great, private joy in my life since I was about 12," she wrote in her Instagram caption. "This isn’t the first book I thought I’d write, publicly, but as difficult as this subject matter is to untangle, I’m grateful I get to share my story, my way."
"It’s a story of forgiveness and a roadmap to how manipulation works, with heartache and humor along the way," she continued. "We all make mistakes and I hope Dinner for Vampires reminds you that, no matter what weird roads you’ve gone down, you’re not alone."
BETHANY JOY LENZ OF 'ONE TREE HILL' SAYS SHE SPENT 10 YEARS IN A CULT: 'THERE'S A LOT TO TELL'
The description of the book details Lenz's journey as a young actress who grew up as an only child and "always wanted a place to belong." As she got older, she would find "the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group" composed of others in the industry.
While Lenz initially found happiness in the group, the description explains it "soon morphed into something more sinister," through "a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant" known as The Big House Family.
Eventually, Lenz found herself losing all sense of "autonomy," when she moved into "the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound," which was run by the "domineering" cult leader. The leader not only convinced her "to marry one of his sons," but also "steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge."
"Family ‘minders’ assigned to her on set, "Maoist struggle session"–inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with ‘Leadership’ were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal," the description read.
Lenz starred on the hit WB teen drama "One Tree Hill" for nine seasons, from 2003 to 2012, having been in the cult the whole time. She played Haley James Scott on the show, the best friend of Chad Michael Murray's character, Lucas Scott, and wife of his half-brother and former nemesis, Nathan Scott.
Lenz previously opened up about the support she felt from her cast members on the show, telling the "Biscuits & Jam" podcast in November, when she made the decision to leave the cult, she felt "there were many open arms" waiting to comfort her, and that she found that "very helpful."
"I feel like a lot of the people there, whether consciously or subconsciously, knew that just their presence and being an encouragement and letting me know that they still loved and cared about me in spite of the fact that I was a little weird, that made a big difference. It made me feel like there was a safety," she said.
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In an interview published Thursday on People, Lenz explained the hardest part about writing "Dinner for Vampires" was having to relive the experiences, saying "exploring the memories, and really facing them," was really "challenging" for her, but she persevered.
Since leaving the group, Lenz shared she has gone through "lots of therapy" to overcome what she referred to as "spiritual abuse."
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"Recovery looks different for everyone, depending on your experience of trauma," she explained. "I had to start from a baseline of my personal understanding of God and the experiences I had had. And then there was a lot of going back to who I was before and remembering that, and then acknowledging that there was so much I just didn’t know."
"Dinner for Vampires" is set to be published Oct. 22.