Everything to Know About the 'Escaping Twin Flames' Netflix Documentary
Love hurts bad in the Escaping Twin Flames Netflix documentary.
Accused of preying on lonely and vulnerable individuals, the Twin Flames Universe comes under a microscope in the upcoming Netflix series—and those of you who love cult documentaries are in for a treat.
Helmed by the Emmy-nominated filmmakers behind Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult, Escaping Twin Flames examines the controversial Twin Flames community, an online group whose leaders have been accused of coercion and exploitation of its members. Allegations include encouraging stalkers and manipulating members' gender and sexual identities. The documentary also shows some stories of hope, featuring former members who've escaped from the group's alleged clutches thanks to the help of their loved ones.
Find out everything to know about the Escaping Twin Flames Netflix documentary, including when you can watch it, as well as more about Twin Flames Universe.
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When does the Escaping Twin Flames Netflix documentary come out?
Escaping Twin Flames premieres on Nov. 8, 2023, at 3 a.m. ET.
How many episodes is the Escaping Twin Flames Netflix documentary?
The series is three episodes long.
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What is the Escaping Twin Flames documentary about?
Escaping Twin Flames follows the experiences of several former members of the Twin Flames Universe, an online community and sales group that promises to help members find their ultimate romantic partner—if you pay astronomical sums for hundreds of video classes and coaching sessions, and especially if you become a coach yourself and recruit more people into the Twin Flames Universe community. (If that sounds like a multi-level marketing scheme, it's because it largely is.) The Twin Flames Universe co-founders, Jeff and Shaleia Ayan, have been accused of creating a cult through their community, an allegation that they've vehemently and repeatedly denied.
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What is a twin flame?
A "twin flame" is a crunchy, woo-woo idea of a partner that is even more connected to you than your soulmate. The idea of a twin flame is that your twin flame is a "mirror soul" to yours, or your almost-literal other half.
According to the Twin Flames Universe founders, your twin flame was created by God to be your perfect match.
Of course, most healthy relationships are between and among individuals who feel whole and complete on their own. Conversely, those people most likely wouldn't fall as hard for the coercive tactics and magical thinking required for this categorization, and some experts believe that "twin flame" relationships are often rooted in toxicity like trauma bonding and codependency.
"Twin Flame" is also a song by Machine Gun Kelly about Megan Fox, if you're into that sort of thing.
What is the Twin Flames Universe?
The Twin Flames Universe is an online community that consists of everything from coaching to 600 hours worth of video classes, Facebook groups, group chats, an online store (lots of crystals, obvs), a YouTube channel and more that claims will help you find and keep your twin flame.
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Who leads the Twin Flames Universe?
Jeff Ayan and Shaleia Ayan are the co-founders of the leaders of Twin Flames Universe, and they're quite rich. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Jeff boasted about his Armani blazer, and in a 2019 communication with their own customers—er, community—he bragged about how much money the Twin Flames Universe was worth at the time (he claimed about $2 million).
You can view a tour Ayan gave of their mansion, featuring a few servants, here:
According to Vanity Fair, Shaleia—born Megan Plante—is more spiritual than Jeff (who once used the name Ender Ayanethos on LinkedIn), "who is more business-oriented."
In 2019, the Twin Flames Universe co-founders also co-founded their own religion, Church of Union. Jeff claimed at the time (via Vanity Fair) that he and Shaleia were "the prophesied Second Coming," calling Shaleia "Mother Christ" to his "Father Christ." Though Shaleia wasn't expecting at the time, they called their future daughter Grace "the princess of all creation." He declared them the new holy trinity that he called "The Master Christ, eternal ruler of all Creation by God’s loving hand."
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What is the Twin Flames cult?
While the Ayans/Master Christ deny that the Twin Flames Universe is a cult, it's been reported that there are rampant allegations of coercive control within the organization. Jeff and Shaleia were accused of pressuring members to change their own gender identities and pronouns, with some even undergoing medical procedures to conform to what the Master Christ ordered them to do.
In at least one instance, a former Twin Flames Universe member accused the Ayans of encouraging her to stalk and harass an ex who she swore was her twin flame. He got a restraining order against her, of which she was in violation, and spent 18 days in jail. Her family spent $25,000 of their retirement savings to bail her out. (Fun fact: Ryan Gosling also got a restraining order against a woman who claimed she was his twin flame, though there's no indication she was affiliated with Twin Flames Universe.)
Some also claimed to have worked for founders unpaid as "ascension coaches," who recruited other members for Twin Flame Universe. Though they were told they'd be able to make a living doing so (and in Jeff's house tour video, he mentions that their coaches can make more money than surgeons), many members of Twin Flames Universe claimed to be struggling financially after some said they spent upwards of $10,000 on classes.
The Ayans have long denied any wrongdoing, and in a since-deleted video that dropped not long after the earliest allegations of Twin Flames Universe being a cult came out (via Vanity Fair), Jeff mocked the idea that he was a cult leader.
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What is the Twin Flames Universe documentary?
There is more than one documentary about the Twin Flames Universe. Netflix's Escaping Twin Flames will drop in November 2023, while an Amazon Prime Video documentary, Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe, debuted in early October 2023.
