Conspirituality

How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Public Health Threat

By: Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

Narrated by: Matthew Remski

Conspirituality takes a deep dive into the troubling phenomenon of influencers who have curdled New Age spirituality and wellness with the politics of paranoia—peddling vaccine misinformation, tales of child trafficking, and wild conspiracy theories.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disturbing social media trend emerged: a large number of yoga instructors and alt-health influencers were posting stories about a secretive global cabal bent on controlling the world’s population with a genocidal vaccine. Instagram feeds that had been serving up green smoothie recipes and Mary Oliver poems became firehoses of Fox News links, memes from 4chan, and prophecies of global transformation.

Since May 2020, Derek Beres, Matthew Remski and Julian Walker have used their Conspirituality podcast to expose countless facets of the intersection of alt-health practitioners with far-right conspiracy trolls. Now this expansive and revelatory book unpacks the follies, frauds, cons and cults that dominate the New Age and wellness spheres and betray the trust of people who seek genuine relief in this uncertain age.

Each of the three authors has witnessed firsthand the use of fear-based political agendas to manipulate the human desire for spiritual fulfillment. They throw a spotlight on the telltale signs of cult dynamics and expose how influencers have stoked suspicion of public health initiatives. And they show how charlatans and pseudo-doctors encourage their followers to oppose mainstream advice as a form of spiritual quest.

With analytical rigor and flashes of irreverent humor, Conspirituality offers an antidote to our times, helping listeners recognize wellness grifts, engage with loved ones who've fallen under the influence, and counter lies and distortions with insight and empathy.

©2023 Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, and Julian Walker (P)2023 Random House Canada

Critic reviews

"This is a book for right now! So timely. So needed. Conspirituality takes us on a fascinating, engaging, and empathetic journey through the many ways in which harmful pseudoscience and misinformation have seeped into our world. . . . The authors provide a compelling argument as to why the toleration of conspiratorial rhetoric closes minds and erodes critical thinking. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious—and we all should be!—about the history and the social and cultural forces behind our current pseudoscience-filled mess.”—Timothy Caulfield, author of Relax: A Guide to Everyday Health Decisions with More Facts and Less Worry

"Conspirituality brilliantly exposes the fusion between conspiracy theories and wellness, while emphasizing the ‘con’ aspect at the heart of both. . . . And far from seeing themselves as too smart to fall for this nonsense, the authors mine their own experiences in cults and coercive movements, having seen them from the inside.”—Mike Rothschild, author of The Storm is Upon Us and Jewish Space Lasers

“Intelligent and compassionate, Conspirituality is full of insight rooted in direct experience and rigorous analysis. The authors are deeply familiar with and curious about their subject. An essential and unique book that captures both the yearning for and devastating effects of conspirituality as a phenomenon and way of life.”—Julian Feeld, co-host of the QAnon Anonymous podcast

Succinct and yet somehow poetic

A clear and concise distillation of the through line from “wellness” to Qanon. Remski’s voice is soothing. Couldn’t stop listening. Well done, you 3!!!