Umm...did Leah Messer join a cult? Fans seem to think so. The Teen Mom star posted photos from a suspicious looking workshop, alongside a questionable caption. We did a little digging into what this organization is, and it may be concerning.
Keep reading to find out everything about this bizarre news.
We want to say this is a lie, but it might be very true. Leah Messer shared a series of photos from an event, and fans are concerned about the organization she joined.
It may be that Leah is looking for a little bit of direction in her life, but is this the route to take? Her life has been a bit hectic lately, from her sister’s surprise pregnancy to the death of her dog. Recently, Leah shared a series of throwback pictures of her dog and alluded to her having to put him down.
“& though we knew the time would come,” read the caption on one of the photos. “You’ll never be forgotten, you left paw prints on our hearts.”
She didn’t share much information about what happened, but she later shared a longer post mourning the death of her beloved pet.
“Ahhhhh, we love and miss you so much! It fills my heart with pure joy to see the videos and pics of Champ that everyone has sent. Champ was loved by everyone & he loved every one!” she wrote on Instagram. “I really do feel like I’ve lost my best friend and helping the girls through this process has been tough! Today is a new day for more lessons and growth as a family!”
Boxer owning fans speculated on reddit about what happened.
“My boxer had a heart condition that is pretty common in boxers,” said one user.
“I don’t know what happened - but I do not that purebred dogs deal with so many early medical issues and it’s heartbreaking,” wrote another.
“Purebred boxers tend to have a LOT of health issues including cancer. My mother has had boxers all her life and while most reach old ages it's true you have to be very diligent about their health,” commented a third user. “Just recently we had to put down our 8 year old boxer due to cancer. He showed no signs until it was too late and even then we performed surgery that bought him a couple more months.”
So could these stressors be the reason Leah was looking for a little bit of help?
She posted a series of photos from a MITT Advance conference, and fans were more than confused. A user on reddit started a thread titled, “So I got curious after see Leah's culty phrasing on her last selfie. Sure enough, she joined a cult. MITT Advance is sketchy af.”
One commenter said that the organization was used as the inspiration for a Law and Order episode. “Ha a law and order episode I was just watching is based off of mitt like their cult thing in the serious was a big scheme that took advantage of women,” they wrote.
So we did some digging to find out if their claims are true!
According to their website, the organization’s purpose is to “create responsible and creative world-citizens… MITT is a stimulating, experiential environment where you can start to build the next level of your life.”
They call it the “Harvard for the mind,” but do not have any specific descriptions of what they do.
In an article for GQ, published in late 2018, one journalist describes his experience with the organization.
For newcomers, M.I.T.T. can seem like a sideshow barker, promising mind-blowing experiences once you get inside the tent, but you have to take their word for it and pay first… For the next hour, Aunt Lydia explained a set of "ground rules" we needed to obey through Sunday. No tardiness. No phones. No "side-talking" with others, which meant no conversing unless instructed, and no saying "bless you" if someone sneezed. Also, no alcohol or drugs, and no eating or drinking at any time in the ballroom.
Overall, the organization controlled every aspect of a person’s life while being there, including when they were allowed to use the restrooms. The author of the GQ article discusses sleep deprivation and humiliation, including being mocked by their “coach.”
In the months since my training, knowing that more trainings were taking place in a dark room nearby, I wondered: Can participants say no when they want to? The success of M.I.T.T. relies on a troubling premise: To get anything out of it, you need to yield to all of it, despite rarely knowing what comes next. It turns the idea of consent into one more like submission. The pressure inside the room to conform is intense. Submit and be revealed. Submit and be rewarded. Submit so that your problems finally can be cured.
The author concluded that the experience was overall troublesome, and almost addictive, which is concerning to say the least.
So is this what Leah was doing?
“A powerful, strong, trusting force we are! I love each and every single one of you!! You can count on my word! ♥️ Each one of you have changed my life and we will forever be connected!! I AM A POWERFUL, CONNECTED, INSPIRATIONAL LEADER! I LOVE ALL OF YOU!!” read her latest Instagram caption. She included the hashtags #onesixheaven #family #MITT #lifechanging.
Overall, fans are convinced the organization is a cult, or at the least extremely similar to a cult situation. Many self-help organizations have turned out to be much worse, such as NXIVM, which was branded as a series of personal and professional development seminar.
Fans may not have overreacted when it comes to her posts, but let's hope Leah doesn't become a member of any cult organizations.
What do you think about Leah's involvement in MITT? Let us know in the comments and SHARE this article!