Episode Overview

Podcast: The Morning Edition
Title: Nude processing sessions and alleged sexual abuse: The cult still operating in Australia
Host: Samantha Selinger-Morris
Guest: Harriet Alexander (Investigative Reporter)
Date: January 26, 2026

This episode delves into the ongoing existence and legacy of Kenja, an Australian performing arts and spiritual organization widely described as a cult. Through conversations with Harriet Alexander, the discussion explores the cult’s troubling history, the alleged sexual abuses perpetrated by co-founder Ken Dyers, the role of enablers within the group, barriers to justice for survivors, and why Kenja still persists in Australian cities today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: A Shocking Allegation ([00:03]–[01:28])

• Introduces the case of “XC,” a pseudonym given to a woman who, at age 14, was allegedly sexually abused by Ken Dyers, leader of Kenja, allegedly aided by nine female members.
• Sets the context for an exposé on the persistent operation of Kenja and the stories that have surfaced.

2. Discovery of Kenja ([01:28]–[02:58])

• Harriet Alexander recounts first learning of Kenja in 2020, linking it to the story of Cornelia Rau, an Australian who had been a member before suffering mental health issues and being detained.
• The ABC drama “Stateless” (inspired by Rau’s story) reignited memories for former members, catalyzing former insiders to come forward.
• Harriet: “I just got completely drawn into this labyrinth that’s really still revealing itself to me.” ([02:53])

3. What Is Kenja? Beliefs & Practices ([02:58]–[05:45])

• Founded in 1982 by Ken Dyers (age 60) and Jan Hamilton (age 32)—the group’s name is a blend of “Ken” and “Jan.”
• Kenja blended social club activities, performing arts, and a spiritual practice based on purging “attached spirits” via so-called processing sessions.
  • Members paid fees; events included dance classes, sporting competitions, clowning; the group had offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Noosa.
• The group’s unusual spiritual element involved “processing sessions”—often a form of meditative ritual, but in early years sometimes involved nude, paired practices, intended to “purge spirits.”
• Significant sexual elements: Dyers allegedly conducted private nude sessions, claiming they were therapy or preparation for sexual relationships.
• Quote from survivor: “He tricked me into having sexual intercourse … into telling me that it’s therapy. I was captive for the times I was in his therapy session.” ([05:45]–[05:49], attributed via Alexander’s research.)

4. Cult Dynamics and Recruitment ([05:49]–[07:16])

• Police frequently categorize Kenja as a cult due to:
  • Charismatic leadership (Dyers)
  • Control over members’ relationships
  • Discouragement of outside contact
  • Attraction for individuals seeking belonging or spiritual meaning
• Recruitment methods: included selling flowers at train stations, sausage sizzles at Bunnings, and targeting the lonely or lost.
• The organization grew rapidly to 200 members by the early 1990s, with founder-leased apartments and a central property in Bundina.

5. The Alleged Abuse: XC’s Story ([07:16]–[09:18])

• XC’s civil case details: brought against Jan Hamilton and nine senior female members for allegedly facilitating Dyers’s abuse.
• The group orchestrated secret meetings:
  • Provided a Nokia phone to XC for arranging sessions
  • Used code (“session with Blythe McLachlan”), disguises, and covert transport.
• Dyers was in his 80s; XC, age 14 at the time.
• These events occurred after Dyers had already faced court on sexual abuse charges and was under bail conditions restricting child contact.

6. Legal Proceedings and Loopholes ([09:18]–[11:45])

• Dyers’s 1999 conviction for aggravated indecent assault (against four girls) was quashed on a technicality; retrial was abandoned due to his age and time elapsed.
• Further accusations led to 22 charges; another woman came forward while he was on bail.
• Quote from Dyers (documentary): “The usual suspects are after me again, but I am not running away from them. I never did.” ([10:18])
• Shortly after new allegations, Dyers died by suicide before standing trial. Court documents allege he assaulted XC as recently as a month before his death.
• Dyers and his defenders always denied wrongdoing.

7. The Cult’s Defenders—Even Among Parents ([12:08]–[13:59])

• Despite the convictions and allegations, many Kenja members, including mothers of abuse victims, continue to defend Dyers and remain within the group.
  • Alexander suggests: “I almost … think that they almost have to believe that he’s been wrongly maligned because the XC allegations suggest that the adults were complicit.”
• Few former female members have publicly reckoned with their own roles in facilitating abuse.

8. The Media’s Role and Public Narrative ([13:33]–[14:51])

• Discussion of The Sydney Morning Herald and other newspapers running pro-Dyers advertisements—even after multiple allegations—reflects shortcomings in broader cultural and institutional responses.
• After Dyers’s death, Kenja ran public-relations campaigns, including the stage show “A Witch Hunt—Guilty Until Proven Innocent.”
• Jan Hamilton unsuccessfully sued NSW over Dyers’s death, claiming police harassment.

9. The Charisma of Ken Dyers ([14:51]–[15:50])

• Host discusses “the thrall” of Dyers over his followers, including possible explanations:
  • Charisma, promises of belonging, cures for loneliness, and spiritual answers.
  • Dyers also used temper and public humiliation as control tactics.
• Quote: “If you went against him, he’d fly into a rage often, and sometimes he’d humiliate you in front of the group.” ([15:20])

10. Redress for Survivors: Barriers & Failures ([16:03]–[18:29])

• Legal difficulties for survivors: with Dyers deceased, only senior members or the institution itself can be sued.
• XC’s case settled confidentially; sale of Hamilton’s house may be telling.
• Kenja has evaded joining Australia’s National Redress Scheme for abuse survivors, exploiting legal loopholes.
  • “It’s one of the very few institutions that haven’t signed up to the scheme despite having claims against it.” ([17:05])
  • Not a registered charity; government sanctions have no impact.
  • Still active, so government can’t be “funder of last resort.”
• Many survivors still found solidarity by agreeing to testify for others, pursuing justice primarily for collective acknowledgment rather than compensation.

11. Why Kenja Still Exists ([18:29]–[19:37])

• Group has shrunk since Dyers’s death, but persists in Sydney and Melbourne.
• Alexander describes current members: “A group of very ordinary looking women … trudging into court each day … just this weird sort of insular psychology.”
• Remaining members seem psychologically captive and insular; unlikely to attract many new members, but children born into the group remain at risk.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the persistence and mentality of followers (Harriet Alexander, [18:41]):
  “I think that they're just still captured by that psychology and by the group. So they'll stay there. But it's hard to see them getting too many new members.”

• On the role of enablers (Harriet Alexander, [12:47]):
  “A lot of the mothers of girls who say they're abused remain in Kenja to this day, and I think they're probably still in the thrall of Dyers.”

• On Ken Dyers’s control (Harriet Alexander, [15:20]):
  “He clearly must have had some kind of charisma… If you went against him, he'd fly into a rage often, and sometimes he'd humiliate you in front of the group. So you were sort of afraid of letting him down.”

• On the failures of redress (Harriet Alexander, [17:05]):
  “It’s one of the very few institutions that haven’t signed up to the [National Redress] scheme despite having claims against it.”

Segment Timestamps (MM:SS)

• 00:03 — Introduction, context, and background of XC’s allegations
• 01:28 — Harriet discovers Kenja and ties to Cornelia Rau
• 02:58 — Overview of Kenja’s history, activities, and beliefs
• 05:00 — Processing sessions, sexualized practices, and abuse allegations
• 06:15 — Cult dynamics and recruitment tactics
• 07:16 — Details of XC’s civil case and orchestration of abuse
• 09:37 — Legal history, failed retrial, Dyers’s suicide
• 12:08 — Media coverage, Kenja’s PR, mothers as defenders
• 14:51 — Ken Dyers’s charisma and control methods
• 16:03 — Barriers for survivors, National Redress Scheme loopholes
• 18:41 — Ongoing existence of Kenja and psychological capture of remaining members

Conclusion

Through deeply reported journalism and survivor accounts, this episode exposes how Kenja, despite damning allegations and public scrutiny, continues to operate—sustained by psychological manipulation, legal gaps, and cultural blind spots. The discussion spotlights past institutional failures, the complex psychology of complicity, and the formidable obstacles facing survivors even today. Harriet Alexander’s investigation underscores the importance of public vigilance and institutional accountability in confronting contemporary cults and abuse.