The British commune and the Colombian guerilla group

If you visited the controversial Atlantis commune in Southern Colombia back in the 1990s, you’d have probably heard some disturbing noises. The group practised primal screaming, a form of psychotherapy which seeks to address childhood pain. The commune had started in London, founded by a therapist called Jenny James. They’d made the move to South America to be closer to nature, and they’d settled on a forested area of Colombia controlled by left wing Farc guerrillas. At first Atlantis coexisted with the Farc, but as the Colombian civil war intensified the guerrillas became more hostile, and when violence broke out it pulled the commune apart. Outlook’s Faye Planer went to visit the commune’s remaining members in 2019.

Presenter: Faye Planer
Producer: Harry Graham

Picture: The Atlantis commune in Southern Colombia
Credit: BBC

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