# Martina Castro, Part 1 - Psychic Surgeries & John of God's Spiritual Celebrity

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/martina-castro-part-1-psychic-surgeries-john-of-god-s-spiritual-celebrity
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/martina-castro-part-1-psychic-surgeries-john-of-god-s-spiritual-celebrity.md
Podcast: [Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347)
Published: 2026-02-18T08:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://omny.fm/shows/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation/martina-castro-part-1-psychic-surgeries-john-of-gods-spiritual-celebrity
Audio file: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f804eed6-dd2f-4bf9-ba37-b2de011a8b27/e7b1fff0-642c-4766-8797-b3f001258503/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=462fb424-93c4-4e4b-8e00-b2de011a8b44
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Duration seconds: 2973

## Resource

This week’s guest is Martina Castro, creator of podcast Two Faced: John of God, Exactly Right’s new podcast series about John of God, the Brazilian self-proclaimed healer and “psychic surgeon.” In part one, Martina explains John of God’s history and mythology, how he became internationally famous for his alleged healings (amplified by celebrities like Oprah), and the carefully primed environment he created called “the Casa.” Everyone dressed in white! Crystals! Waterfalls! And of course, lines of pilgrims watching him channel “doctor spirits” to supposedly heal the town's many visitors. They discuss how his “free healings” weren’t as free as promised, his so-called “invisible surgeries” that supposedly worked from across the globe, and the in-person healings he did that involved putting objects up uncomfortably far up people’s nasal cavities. And next week, we’ll get into the explosive allegations that came out during the #MeToo movement. SOURCES Two-Faced: John of God Dos Caras: Juan de Dios See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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