Kriti Mehrotra
While there’s no denying there’s an undeniable allure to the Twin Flames Universe considering its promise to help members find their soul-bound partners, there’s also a massive dark side to it. After all, as carefully chronicled in Amazon Prime’s ‘Desperately Seeking Soulmate,’ it’s essentially a cult wherein founders Shalaia and Jeff Divine end up with complete control over everyone. Amongst them was actually Briana Manalo (her last name has been publicly mentioned in Vanity Fair) — so now, let’s just find out more about her, her experiences, as well as her current standing, shall we?
Who is Briana?
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Briana was always the exuberant, jovial, and loud girl with the brightest smile growing up, only for it to be enhanced by her musical capabilities. In fact, according to her mother in this original documentary series, she’s been playing piano ever since she was five and even picked up the guitar along the way before ultimately enrolling in a music program for college. However, everything turned upside down shortly after she graduated as she fell deep into a search for the meaning of love and relationships while seemingly going through a hard time.
That’s when Briana discovered the Twin Flames Universe, just to soon find herself ingrained in the teachings of Shaelia and Jeff as she truly considered them great counselors. The truth is her family did try to dissuade her time and time again by asking whether they were certified, their motives, etc., but nothing shook her – in fact, she simply fell deeper into the whole notion. This actually went to such an extent she tried to get her siblings to join, quit her job to keep up with the teachings, and then ultimately relocated to Los Angeles, California – per the show, she’d even stalked the man she believed to be her Twin Flame in Maine for a while.
Then came the test of Briana’s loyalty as the founders not only enabled her to evolve into a “therapist” but also paired her with a fellow member and claimed they were her true Twin Flame. This member was actually persuaded to transition into a boy by another one of Shelia and Jeff’s therapists, so the former did initially resist their “union” since she was utterly straight. She even said she was very “attached to my dreams” of the man she’d long believed to be her soul-bound lover, yet she flew to California to see him within days as she realized her reservations were “mere blocks to the divine.”
Briana’s family hence grew even more worried, but they couldn’t do anything from afar except constantly keep in touch with their loved one to let her know they were always there for her, even if she rarely responded. She did briefly return home in February 2021 upon claiming she was utterly and irrevocably unhappy with her new bond as well as her situation, only to soon return to the group owing to the obligations she felt she had. It was as if she was completely under the spell of the founders and couldn’t stay away for long even if she tried, but her family continued to do their very best for her.
Where is Briana Now?
We’re actually glad to report it appears as if Briana has since returned home to be surrounded by those individuals who unconditionally love her, appreciate her, and want the best for her. This whole journey has been hard for her, which is why she currently prefers to stay well away from the limelight, but it does seem like this once-aspiring musician and Security Analyst is doing her best to move on in life. In fact, it’s possible she’s currently splitting her time between Boston and Los Angeles so as to maintain a healthy work-life balance while not finding herself dragged back into the Twin Flames community.
Read More: Are Catrina and Anne From Twin Flames Still Together?
