Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan

Dr. Darren M. Slade, a historian and director of the North American Committee on Religious Trauma Research, shares his journey from fundamentalism to skepticism. He discusses his unsettling experiences at Liberty University and the dangers of confirmation bias within seminary training. The conversation dives into how religion intertwines with politics, the tactics used by high-control groups, and the impact of betrayal trauma after leaving faith. Slade also offers insights for survivors and highlights the work of the Global Center for Religious Research.

Pam Hemphill, a retired substance abuse counselor and January 6 defendant who renounced Trump after serving time and surviving cancer, recounts leaving the Cult of Trump. She describes harassment for speaking out. They discuss comparing cult dynamics, how propaganda and persuasive tactics worked, documenting January 6, strategies for healing and messaging, and confronting disinformation and online attacks.

Kelvin’s father, Dr. William Pierce, was a notorious white supremacist and founded the National Alliance, a prominent hate group. Dr. Pierce wrote the novel The Turner Diaries, which racists widely cite as inspiration for their racist beliefs and actions. Kelvin was subjected to physical and emotional abuse and was taught to believe that Jews and non-whites were responsible for society's ills. Despite the personal abuse he suffered, Kelvin accepted his father's teachings and held onto these racist beliefs as he transitioned into adulthood. It shaped his worldview and interactions with others, even though he didn't openly broadcast these beliefs. Kelvin was able to shed his indoctrination, create the charitable organization "Divine Child Foundation" to help orphans in Georgia, publish his memoir, and live a life of activism and inspiration in fighting racism and extremism.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gun-related deaths are already over 17,000 as of May of this year. In 2021, they were at their highest ever at almost 50,000 murders, suicides, and accidental deaths involving firearms. These statistics are personal to me due to my experiences in the Moonies cult with the Rod of Iron Ministries, Kahr Arms, the AR15 factory, and two compounds (TN and TX) training people for civil war. I spoke with expert Jonathan Lowy who told me he successfully sued Kahr Arms. Jonathan founded Global Action on Gun Violence, a nonprofit working with the international community to stop gun trafficking and violence through litigation, human rights, and other strategies. He has been litigating and advocating against gun violence for over 25 years. He helped win over $100 million for victims in verdicts and settlements, created the precedent that holds gun companies accountable and reformed dangerous gun industry practices. His articles include “The Right Not to Be Shot.” He has been named one of the 500 leading lawyers in America for over ten years by Lawdragon magazine.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Under the Yoga Mat: The Dark History of Bhajan’s Kundalini Yoga, is a new book that helps expose the destructive authoritarian cult of Yogi Bhajan, Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO). When allegations of half a century of concealed abuse and criminal actions by Bhajan and his associates came to light in early 2020, which impacted the lives of hundreds of his followers and their children, Els Coenen, Ph.D., felt compelled to stop teaching and promoting kundalini Yoga and wish to help reveal the facts. In 2021, she created the website Abuse in Kundalini Yoga, a platform aimed at exposing and addressing sexual abuse, child abuse, homophobia, exploitation, business fraud, and drugs and arms trafficking within the community. If you have ever seen white-turbaned people calling themselves Sikhs, done yoga, or gone to a workshop, you will be educated about the reality of this billion-dollar corporate empire.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michelle’s memoir, Forager: Field Notes on Surviving a Family Cult, showcases her life growing up on an isolated mountain in California as part of an apocalyptic cult and how she found her way out of poverty and illness by drawing on the gifts of the wilderness. Michelle was raised on a mountain in the Angeles National Forest, where she learned to identify flora and fauna, navigate by the stars, forage for edible plants, and care for the earth. A highly accomplished journalism professor and contributor to many top national publications, she was the 2022 Faculty Lecturer of the Year at Chaffey College. She founded the award-winning literary journal and creative collective, The Chaffey Review, advises Student Media, and teaches poetry and critical thinking in the California Institutions for Men and Women in Chino. Interestingly, former Manson follower Leslie Van Houten assisted her courses for incarcerated women. We discussed her and her hopefully impending release from jail. Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Breach: The Untold Story of the Investigation into January 6th is former Republican congressman Denver Riggleman’s book as a senior technical advisor for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol. Denver Riggleman has served for over two decades as an intelligence officer, NSA adviser, federal contractor, research and development technology lead, and successful CEO of support companies for the Department of Defense. A veteran of the Global War on Terror and multiple worldwide operations, he served honorably in the US Air Force for nine active-duty years. We discuss his exit of the LDS (Mormons) and being shunned. Also his conviction to stand up for his values and to put his country over his party. This was a truly fascinating conversation.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are few people in the field of forensic psychology with the training, background, and experience of Dr. Steve Eichel. In 1975, almost a year before I was deprogrammed from the Moonies, he decided to do his dissertation research on my former cult. He has had a long distinguished career, serving as the President of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA), and remains an active member of their Board of Directors. He has been published extensively in the field and has served as an expert witness on undue influence in many cases. I asked him about his experience working for the defense in the case of DC sniper Lee Boyd Malvo. Steve joined the podcast to discuss these experiences and his expertise in therapeutic hypnosis. He was one of the experts I interviewed in researching my last book, The Cult of Trump.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Trump’s Indictment, the GOP is being described as the Cult of Trump, and the other GOP candidates are scrambling to figure out how to position themselves. Come listen to a fascinating talk with the award-winning documentarian Jen Senko on her film, The Brainwashing of My Dad, and the book based on it. Jen Senko’s experience with her father, Frank, hits close to home for many Americans today. Frank was a happy-go-lucky progressive Democrat when he came across a talk radio show hosted by Bob Grant. He started being more critical of Democrats and was somewhat combative about it. When he fully retired, he discovered Rush Limbaugh and listened to him for three hours daily. Then he started watching Fox News. At that point, his personality changed. He was always angry and couldn’t have discussions with his family anymore without them turning to politics. She delves into the experts who use social psychology to recruit and indoctrinate people. The good news is her father comes back to himself—a fascinating interview. Of course, as the author of the Cult of Trump, I weigh in.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Parental alienation is a highly destructive form of undue influence where one parent systematically manipulates their children to reject the other parent. This damaging form of psychological abuse not only disrupts family dynamics but can also leave lasting emotional scars on the child, potentially impacting their development, mental health, and future relationships. Often, children are not only alienated from their mother or their father but the entire side of the family, traumatizing all who are related. The BITE Model of Authoritarian Control can be used to analyze any case. I have previously done multiple blogs on this topic. Dana Laquidara, a professional author and writer, brings a unique perspective as an adult survivor of parental alienation. Through this memoir, she seeks to raise awareness and support parents and children ensnared in this devastating form of mind control and abuse.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices