Dr. Steven Hassan, a leading authority on undue influence and brainwashing, shares insights from his past as a member of the Unification Church. He discusses how cults and social media use emotional manipulation and personal narratives to control minds. The conversation dives into the dangers of absolute beliefs, the importance of critical thinking, and how sleep deprivation can distort perceptions. Dr. Hassan emphasizes the healing power of former cult members' stories and the need for greater awareness of manipulation in today's digital age.
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Honey Trap Recruitment
Dr. Hassan was recruited into the Moonies through a honey trap, where attractive women flirted with him and elicited personal information.
They love-bombed him and deceptively denied being part of a religious group.
insights INSIGHT
Building Trust Through Similarity
Cults exploit human desires for belonging and affirmation. They match individuals with similar people to build trust and make you feel comfortable.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Coincidence and Commitment
After the second night, Hassan was pressured to attend a weekend workshop, despite his work commitments. A sudden change in his schedule created a false sense of destiny.
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This book delves into the purpose and power of sleep, explaining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Walker discusses how sleep enriches our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions, recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. He also explores the consequences of sleep deprivation and provides actionable steps to improve sleep quality, including ways to prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity.
How would you know if you were in a cult?
If not a cult, then at least under undue influence?
The truth is: we're all under some form of undue influence. The question is: to what degree and to what extent we’re aware of this influence — which is exacerbated by social media. In an era of likes, followers, and echo chambers, how can we become aware of undue influence and gain sovereignty over our minds?
Our guest this week is Dr. Steven Hassan, an expert on undue influence, brainwashing, and unethical hypnosis. He’s the founder of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center — a coaching, consulting, and training organization dedicated to helping people freely consider how they want to live their lives. Dr. Hassan was himself a member of a cult: the Unification Church (also known as the Moonies), which was developed in Korea in the 1950's. Since leaving the Moonies, Dr. Hassan has helped thousands of individuals and families recover from undue influence.
Reckonings: A podcast that told the stories of people who’ve transcended extremism, expanded their worldviews, and made other kinds of transformative change. Start with episode 17 featuring a former paid climate skeptic, or episode 18 featuring the former protégé of Fox News chairman Roger Ailes
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