Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan

Dr. Stuart Shulman, a data scientist and CEO of Texifter, dives into the murky waters of online radicalization. He reveals how Twitter fuels movements like QAnon and explores the alarming presence of foreign influence in Canadian politics. Shulman discusses the dangerous blend of real and fake users in shaping narratives and the prevalence of anti-vaccine content among extremist groups. He warns of the risks posed by unregulated AI in the digital landscape and emphasizes the importance of civic engagement to combat disinformation.

The Trump University grift followed the same playbook as many predatory organizations, like Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) organizations. Victims are hooked through legitimate sounding offers, like a weekend sales course for $1,500. However, once the victims attend the weekend sales course, they are pressured into buying more courses for more money to achieve goals too good to be true. It’s a classic bait-and-switch. So, how can regular people receive justice when high-powered people and organizations wield deception and cult-like practices? That’s where Tristan Snell comes in. Snell is a lawyer and legal commentator featured on MSNBC, NPR, in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. He served as Assistant Attorney General for New York State, leading the investigation and prosecution of Trump University. Snell has developed a playbook for going up against Trump and others like Trump in court. This is a unique interview that you won’t want to miss!Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this era of political polarization, the landscape in the United States is marked by the rise of Donald Trump as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. This despite Trump facing numerous legal challenges–including over his involvement in the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol. However, Trump and his supporters are but the most visible element. The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is increasingly taking over the religious right movement and, in turn, influencing the Republican Party, which holds implications for Christianity and the future of democracy. The NAR is closely aligned with those who are on a mission to take over democracy worldwide under the guise of “religious freedom.” Not only are they backing Trump, but Trump is backing them. This movement of politicized Neo-Charismatic Pentecostals (NCP) seeks to assert dominance through their Seven Mountain Mandate, which we’ve previously discussed. There is a possibility that Trump could once again serve as a conduit for their agenda at the nation’s highest office, amplifying the impact of this cult movement towards religious theocracy through the legislative and judicial branches of government at all levels. The theocratic end goals are clearly laid out through Project Blitz, a state-level legislative program primarily led by NAR operatives. André Gagné and Frederick Clarkson returned to my show to discuss the NAR, its background, and ways to educate people worldwide about it. This is a very special interview of major importance.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neşe Devenot is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Institute for Research in Sensing (IRiS) at the University of Cincinnati and the Medicine, Society & Culture Research Fellow at Psymposia. I decided to use the title of her profoundly important journal article for this podcast. Psychedelics are all the rage. When I gave a talk at the American Psychiatric Association, there were many, many talks about the studies being done to see how drugs like psilocybin, ketamine, and MDMA might assist psychotherapeutically. However, many people are experimenting on their own. Some get caught up with a malignant narcissist “shaman” or teacher and experience horrendous trauma and abuse. While the public is doing widespread experimentation, Silicon Valley billionaires reportedly use large quantities of these substances. Devenot points out these tech billionaires appear to believe, in her words, a “TESCREAL bundle of ideologies, which describes an interrelated cluster of belief systems: transhumanism, Extropianism, singularitarianism, cosmism, Rationalism, Effective Altruism, and longtermism.” This is an utterly fascinating discussion about how the super-wealthy promotes these beliefs, and either people follow the leaders or they will be left behind. Listen to this brilliant researcher on bioethics!Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Melanie Trowbridge, a licensed naturopathic physician and acupuncturist, discusses the complexity of discerning scams from reality in natural health communities. They also explore the intersection of technology, ethics, and medical fields, concerns about emergent technology, and the manipulation of distrust in holistic medicine. The podcast highlights the importance of mental well-being, authentic connections, and community support, as well as raising awareness about human trafficking and the responsibility to learn about undue influence. Finally, they delve into AI, technology, and mind control in natural wellness and spiritual communities.

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the founder of iCivics, said, "The practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene pool. It must be taught and learned by each new generation." It is the continuing mission of the iCivics organization and its current Chief Executive Officer, Louise Dubé, to ensure that future generations of Americans receive meaningful, high-quality, non-partisan civics education through the 145,000 educators and 9 million students in all 50 states served through this free-to-the-public program. Civics education is a cornerstone of learning in the United States. It is the curriculum mortar that helps to hold our democracy together. Students learn the principles of collaboration to form a more perfect union from a very early age in the school system. As they advance in other skills, so should their skills in civics responsibilities and their participatory understanding of the rights and healthy influence within a democratic society. By the time a young person is of voting age in America, we hope that they feel capable of being actively engaged in the formation of societal order. Our nation's continuation and ongoing commitment to its founding principles depends on the learnings of each successive generation. Join us in this very important interview to insure our future!Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Laura E. Anderson, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery, shares her journey from a strict Christian upbringing to healing from religious trauma. She discusses her experiences with spiritual abuse and explores how political figures can trigger deconstruction. Laura emphasizes the unique aspects of religious trauma, the importance of grief in rebuilding relationships, and cautions against viewing atheism as a one-size-fits-all solution. Her insights provide a valuable perspective on navigating the complexities of faith and trauma.

Legally released from an unenforceable NDA, the former 2016 campaign staffer discusses the cult-building tactics, Russian interference, and the who’s who of bad actors behind the scenes of the Trump campaign. Joining the campaign when then-candidate Trump was polling last in the GOP field, Alva is one of the very few former campaign staffers who worked under Corey Lewandowski, Paul Manafort, Dave Bossie, and Steve Bannon. Alva quit Trump the day the Access Hollywood tape was released, as she experienced remarkably similar behavior towards her from him as described in his Access Hollywood hot mic. Freed from the legal ramifications of an NDA, Alva wishes to help “reverse engineer” how the Trump campaign reached and recruited millions of Americans- with the help of Russian agents, data targeting, and money. Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this New Year, we offer an episode on healthy, ethical influence. What is Integrative Psychology? What is “organization of mind?” If a person is interested in embodied mind practices, which include concentration meditation training, it takes very specialized training and practice to navigate this terrain effectively. Nigel Denning is a Counselling Psychologist and managing director of Integrative Psychology in Melbourne, Australia. We know each other because we both have received training from the famous forensic psychologist and Tibetan Buddhist teacher Daniel P. Brown. Sadly, Dr. Brown passed away last year, but his work lives on. Hopefully, we hope to empower individuals with the knowledge and tools to optimize their minds, create a nurturing environment for growth and healing, and develop awareness of and resilience against the numerous forms of undue influence that permeate our culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder about basic training in the military? What about how the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control applies to military personnel? With so many veterans who have returned to society, many do not seem to have been given the necessary psychological support to integrate and thrive. There is large amounts of active trauma as well as a high suicide rate. In 2022, Daniella Mestyanek Young acclaimed memoir Uncultured was published. It delved into being born into the Children of God sex cult, escaping, enlisting in officer’s training and her experiences as one of the first women to be in active combat as an Army Captain in the Intelligence Corps in Afghanistan. Young has since earned her Master’s in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the Harvard Extension School and has been unpacking her life experiences in very important ways for people to understand. Join me for this fascinating and disturbing interview.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices