Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan

Herself a former cult member and accredited psychotherapist in the U.K., is an international speaker, director of Hope Valley Counselling and author of the new book, Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic, and Spiritual Abuse: A Workbook for Recovery and Growth. Most people require specialized counseling to recover from an experience of cult indoctrination. But many therapists that work with former members are not trained to help with the after-effects of mind control and cult-related problems, such as the formation of a pseudo “cult identity.” Inspired by her experience of encountering unethical and inexperienced therapists, Gillie created an approach to counseling former members, which she calls Post-Cult Counselling (PCC), that brings together ethical therapy and the knowledge of cults.  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. Rediger, MD, MDiv, is a board-certified psychiatrist, best-selling author, and popular speaker. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and has served as Medical Director of McLean SE Adult psychiatry and Community Affairs at McLean Hospital for many years. He has spent years researching cases of what doctors call “spontaneous remission” and what others call “miracles.” We discuss the terribly broken medical care system that fails to see a whole person rather than a set of symptoms or diseases in “silos.” He talks about specific scientifically validated cases where people were given a terminal diagnosis and yet, lived. He focuses on the immune system and not only eliminating what is sabotaging it (lack of sleep, sugar, refined foods, and more) and what we can do to help ourselves heal ourselves. This one 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

Yasmine was raised in an extreme Islamic household and was married to a man who turned out to be an Al-Qaeda terrorist. She is a tireless human rights campaigner advocating for the rights of women living within Muslim-majority countries as well as those who struggled under religious fundamentalism in general. She is the founder of Free Hearts Free Minds, an organization providing mental health support for members of the LGBTQ+ community and free thinkers living within Muslim-majority countries where both “crimes” can be punished by execution. I wish to support women’s equal rights everywhere, and please join me for a very important interview on her book and her work.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 host of the Mea Culpa podcast and author of the #1 best-selling book,  Disloyal: A Memoir, and now with his latest book Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the Department of Justice Against His Critics. So much has happened that is timely with the 2nd anniversary of the Jan 6th violent attempted coup. His latest book is an indictment of Trump weaponizing the Department of Justice, headed by AG Bill Barr. Putting Cohen in jail- solitary confinement for 51 days! Learn more about this horrendous abuse of power. This is a great 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

Being raised in an authoritarian cult and exiting is usually a very difficult and traumatic experience. Many people have learned about the cult of Hubbard, Scientology, and Aaron Smith-Levin signed a billion-year commitment when he entered the SeaOrg- the elite troops of the cult. There have been many books, podcasts, and documentaries about Scientology. Aaron started a very successful YouTube Channel Growing up in Scientology and is the vice president of the Aftermath Foundation, a non-profit aimed at helping former members to recover. Three former Sea Org members who were inducted as children are currently suing the cult and David Miscavige, its head, for labor trafficking. Join us for this fascinating 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

My interview with the founder of the non-profit DialogCentre UK, Christian Szurko, shares his decades of experience helping people involved with abusive, controlling cults and relationships since 1973. A former member of Yogananda (Autobiography of a Yogi), Christian was mentored by a pastoral counselor, moved to England, and has been actively helping people reclaim their personal power and reenter society. This is a fascinating interview, and we cover many essential topics, from the need to focus more on helping people recover from authoritarian cults and not just “get them out.” We discuss the need for active listening, developing accurate mental maps, radicalization online, and the activism some of us have done over many decades offers a unique perspective to providing solutions. Join us in this fascinating discussion!Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A very important conversation with one of the top skeptics in the world about his new, excellent book, Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. Dr. Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of the podcast The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University, where he teaches Skepticism 101. For 18 years, he has been a monthly columnist for Scientific American. In this interview, you will learn about the biology that motivates people to believe in conspiracy theories as well as understand there are, in fact, actual conspiracies. The important thing is understanding what one needs to consider in order to accept a belief about a conspiracy as “true.” Shermer gives very practical, good advice on how to interact with folks that mirrors my work of what is effective. Most importantly–being willing to be curious, respectful, ask good questions, don’t be emotional or attack the individual and much more. Please check it out.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Come join me in this fascinating interview with Frances Peters who lives in the Netherlands and has a coaching and counseling practice serving people who are former members of a large variety of authoritarian cults, including the one she was raised in. The journey out of a cult for someone raised in it differs from working with someone recruited later in life. This conversation will be of interest to all, but especially to second-generation cult members as well as counselors, spouses, and anyone interested in different approaches to helping. Working with former members is a unique specialization and Frances Peters has a wonderful reputation. I am so pleased to share this interview with her.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Republican congressman and Tea Party advocate, Joe Walsh discusses his realizations about Trump and how he has been dissed by the MAGA powers in the GOP. He started “Center Street Pac” to help elect any politician devoted to putting country over party, in service of freedom. Joe has a podcast of his own, “White Flag with Joe Walsh” where he talks with progressives as well as GOD folks willing to discuss what has happened to the United States. Joe and I discuss Twitter, free speech, and libertarianism, and agree we all need to lower the temperature and get more people talking together to each other. Our current system is broken with dark money and bad actors manipulating the media and politics. So it is a fascinating important conversation that offers some ideas and directions for hope.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For anyone with a background in Evangelical Christianity, Francis Schaeffer is regarded as royalty. He has written books that sold many millions of copies and two films were made by his namesake son to promote them. This interview is one of the most important ones for people to listen to if they really wish to understand what has happened to Christianity in America. Frank Schaeffer, a New York Times best-selling author, and host of the podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, was homeschooled and raised in an evangelical/fundamentalist home and bears firsthand testimony of how his father’s life work was corrupted into a movement that wishes to secure political power, money, and control over people’s lives. Frank Schaeffer is a brilliant, creative man who truly cares about people and improving the world. Come listen to this incredible interview! Learn more about Frank at www.lovechildrenplanet.com.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices