Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan

Jason Kander’s new book significantly contributes to mental health, particularly to military folks walking around with undiagnosed PTSD. He is a former Army Captain and rising political star–yes, he was invited to the White House to meet with President Obama, who encouraged him to run for President. Jason realized that he had been suffering from classic PTSD symptoms for ten years and needed to stop everything and get help. He stepped out of political life, is a devoted husband and father, and has been working to help veterans. Jason’s previous best-selling book was Outside the Wire. He hosts the Majority 54 podcast. Jason is truly fascinating and inspiring, and I believe you will find this conversation fascinating.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Named one of the “100 best minds on leadership” by Leadership Excellence magazine, Ira Chaleff has a lot of positive, constructive things to guide people. I loved his books, Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You’re Told To Do Is Wrong, and The Courageous Follower: Standing Up To and For Our Leaders. At this time in world history, Chaleff has a lot of important wisdom to help people realign with their values and empower them to act with integrity. His program to teach children to Think, Blink, Choice, and Voice will help empower children to speak up if they are being pressured to do something wrong. Join me for 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

There are an estimated 40 million Americans and approximately 650 million people worldwide involved with Pentecostal/ Charismatic groups led by a prophet or apostle who claims to get direct revelations from God. Most of these fulfill the BITE model of Authoritarian Control criteria. Some of these folks see themselves as “spiritual warriors” and are convinced other people who wish to have human rights (women who wish to have control of their bodies, gay marriage, and reject theocracy) are satanic/ demonic forces. Dr. André Gagné, professor in theological studies at Concordia University (Montréal) teams up for this interview with Frederick Clarkson, Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates who has been reporting on the rise of the theocratic Christian Right for four decades.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 frank discussion on the subject of the Netflix docu-series Bad Vegan. One-on-one coercive control is what this story was about! Sarma co-founded Pure Food and Wine restaurant in NYC and founded the raw vegan brand, One Lucky Duck. The series failed utterly by not explaining how predators operate, or how hypnosis can be used to elicit obedience and induce amnesia. In this case, large sums were drained from Sarma's business, and both she and her predator were jailed at Rikers Island, prosecuted as if both had criminal intent. This episode is for anyone wishing to understand how an educated, intelligent woman's business and life were obliterated via years-long grooming and mind control. All the evidence was there but prosecutors IMPO did not wish to investigate what really happened.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Germaine is a Geriatric Neurologist, Professor Emeritus at OU College of Medicine. Her career has been devoted to people with dementia and their caregiver. She became a caregiver for her mother with dementia. She was recruited to Oklahoma University College of Medicine to develop a geriatric curriculum for medical students and focused her teaching on recognizing and caring for people with cognitive impairments. She required all her medical students to participate in Alzheimer's support groups. As the population ages in America, more and more people are suffering from severe cognitive impairments. While there is a great deal of research, Dr. Odenheimer warns us that caveat emptor: buyer beware.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lance Dodes, M.D. is a retired assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has been the Director of the substance abuse treatment unit of Harvard’s McLean Hospital, Director of the Alcoholism Treatment Unit at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (now part of Massachusetts General Hospital), and Director of the Boston Center for Problem Gambling. He is the author or co-author of many journal articles and book chapters about the psychology of addiction and the author of three books: The Heart of Addiction (HarperCollins, 2002), Breaking Addiction: A 7-Step Handbook for Ending Any Addiction (HarperCollins, 2011), and The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry (Beacon Press, 2014; senior author). This fascinating exchange helps to challenge the idea of a “disease” model of addiction and offers his decades of experience helping people overcome the compulsion underlying most addictions.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. Holzer was co-editor of the Oxford University textbook entitled Lone-Actor Terrorism: An Integrated Framework. The book is a scholarly endeavor to approach the complex subject from a variety of disciplines. I contributed a chapter titled, Understanding Online Indoctrination, with my coauthors, Jon Caven-Atack, Mansi Shah, and Simron Malhotra. With hundreds of mass shootings as well as other violent terrorist acts, it is essential to not limit discussion to banning assault rifles as solutions will require far more robust approaches. Citizens, along with law enforcement, and intelligence officials will all need a more refined understanding of what can be done to make the world safer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tricia Jenkins, Ph.D. is a podcaster and professor of film, TV, and digital media at TCU in Fort Worth, TX. She is the author of three books including The CIA in Hollywood, as well as Superheroes, Movies, and the State. Her new podcast, Worldwide: The Unchosen Church, features stories about growing up in the Worldwide Church of God- a doomsday apocalyptic cult. We talk about issues facing children and second-generation members born into cults. Details about Herbert W. Armstrong’s authoritarian cult group, an influential Christian right group, and its history are fascinating.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe by the assassin Tetsuya Yamagami, we are posting this interview. The killer was reportedly angered because of Abe’s family’s support of the Unification Church - aka Moon organization. Wood was a major expert testifying to courts including before the Supreme Court. Allen Tate Wood a former American Leader of the group talks with Steven Hassan in this must-watch interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr.  Pavao is a psychologist, trained social worker, and licensed marriage and family therapist who is an internationally recognized expert in the field of adoption. An adoptee herself, she has been influential in moving adoption from a parent-centered process to a child-centered one. This in-depth interview is essential listening for all people who have been adopted, have a relationship with an adoptee, or have adopted a child. Open adoptions have become more commonplace and inexpensive DNA testing has allowed people to find biological relatives. But most people are not aware of the deep trauma that some children experience, even as grown adults. Mental health professionals, as well as teachers, will benefit from this fascinating discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices